Parents move a bottom of the pack gymnast to "better" gym?

[LJL07]

Despite what the insta moms would have us believe, I don't believe for a second that all those baby gymmies on Instagram are dying to do all of that home conditioning and home gymnastics, so don't let that be a barometer of your child's motivation. Both of my girls lovvvvveeee gymnastics, and rest assured, neither of them voluntarily do conditioning at home. Similar experience to Sasha and bookworm with my oldest (well, she's not elite level tops A team), but she was bottom at her first state meet. Got her to a place with good technical coaching and she was 37+ top of podium and skipping a few levels. Coaching made all the difference with her gymnastics so I wouldn't waste time and money at a gym you have been questioning this long. But, I do encourage you to trust your mom intuition and also look for the whole coaching package and that includes happy gymnasts, not just high scoring ones.

 

[AWOL]

Ok, in spite of previous indignant/outraged replies, I'll bite. What does it mean to have this "hardness to be a good top or middle of the pack gymnast" of which you speak? I'm wondering because I often think about how far my own DD could go/will go in this sport. Right now we're taking it slow because I am in absolutely no rush to spend more $$$ or time on gymnastics, and she does not want to rush up the levels herself until she has mastered the basics (her coaches were moving a group to skip level 3, and I asked her if I should ask about her being one of those girls, and she said no because she wanted to get her BHS solid). She's going to be 9 in a month, is doing level 3, and loves to practice her routines and do conditioning and flexibility at home. In level 2, she placed between 2-5 in her age groups in all the meets. She's happy and having fun, and doesn't care about her placements, preferring to set meet-specific goals ("I want to be more confident on the balance beam and wobble less at this meet.") Does this indicate a lack of ambition on our part that will doom her to quitting early?

The question that started this discussion was if she move to another gym to move from the bottom of the pack and then she says that they do not want to work hard to do so but just want to have fun. If this is what they want, why not stay were they are and continue doing so.
The "hardness" I was referring to is the will to do the hard work that is required to get out of the bottom of the pack. Maybe a better word would have been the fortitude to do what is required to do so. I don't see this in the op's comments.
Doing all the hard conditioning needed to inprove is not fun but hard work. If they are not ready to do this they are better off where they are.
I was not trying to be mean just a realist.

 

[GYM0M]

The question that started this discussion was if she move to another gym to move from the bottom of the pack and then she says that they do not want to work hard to do so but just want to have fun. If this is what they want, why not stay were they are and continue doing so.
The "hardness" I was referring to is the will to do the hard work that is required to get out of the bottom of the pack. Maybe a better word would have been the fortitude to do what is required to do so. I don't see this in the op's comments.
Doing all the hard conditioning needed to inprove is not fun but hard work. If they are not ready to do this they are better off where they are.
I was not trying to be mean just a realist.

I didn't read that at all. I read that her DD loves gym, works hard, but is not all-consumed. It is possible to be a successful gymnast and not be consumed by gym. I think she was asking if moving to a better gym with more experienced coaching could benefit her DD (which the answer is yes.) I think the OP is saying that she feels like her DD has the commitment and ethic, but may need a different coaching style or a coach that has more experience with a wider variety of ability and needed corrections.

To OP, regret lasts for a lifetime. What ifs can never be answered. In the grand scheme, what's a year of inconvenience if you get answers or success? Move to the better gym, give it a year, reassess then bc you never really know until you try.

 

[AWOL]

To OP, regret lasts for a lifetime. What ifs can never be answered. In the grand scheme, what's a year of inconvenience if you get answers or success? Move to the better gym, give it a year, reassess then bc you never really know until you try.

They do and that is one of the reasons to think hard about moving.
I think you can find as many stories about regretting the move, maybe more.
I know we made the wrong move one time. Set her back a couple of years and months at therapy with a sports therapist. Luckily he fixed things and we are now at the correct gym with a very successful Level 9 season last spring.

 

[GYM0M]

They do and that is one of the reasons to think hard about moving.
I think you can find as many stories about regretting the move, maybe more.
I know we made the wrong move one time. Set her back a couple of years and months at therapy with a sports therapist. Luckily he fixed things and we are now at the correct gym with a very successful Level 9 season last spring.

I'm sorry your experience was quite devastating to your DD and I'm glad to hear that she has recovered and is successful; however, it sounds to me, like OP feels like at her current gym, her DD is setting up to repeat L3 for a third year, not sure how much switching could set her back. The coaching style may or may not be a good fit for her DD. If OP's DD has asked to change, why should she stay? I think the best gym for any gymnast is where they want to be. It is for this reason that we have not moved to an elite gym. My DD is where she wants to be, she progressing and loving the sport. There's always a risk associated with switching, but when it pays off, it's worth it.

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

I'm hoping that wherever she is next year she can move up to lvl 4. I'm pretty sure her current gym will move her up -they have pretty low standards. Perhaps I'm being unrealistic but I hoped that a new gym would see that she's done 2 years of lvl 3 and will get her to a point where she can move up and have a reasonably good season -up to their standards. Perhaps this is unrealistic. But can a 3rd year at level 3 really be that helpful????

 

[suebee]

Unfortunately, a new gym may ask her to do level 3 again. Their level 3 practices may be totally different with up training and more attention to form and detail that your Dd may not be getting in current gym. This is why I would try to find another gym now, if you can. It may be the difference between having to do level 3 yet again. Just moving up next year, as your current gym might do, may not help your Dd if she still has not learned what she needs to.

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

Unfortunately, a new gym may ask her to do level 3 again. Their level 3 practices may be totally different with up training and more attention to form and detail that your Dd may not be getting in current gym. This is why I would try to find another gym now, if you can. It may be the difference between having to do level 3 yet again. Just moving up next year, as your current gym might do, may not help your Dd if she still has not learned what she needs to.

I actually tried to switch gyms several months ago -around April, and found that gyms in my area were not at all receptive to this. Neither of the 2 gyms that I contacted would consider taking on a new gymnast at that point in their competition cycle. So we decided to wait until the end of the comp season and try again. I wish I had followed my initial instinct and moved her at the end of last competition season. But I guess at this point it is what it is!

 

[z2akids]

I'm hoping that wherever she is next year she can move up to lvl 4. I'm pretty sure her current gym will move her up -they have pretty low standards. Perhaps I'm being unrealistic but I hoped that a new gym would see that she's done 2 years of lvl 3 and will get her to a point where she can move up and have a reasonably good season -up to their standards. Perhaps this is unrealistic. But can a 3rd year at level 3 really be that helpful????

I would hazard to guess that your DD is more likely to move up next year at your current gym than at a new, more competitive gym, if she stays at her current gym this season.

Unfortunately, a new gym may ask her to do level 3 again. Their level 3 practices may be totally different with up training and more attention to form and detail that your Dd may not be getting in current gym. This is why I would try to find another gym now, if you can. It may be the difference between having to do level 3 yet again. Just moving up next year, as your current gym might do, may not help your Dd if she still has not learned what she needs to.

I agree.

 

[flippin out]

I actually tried to switch gyms several months ago -around April, and found that gyms in my area were not at all receptive to this. Neither of the 2 gyms that I contacted would consider taking on a new gymnast at that point in their competition cycle.!

There is a big difference in taking a girl in August/sept compared to April (when you looked last time). In April a lot of gyms are gearing up for optional level Regionals and Nationals. I would not let the fact that gums were not at all receptive to taking on a new girl in April deter me from calling them at the beginning of a season. If you are set to move her, stay through another season is pointless and will just delay her progress. Just my opinion though

 

[Committed]

I would have to agree that a new gym is not likely to move her up.
We had the experience of DD competing (old) L3 at a not-so-competitive gym. We moved gyms mid-season, and DD was placed on preteam at the competitive gym.
After 9 months, she made the (new) L4 team. She has really excelled since then.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

but, from what I can gather it looks like this gym will not move her up next year correct ? So, my thoughts would be, move now, repeat 3 this year but have the advantage of better training, if that is the problem, and then move up next year ?

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

Thanks for the responses. Her first meet is only a couple of weeks away and she is all set for it and excited -so it would be difficult to convince her to move now and I can't imagine another gym taking her right now since they too are getting ready to have their first meet. The reason that they gave me for not evaluating her in April is that it was too close to the start of meet season to prepare her in the way that they like to -so I really don't see either of these gyms taking her now even if we wanted to do that. But it also wouldn't be worth it to me to take her out of the meets this fall as she really looks forward to them and has her new leo and warm ups, etc. So at this point whatever time she looses during the next few months will just have to be. Also, I am not set on moving her -I appreciate all of your responses but I'm still weighing the pros and cons for our family/DD.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I actually tried to switch gyms several months ago -around April, and found that gyms in my area were not at all receptive to this. Neither of the 2 gyms that I contacted would consider taking on a new gymnast at that point in their competition cycle. So we decided to wait until the end of the comp season and try again. I wish I had followed my initial instinct and moved her at the end of last competition season. But I guess at this point it is what it is!

The problem you are now at another crunch point. As meet season is approaching many gyms won't take on getting a kid who hasn't been practicing a new level all summer.

Happened to us. We moved in Sept. She was L3 at her old gym but not ready for L3 by new gyms standards (and they were correct) so she went back to L2. If we had moved her in May or June, I am also sure the outcome would of been different. She uptrains like crazy so its fine. But regarding her level she lost a year.