Parents north Dallas gyms?

[scarianne]

Dallas Folks! We're re-locating to north Dallas from NC next summer and I'm researching new gyms for DD. She's in 5th grade and will be competing level 8 this coming season. She does a modified school schedule right now so she can practice 12:30-4:30pm but I'm undecided if we'll want to continue doing that or not. She's a decent gymnast but not on an elite track (in the 37s at level 7 but couldn't quite break a 38). I'm looking at Iarov, Texas Champions, Precision, Infinite Bounds, Woga, Texas Dreams (though I'm thinking the last 2 might be a stretch?) I know there are lot of other great gyms but am also trying to keep our commute manageable. Can anyone share experiences or the difference in focus/environments at these different gyms? We're going to visit in the spring and do some evals/try-outs but I'd like to narrow it down a little bit (given that we'll have limited time during our visit) and I just have no idea how hard it might be for her to get a spot on some of these teams. Thanks for any insight you have!

 

[Lizandkatiemama]

Metroplex is in Allen, suburb north of Dallas. Large gym, separate team gym w/a very successful program.

 

[scarianne]

Metroplex is in Allen, suburb north of Dallas. Large gym, separate team gym w/a very successful program.

I've heard great things about Metroplex and saw them compete at Chow's Challenge last year. Thank you!

 

[Texasmomof3]

"North Dallas" is quite a large area. Do you know where you will be living or working? In Dallas or one of the northern suburbs? East side or west side? Would you consider homeschool for gym?

The area if so big that "north Dallas" could possible include tons of gyms: Southlake, Sunbelt, Empire, Richardson, Denton, Achievers, Palaestra, Ridgewood, Top Flight, Texas Best, Sokol, Win Kids, Gymnastics Plus, plus all of the gyms you mentioned. We have run into all of these programs at meets.

 

[boombaby]

What’s crazy is the amount of gyms in the metroplex. And they all compete very well! You won’t go wrong with trying multiple gyms to see what fits best for you and your gymnast. Good luck!

 

[John]

Jealous of all the TX gyms here.

 

[scarianne]

"North Dallas" is quite a large area. Do you know where you will be living or working? In Dallas or one of the northern suburbs? East side or west side? Would you consider homeschool for gym?

I'm not sure where I'll be working or living yet but kids and husband will be at Greenhill School so I hope that we'll be living within 15-20 minutes from there and would love to have a gym that's not too far as well. (Homeschooling is not an option for us.) So many gyms! I'm on overload. =) Thanks for the list - I'll look into them!

 

[Texasmomof3]

Depending on price point you are looking at, you might want to consider Farmer's Branch or Carrollton just to the north and west. But there are also some great neighborhoods just south of 635 through there, too, depending on your price point.

The Greenhill School is just north of 635 and 635 is a traffic nightmare area. A word of warning -- don't look at a map and assume time based on distance. My phone thinks I live 34 minutes from there. On a weekday, it is well over an hour.

 

[boombaby]

I'm not sure where I'll be working or living yet but kids and husband will be at Greenhill School so I hope that we'll be living within 15-20 minutes from there and would love to have a gym that's not too far as well. (Homeschooling is not an option for us.) So many gyms! I'm on overload. =) Thanks for the list - I'll look into them!

Look into iarov elite gymnastics also. Rebecca Bross (along with another coach from Woga) coaches there and they seem to be doing amazing!

 

[scarianne]

Depending on price point you are looking at, you might want to consider Farmer's Branch or Carrollton just to the north and west. But there are also some great neighborhoods just south of 635 through there, too, depending on your price point.

The Greenhill School is just north of 635 and 635 is a traffic nightmare area. A word of warning -- don't look at a map and assume time based on distance. My phone thinks I live 34 minutes from there. On a weekday, it is well over an hour.

Oh wow - good to know though I'm cringing. I think I probably just need to resign myself to spending A LOT more time on the road. Maybe we should just get a less expensive house and a much better car. =) In my current town, there is really only one gym to choose from if you're very serious about gymnastics, with several smaller options for those who don't want as intense a program. All the options in north Dallas are overwhelming me, especially since we aren't in driving distance and will only have one 4 day trip there before the move. I was hoping that we could square away her gym prior to the move so that she wouldn't miss much training time but I'm starting to realize that it's going to be really hard to do that.

 

[scarianne]

Look into iarov elite gymnastics also. Rebecca Bross (along with another coach from Woga) coaches there and they seem to be doing amazing!

Thanks! They are definitely high on my list and I've reached out to them about their evaluation process. Do you happen to know if all their team girls are on a modified school schedule or homeschooled? Do they have any girls doing a regular school schedule?

 

[CMA25]

I would probably pick 2-3 gyms for her to try during the trip. It really doesn’t matter where you live, you will want a gym close to her school. From that she can pick the one she likes best, and you can do an extended trial once you have moved.

Use the Waze app to get an idea of traffic times during normal after-school commute time and also rush hour. For example WOGA Frisco would normally only be 30 minutes, but during rush hour that same trip would probably take an hour. If she had to stay late at school one day, it would be very hard to get her to gym.

 

[CMA25]

Thanks! They are definitely high on my list and I've reached out to them about their evaluation process. Do you happen to know if all their team girls are on a modified school schedule or homeschooled? Do they have any girls doing a regular school schedule?

They have a group that trains in the afternoon. I think all of those girls have a regular school schedule.

 

[Ruben Y]

Dallas Folks! We're re-locating to north Dallas from NC next summer and I'm researching new gyms for DD. She's in 5th grade and will be competing level 8 this coming season. She does a modified school schedule right now so she can practice 12:30-4:30pm but I'm undecided if we'll want to continue doing that or not. She's a decent gymnast but not on an elite track (in the 37s at level 7 but couldn't quite break a 38). I'm looking at Iarov, Texas Champions, Precision, Infinite Bounds, Woga, Texas Dreams (though I'm thinking the last 2 might be a stretch?) I know there are lot of other great gyms but am also trying to keep our commute manageable. Can anyone share experiences or the difference in focus/environments at these different gyms? We're going to visit in the spring and do some evals/try-outs but I'd like to narrow it down a little bit (given that we'll have limited time during our visit) and I just have no idea how hard it might be for her to get a spot on some of these teams. Thanks for any insight you have!

Hello Scarianne,
We moved to North Dallas 15 months ago and I hope the following will be helpful:
First consider a 6 month rental while you get your bearings. There are so many great places to live in all price ranges and a lot of the school districts are great. We found it hard to pick a house on a couple of trips. The best thing we did was the short term lease. We totally went with a different area once we "figured" it out. Traffic can be crazy but if you pick a place near Greenhill you will be within a half hour of several gyms on your list and very close to school.
Finally, the gymnastics.... DFW gymnastics is competitive, but in a good way... You mentioned 5th grade level 8... that is very solid, even if you pick the strongest gym with stringent requirements and they slow you down a year to smooth everything out you will still be able to make level 10 by 13/14 years old... maybe it will click and its faster... either way if college is a goal 4+ years at level 10 from a strong gym in North Dallas will be a great resume for recruiting
We chose Texas Dreams (TDG) and are very happy... I can't speak to the other gyms but we did tryout at WOGA and Metroplex... As for TDG its solid for both basic gymnasts to those with the highest aspirations and everywhere in between... We fell in love with the school... TDG has a built in school 1st - 8th grade.... this coincides with the training.... there are morning training groups and mid day training groups and the school offers 2 sessions 8-12 and 12 -4 to complement the training schedule.... there is also the normal after school type sessions... this is a BIG gym with with a lot of girls, but the 3 different training times allows for everyone to train properly... as a frame of reference TDG has @ 45 level 4's
I can add this... your DD will get better... mine has improved dramatically in the 15 months... they will move you up and down as performance merits... my DD, Lvl 4, trains @ 19 hours a week and attends the school (2nd grade).... she loves it and the best part is we are home by 4:45 and have a normal home life... I hear crazy stories of eating dinner in the car and by the time baths and homework are over it is bedtime.... I cant stress how great this system is... plus the gymnastics is solid.... I would suggest you use some of your time to try out here... many girls from out of state do a 1-3 day tryout...

 

[scarianne]

Hello Scarianne,
We moved to North Dallas 15 months ago and I hope the following will be helpful:
First consider a 6 month rental while you get your bearings. There are so many great places to live in all price ranges and a lot of the school districts are great. We found it hard to pick a house on a couple of trips. The best thing we did was the short term lease. We totally went with a different area once we "figured" it out. Traffic can be crazy but if you pick a place near Greenhill you will be within a half hour of several gyms on your list and very close to school.

This is so helpful - thank you! I agree about the renting and am trying to convince my husband that this is the way to go. Glad to know you love Texas Dreams! It's certainly one of the names we've known forever but I wasn't sure if it would be too hard to get a spot on one of their teams. And even though we've been doing a modified school day this year (leaves school at 12pm and 2 online classes), I'm not sure if we'll be able to make that work next year. I do love having our evenings back though. I've already warned DD that a gym might ask her to repeat 8 so she can be as strong as possible. She's not loving that idea but I think will be okay with it, especially if she's starting at brand new gym in a new state. Thank you for the insight!

 

[CAKE]

I would not count your daughter out of WOGA, it doesnt hurt to go talk to them. I talked to many of the clubs you mentioned and had a great experience with every Dallas gym we encountered. Metroplex wasnt on your list, but Id definitely check them out.

All of them were class acts, so I dont think you can go wrong. Just trial each one and leave it to your daughter and your gut to tell you which coaching fits her style and then do your research and commit.

We didnt ultimately end up in Dallas but it wasnt because the gyms werent world class.

Good luck!