Parents Missing school for training

[JessLW]

There was a post that implied that the identification of natural ability isn't always correct at the really young ages. I would suspect that in at least some cases the coaches are "off"...not sure though.

Coaches - can you comment on this? Can you always tell an "elite caliber" gymnast from just a "regular gymnast" (you know one that will peak at only L9/L10...haha, likes thats "bad" or something ) just by watching them for a short amount of time at age 5/6/7? Or does it sometimes take a while to pan out?

That's an interesting question. Maybe you should post it in its own thread because it might get lost here. I think different coaches will have different takes, obviously.

When you look at gyms that have elite-track programs (that actually do produce elites), obviously not all of their gymnasts are in those programs. Even WOGA has a regular old L4, L5 team same as everyone else. There is some level of selection going on, and although gyms might differ about at what point that selection should take place, it isn't as if they just give all the kids in the gym 35 hour a week training schedules and see which ones sink and which ones swim.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Can you tell which gymnasts have the potential to reach international from a young age? Yes, absolutely, we choose these kids from a young here in Australia and you know by 5 or 6 who has that potential and who doesn't. It is actually really quite obvious in many ways, they move totally differently to other kids.

does this mean we should choose our elites at this age, I this absolutely not! We are talking about elite potential only, it takes a lot more than potential.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

Last year my dd was 8 and in grade 3, missed one afternoon a week for gym. This year she attends a special school program with a condensed day (3 hours of school) and trains each afternoon. It totally works for her personality and learning style, and she has thrived in the school. It was a trial for us, and if it had been a problem with grades, she knew she would have come out and returned to regular school.

The other positive is that she was training 3 nights a week until 9:00 pm. This was exhausting for her (and me!) and now she can get to bed at 8-8:30 and is happier and much easier to deal with.

If you do decide to take her out 2 afternoons a week, make sure that the school and teachers are on board with it. Make sure they know the schedule and that you expect any missed work will be sent home so that your dd can complete it. Also be prepared to have your dd miss training for field trips, tests, presentations, etc.

My dd's first teacher last year was much easier to deal with in this regard, but her teacher left and the replacement really did not approve of the afternoon off. DD even thought that she scheduled certain "fun" activities on that day so she would miss them on purpose.

It takes work to make it work, and you need to decide and be fully committed to your dd's education and work with the school and teacher.

By the way, where are you in Canada? You can PM me if you don't want to post it here. Just my own curiosity, lol.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

I think it is different in Canada where you have to choose the national stream from a very young age. I don't think they can opt in later. If that were the case in the US, you might have a different opinion.

There is a Pre-Novice National stream program for 8-10 year olds, then Novice 11-13, Junior 13-15, then Senior is 15 or 16 plus whatever it is in the US. There are kids who go through the provincial program and don't choose National until they are in their teens. It is not mandatory to start in the national program at a young age.

 

[leotardmakermum]

...you know by 5 or 6 who has that potential and who doesn't. It is actually really quite obvious in many ways, they move totally differently to other kids.

That's quite fascinating! When our daughter was younger, the coaches used to tell us that she had amazing stomach muscles. We just thought "that's nice." When she won her first competition, they said "We've been telling you for years. Now do you believe us that she is talented?" My reply was "Well, you've always said that she has strong stomach muscles, but that doesn't count for much, does it?" Apparently it does - core strength or something. The latest focus is on another body part of hers that is apparently quite amazing. I wouldn't have a clue!

Coaches aren't looking for the same things parents do. In my experience they're looking at how the gymnast's body works and if that has the potential to help them go far.

But yes, there is so much more to it than that. I often think that it is a war of attrition. Those who make it through are the ones who stayed in the sport the longest, weren't injured when it was important, put in oodles of hard work, and have the determination and mental strength to get them through.

For those who are Australian, you might understand a reference to Steven Bradbury - you have to be the last man standing. But to even get to be the last man standing, you've got to have all those other things to give you that chance.

For those of you who haven't heard of Steven Bradbury, he is one of Australia's few (only?) winter Olympics gold medal winners. He won the speed skating (I don't even know the correct term for the event!) by being the only one who didn't crash. Sure, it was a bit of luck that he was the only one who didn't crash, but he couldn't have qualified for the event without being good enough to be there.