New 4 year old gymnast. Please help!

[billise]

Hi all, I started my 4 year old (will be 5 next month) in gymnastics classes in January, shortly after her 4th birthday. I signed her up just for fun (no competitive aspirations) The facility does have pre-team and team levels up to level 10. I know absolutly nothing about gymnastics, but things seem to be moving very quickly. After her first "tots" class (45 minutes) I was immediately asked to move her into the "advanced tots" class (still 45 minutes). She stayed in that class for one session and was again asked to move up into an uspecified 1 hour class with a hand full of other 4 year old girls (this facility only does hour long classes for kindergarden and up but she won't be in Kindergarden until next school year). She stayed in that class for the last few sessions and has learned a lot. She can do a pullover from hanging on the bars, she can do a bridge kickover on the floor, a handstand into forward roll, and a straddle forward roll to straddle headstand, etc. She loves, it and would stay all day if I let her. Now, she has been asked to move into an 1 1/2 hour class. If things keep moving at this rate, I am concerned this could get very expensive and very time consuming, very fast. I absolutly love the facility and the instructors, but I am almost scared to talk to them about what the are thinking because I am not sure I want the answers. I don't want them to think I am trying to push her into competition but I also don't want them to think I am against it, I'm just not sure what to think Just thought i'd get some input from someone out here start. For those of you who know:
- Does it sound like they have her on a "competitive" or "team " track?
- Do practices tend to get much longer than 1 1/2 hours once a week at this early age?
Thanks for any input you all might have!

 

[Pickle's Mom]

I could have written your post a few years ago.

When Pickle was 4, I took her to a gym for just a fun 45 minute class at the beginning of the summer. They had two preschool classes: a beginner for 45 min and a more advanced class for an hour. The coach suggested she be enrolled in the more advanced preschool class.

She stayed in that class for the summer and had a great time. In the fall, I enrolled her in the same class. On the first day, the coach brought the kids down to the gym. There were several different groups that started at that time and they all warmed up together. After about 10 minutes of the class, I watched as the coach walked her from her group to another. I remember thinking “hmmmm….” When the class was over, a different coach came out and said she wanted Pickle to join her “invitation only preschool class” which meant for an hour twice a week.

She stayed in that until Spring, when she was invited into the developmental program that was 2 hours twice a week.

She stayed in the developmental program for 2 years and then joined the L4 team which met 3 hours x 3 times a week.
She’s now an L6 and is at the gym about 14 hours per week.

I was so clueless about gymnastics when we started. I mean as clueless as a parent can be. Competitive gymnastics was not something we were at all interested in. And, as much as I like her gym, it really felt like 1. they assumed knowledge of how the system worked and 2. they thought that of course every preschool child with the ability would want to be a competitive gymnast. It wasn’t like anyone ever said to me “you have options. You can go into a competitive or recreation track.” It was more like we were just being pulled with a tide. There were times when I thought “do they just want more money from us?” but I don’t feel that way anymore.

I still see some of the kids who she was in preschool class with who went into the Rec program. It’s amazing to see them still trying to get a roundoff while Pickle is doing backhandsprings on beam.

Chalkbucket was a great resource to me when I was figuring all this out. I hope it helps you as well.

 

[MaryA]

. If things keep moving at this rate, I am concerned this could get very expensive and very time consuming, very fast.
LOL! You have no idea!

- Does it sound like they have her on a "competitive" or "team " track?
Yes, it does.

- Do practices tend to get much longer than 1 1/2 hours once a week at this early age?!

This really varies a lot by gym. If you ever feel like you feel like she's being asked to do something, as far as skills or hours that you don't think is safe, trust you mommy-gut or ask her pediatrician.

If you don't want to talk to the coaches about it, is there a team parent you can talk to about the usual progression at the gym, hours, cost, etc?

 

[bogwoppit]

Welcome to the Chalkbucket.

You should feel comfortable enough with the coaches to ask them about what is happening with your little one.

Gymnastics can be massively expensive and ridiculously time consuming. It all depends how you want it to progress. You could choose for her to never do more then a few hours a week or she could end up training 10 hours a week by the time she is 6. ANythin is possible, but better to know how things work upfront.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

, trust you mommy-gut or ask her pediatrician.

We dont have specialists over here unless you are really sick - You have your GP (general practitioner - family doctor) and thats it unless you get a referral. One of our girls mum was told that her daughter doing 10 hours a week gym was tantamount to child abuse and that it was wrong for her to have a "6 pack" and biceps - I suppose he would have preferred her to sit infront of the tv all day ! Not all doctors are used to the positive changes that gymnastics can bring

 

[UnoMas]

It does seem like they are trying to progress her fast, but she is also learning fast! My tiny DD who is a brand new 5 yr old goes 2x/week for an hour each time on preteam. She was moved up pretty quickly from her preschool class at this gym (1 month)...but she had also done preschool gym on and off for over a year at another gym. My middle DD went from preschool class (45 min 1x/week) to level 2 team at our other gym at age 4 (nearly 5) going 5 hours/week. Your DD's hours seem ok at this point and I would even say a 1.5 hr class twice a week would probably be ok since she is nearly 5.
But...it all depends on what you want. Yes it can get expensive very fast and things can move very fast especially with a little one with talent. I would definitely ask to speak with the coach and see what the "progression" might be. One of the things that I liked about our old gym is that they gave you a sheet with all the team levels when you joined level 1 team (preteam at most places) so you could see the increase in hours and money as the girls advanced.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Ask lots of questions!! It does seem like they are moving your DD forward, just make sure she is having fun in the process and not feeling "pressured". It takes a certain type child to be able to physically and emotionally "handle" the demands of team at a young age. If at any point, you or DD are not comfortable with the situation, please make sure you talk to her coaches.

My little DD was going 6 hrs/wk at 4.5 and only 5.5 when she moved up to train Level 4 (9 hrs/wk). My oldest was only a year older when she started rec classes, but took longer to be 'recognized' for team and was 7 when she started competing.

Be prepared to spend lots of $$$ too

 

[jcs]

Welcome to the CB! My first post here a few months ago was very similar. My 4.5 yr old was coming to the end of her pre-school session. I had already thought I would skip the summer classes since I knew she wouldn't want to do the same circuits again and hoped they would let her into beginner in the fall even though she wouldn't be 5 until the end of October. Next thing I knew she got an invite to the "JG2" Advanced Intermediate class for the summer....what???? And the journey begins .

So yes, it sounds to me like they have her a team track....but they should tell you that. If they have it called something different than pre-team, our gym calls it Junior Gymnast 2 and 3, it might not be as obvious but don't be afraid to ask.

As for hours, we were able to start slowly in the summer with once a week for 1.5 hrs. Once I knew DD liked it, we added a second day and in the fall we officially joined the "pre-team" program. She will be 5 next week and goes twice a week for 1.5 hrs. The JG3's go 3x for 1.5 hrs, and there are 4 and 5 year olds in that group as well.

Have they told you yet that this is the class she will be in? If not, I would ask what the plan is. I think it's fair to say you need some consistency and need to have a schedule. If they suggest 3 days and you think that is too much for you or your DD, either physically, mentally or financially...say so. Tell them you need a little while to get your head around things and want to start slowly. When DD first started they suggested she might be strong enough to go 3x a week but she wasn't ready for it. Now she is....but they haven't asked again and I"m not going to push it. As they say, gymnastics is a marathon....

Best of luck in your journey and please feel free to join our "Pre-Team Parents" Group, you might find some useful info..Link Removed

 

[billise]

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome everyone, and for the input. It appears this fourm will be extremely helpful as I try to navigate the world of gymnastics Right now I do feel like I am kind of being "pulled with the tide" and I am not sure what questions to ask or where we're going. I know the best thing for me to do is to talk with the coaches to better understand their system, but I sure appreciate the input!

 

[billise]

They have told me that she will be in the 1 1/2 hour class once a week beginning next session, as long as I have no objections. There are a lot of handout and flyers regarding their rec. programs, but no printed info. (for the general public) regarding pre-team and team. According to the paper work that is availble to the general public, she no longer fits into the strictly rec program, as children her age in the rec. program are only allowed to join the 45 minute class. Thanks for the invite to the pre-team group. Will join now!

 

[emorymom]

Just so you know it does get expensive but cheaper by the hour.
For example, a rec kid at our gym will pay $60 a month for a one hour class once a week. Averages to about $15 an hour.
A team kid for example may pay $210 a month for 9 hours a week. That's under $6 per hour.

You may start to see this price drop even going from the 60 to the 90 minute class.

If gyms tried to make money off team tuition, they'd have very very small teams.

 

[gymboymom]

I could have written parts of your post about a year and half ago. I wish I knew about chalkbucket to ask these questions! I tried asking around the gym, but figuring out the system was really tough. Our gym changes the names of the preteam classes every few years, so they aren't real "levels" until you get to a group of preteam girls who do some competitions at level 3.

On top of this I have a boy. Ds moved to the preteam class at the same age your dd is now (a few months before turning 5) and that was for 1.5 hours once a week. For girls they have other levels that meet twice a week. But they really don't move kids in our gym among the preteam levels except in June. Some of the kids stay on preteam once or twice a week for another year, others move up (boys have to be 6 in the US by Sept 1 to compete that year, not sure about girls) others move to L4 for 3 times a week. Your dd sounds like she is really good and has learned a lot at this gym. I felt a once a week preteam class commits me to nothing and gave me a year to learn more about gym.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Hi! Welcome to the CB! We have some 4 yr old-almost 5 yr olds at our gym that come 2x a week for an hour. In our developmental team, we have 5 and 6 yr olds that come either 1.5 or 2 hrs twice a week. Only you can gauge if that is just right or too much for your particular gymmie. I think, though, if you are in doubt-it's better to start with fewer. It's easier (for self esteem) to add hours later than it is to decrease hours.
My dd didn't start gym until she had turned 6, and the first day there she was moved to the 2 hr, 2x a week developmental group. She loved it and it wasn't a problem for her (of course, she was 6-not 4) Just be warned that it does seem to take off and fly fast! Two and a half years later, she's a level 6 and at the gym 18 hrs a week.
And as a previous poster stated-the gym doesn't really make money off of the team kids. The cost is WAY less per hour than the rec kids pay. I broke it down once, and I think most people pay their teen babysitter more per hour to stay with their kids than they do to a seasoned coach to teach their kids gymnastics!!
Happy journey to your little gymmie!!

 

[gym law mom]

You are the mom and you have every right to ask questions about what comes next, how much and how long. 90 minutes once a week seems fine to me. Is she in a pre-team or whatever program---ask. Remember lots of kids start sports/other activities at this age and decide they want something else by the time they're 6.

As long as she's having a good time and doesn't seem overwhelmed then the program sounds fine.

 

[billise]

Thank you for all the wonderful info. and input. I never thought about the cost from an hourly perspective. Please keep the info. coming, it is very helpful for someone like me who is brand new to the world of gymnastics!

DD has class tomorrow. I think I will talk to her coaches then to see just what they are thinking. Stay tuned

 

[MayDay]

I can't really answer your questions, however my I am kind of in the same situation. My DD is in a class for 3 year olds, boys and girls. It is 45 minutes and she has alot of fun and loves her coach. We have been told that she can join the 4-5 year old (all girl) class if she wants, and I believe that class is 55 minutes. I do not know anything about a pre-team at our gym. I know they start competing at level two but do not know what level the gym goes up to..

Anyway, we decided to keep her in the three year old class because she already is involved in school 2x a week, 45 min dance class, and art class (much like her arts based preschool).