Anon Seeking new gym??

[Anonymous Post]

Would like to hear experiences from mamas who have looked at other gym options and ultimately returned to the original gym. Were you welcomed back/to stay? Did the process create any tension or negative effects?

We want to do it the right way, be honest and upfront prior to venturing out. I just don’t understand how girls do the whole gym switch thing around here though. I’ve talked to a few moms I know who made the switch last spring (to different gyms, too) and it seems like they make these plans prior to end of season here which I find so weird. Last season one girl went to state telling our gym this would be her last meet with them and openly announcing her new gym. Then the Monday after state, two others showed up at practice time, said their goodbyes, and left to go practice at their new gym.

We are so on the fence with looking at other gyms for my dd. Nothing is terribly wrong at the current one, but dd is the youngest at her level and I’m not sure our current gym is comfortable bringing along young talent any quicker than their standard “if your school grade matches your gym level, you’re doing great”. She has desires to be challenged more and college dreams but says she gets a lot of “you’re not old enough”, “you’re still too small”, “we don’t let girls do that until they are X years old”. However there is also a lot of good there, and we know the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Would love to hear any experiences navigating all of this

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous Post]

My daughter has made two gym switches. The first was acrimonious and came at the end of summer up training. The second was more like what you're talking about -- leaving a pretty OK situation, looking for a better fit (a higher standard of excellence and much more up training). The latter switch came just prior to the first competition of the year and took the gym totally by surprise. In both cases, we weren't upfront about leaving and that was by design. There are too many stories of coaches/teams turning against a kid based on a family looking around. For the second gym we simply said "Thanks for everything, but we're leaving for a better fit."