Parents Sacrificing other activities

[jessifrostR]

I'm surprised to see how much variance there is in training hours.
Our gym is definitely considered the best in the area and one if the very few that have level 9s and 10s. I think maybe the reason our gym does high hours for lower levels is because they don't take girls on team until 6 years old minimum. They are usually 8 by the time they're level 3.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I'm surprised to see how much variance there is in training hours.
Our gym is definitely considered the best in the area and one if the very few that have level 9s and 10s. I think maybe the reason our gym does high hours for lower levels is because they don't take girls on team until 6 years old minimum. They are usually 8 by the time they're level 3.

8/3 do not need high hours JMO but no

 

[raenndrops]

Recently my older DS and I were talking about HS (he starts next year) and the possibility of not doing gym anymore and instead doing a HS sport, and he said "15 is too old to start a new sport." Whether or not that is actually true, he thinks it is true. And that is very troubling to me.

If you think it will help, tell your son that there was a girl on our team... only other thing she did was swimteam (in the summer only 2 years).
When she started high school, she FOR THE FIRST TIME tried out for the high school soccer team. She made varsity... AND had some of the coolest tricks on the team.
One time, she ended up having to dive over some other girls (they had tripped over each other and she was running too fast to stop)... she did a dive roll, got into position, and scored the winning point!

 

[jessifrostR]

I worry about this a lot. I worry that dd isn’t developing other interests and talents. Like PP have said, I feel like she has put all her eggs in this one gymnastics basket at a very young age, and to be frank, it concerns me.

My non-gymnast child participates in a number of different activities and the total time on these activities probably is similar to, or even exceeds, dd’s weekly time in the gym. But I feel better about his schedule because I feel like if he had to give up one activity for any reason, he still has a lot of other interests and activities. His identity is not tied up in any 1 activity. Plus, some of his activities (but not all) break for the summer, and this allows him to try other cool things in the summer, where gym obviously does not. DD does get to try some new stuff, since she is not going to school in the summer, but opportunities that work around the gym schedule are harder to find.

We try to keep her in some other activities, but it is a challenge and I feel like she is exhausted a lot. I would love for her to get more downtime. I imagine that will get even harder as she get older and gets more homework.

I imagine that will be very difficult for her to face when the time comes to be done with gymnastics. I do alumni interviews for my college and recently interviewed a high school student who was a standout in her sport (not gymnastics) for the first 2 years of high school and then had an injury which meant she could still compete, but was no longer a standout or even a major contributor to the team. She said how much that shook her to the core and how much she realized her identity was tied up in being good at her sport, and how she had to actively find new ways to define herself after her injury. I think that’s hard for a high school junior, but even harder for a younger kid.

It worries me too! But I feel like forcing her into other activities for "balance" is overloading her plate when really, outside of school and gym she just wants to read or play. I feel like exposure to other sports is great but she needs downtime also! Im still debating summer swim team but it feels like it would be exhausting for her physically.

 

[jessifrostR]

8/3 do not need high hours JMO but no

No idea. I didnt question it because I guess I thought it was the norm! But looking back, I realize I did miscalculate because I was looking at summer schedule. Practices are 2 hr 40 mins 2 days a week, 1 day of 2 hour 20 minutes, and 1 day of 2 hour 30 minutes during the school year. So thats actually 9.5? The 3.5+ hours/ 4 days a week is their summer schedule.
Level 1s do approx 5 hours, level 2 does about 7.5, and level 3 does 9.5

I was thinking, wow, that does seem like a lot..lol

 

[duyetanh]

DD decided that she'd rather commit herself to gym and didn't do swim team, only dances sporadically, and didn't continue with soccer. And that was great for a long time. Now she's almost 12 and curious about dance. We are looking at her schedule for the summer and next year to see if she can shift the balance. Point being, whatever happens now may change down the road. And it's all good.

This. I do get what you are saying. But tge beauty of gym is it athletically transfers everywhere. And honestly, with how many hours they do gym, it is almost too much to do that much else without the feeling of being way overbooked in life. My little does a musical instrument, and golf in the summers.

 

[jessifrostR]

This. I do get what you are saying. But tge beauty of gym is it athletically transfers everywhere. And honestly, with how many hours they do gym, it is almost too much to do that much else without the feeling of being way overbooked in life. My little does a musical instrument, and golf in the summers.

It really does translate. My daughter went to one of her friends volleyball practices a couple years ago and learned how to serve within minutes, and the coach wanted her on the team because the other 6 year olds still were having trouble lol. she went ice skating for the first time and just took off. She made school swim team with almost no swim experience. And I really think its all because gymnastics really develops so much of a variety athletic abilities! So hopefully if she ever wants to pick up a sport later, it will be an easy transition. But right now, I feel like anything extra would be too physically exhausting.

 

[raenndrops]

No idea. I didnt question it because I guess I thought it was the norm! But looking back, I realize I did miscalculate because I was looking at summer schedule. Practices are 2 hr 40 mins 2 days a week, 1 day of 2 hour 20 minutes, and 1 day of 2 hour 30 minutes during the school year. So thats actually 9.5? The 3.5+ hours/ 4 days a week is their summer schedule.
Level 1s do approx 5 hours, level 2 does about 7.5, and level 3 does 9.5

I was thinking, wow, that does seem like a lot..lol

2:40 + 2:40 + 2:20 + 2:30 = 8 hours + 130 minutes = 10 hours and 10 minutes.

 

[jessifrostR]

2:40 + 2:40 + 2:20 + 2:30 = 8 hours + 130 minutes = 10 hours and 10 minutes.

Omg..sleep deprived mama of a 4 month old over here so I'm just going to to use the the excuse of mommy brain lol!

 

[my4buffaloes]

It is all about choices. If something my child wants to do fits into the schedule then great. If not she has to make a choice. They have had to say no to opportunities but it was their choice. I refuse to let them miss things on a regular basis - that isn't fair to everyone else involved in those things. I had my kids participate in orchestra in elementary school and even made my youngest join choir in 6th grade. But in the end - having a study hall in middle and high school won out over electives.

I have gone to great lengths to plan and arrange things for a time when it didn't conflict with gymnastics. Making sure my girls have something outside of gym. But as for joining other teams - I have yet to be able to make that work around a 20 hour a week gym schedule.

 

[my4buffaloes]

Recently my older DS and I were talking about HS (he starts next year) and the possibility of not doing gym anymore and instead doing a HS sport, and he said "15 is too old to start a new sport." Whether or not that is actually true, he thinks it is true. And that is very troubling to me.
.

This is not true. My oldest ds hopped around a ton of different sports growing up. He started playing rugby in 8th grade and now plays on the college team. he started wrestling as a sophomore and lettered his junior year. You can start later and succeed!

 

[profmom]

For those who haven't gotten to this point in the road, please know that a lot of kids do leave gym late and basically walk into a handful of other sports and almost instantly excel. Ex-gymnasts make superb track and field athletes (particularly pole vault, triple jump, high jump, long jump), divers, and sometimes can develop quickly into excellence in field sports (field hockey, soccer). New paths are opening up as well -- ninja warrior stuff is becoming more widespread and climbing is a natural transition for most gymnasts. The problem is that they have to be willing to let go of their identity as gymnasts and make the transition, which I do think it easier if their entire identity is not wrapped up in gymnastics.

 

[lhmom]

For those who haven't gotten to this point in the road, please know that a lot of kids do leave gym late and basically walk into a handful of other sports and almost instantly excel. Ex-gymnasts make superb track and field athletes (particularly pole vault, triple jump, high jump, long jump), divers, and sometimes can develop quickly into excellence in field sports (field hockey, soccer). New paths are opening up as well -- ninja warrior stuff is becoming more widespread and climbing is a natural transition for most gymnasts. The problem is that they have to be willing to let go of their identity as gymnasts and make the transition, which I do think it easier if their entire identity is not wrapped up in gymnastics.

Yes! When DD walked away from gymnastics a year and 1/2 ago, she walked right into playing other sports at her school. There was a bit of a transition period but I think she had an easier time because she had been exposed to other things while in gymnastics. Her school coaches were thrilled to have her especially since she brought the work ethic she learned from gym with her, I think gymnastics gave mine a great base (strength, work ethic, etc) to use in other sports.

 

[Avasmom]

I have tried to give my daughter (level 3) the opportunity to try many other sports. I don't want her to ever feel like she had to do gym and nothing else. We have tried dance, cheer, t-ball (she was younger then), basketball, soccer, volleyball, and pageants. She loves soccer and volleyball but always chooses gymnastics over any other sports. She will be moving up to level 4 soon (in March) and once again I tried to get her to try soccer because the games are usually on Saturday and right now she doesn't practice on Saturdays. She told me that she wanted to focus on gymnastics and didn't think she could give what she needed to both sports. Our level 4 girls practice 14 hours a week (4 days a week) so that leaves little time for other sports. We also drive 30 minutes to get to practice. I know that's the norm for some of you though.
However, she does play soccer everyday at recess with her friends for fun. All summer she swims on off days from gymnastics and after practice. Recently, she tried out for a part in Annie at school and got it. While the practices did interfere with one another she only missed a few practices on each one. She plans on trying out again for a part in a church musical. If the practices interfere again we will just handle it day by day. She is going to start voice lessons too but they are only 30 min a week.
She could definitely do competitive soccer, volleyball or cheer as well with her athletic skills but I have listened to what she wants and will continue to do so. I feel like I'm doing a decent job of creating a well-rounded girl but I still struggle with the gymnastics is her life concept. I just want her to be happy, challenged and use her abilities to the best she can.

 

[SMH]

I worry about this too...my daughter started rec gymnastics at 3- she also tried swimming, dance, soccer, music classes- she began team
training at 5, and as time went on she asked for more gymnastics and less of everything else. I still offer to let her take a ballet class, or play soccer- but right now she’s happy to spend all the time she can in the gym. She’s dedicated and passionate about her sport and I try to support her. If one day she decides to quit, I’ll support her too.

 

[B&M's mom]

Don't worry too much. I had those same fears as my oldest was like that. She wanted gymnastics and only gymnastics. She devoted her life to the sport and was doing extremely well until the injuries started. Even though her doctor told her that she could come back to competitive gymnasts, after her third knee surgery she knew that she was done. She walked away a multi-year L10 at age 16 1/2 and never looked back. She ended up trying the HS dive team and loved it. She joined clubs at the HS that she had never had time for before. She'll graduate in a few months and will, fingers crossed, be on a college dive team even though she's only been diving a year. I sometimes think that these kids are more resilient than us parents.

 

[LindyHopper]

he problem is that they have to be willing to let go of their identity as gymnasts and make the transition, which I do think it easier if their entire identity is not wrapped up in gymnastics.

This is one of the many reasons why I am so thankful Little Bit (DD, 9) has become a competitive rock climber. Short Stack (my gymmie) likes to go climbing with her little sister when she can. She knows gymnastics is her passion, but she also knows there are other things she is capable of doing should she choose to.

 

[bookworm]

1. This is exactly how I feel with "all the eggs in one basket". I don't want her so focused on gym that if she were to lose it due to an injury or something, she wouldn't feel like she had anything else.

2. But nothing she has ever done, no girl scout activity, dance recital, or swim meet has ever given my daughter the beaming smile of pride that she had during the awards

Point 1. You can't worry about the "what ifs"...my daughter was exactly in this boat a few years ago...had been a competitive gymnast with her sister for 10 years, was headed into NCAA gymnastics on a full ride...and then she blew out her ACL (LCL, MCL and meniscus) on something she'd done hundreds of times in her years at level 10...and despite multiple surgeries and endless sessions of PT, it was over, her knee was never the same and she was done as a gymnast, period....so in the middle of high school, when she's had this same routine of trucking up to the gym all week, all of a sudden she wasn't ...and you know what, it was fine. She not only survived, she thrived. She expanded her social circle, got involved in some clubs at school , partipated in more community service and never looked back. I wouldn't have thought she would have been this busy without gym but she was! So don't worry about them limiting themselves, as they adapt when necessary.

2. I thought the same thing too about gymnastics...until she took up diving, and that love of competing and join de vivre is there! And she says she loves diving more than gymnastics, so there's that!

 

[Madden3]

Thanks for all the stories of life beyond gymnastics. I know a big part of my son's fear is because he is so comfortable at the gym- he has been on the same team for 7 years, same head coach for most of that time. The gym is his second home. Ironically the fact gym has - in that sense- been very easy for him - no drama, no need to switch gyms, never had a coach he did not like a lot and learn from- makes the anxiety around thinking about starting over with something else all the harder. Also unfortunately at the only public HS he could go to, the sports options are limited. No diving team, probably no pole vault either but I am not sure. They have some track and field and cross country. We will see. But I know my son is and always has been one of the hardest working kids on his team, and also is devoid of attitude. That alone would count for something.

 

[jessifrostR]

This is one of the many reasons why I am so thankful Little Bit (DD, 9) has become a competitive rock climber. Short Stack (my gymmie) likes to go climbing with her little sister when she can. She knows gymnastics is her passion, but she also knows there are other things she is capable of doing should she choose to.

My daugher loves rock climbing too! She has been doing it for about 3 years, just for fun. I bet she would take it up more seriously if she ever quit gym.