RockyMtnAmy
Proud Parent
Hi there. My DD started at our competitive (with Elites, etc) gym about a year ago - coincidentally right after the Rio Olympic games. She was 4 years old at the time and started in the preschool rec class.
We sort of stumbled into this sport. She was displaying athleticism that was quite impressive to me and we wanted to give her the opportunity to channel and develop those skills, as well as have a safe environment for the endless climbing, leaping, and daredevil stunts she wanted to pull. I didn't realize we were attending a pretty excellent gym until well after we got there and I looked up stats -- I had simply picked the closest gym to our house.
She moved up from the preschool class to the kindergarten rec class quickly, and then this spring (so about 9 months after beginning), the coaches approached us about moving up to the competitive track. She's just turned 5 now and is working out twice a week for an hour with the youngest pre-competitive group. I guess it's like pre-pre-preteam (two levels below pre-team). She's working on handstands, backbends, and pullovers (which she apparently got by herself one time, so that's cool).
I'm a structured, process-oriented person, and it's frustrating to me that no one sits down and says "Look, this is how it works to be in this sport and part of this gym." It's exciting to be on this path, and DD is so proud of herself and is having a blast, but... I wish I knew what to expect. In terms of when we might be looking at having to make bigger commitments, etc. I've been lurking around here at CB for a few months, trying to pick up terminology and a general sense of the process, but I'm still lost at this young-kid end.
So. My question. Allowing for the fact that every child develops differently and that we are focused on having fun and learning lots right now.... can you share with me what I can expect coming up in the next year or so? Is having 3 different levels of pre-team-ish girls usual? How long will she spend in each of these pre-team levels, approximately? Are they looking for her to acquire skills before she moves up or just developing a "how to be at practice" mentality? What's the timeline look like?
We sort of stumbled into this sport. She was displaying athleticism that was quite impressive to me and we wanted to give her the opportunity to channel and develop those skills, as well as have a safe environment for the endless climbing, leaping, and daredevil stunts she wanted to pull. I didn't realize we were attending a pretty excellent gym until well after we got there and I looked up stats -- I had simply picked the closest gym to our house.
She moved up from the preschool class to the kindergarten rec class quickly, and then this spring (so about 9 months after beginning), the coaches approached us about moving up to the competitive track. She's just turned 5 now and is working out twice a week for an hour with the youngest pre-competitive group. I guess it's like pre-pre-preteam (two levels below pre-team). She's working on handstands, backbends, and pullovers (which she apparently got by herself one time, so that's cool).
I'm a structured, process-oriented person, and it's frustrating to me that no one sits down and says "Look, this is how it works to be in this sport and part of this gym." It's exciting to be on this path, and DD is so proud of herself and is having a blast, but... I wish I knew what to expect. In terms of when we might be looking at having to make bigger commitments, etc. I've been lurking around here at CB for a few months, trying to pick up terminology and a general sense of the process, but I'm still lost at this young-kid end.
So. My question. Allowing for the fact that every child develops differently and that we are focused on having fun and learning lots right now.... can you share with me what I can expect coming up in the next year or so? Is having 3 different levels of pre-team-ish girls usual? How long will she spend in each of these pre-team levels, approximately? Are they looking for her to acquire skills before she moves up or just developing a "how to be at practice" mentality? What's the timeline look like?