I feel like poor little Gilligan (google it) with my loyalty bouncing to and fro between the Skipper, Mr. Howell, the Professor, and the ladies (who seemed right more often than not).
The thing is that none of these answers can be applied to all situations, and the same, I suggest, is true of some observations about club's serving themselves well by robbing children of their educations.
About the child's age........ I'm concerned that the coach is focusing on one element of this child without regard to any other interests or needs. When you ask talented beginners if they want to do more gymnastics, you'll probably get a "heck yeah" from 4 out of 5 seven year olds, and only then because kid #5 was dreaming about the national team and completely missed the question.
Pretty cute..... right?, but what's cute about letting a 7yo make a ten year commitment when they haven't the cognitive ability to see past tonight's dinner and bed time story. Really, should you ask he question at all when they're that young. One sage chalkbucketeer has said you can't create an elite because, more or less, they just happen.
Yeah right you say? Well yeah, they have a way of making their dreams become reality, and find a way of putting their parents and coaches in the hot seat by working so dang hard there's nothing but guilt served to those who would deny them their destiny. I've seen talented kids get shipped off to gymnastic wonderland, and end up done for good two years later. I've also seen one who shared, with mom and dad, her dreams of glory that were so far fetched you could almost see the folks nod and smile a "sure sweetie" right back at her..... but the kid still made the national team and wore the red, white and blue in competitions abroad, even though she had to wait until age 12? to begin serious training.
About gyms asking for school schedule modifications...... The idea that a gym is profiting from this practice is a stretch for me, as most of these changes result in more resources being dedicated to the child. The fact that the equipment becomes available for the prime time hours is really a moot point, as the equipment made available to "the masses" will generate revenue that ultimately provides better circumstances for the team. If the task of running a gym were as simple as collecting team fees to pay the rent, utilities, and coaches, then we wouldn't see so many gyms with enrollments north of 500 kids, and there'd be far fewer multi sport operations with a positive bias toward the gymnastics program.
In most cases the benefit is to the kids. They get complete run of the facility and can stay on a piece of equipment when they're on a hot streak, or move when continued failures make it more sensible to work a different event. Really, just having the gym quiet enough to communicate easily is enough of a bonus to make it worth some of the effort to maintain a good education outside the mainstream.
I've had kids with modified schedules, and have never seen one who wasn't educated, as a whole, beyond her years from top to bottom. Sure, there may have been a few who had a "B" or "A-" on their report cards, but considering the impracticality of controlling what constructive passions a child may, or not, pursue, it's remarkable to see their second or third choice pursuit do as well as a 3.75 GPA. The purpose of education???? Is it to teach kids how to study for tests.... or is it to teach them how to learn, seek solutions, and to understand the process of achieving something extraordinary.
