Parents Please share your "switched gyms" stories

[gymmomtoo]

I want her pushed. I want her taken off that bar when she starts bending her legs on her giants and sent to work on them until she can come back and do them straight. I want her on a low beam doing back handspring stepouts with straight legs because she CAN do them that way. And I don't want her to not get to work tsuks because her "group" isn't ready while the coaches admit that she is ready to start drilling them.

Jeez....reading this, it seems obvious, doesn't it?

Yup, seems obvious to me. Given her goals, despite the friendly, nice coaches she has now, it's time to move!

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I'll give my own perspective, as a gymnast who switched gyms 10 years ago.

My old coach took over ownership of the gym, and had to hire a new boys team coach. I don't want to trash-talk anybody or lay blame or anything like that, but suffice to say I never saw eye-to-eye with the new coach (I'll call him B). I was also looking to start coaching myself, and the gym I was at didn't have any positions available that interested me. So I switched gyms to solve both those problems.

I don't think it was really any secret that I was leaving specifically to get away from B. I've seen him a number of times since then; we've generally been as polite to each other as professionalism requires, but I don't have any delusions that he thinks particularly highly of me, and I doubt he has any delusions that I think highly of him. Such is how things go in life as well as in the gymnastics community.

I'm still on fairly good terms with my old coach, the guy who now owns the gym I trained in until I was 16.

Switching gyms my decision, not my parents'. They pretty much supported me in whatever decisions I made regarding gymnastics, and this was no different.

 

[Committed]

I definitely think its a harder choice to make when there are personal relationships involved. DD "grew up" with her rec gym as well, she started at 19 months, and I switched her at her 6th birthday. Everybody knew us; they even recognized my voice on the phone. DD got extra privileges because they knew her and would be fine as the youngest in a group. There were tears when we left, but it was the best decision. If you're going to out-grow your gym, do you want to leave now or after a few more years of building relationships?

 

[cbifoja]

Yup, seems obvious to me. Given her goals, despite the friendly, nice coaches she has now, it's time to move!

We are committed to the gym for this season. However after the competition season is over, we will be switching.

 

[gymmom8772]

I would like to hear everyone's gym switch stories. Particularly these issues:

1. Were you/your gymmie happy at your original gym? If so, what factors led to you deciding to change?

I was not happy nor had I been for years at DD's original gym. The communication was horrible there, they were terribly disorganized and played constant head games with the kids and parents. DD however knew no different (same with me) because it was the only gym she had ever been to since she was three.

She had the same continuing problems with her coach for the two years she was on team. We would sit down and try and work it out with her but in a very short amount of time her coach would start going back to her old ways. Her coach was an older, impatient woman that was completely out if touch with reality when it came to dealing with children. In between turns she would not allow them to even interact with one another. My DD is a talker and very social (was ages 6&7 at the time) so she would get yelled at frequently. Her coach was also not able to demonstrate or even spot the girls so she would verbally give or shout the instructions to them. DD is a great visual learner and verbal instructions are much more difficult for her to follow. I would imagine most kids that young would have a hard time following verbal instructions let alone keep their attention for a 3-4 hour long practice. Because DD was having a difficult time the coach would end up yelling at her and she would get in trouble. DD's coach started coming to me saying that she think my DD has ADD! I was infuriated that she said that to me because first if all, it is not her place and she is no expert anyway. I told her that there is no way my daughter has ADD because she goes to school 6 hrs a day and is a good student and then goes right to the gym for a 3-4 hour practice and had an extremely successful first year competing in level 4. The funny thing is that my daughter was the most successful on her team that season in competition. I told head coach that kids with ADD would not be able to manage so much and be successful at both.

What ultimately happened was that my DD was switched to their big main gym (with mainly older optional girls) in a small accelerated group. Her group consisted of five girls ages 6-9 that they wanted to fast track into optional levels. I was really excited that she was picked to be in this group mostly because she could finally get away from the coach she has had so many problems with.

Well it turned out that they decided to move this coach with them.....ugh!
This was a huge letdown to say the least! The problems continued and the atmosphere at that gym were all around worse. My DD's group was constantly getting pushed around to different areas of the gym because there was no room for them and the optional girls groups took precedence over the group my daughter was in.
I started to notice a difference in my DD after awhile. She was always the kind that loved gymnastics so much that she eat, sleeps breathes it. She was no longer talking about it, doing cartwheels around the house and seemed rather sad. The last week she was at the gym she sat in front of the TV (and she's not a big TV watcher!) and just zoned out. I knew something was really wrong.
One night the bar coach at that gym ( he is an older man that had trouble also relating to the young girls) sat her out five times for not understanding his instructions. She was completely mortified!!! She was silently crying with her head down and her regular coach came over to her and asked why she was crying and my daughter had told her what had happened and that she was embarrassed. Her coach's reply was, "well you should be!!!". I'm sorry but that is not the way to treat a 7 year old and just because she didn't understand his instructions? The bar coach at that gym explains things in a very technical way that seems to go over their heads at that age.
When my DH came home that night she was very upset. She broke down and told me how much she hates it at that gym. She said all the coaches there just yell and scream all the time and are really mean to the girls. At that point I told my daughter that it was time to look at another gym and she was ready.


2. How did you decide what gym you would take your gymmie to once you decided to switch?

At that time I was talking with another mom that switched her DD about a year before from that gym to another one nearby and was much happier there.

I called the HC of that gym the following day and brought her in for a tryout. My daughter and I really liked the new gym because it much cleaner, has better equipment and I really agreed with the HC's philosophies much more there.
How did you inform the old gym you were leaving? And how did they take it? Did you burn bridges or would you be welcomed back?
4. How well/long did your gymmie adjust to the new gym? Was there a learning curve with different training styles? Did they regress or blossom?
5. Do you have any regrets about the gym switch? Did the new gym fulfill your expectations?

 

[gymmom8772]

3) Sadly, I was too angry and upset about how they treated my DD that I had my DH call the coach and tell her we were leaving the gym and why. She tried to talk him out of it but at that point we were done!

4) DD's old gym has a no welcome back policy and I would never bring her back to that gym anyway.

5) My DD adjusted right away to her new gym. I knew she was happy immediately because she came home after her first day of practice tumbling around the house like she used to and back to her old happy self.

6) My DD is blossoming at her new gym because the coaching style is much better suited for her. It is very hands on, the coaches actually demonstrate ,they are able spot more and the atmosphere is so much more positive!

7) I have no regrets about her moving, only that I did not do it sooner!!!

 

[JessMom]

1. Were you/your gymmie happy at your original gym? If so, what factors led to you deciding to change?
yes we were both happy. coaching staff drastically changed and I realized the management/owners were a little crazy

2. How did you decide what gym you would take your gymmie to once you decided to switch?
DD did a trial with team and we were very fortunate that she got along really well with the group.

3. How did you inform the old gym you were leaving? And how did they take it? Did you burn bridges or would you be welcomed back?
I told them over the phone. Didn't burn a bridge but probably wouldn't be welcomed back - not that I would ever consider it

4. How well/long did your gymmie adjust to the new gym? Was there a learning curve with different training styles? Did they regress or blossom? Actually the move was a few steps back for her but they fixed a few basic technical bad habits the old gym gave her. The biggest change was that the new gym discovered she was actually lefty for gymnastics. There were a few things she had to relearn. She adjusted very fast and age wise the change was the best thing for her. She went from being the youngest by 5 years to the youngest by 2 months.

5. Do you have any regrets about the gym switch? Did the new gym fulfill your expectations? No regrets

Hope that helps

 

[theBananaBunch]

I would like to hear everyone's gym switch stories. Particularly these issues:

1. Were you/your gymmie happy at your original gym? If so, what factors led to you deciding to change?
2. How did you decide what gym you would take your gymmie to once you decided to switch?
3. How did you inform the old gym you were leaving? And how did they take it? Did you burn bridges or would you be welcomed back?
4. How well/long did your gymmie adjust to the new gym? Was there a learning curve with different training styles? Did they regress or blossom?
5. Do you have any regrets about the gym switch? Did the new gym fulfill your expectations?

1. We started DD at a once-a-week rec class through the local high school's program. It was okay for beginning (and inexpensive), but it was evident that she wasn't getting challenged or progressing. They spent most of the time running around or playing games (navy/army, etc.), or DD was waiting for her turn. The teachers were high school gymnasts, and while they were probably good gymnasts, that doesn't equal to good teachers.

2. I have a friend whose daughter was in one of the local private gyms, and loved it. We went there for an evaluation, and decided to switch. DD loves gymnastics, and even though it was more money, we decided to try it for awhile.

3. We didn't inform them at all. Since it's a school rec program, we just didn't sign up for the next session.

4. DD did great. She started this summer in the Beginners (at age 5), then got moved up to Level 1. After the first class in Level 1, they talked to me about putting her in pre-team. We switched her to pre-team, and she loves it. She goes twice a week now. Her Beginners class only had two girls (including her), which I think really helped her. The pre-team has 7-8, but the coach is great and they do a lot.

5. No regrets at all! The new gym is exceeding our expectations. We are probably going to have to decide when she's older if we are going the competition route, depending on cost and if DD wants to put in the time.

 

[armbmom]

I would like to hear everyone's gym switch stories. Particularly these issues:

1. Were you/your gymmie happy at your original gym? If so, what factors led to you deciding to change?
2. How did you decide what gym you would take your gymmie to once you decided to switch?
3. How did you inform the old gym you were leaving? And how did they take it? Did you burn bridges or would you be welcomed back?
4. How well/long did your gymmie adjust to the new gym? Was there a learning curve with different training styles? Did they regress or blossom?
5. Do you have any regrets about the gym switch? Did the new gym fulfill your expectations?

My dd liked her old gym, however, she realized that if she wanted to continue in the sport she needed to switch. I, personally couldn't stand the owner and was beyond ready for the change.

We really only had 2 choices, and picked the choice closest to us. About 99% of the team switched for a number of reasons and the families that took option 2 drove me nuts, so I guess we lucked out.

We were all told basically to leave and that we could stay if we wanted our kids to repeat the same level. We could go back, but we are beyond that point now, especially since they brought in a rookie coach with little to no experience.

It took 10 minutes to adjust. LOL. She just needed to learn where to put her stuff and meet the coaches and she was good to go. She was really ready for the change.

We have zero regrets! After watching her old gym flounder and watching their new coach make all these huge rookie mistakes, I couldn't be happier with our decision. I just feel bad for the family that chose to stick it out. We like the new gym and I really like the philosophy. It will be interesting to see what happens post season.

 

[wallflower]

I would like to hear everyone's gym switch stories. Particularly these issues:

1. Were you/your gymmie happy at your original gym? If so, what factors led to you deciding to change?

Yes we were both happy for the most part, but we didn't see much of a future there.

2. How did you decide what gym you would take your gymmie to once you decided to switch?

A gym recommended by a coach who was aware of my child's abilities and goals.

3. How did you inform the old gym you were leaving? And how did they take it? Did you burn bridges or would you be welcomed back?

I actually informed them before I went. They did not take it well and told me if we tried out the door would be closed at their gym. Made the decision easy. Then they bad mouthed us and made up stories. Very classy.

4. How well/long did your gymmie adjust to the new gym? Was there a learning curve with different training styles? Did they regress or blossom?

She adjusted very quickly and blossomed. Came in as a level 4 and 1.5 years later is training level 8.

5. Do you have any regrets about the gym switch? Did the new gym fulfill your expectations?

Sometimes I do. It was hard. The new gym is fine, but there are still some issues here and there. DD is very very happy. I like the gymnastics instruction, but its a little less personal. More like a factory.