WAG National TOPS testing: housing/logistics?

[kimute]

My 8 YO DD will be going to national TOPS testing this October. We are total newbies at this. We haven't even traveled more than an hour for a meet yet! I noticed housing is available at the ranch and hotels are also recommended. Does anyone experienced with this recommend an option? My DD will do better not in a cabin full of people, but it seems there are also motel rooms at the ranch? Are these available to athletes (and their Dad)? Any other advice for preparing for this journey (which for us also includes a non trivial flight) is very welcome. Thank you!

 

[bookworm]

The "motels" at the Ranch aren't for the general public so no, Dad cannot stay at the Ranch. When my girls went to testing , they went with just their coach and all stayed on site at the ranch. Another testing, I went along and stayed in a hotel in The Woodlands but she and her coach stayed at the Ranch....be prepared to drop a couple thousand (with flights for gymnast, coach and possibly parent...as well as hotel/accomodations and meals) for the testing in Houston...some gyms will subsidize some of this but most do not...

 

[gopuckgo]

We stayed in a hotel last year. My daughter sleeps best when it is really quiet and I have heard that it can be a little noisy at the ranch. Some of her team mates stayed at the ranch in past years for TOPS and Developmental camps and said it was a good experience just a little noisy. So we chose a hotel just to be safe for testing. I have had other parents tell me that it is not noisy at all. Go figure.

 

[Muddlethru]

My daughter's last national TOPs testing was in 2011. So, things might have changed since. Her coach did not like to stay at the ranch for several reasons. So we always stayed in a hotel. We've stayed in a few places. The Woodlands is a nice area with many restaurants and hotels but about 30 minutes to the entrance of the ranch and it takes about another 15 from the entrance of the ranch to the gym because it is (was?) a dirt road, Conroe, which is closer, is getting more developed and has (had?) newer hotels. There a lot of hotels within 30 radius to the ranch.

I think during the time bookworm's children tested, parents were not allowed to stay at the ranch. But when we went, many parents were staying at the ranch with their children. They had a more relaxing and leisurely mornings than those that had to travel. They also told us food was not good and not enough. The ranch has wifi but phone service is difficult. Also, if I recall correctly, and I can't remember what we were planning to do or what camp/activity was going on at the ranch, but I think they were opening up the motels to the general public,

 

[BachFlyer]

As far as I remember, the only parents that could stay was 1 parent chaperon that supervised our group of girls - I'm not 100% certain if this was at our coaches request or the rules of the ranch but pretty sure it is the latter. The rest of the parents that went stayed at a hotel off site.

My dd went two years. The first year they stayed at the ranch with their coach and a few of us parents traveled down and stayed at a hotel nearby. We did get to check out the ranch but I think only on Sunday (after the parent meeting), and aside from bringing dinner to the girls another evening we really didn't see them very much at all. We could not watch the testing. I am glad we went the first time to see what it was all about, but the second year the girls went with their coach only - it wasn't really worth the expense a second time.

In either case, send your dd with LOTS of snacks. The meals they serve are never enough for hungry gymnasts! (??) Our coach always stopped at a grocery store on the way to load up.