Proper way to spot 5 year old on high bar?

[froggiemom]

Hello all, I am new here and was hoping I could get an expert opinion or two. I am not a gymnast and don't know much about the sport at all, but my 5 year old takes a recreational class and loves it! Today on the high bar, though, she scared the living daylights out of me! Her instructor was having one child at a time hang on the high bar, and then she was actively helping each child do "skin the cat". When it was my daughter's turn she lifted her up, said "go ahead" and then stood next to her with her arms by her sides and watched my daughter do it herself. My daughter is not that strong. She did do skin-the-cat, but struggled the whole way around. She was 8 (9?) feet up in the air and had she fallen when upside down there were no arms out to catch her! I asked the other parents if I thought that looked scary, maybe I was just overreacting. One father said to me "that freaked me right out and she's not even my kid". I then asked the coach, politely, if she could spot my child with outstreched arms the next time, as she had done with all the other kids. The coach said it wasn't necessary because my daughter is so strong. I said that the whole thing looked scary to me and she got very defensive, saying that "I feel like you are judging me, I know how to spot". Her argument was that if my daughter's hands had slipped she was ready to catch her (didn't look that way to me). Bear in mind that my daughter is 5 and has not had a high level of training. Is it at all reasonable that a "spot" for a 5 year old spinning around on a high bar should consist of nothing but a coach standing there with no outstretched hands? Any opinions would be most appreciated.

 

[slkbeambabe07]

You are not wrong whatsoever. Parents opinion on their child comes first. You have every right to be concerned for the well being of your child, and for her to put you down like that looks bad on her part. Maybe talk to the director about the situation if it arises again.

 

[coachmolly]

I rarely put girls of that age on the high bar. That's really high up for such a small child, especially if they aren't super comfortable with skills on bars in the first place. If I do put them on the high bar (usually the result of their begging), I typically just have them swing and am ready to catch them. You are totally right to question what the coach was doing (or not doing). She's your daughter, you know her best, and you know what is right for her.

 

[Optionals United]

that is not very safe i would reacted the same way with my kid!!!!!

 

[CreateMagic]

Like coachmolly, I rarely have such young children on the high bar. If I do its basic swinging, and my hands are on them at all times--not just outstretched, but physically touching them. Kids are unpredictable.

My only question as for the coach's reaction though, is when did you ask? Right then, during class, or afterward? I'm absolutely not saying it was right, but people can get defensive if you walk onto the floor in the middle of a class and tell them to do something differently. Just saying.

 

[gymdog]

I have mixed feelings about the actual situation, but the most important thing is that you feel safe leaving your daughter there. If the program isn't meeting your expectations I would try another one, or speak to the owner about it.

 

[emorymom]

Yes I think she could have caught her at the bottom of a fall without her arms outstretched, which might have scared your daughter. Of course she also might have missed. And I think she was very out of line being defensive.

 

[tweeters]

She was probably defensive because she knew she was wrong. Usually when someone is called out on something and it really upsets them it is because they know the other person is right. Hopefully she'll be more careful in the future, and her reaction was just because of embarrassment.

 

[Linsul]

Whatever the reasoning for the high bar usage was, you should know if your daughter was scared. If you otherwise like the class, tell the coach you'd prefer your daughter to opt out of skills that scare her or the high bar in general. I cant really explain the coach's' defensiveness other than to say she took an inquiry personally perhaps. You can know how to do your job very well and still have to adjust for individual needs. If you like her, I would brush it off and reiterate that you'd like the spotting for your peace of mind even if you're daughter can do the skill. If she can't respect that go to her boss or switch classes.

Frankly I don't understand the use of the high bar for a 5 year old. It's a very big drop and the potential to fall face down with that skill especially is high. Also it's awkward to spot holding on to them the whole time since their arms swing down and back up after the release and could smack into the coaches arms. Also that drastic of a hang could pull on their shoulders hard, so more trouble and fear than it's worth to me. However I don't know the matting situation, or if the majority of the class begged the coach to try it, how strong your daughter actually is, etc. One of my (6yo)daughters coaches had her do a pullover on the high bar for fun one day, and it scared her badly. I get where you're coming from.

 

[CoachTodd]

5 year olds can do skin the cats on low bar.
Any small kid we have in our gym always has someone's hands physically on them when they are on bars be it high bar or low bar. It makes it easier to control any falls or slips.

If I every have a 5 year old going to high bar, it will be at its lowest setting so I can actually reach them.

In my opinion, if a coach says they can "catch" someone when they fall, they most likely have never actually caught anyone falling. A forty pound kid can tear both biceps of a strong person from a 10 foot drop. The spotter is there to control the fall, not catch them.

I am physically strong enough to throw 100 pounds about 2 or 3 feet above my head. I would not want to catch 50 pounds falling from the same height.

 

[Mustanggal99]

I will put some of my younger gymnasts on the "high" bar- but it's not 8-9 feet high and I can easily hold their wrist as they're swinging. I would never have them do a skin the cat on a high bar at that age- too much risk to me in that skill. I've been coaching 14 years at many different places and never seen that skill done.
I have run into a lot of coaches that think their way is the best way and won't listen until a child gets hurt. If it really bothers you, I would go to the recreation director/gym manager/etc. and voice your concerns. I'm the director at my gym and would not have any problems if someone came to me in that capacity.

 

[Shelovesthebars]

A skin the cat on the high bar sounds unnecessary for a five year old. Was there a pit underneath? What is the point? If there was a pit I could maybe see it but you could just do a skin the cat on a preschool bar and it would be the same skill and much safer. I think your instincts are right. This just upsets me and it isn't even my kid.

 

[JAO]

The proper way to spot a 5 year old on high bar is to not put the 5 year old on the high bar.

A principle I try to stick by: If the kid is not big enough to get on the apparatus herself, then she is not big enough to fall off it.

In this case, since that 5 year old can't get on the high bar herself, it is far too high for her to fall off of in the event her coach blinks or otherwise messes up.