Parents Moving - how do you know which gym to choose?

[munchkin3]

What level?

 

[flippingtogether]

I will say first hand @dunno really helped save time in our process of moving cross country/looking for the best gym fit for my DD.

Yes we did our own research, observation, and a tryout, but boy is it amazing to have someone in this group like Dunno. He can take you while you are floundering around, worrying about a million other things in your life, and amazingly point you in the right direction for this one (important) thing.....

(Thank you again Dunno)

 

[tanyarlc]

I was just about to post the same question! We are likely moving to Mi (somewhere nearish detroit) and my poor daughter is about to make her gymnastics team ( level 3) and i am going to have to move her away. shes going to be so CRUSHED! ive googled and there are so many places to choose from and its so hard to tell what is going to be best for her.

 

[SignHere]

Gym move for my DD went like this ....

I googled gyms in the area, looked at locations, www.mymeetscores.com.
I pm'd Dunno with the particulars of my move, DDs level, and gyms I was considering.

Dunno told me which 2 ( of the 5! ) I had been considering to look at, suggested 1 or 2 more I hadn't considered because of distance ( they were a little farther).

DD and I went to 1st gym on our list . She did 1 practice as a try out. They accepted her on team, and suggested she do a week's worth of practices with the girls to see how she liked it.

At the end of the week, DDs mind was made up. She had found her new gym home!

So, it does not have to be stressful. She is SO happy with her new gym.

 

[txgymfan]

Exactly! Do your prep work, look at scores, websites, distance and pm dunno.

 

[refugee]

You don't say what your child's age or level is, or what their (your?) ultimate gymnastics goal is...but if you think college is realistic, I think there's a few more things to explore.

For example, What kind of track record does the gym have for landing scholarships for their athletes? Is this an ongoing pattern or ancient history?

Especially for larger gyms, I would caution about using the athlete's meet scores (MSO or MMS) as an indicator. How many coaches/groups are there for that level? Are all the kids at that level performing well? Or only for a certain group? Again, is this gym consistently performing at that level or only recently?

Where there is consistent performance with top level athletes, also look at the lower level scores. Research the top level athlete's histories. Were these athletes "home-grown" in the gym or did they bring strong skills to the gym from another gym? This last one is important in Texas...there many strong gyms that attract athletes from elsewhere looking to train/compete at the highest level.

Finally, something that is too-often overlooked: find out how the gym manages injuries to athletes.

 

[Becauseisaid]

Who/what is dunno?

Some say he never blinks and he roams around the gyms at night foraging for chalk.

Some say that his heart ticks like a watch and he is confused by stairs.

Some say that he naturally faces magnetic north and, wherever you are in the world, if you tune in to 88.4, you can hear his thoughts.

All we know is he's call Dunno.

 

[gwenmom]

Some say he never blinks and he roams around the gyms at night foraging for chalk.

Some say that his heart ticks like a watch and he is confused by stairs.

Some say that he naturally faces magnetic north and, wherever you are in the world, if you tune in to 88.4, you can hear his thoughts.

All we know is he's call Dunno.

Hmmm makes we wonder if Dunno is also The Stig!

 

[Becauseisaid]

Hmmm makes we wonder if Dunno is also The Stig!

EXACTLY!

 

[raenndrops]

I have to agree with contacting @dunno . If you PM him the area and some info about your gymnast, he can help guide you in the right direction.

I just did this last night for a friend at our gym. They are moving across country and were looking for a new gym. They had contacted a few, but weren't sure. I asked and was told that there was only one in that area he would recommend. It was one of the ones they had contacted and gotten a good vibe from. With dunno's recommendation on top of everything else, that is where they are going to go!

 

[Haismom]

We moved last year and found a gym she liked that was close, only to find it wasn't the place for us... We moved gyms and she had her best season but go talk to as many as possible talk to the parents and let your kiddo find the place for her... I have never met a gym that won't let you practice for 2-4 days to see if it's the right gym for you...

 

[LIGYMMOM]

I'm guessing there are plenty of gyms to choose from in the Houston area, and that could be a daunting task! It's important to match the personality and goals of your gymnast to the gym's philosophy. Call ahead, ask about hours, ask "what is your gym's philosophy?" Ask what the atmosphere is like. For me, if the gym owner or team director was willing to take the time to answer all my questions, and I liked what they said, it was worth checking out. Have your dd try out a few and ask her where she feels more comfortable. For us, the gym that seemed warm and happy to have her was the right one. The one that acted more like she would be lucky to be invited, was not. Totally depends on your kid, only the two of you will be able tofind the right fit. Good luck!

 

[munchkin3]

Hmmm makes we wonder if Dunno is also The Stig!

Maybe he can replace Jeremy Clarkson.

 

[Ruth]

We have about 4 gyms in our town I watched our local meet. We chose the gym with the most polished girls based on watching the meet.