My dd has been offered a place on the level 4 team, concerns...

[aewenger]

Our team starts practice much before my husband or I can get them there from school/work. I am working on looking into carpooling but that doesn't seem to be working out. Another concern is the time? Now practices are 6 hours a week. But it won't be long until practicing consumes much more time. Our gym offers a USAIGC team also. According to her coach she would enter at the copper level but is close to moving up to bronze.

I am wondering if I should just have her join the copper team or should I try and work out the level 4 team. I want her to enjoy it but to continue to develop her skills. Trying to find information to help me make a decision.

 

[sara74]

Not sure about the differences between USAIGC and USAG as I have no experience with the first and limited experience with the second! Our gym added USAIGC this year but only for the older girls.

Anyway, what I can comment on is the carpooling. We've had a great year and DD made a great friend through our carpool! I work 2 days a week and another team mom has gone back to school so we worked out a carpool and it's been great for us. We're even riding the 2+ hours to the state meet together this weekend! If that is the deciding factor for you, then I'd try to find someone that you can work with. Maybe they bring the girls to the gym and you bring them home? It could be a win-win with the right person.

Best of luck to you and your daughter, whatever you do!

 

[cathiann]

Only USAG here--no experience in anything else, so can't comment on that. But definitely look more into carpooling. Ask the coaches if you can get names of other parents to talk to them about it. Our gym hands out a list of all gymnasts with phone numbers & e-mails. (with permission of all families, of course). Carpooling can be a lifesaver! (of course I have to add my personal experience with it was not good--the other mom was always calling at the last minute saying she couldn't drive there, but still needing a ride home for her daughter--argh! Needless to say we didn't do it the following year). BUT, I know many at the gym who car pool and have no issues at all--definitely worth looking into.

 

[Pickle's Mom]

Pickle would not be able to be on team without carpooling. This year I ended up carpooling with a family we'd never met before. She's not even on Pickle's team. She's an optional in 6th grade who happens to go to Pickle's school. In desperation, I posted a sign at the gym and her mom called me.

I actually pay this mom to $10 per week to drive Pickle. The family really needs the extra money and I can't drive the girl home because her practice runs an hour later than Pickle's. It's not an ideal situation, but we do what we can to make things work for our gymnasts.

 

[UnoMas]

Well, you are right about the time factor. It doesn't take long before 6 hrs turns into 16! When my 1st DD started team she went 3 hrs a week. And I thought that was a time committment! Now I have 2 DD's who practice 14 and 15 hrs a week and go at different times. My, how things change!
We have carpooled for 2 yrs with a teammate who lives in our neighborhood. It works out great. But, I have also had to get an after school sitter for the girls who brings them to gym every day. We have made lots of sacrifices that I could never have imagined when we first started the first one on team.
But, now, it's a way of life and they love it. We've adjusted to make it work as long as they love it and keep their grades up too.
It all depends on how much you and your DD want to commit and give up and adjust. With USAG it can get very time consuming and expensive very fast.
What does your DD want?
Is an after school sitter/driver an option if you can't work the carpool?

Good luck with your decision and congrats to your daughter for being offered a spot on the team!

 

[bswagger]

I've carpooled with girls from my gym for the past 3 years. The first girl I carpooled with lived right across the street from my school so I'd walk to her house after school and we'd eat then go to practice, and my mom would drive us home. I'd still be doing that if she didn't quit. The second girl lives about 6 blocks down from me, so if its not raining, I'll walk to there house so they dont have to come pick me up. Before my coach would drive me home, and my mom would give her gas money. So talk to her coach about other girls on the team, or if the coach would be able to offer rides. Now that I'm in highschool my school is literally right across the street from the gym, so I just walk across the street and do homework till its time for practice.

Carpooling = lifesaver <3

 

[cher062]

I only know about USAG but I will assume the other has a similar time commitment. Becoming part of any gymnastic team is a huge commitment and it definitly becomes a life style. I always say if you or your child isn't willing to do the time then really think about becoming part of a gym team. There aren't too many teams that have a 12 month commitment like gym has. We have missed friends B-day parties, and some weekend fun events when competition season comes.

We usually arrive about 20 min late every day because my DD doesn't get out of school in time to be there any earlier. that is just how it is. I told the gym there is no physical way possible to get there any earlier as I am not taking her out of school early to do gym. Our rule is school comes before anything else. Our gym understood that (but we are starting a new gym on monday).

We have done carpooling very successfully but you do have to ask around and usually the gym will help with contact info. Ask them who lives near you. The summer is a great time to set that up. My hubby actually changed the time he starts work (he can really do any schedule he wants) so he could be home in time to do the pick up and I do the drop off but we also carpool so we don't have to go every day.

Just remember gymnastic team means lifestyle changes.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I think posting a sign for car poooling at the gym is a good idea. I would also talk to the gym owner and explain your sitituation, I know ours sent out an email to the team about a girl who needed transportation this summer. Although it is a lifestyle change if your daughter really wants to do it I would give it a chance things might fall into place and work out. I would say that from what I heard I think USAG is alot more competitive (my daughter has only done USAG) so it probally takes alot more commitment so I quess it depends how serious your daughter is about gymnastics does she still want to do other sports or is she just trying out the gymnastic team. My daughter was very young when she started team 7 she was not really sure what she wanted but 4 years later she loves it and does not want to do anything else. I had no clue about the commitment but everything has fell into place and now it has just become part of our lifestyle.

 

[gymnast695]

I'm very familiar with USAIGC yet not so much with USAG. However, USAIGC is a great league. It's normally less training hours than usag, and more flexible. You can get away with missing a required skill or moving up without required skills. You can choose from the required skills of what you want to compete. (ex-roundoff or backhandspring on beam) Also, USAIGC tends to have easier judging and scoring, making nines very common, and placing on many events. In the long run, USAG will bring you to an elite level, and USAIGC brings you to a college level. So if you daughter has the elite gymnastics dream, USAG is the only entrance in. If your daughter just wants to have fun doing it and maybe do it in college, USAIGC is a good choice. Hope I helped!

 

[LizzieLac]

We have also carpooled. It worked pretty well. Sometimes the other parent would say they needed to pick up my DD early b/c of their scheduled or would be a little late - but generally it worked out fine.

My DD has moved to a different workout team and the times are different and summer practice times are quite different from the regular season. For both my kids and their activities, I have used high school seniors with cars to drive my kids to practices. It can be costly, but I have found some super babysitters this way. You need to interview them, maybe even meet their parents, and hopefully they have been recommended to you by someone else you know and trust. Again, this has been a good solution for us, but it can be costly.

Lastly, for swim team, there is a LOT of parents pitching in to drive kids to and from practice and especially to and from meets, as things can get very hectic for parents. I have relied on the friends we have made on the team to help me out. Most people are willing to help out since we will all be in that position of needing a favor at some point. The best thing to do is get to know the other parents and ask about making an arrangement.

 

[nettyinpa]

Carpooling has definitely been an enormous help to us, probably since she started gymnastics almost 6 years ago. Thankfully my mom is retired and has been able to help out a lot. Do you have any family available to help out? I also befriended the mom of a higher level gymnast that actually lives a few miles from me. She picked dd off the bus and got her to to her 3:45 practice, just in time for her dd's practice that ended at 4:00. This year is different, we're in a new gym, don't have anyone local but I think there's a level 4 girl that lives near us, I may approach her mom. I'd put up a sign at the gym. It couldn't hurt.

 

[coachmolly]

Ask the coaches or office person if they are aware of any team members in your neighborhood of general area. I had about a 35 minute drive (on a good day) to one gym I attended and the coaches were quick to mention another girl who was traveling from not too far from me. You could even ask if a team roster with addresses is available to look for yourself or talk to other parents in the waiting area to get some ideas. It really is a life saver for a lot of families.
Do other levels practice at the same time as the level 4s? Looking for local families in other levels who practice at the same time could open up a few more options.

 

[gymmomof1]

Talk with the other parents at the gym and see who would be interested in carpooling even if it's just one way it definately helps. Also, see what they thing about the two programs that the gym offers, that may help too.

 

[NotAMom]

In the long run, USAG will bring you to an elite level, and USAIGC brings you to a college level. So if you daughter has the elite gymnastics dream, USAG is the only entrance in. If your daughter just wants to have fun doing it and maybe do it in college, USAIGC is a good choice. Hope I helped!

Woe! Please be careful with that statement here because we don't want new parents to get the wrong idea. The following is based on a combination of what I have experienced and observed, and information I have collected over the year.

Yes, USAG can take a gymnast to the elite level, but that is in the very small minority. Most USAG JO gymnasts (not counting those who quit early) aspire to finish at Level 7 or 8 (or just barely 9) when they graduate. To be considered for NCAA, a gymnast has to finish at L9 (a strong one) or 10. On that note, unless you are referring to college club gymnastics, I don't think it is probably (if possible) for a gymnast to compete for a college through the USAIGC path.

 

[NotAMom]

We don't have anyone from our gym living by us (the closest one is 5+ miles away) and our families live far from us. So, carpooling is not a possibility without jumping through lots of hoops. Luckily, both wife and myself are able to flex our time at work so we have always managed to one do the drop off and the other one do the pick up.

Doing a sport outside of school is not easy for a regular family. I guess we just all have to find a way to make things work.

As for USAG vs. USAIGC, I suggest USAG to start out. At most gyms, L4 (and L5 for the most part) is very easy going, and the stress level along with time involved is low (and USAG has adjusted the level requirements in recent years to make sure of that). If at a time (say in a year or two) you or your gymmie decide USAG is too much to handle, you can then move to USAIGC. That way, you still could stay with the sport but with an advantage of having some strong training behind you.