moving up and parent communication

[bluesocks]

Hi all,

I don't post often, but I read regularly. I am wondering about how different gyms handle parent communication specifically related to learning skills and moving levels.

My DD is on mini pre-team and has been for one year now. I have been expecting that she will move to pre-team this summer. Now, I just don't know. I approached her coach to ask when decisions were going to be made and communicated with parents. She said there will be evaluations in July. I asked what she thought about my daughter and she just said to wait for evaluations.

Then--I was watching her class tonight and the group was divided into two--one younger and less experienced group and one older and more experienced group. She has consistently been in the older and more experienced group. But, not tonight. I get the sense that they are not going to move her at this time. I am definitely okay with her staying in her current class for another six months when evaluations are completed again. BUT, my daughter is truly expecting to move up. In December, about half of her class moved up. Now she feels like it is her turn. I am so frustrated by the lack of parent communication. If I knew that moving up were unlikely, I would prepare my daughter for that. I feel like I am stuck here. HELP--I would appreciate any advice in how to deal with this waiting and seeing.

I know at least one other mom has decided to look at other gyms in the area due to the lack of parent communication. But, I sort of feel like no gym is perfect. So, if I were to change gyms to one with more/better communication I would likely be giving up something. Overall, I think there is great coaching at her gym. We have been there since pre-school gymnastics. I am very pleased with the overall program. Just very frustrated with this lack of communication.

Okay, thanks for reading. I really do look forward to any suggestions you might have for me (even if you suggest getting myself a margarita and chilling by the side of the pool for the next month).

blue

 

[sportyspice]

Sorry, I think you should take the "margarita" option - from what I have experienced (gym momma of 6 years) and seen posted on this board, many gyms have problems with communication, I wouldn't leave a gym based purely on difficulties with communication as I don't think many coaches see it as a priority.

You have been told that evaluations will be made in July so I would "chill" until then. If you want to prepare your DD for the outcome, then maybe a chat about gymnasts progressing at different rates and its not like school where everyone moves to the next grade together, some gymnasts spend longer at the lower levels and some spend longer time repeating higher levels. Her own personal progress is what counts. (IMHO those that spend longer doing the basics often progress to be stronger gymnasts)

 

[bogwoppit]

I too would sit and wait for the evalautaions, the gym will either put her up or they won't. TO leave as gym because you don't think they will advance her is a very bad reason to consider it.

MOve up time is stressful in many gyms, group numbers are very important when creating group, sometimes they have to promote the 10 best, not always the 10 that have the skills. SOmetimes they promote the 10 who pick up skills fastest or have the best form.

As you see it is not something most parents can easily understand, so sit and wait. If you want to stay in the gym long term, get used to this and try to not ever discuss it with or near your child. As long as your gymmie is learning and having fun that is a good thing. If she is bored and has surpassed evryone in the group with great form, that is a whole other issue.

 

[vagymmomma]

I really don't like this time of year. I feel bad for the coaches, the gymnasts and the parents because the answers aren't always easy. I agree with the other posters that you should wait for the evaluation. I know the early rumors on move ups in our gym turned out to be way off this year.

If you find out that she's not being moved up, I would ask why (try to be positive about it - focus on what your DD needs to work on because it means a lot to her). My DD wasn't moved up at one point with other girls on the preteam and it really upset her. When I approached the coach she said they were on the fence about moving her and suggested a few privates. Two years later she's one of the top girls on the team.

The coaches aren't always right, but I think they're doing their best and I've been amazed at all the factors that come into play in the decision.

 

[bluesocks]

I think you are all correct--I just need to sit back and wait and see (I am not a patient person and seem to have to learn this lesson over and over and over again). I felt like the coach's response to me asking about evaluations was disconcerting. I think she should be able to say--she is doing X,Y, Z skills and needs to work on A and B. But, I can't even seem to get that level of communication.

The funny thing is that I am happy with her classes and schedule now. So, staying in this class another 6 months really wouldn't be a bad thing--just would be hard for my daughter to see more girls moving up ahead of her when they are able to do all of the same skills (and my daughter has particularly good form according to other coaches in the gym). Sigh....

I guess I just don't understand the mystery and stress around all of this!

 

[gymdog]

I know at one of the gyms I work at it's pretty impossible to tell anything about the evaluations. It really depends on space and they evaluate a lot of kids who will eventually be on preteam or team (some are still in classes) but maybe not that year. It isn't the instructor of the individual child who does the evaluation, we just recommend them.

So when the time comes they have to see who they have, appropriate ages for groupings if possible (if you have a lot of different ages they may be trying to keep them roughly together). After they do the evaluations they may decide on a different system than they've previously used, etc.

As far as the groups tonight, it could have possibly been a numbers thing. That could mean one of two things since you didn't say how old she is, either she is on the fence, or she is younger than most of the girls in the older group. If she is on the fence then that may be why they feel like they can't say anything but wait. But either way they may not know what will shake out. I simply tell parents/kids about evaluations "they are going to look at your skills and decide what the right class is for you."

 

[bluesocks]

So when the time comes they have to see who they have, appropriate ages for groupings if possible (if you have a lot of different ages they may be trying to keep them roughly together). After they do the evaluations they may decide on a different system than they've previously used, etc.

I appreciate this perspective. It helps me understand because that is exactly what is happening. We don't know what she will need to be moved up to the next level--and, it may be that someone else is ultimately making the decisions about moving up. We are at a larger gym, so there are many kids in the developmental / team program.

I think her current coach is a great coach. She is not warm and fuzzy, though. I think my daughter and I are both ready for the next coaches--two of which she used to have and we know. They are a bit more approachable.

 

[gymdog]

Yes that is the problem with the one model I mentioned. It is a HUGE class program with many instructors and while we know the team instructors and which girls have potential, ultimately no one sees all the kids at once until the evaluation. So it's just hard to place them in the context of what available spaces, age groupings, etc we'll have. Luckily we have an extensive class program so there is always space to keep them progressing and then they can join the team program later if there isn't space. Ultimately I feel this may be better than the other model I have where space is very limited but you know all the kids and can move them at any time. With the limited class program you may be able to accelerate them to team more easily but then if there isn't space you can't always get them into a small grouping of similar ability kids. So both have drawbacks.

However it sounds like your daughter is already on preteam, so in some ways they may not be worried, as they may feel it all goes to the same place in the end. Usually once they are on preteam they are going to end up in L4 if they want to, it's just a matter of when. If they are doing a different age thing next session, or whatever, they might just be looking at what year the girls will be age eligible for L4 or ready physically and mentally, and making decisions based on that. They might just be more concerned this point about the kids moving into preteam as that can be the big difference, whether the kids will continue in classes or go to preteam obviously makes a big difference in the track they're on. Whereas once they're on preteam they already have a set progression to competitive.

So ultimately I would just keep in mind usually if a kid is on preteam and it's "working out" (i.e. they can handle the workouts, are progressing reasonably well) then they are going to end up competing L4 eventually. I know it can be frustrating not to know what's going to happen in the next session and I sometimes feel it too when I'm trying to recommend kids or get them on preteam from classes or team from preteam. But I do think at the large gyms to some extent all you can do is wait for the evaluations because it is just hard even for the gym to know who is going to fit where until that happens. I think if your daughter wasn't progressing or handling the workouts then they probably would have told you before, so I wouldn't worry that she'll never move out of this group or anything.

 

[All Chalked Up]

I understand what you mean. They may want to move her up, but have her in the younger group to work on her A and B skills. They also may want to have it in half, are fast tracking a child and yours is the one out. I don't think that situation is fair, but it's how the ole cookie crumbles in the gymnastics world. I have friends who have been there. Not the ideal situation!

 

[Aussie_coach]

One of the biggest problems experienced with coaches is that gymnastics progress is far from steady. Kids don't tend to progress in a steady uphill spiral and it can be difficult to predict progress even into the very near future. Kids may go through a stage where they progress very slowly and then all of a sudden it just clicks and progresses very quickly, other kids will even temporarily go backwards and lose skills they were doing easily 6 months ago.

Your gym probably has a policy against giving parents predictions about their childs progress because in the past they may have got it wrong and mentioned kids would move up and then the time has come and they haven't progressed as expected. Parents have then become angry and insisted that they were promised their child would move up.

It's often safer not too make any sort of commitment one way or the other.

 

[NGL780309]

DD's gym has a very unorganized system for move-ups and I was unhappy with it when DD was on preteam, but I'm completely happy with her current coaches and based on their actions I believe move-ups will be fully communicated.

DD started gym at 4 and was put on Dev team right away. She spent about 6 months there. There was no communication about moving up or skills needed for preteam. They just seemed to move kids up at all different times and skill level. We showed up one day and the coach said "Tomorrow she can move to preteam." Okay, thanks for the notice. We ended up waiting until that summer because she had other things already scheduled on the days preteam worked out. Then she spent 6 or so months on preteam. The other moms told me they moved kids to level 4 in January. I was fully not expecting DD to move up because she wasn't on preteam very long, though she seemed to me to have all the skills they wanted for those moving to L4.

When the moved up girls to L4 in January it was quite the mess. They told the parents the important skills to have were a BWO, BHS and a pullover and BHC. Then they moved up kids who DIDN'T have those skills and left others that did. Several parents complained and then their kids were moved up. Several parents complained and their kids weren't moved up and they left to another gym. Everyone was left perplexed and frustrated. I actually felt really sorry for the coach because she's a high school kid and it was seriously a big mess. I was not one of the complainers because DD had just turned 5 and wasn't old enough to compete. Finally the head coach stepped in and re-evaluated everyone and put girls were she thought they belonged. Some kids previously moved up were moved back down. Most ended up leaving, but seriously those girls didn't have a pullover on bars yet. At this point DD was told she was to move up. We declined, but after a few weeks changed our minds. It was seriously a disaster.

We are happy now though. L4 coaches are great!