Moved to new state, new gym not measuring up

[lala'smom]

I'm new to CB & looking for advice and/or support. We recently moved to a new state for work and had to find a new gym. The old gym was a big, established gym and very successful. In our new city, there are not many options for gymnastics. We did find a gym in the new state and my daughter has been there for the past 5 months. Initially she hated it but has recently started bonding with her new teammates and adjusting to the newness of everything.

The coach is a very likable person but his coaching methods and philosophies are so different from the old gym. At the old gym the girls were very polished and only competed skills that were competition ready. At the new gym the focus is on the big skills and less on refinement of existing skills. Dance elements are sloppy and points are being lost on form. My daughter's own form is beginning to suffer and so are her scores and placings at competitions. As her mom, I do have a gymnastics and dance background and having been at the old gym for 8 years (she started at the age of 3 & is now 11 & a level 8) I've seen how training can be done right resulting in success on the individual & team level. I know I have no right to tell the new coach how to coach but I'm so frustrated with lack of attention to detail and pushing the girls to compete skills they just 'got'.

As above, there really aren't a lot of gym options around for us to choose from. We are already driving 30+ minutes and any other gym would be even further away. I guess my question is should I say something to him or keep my mouth shut? I can't stop comparing how the old gym did things so much differently and so much better. I appreciate any advice or input.

 

[sportzmomov3]

How did you come to choose the gym you are at? Proximity?

 

[gymgal]

Sounds like the gym's philosophy is very different than what you want for your dd. I know you said there are few gyms in your area but it seems like its time to beyond your area for a gym that better fits your philosophy.

It's hard to know from your post just how different the two styles are. and also if there is a safety issue going on here. But personally, I know that I am glad my dd is not in a gym that forces perfection before being able to compete skills. She's not going to be an elite. I feel that if she is comfortable performing a skill safely, she should be allowed to compete it, even if it is not perfect. If she waited until her skills reached perfection she may have quit gymnastics long ago. Are her scores lower than some gyms that are really strict about perfect form? Sure. But for her its not about the scores. It's about the progression.

It just really depends on what your dd wants from gymnastics...

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[JudyS125]

I could have written your letter 2 1/2 years ago. We moved from a metro area to a much more rural area. There was only one gym within an hour of our new house, at about 15 minutes away. At the time, my dd was a 10 yo level 8. Socially, she adjusted to the new gym and the new girls, but the program was not as strong and I spent the next year watching her lose skills, lose muscle tone, and watching her scores drop. There was a coaching change the next year that improved things a little, but she made no progress. Last summer, the gym closed which forced us to make the difficult decision to drive over an hour to the next closest gym. This has ended up being a very good thing. Since she made no progress over the past two years, she is doing level 8 again, but she is thriving in the new environment. Her skills are coming back, she is finally mastering new skills, and her scores are higher than they have ever been. The one thing that has been slower to come back is her work ethic. In her first gym, she was a very determined gymnast. She lost that at the second gym and hasn't totally regained it. I wish I could go back in time and have moved her to where she is now sooner. We wasted two years. The longer commute is hard, but my advice would be to look at what options you have if you drive a little further. I am not sure if a talk with the coach would help at all because I can't imagine they would change their coaching philosophy at your suggestion. Anyway {{{{{{hugs to you}}}}}}}. I know what a horribly frustrating feeling that can be.

 

[lala'smom]

proximity

How did you come to choose the gym you are at? Proximity?

The current gym is the closest with level 9's & 10's. There are closer gyms but they are smaller and only have girls up to level 8 who are not competitive at state or regionals.

 

[MaryA]

I can't imagine that saying anything would help. The HC is not going to slap his head and say "Oh, so that's what I've been doing wrong all these years!" and change his coaching. I think that you have a difficult decision to make... stay at your current gym and bite your tongue. If they have level 9's and 10's that do O.K. then they must be doing something right. Or look into other gym options with the understanding that you will need to commute further. It really just depends on your priorities and your schedule.

Does her schedule allow you to supplement gym with a ballet class? That may help with the sloppy dance elements and form. And an hour or two a week at a local dance school might be preferable to another hour or two a week spent in the car commuting. Just a thought.

Good luck!

 

[lala'smom]

Thanks for your post. I'm not looking for perfection in any given skill, just consistency and a certain amount of repetitions that make her comfortable. I don't think they'd put her in an unsafe situation but they are pushing her to do a skill that not many 8's compete. She just 'got' it last week and the hc was considering putting it in the competition that weekend with only a few 'made' by herself. The old gym would never have let her compete such a new skill, a skill most kids don't compete until level 9. She wasn't comfortable competing it either.

She still really misses her old gym, coaches & teammates and realizes the gyms are very different. Yet, change is hard on her and she is definitely adapting now and making some nice friends. I know the longer she stays, the harder it will be to change if that is in fact the decision that is made. Thanks again.

 

[lala'smom]

LOL! That is exactly what my husband says. HC is not gonna change his ways for us. Level 9's & 10's are just like the 8's. They have the skills but are not polished and inconsistent.

She just started up ballet again in January after a few months off after our move so maybe it'll help remind her about form & body positioning. We'll likely stay put until after season is over and then evaluate or options. Thanks for your input.

 

[lala'smom]

Thanks so much for your post. Makes me feel better just knowing others have gone through something similar. And yes, I've come to realize they are not going to change for us. I think the right thing to do would be to wait until after the season is over and reevaluate if this is the place for her or if we are willing to sacrifice more time and money for the sake of gymnastics. Thanks again.

 

[gymgal]

With the additional info you provided, I would be weary about the situation as well. If she just got a skill that is not needed and she isn't comfortable with it yet...

As for the L9 and 10s not being polished, some gyms believe it is better to get the girls as high as possible first, then spend a few years at 10 perfecting everything. Not sure how that works in reality since a lot of skills need strong foundation skills.

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[bookworm]

and even though this gym HAS 9s and 10s, do they ever make it to their National Meets (Easterns or Westerns for the 9s or JO Nationals for the 10s) ? If they don't at all, then I'd be looking to move along to somewhere that had a better track record with their upper levels. Go on the USAG website and look at the past several years results for these national meets and see if your current gym has anyone that went, and how did they do.