Parents Parent interaction

[Gym_momma]

I'm curious how much interaction you have with the other parents at your gym. We've come from a background in team sports where there was lots of comraderie. We are finding gymnastics have minimal interactions with other families despite our girls training together for so many hours each week. We're curious if this is because it's an individual sport or if it's unique to our gym.

 

[GymDadWA]

Until meets start the interaction is on the low end, but at meets we sit with the other families and sometimes go out for meals together after awards. This kids that are friends outside of gym tend to have parents that also interact with each other more often.

Some families are very private and we just give them their space.

 

[Coach Kate]

I think it is pretty minimal outside of meets, because generally parents aren't going to sit and stay for a whole practice regularly. So while the kids spend 10, 15, 20 + hours a week together, parents might see each other a couple minutes a day at drop off and pick up.

 

[AnotherGymDad]

while the kids spend 10, 15, 20 + hours a week together, parents might see each other a couple minutes a day at drop off and pick up.

Exactly this. The girls spend hours together and know each other really well, the parents see each other really briefly at pick-up and mainly just communicate via the squad WhatsApp group.

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

I think it varies with gym and ages. I see some gyms where there is a lot of connection between the parents and some where there is very little.

 

[Mthegymqueen]

My mom is part of the boosters at my gym and volunteers a lot, she only interacts with other parents during volunteering at the gym, or at booster meetings.

 

[ORgymmom]

Our experience has been mixed. Few parents stay at the gym or even come inside, but there is a group with girls of all ages who stay for the entire practice. Most people just see each other during meet season and are equally friendly to each other and will plan dinners, etc. that include everyone or save seats for everyone before meet sessions. The exception is a few parents of high-scorers who have decided they will only associate with parents of girls who have the same level of success as theirs. They have their own little clique and ignore everyone else.

 

[pineapple212000]

I'm curious how much interaction you have with the other parents at your gym. We've come from a background in team sports where there was lots of comraderie. We are finding gymnastics have minimal interactions with other families despite our girls training together for so many hours each week. We're curious if this is because it's an individual sport or if it's unique to our gym.

Same as what others are saying. There are 2-3 moms that sit and watch every practice and they seem to have a bond/relationship that the other moms aren’t apart of. The moms who work or choose not to sit at every practice (me and other moms I talk with) feel a bit out of the loop so to speak. The girls are very close though!

 

[kidzalright]

I think it varies with gym and ages. I see some gyms where there is a lot of connection between the parents and some where there is very little.

Agreed. We bonded really well at our last gym with parents but hardly at all at our current gym. We don't particularly like the parents at our current gym.

 

[mezzamare]

My mom is part of the boosters at my gym and volunteers a lot, she only interacts with other parents during volunteering at the gym, or at booster meetings.

I think this is a big part of it. I got to know other parents mostly through our gym's booster club and the meetings, events, etc. that went along with it. Without it, I wouldn't have known other parents as well, since there's no way I'm going to sit in the gym for a five hour practice!

 

[BusyMomof2]

I think the longer the girls train together, the more you get to know the parents. This isn't from sitting at practice (nobody really does that at the higher levels, at least at the 2 gyms we've been at) but between meets, coordinating social events outside of the gym, traveling...I definitely consider a large majority of the team parents my friends. There are a few who I couldn't pick out of a lineup but that isn't the majority.

 

[HurricaneLR]

We seem to have more interaction than others. Our gym does a family get together each year at a lake, has a parents night at the gym where the gymnasts lead the parents through a practice (so fun for everyone!), a team meeting for all parents and gymnasts at the beginning of the season, and the banquet at the end. There are a lot of parents that watch for a little while at the beginning or end of practice, and a few that stay for most of practice. The gym has tables set up with plenty of outlets, so parents can come watch and still get work done. There are also a number of parents who carpool. The team parents usually sit together at meets and sometimes plan dinners. People also engage through the team app. There are also volunteer activities and team parent roles. The parents at our gym are very friendly, they make an effort to know who all the gymnasts are and support them, and they really do get to know each other. I think I may be a bit spoiled!

 

[Milomom]

The set up for gymnastics is a little different that other sports - between practices being mostly drop off and for events, it's one set 3-4 hour block where everyone is mainly watching their own child. It's not like soccer or baseball or basketball where there are tournament weekends with multiple games and downtime in between to socialize. Even for travel meets, not all the families stay the whole weekend because you are only competing at the one time slot.

 

[happygymnasticsmom]

I met my ex bf at a meet with my daughter. He was just so amazing with his daughter and other little girls there, they just adored him. I HAD to introduce myself. That very night we had our first date, it was so romantic and amazing! We dated for about 3 months and then he got a job overseas.

 

[duyetanh]

I am sure this will sound crazy, but I have never been really interested in doing things with the other gym moms. They are all very nice people, I am just very busy, and my goal wasn’t to meet parents as far as gymnastics goes, lol. Some parents do things together with their kids in toe, others don’t. It’s kind of like a “to each their own thing” at our gym. There are a few social gatherings the gym has and I do always go and it’s nice to see parents and say hi….but everyone just has a lot going on in their lives, which makes it difficult. We all are supportive of everyone’s kids at meets of course though

 

[Dave7]

I'm curious how much interaction you have with the other parents at your gym. We've come from a background in team sports where there was lots of comraderie. We are finding gymnastics have minimal interactions with other families despite our girls training together for so many hours each week. We're curious if this is because it's an individual sport or if it's unique to our gym.

Yeah it's very much the case is this sport...some clubs are great at welcoming parents but most prefer the total opposite and some will frown upon patents who even chat to each other in the car park at pick up....it's sad really but mostly it's the perfered thing from the clubs point of view. If you find a place with a more welcoming approach you are lucky.....it's just part of the culture so it's odd indeed. Some parents set up whatapp groups do they can arrange things outside gym but often this is also frowned upon oddly. Maybe somebody can explain why there is such an approach of parent kept at arms length in general in the Sport....other sports make the effort and it hugely benefits with retention rates and is a bid factor in why people quit the sport. Something that may change in time.

 

[GymDadWA]

Maybe somebody can explain why there is such an approach of parent kept at arms length in general in the Sport....other sports make the effort and it hugely benefits with retention rates and is a bid factor in why people quit the sport. Something that may change in time.

This is a sport that has a lot of bad news and/or sugar coated news that needs to be given and getting too close with families or families with each other has the potential to put them in some uncomfortable situations so creating social separation is way to kind of pad people from that.

While they are teammates they also are competing against each other and jealousy or favoritism is something that coaches and gymnasts or their families often need to quietly deal with.