Parents questions :)

[emandelsmom]

Hi
I have a few questions.
Em is 10. I noticed starting in Oct she began a huge growth spurt. Grew a couple of inches, went up a jeans size and leo size. She is now closer to the size of her fellow gymmies who are 10. Still the smallest. We started her competiting right in the middle of the growth spurt. It was awful. Every skill was thrown off-shoot through and ROBHs esp. At the time, we didn't know she was in one. We decided to continue training that level but not make her compete it and drop her down. Now Jan is here. We realized she has grown. Her shoot through is back, and is on the way to getting the ROBHs. I've already paid for meets at the lower level. She will have to compete it. But I am wondering if you all have noticed that growth spurts effect them?

Another question, Em has ADHD-inattentive type. She takes vyvanse for this. How do you all handle the medication and gymnastics? Her doc is great with working with us on this.

Oh, both of my girls have a meet next weekend in Baton Rouge. They are super excited.
Thanks

 

[cathiann]

No huge growth spurt for Beth yet, but I did notice when Sami finally hit one last year (at 15 yrs), that it threw her off on beam entirely--her center of balance was different and she was always falling off! Seems better now.

No help on the meds question. Good luck to them at their next meet!

 

[bogwoppit]

My oldest was a tiny 10 year old and in the last three years has grown 12 inches! It was very hard for her, she had lots of tendon and pain issues and it was hard for her to constantly adjust to her changing size. I think she has almost finished growing now and that is a really good thing.

She just persevered through it all, but I have to say with all the time off she had to take and all the modified training means that it was hard to move ahead as quickly as the "little" gymmies.

 

[sportsmom22]

I have a tiny 7 year old who has gained 8 pounds in about 6 weeks. She went from 40 pounds to 48 pounds in what seemed like overnight. Yes, this has affected her--especially bars. She has to compete as an 8 year old this year because her birthday falls 6 days before the state meet. With the growth spurt, her not being competitive, and competing against girls that are potentially a year older than her, she is going to have a long season. She enjoys the sport though and doesn't seem to care if she doesn't win, so we are sticking with it through the remainder of the season.

 

[sportsmom22]

ab is adhd also. She takes adderall xr. She is constantly on the move. Her coaches are great and understand when she should be standing on her feet she is on her hands instead. We generally don't give her medicine on the weekends, but do if there is a gymnastics meet.

 

[emandelsmom]

Thanks you all! That is what I thought. Funny the way growing really throws off their balance.

Em's coaches are great about helping with her ADHD. The will gently remind her to tune back in. We give the meds when she has meets on the weekend, but otherwise no.

 

[gym law mom]

Growth spurts can really effect the center of balance. Bars is probably the most common area where the girls struggle as their legs get a little longer and their body develops. Tumbling and vault can go in the toilet for awhile too. It just takes time and patience as they figure out how to do the skills with a little different body.

A pediatric ortho that spoke with our parent's group suggested measuring your gymmie every 1-2 mos. Said doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a mark and date on a piece of paper. She said if you see a little growth then be prepared for the aches/pains that go with growth. Also said some kids/coaches get frustrated because all of a sudden a skill has disappeared or they're struggling with a routine. Many times it can be easily explained by the fact that the girl has grown.

 

[emandelsmom]

Growth spurts can really effect the center of balance. Bars is probably the most common area where the girls struggle as their legs get a little longer and their body develops. Tumbling and vault can go in the toilet for awhile too. It just takes time and patience as they figure out how to do the skills with a little different body.

A pediatric ortho that spoke with our parent's group suggested measuring your gymmie every 1-2 mos. Said doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a mark and date on a piece of paper. She said if you see a little growth then be prepared for the aches/pains that go with growth. Also said some kids/coaches get frustrated because all of a sudden a skill has disappeared or they're struggling with a routine. Many times it can be easily explained by the fact that the girl has grown.

Thank you!!! That makes sense. That is my daughter to a T! She went up a whole pants size! Had to buy new gym suits etc. Still working on the vaulting and robhs. The bars are better-level 3, and 4. The coach is working with them on kips now.

 

[hunde2]

The one thing that was noticeable when my dd had a growth spurt was that she had to adjust her run on vault.

 

[kristilyn73]

Beetle recently went through a growth spurt (4 inches in about a year). She had to completely adjust her vault and did notice some things on Bars and beam. Not much in the tumbling world. I would say keep doing what you are doing she will catch back up.

As far as the meds go, Beetle was diagnosed ADHD at a very young age. She was on Adderall for several years. Gymnastics helped with her focus we found routine really helped keep her 'level'. She eventually was able to ween off of the medication. She is now 14, straight A Student and a Level 8 gymnast. I really think that gymnastics helped her along.

good luck!

 

[gymnut1]

A lot of gymnasts seem to have ADHD. It is a sport that needs all that energy!

 

[emandelsmom]

I think you may be right!

 

[Emma's mom]

We definitely notice when our team girls are growing. For Emma, who does not grow much, I always notice that she looks "heavy" first. Then she gets sloppy and then it seems it clears up and all is well again. Our whole team was in a growth spurt at the beginning of the season. We noticed most on beam and bars. Just messy and they try so hard but they can't help it. Emma also has heel issues, Severs, that flare up when she hits a growth spurt.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

My DD is 10 also, and she had a big growth sprut this fall. She grew about 2 inces. However she is still the smallest of all her friends (outside of her gym friends that is) She just kindof looked awkward for a while. Had her kip before the spurt but lost it. She finally got it back recently.

 

[emandelsmom]

Thank you

Thank you to Alex's and Emma's moms.

Em now has almost all the skills she lost. She can do the level 4 bars including the front hip circle and shoot through. Last night she was doing ROBHS on the tumble track to the big red mat. She did them on the floor with her coach finger tip spotting-honestly he wasn't spotting, but getting her to think he was. They looked great on the tumble track and beginner looking on the floor. BUT she is throwing them. Handstands on beam look great!!!! Now, if only the vault fairy would visit. The mat she vaults to is up to her shoulders. Then her coach stacks a taller mat in front-now it is chin height. She is having a heck of time doing a headstand to it. Getting better, but not there yet.

 

[NotAMom]

Most gymnasts have been affected by growth spurt one time or another. It's far better to have it happen when they are at a lower level. Once they hit L6 and up, pretty much all of the skills have to do with body awareness (especially on bars and beam). Another thing that occurs to some as the gymnast's muscles get stronger is the growing pain (generally to the knees). This can last up to a year or two. And, the pain could be so intense that only a few basic things can be done at the gym. That could mean no jumps/leaps/flips on beam, no vault, no tumbling other than flexibility drills, etc.

BTW, speaking from a non-med professional but as a parent, I think the term ADHD (or ADD) is way overly used. With the exception of the minority few children, in many cases, social and medical professionals jump to medication as a remedy too quickly in modern days. I have seen many children with symptoms (and diagnosed) but all they needed is more parental supervision and intervention at a younger age. A good doctor should prescribe only such in most cases. My 13yo (who gets it from yours truly) has such symtoms at a young age (as pointed out by her K teacher and social counciler in school). She got left back in pre-team due to the lack of focus and safety concerns when the whole team moved up to L5. Because ADHD typically does not go away through age, she is still showing such signs if one looks hard (and she is aware of the condition). She has her zoned out moments often. But, she can adapt to most environments without chemical and professional intervention. She does well in school and in sports (I won't state how well =}). She behaves well in just about all settings and is very respectable to all others -- at least in other people's eyes.

 

[emandelsmom]

Most gymnasts have been affected by growth spurt one time or another. It's far better to have it happen when they are at a lower level. Once they hit L6 and up, pretty much all of the skills have to do with body awareness (especially on bars and beam). Another thing that occurs as the gymnast's muscles get stronger is the growing pain (generally to the knees). This can last up to a year or two. And, the pain could be so intense that only a few basic things can be done at the gym. That could mean no jumps/leaps/flips on beam, no vault, no tumbling other than flexibility drills, etc.

Thank you! That explains so much! Em is saying her legs hurt or her ankle etc. I thought she was just being dramatic. I usually have her take a warm bath and giver her advil. She is at a level 3 competiting. She was doing 4 but when she suddenly forgot all her skills we dropped her back. I am glad that these skills are coming back. Hopefully she won't grew anymore for a while.

 

[NotAMom]

Em's Mom, don't know if you saw it, I have edited my post with another paragraph w.r.t. ADHD.

 

[emandelsmom]

Add/adhd

NotAMom,
I agree that it is way overdiagnosed. DD showed signs of it from early on-very early on. Third grade she actually made some bad grades. She is gifted and is in gifted classes. It was taking us 3 to 4 hours a night to do homework. I am a teacher and was using every trick in the book that I have been trained in to get the homework done. We made the decision to have her tested. It was one of my hardest decisions. We put her on meds after lots of conversation and research. One week on meds, she came home and said to me"Thank you mommy, I now only have one thought in my head at a time. I can focus." She was no longer the dreamy/artsy kid in the class. She was participating. Her grades improved to awesome grades. She began reading chapter books. Em is not hyper. Her officially diagnosis is ADHD-inattentive type. Meaning can't focus and some impulsive behavior. The medical community in the DSM-IV no longer terms it ADD. But that is what it is. She zones out. Misses something. gets frustarted. Then misses more. gets more frustrated etc. It is an endless cycle according to the psychologist we saw. Meanwhile, she is being taught coping skills. During breaks, I don't have her on meds and work with her on cueing into signs that she is no focused. We gently remind her to focus. During gymnastics, I do give her the meds. She needs to focus on beam, bars, etc. I don't won't her to get hurt. But as she matures, hopefully, she can learn to monitor her behaviors. At 10, she just isn't mature enough for it.

 

[gym monkeys mom]

ADD/ADHD

DD who is gymnast doe not have ADD/ADHD but DD who is in High School and marching band. does

She is now in High School and on a very low dose of Concerta a.m. dose only. I know some will ask why??? but she feels like HS is way to tough and requires way to much concentration with out concerta she has tried.

DD, MD and I have discussed this at length. MD said DD knows herself best and can make her own decsions now and she is right at her age. Untill she was in HS we made the decision for her.

My point of this long story is if you DD or DS was diabetic we would not questions giving them insulin would we. The answer is no way!! ADD/ADHD may seem to be over used to some folks BUT it still does exsist in some kids and is as serious as diabetes or other sytemic conditions.

We as parents of kids with ADD/ADHD constantly feel like we have to defend putting our kids on meds. This is a personal and tough issue for families and we should not have to constantly defend our desison to do what we feel is best for our kids.

Bottom line do what is best for your child talk to your MD about it. Over time I am sure your DD will learn coping methods but, for now meds maybe necessary full time just like if she were diabetic.

MD told us DD can and will need to decide based on her career path if she needs meds or not as an adult.

Best wishes to you and your gymmie.

Sorry off my soap box now.