Parents Sorry if this has been asked before...I'm new☺️

[l.c.o]

If you need 32 hours as a seven year old to make the elite track - One of the following is missing
A - The child lacks the natural ability that will get them to elite. Hard work matters and 32 hours of hard work will keep you ahead of the truly gifted gymnasts for now, but as these kids rise along their steady path they will overtake that 32 hour seven year old very easily.
B - The coach lacks skill/knowledge and is making up for it by using quantity of training rather than quality.
C - The gym lacks numbers in these classes and is recruiting younger kids to keep it profitable.

I agree with the above 100%. I am not a coach in any way... But thinking logically from a parent's perspective, this is what I would think.

Quality>quantity

DD was recently in a program where she trained 16 hours per week (up to 20 in summer) for levels 3 and 4. She did it for 1.5 years. She was/is definitely not an elite track kid, though she does ok. For a variety of reasons, we switched her to a club that trains "just" 11 hours per week. I was worried, because DD had been doing "pretty ok" with 16 hours of training... How would she fair with less? AND she was losing quite a bit of TOPs style training.

Well, we decided to let her switch despite concerns (her request) and figured she'd sink or swim... And to be honest? She's doing pretty darn well in her group. The extra down time is appreciated... We eat together as a family... Homework isn't as rushed... And she's progressing and happy. She feels less overall stress/pressure, though I have to say that she really works her tush off in those reduced hours. Boy was she sore those first few weeks.

If it were me I'd worry most about the wear and tear on DD's little body. I already do... my DD has had multiple overuse injuries already. 32 hours is a LOT and she's still got so much developing to do. And while I have exactly zero experience with the elite path, if she's truly elite material, I'd guess she'd still be in a few years when she can better understand the choices she'd have to make, and she could slowly build up those hours. Is there an alternative available to you?

Growing up is in itself hard work. Being elite is an accomplishment few girls get to experience. I'm not against it as a rule, but seven is just so darn tiny, and 32 hours seems like a lot. And "fast track to elite"? She's only 7. I don't understand the "fast" part... I think she has plenty of time, especially if she's already reaching level 5 skills. Just my super humble .02.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

32 hours/week at 7 years old? That's WAY too much.

Shawn Johnson trained less than that leading up to the Olympics.

 

[ld7]

Wow- I have to wonder if that is even realistic for a kid. 32 hours- most kids love to be at the gym. Most fast tracking kids at age 7 do not need 32 hours. Before you agree to this I would highly recommend doing your research. Look at other gym and how their elite program looks. Look at how they are coaching the "whole child." Remember eve of you are homeschooling your child would still need time for schooling- don't give that up at age 7. Sure they can do without skating parties and play dates but can their little bodies mentally and emotionally handle that? I also have to wonder why a 7 year old would train level 5. Why wouldn't they train optional and compete at level

Did she just finish level 4? Are they having her score out of 4 and maybe 5 too?

Even if they are, IMO that is WAY too many hours at that age and level. There is a national team member (girl) at my son's gym and I think that is about how many hours she does. How many elites do they have at this gym?

All of this.

To the OP, it is very usual for people to find this forum when they have concerns and common for the first post to be a query. My experience is that most people who ask a question like yours know what the answer is before they post and need reassurance. Either that, or they know the response they want to hear and they want assurance.

The best advice on here comes through experience. Either from gymnasts/parents/coaches who have been there and know what it takes. I notice you have remained rather quiet throughout this conversation and hope that you don't feel like the advice is criticism.

If you are not very experienced in the gymnastics world, you might benefit from the unique advice available through someone like @dunno, who is an enigma of the US system and the chalkbucket community. He is able to give first-hand advice, often relating to specific clubs and regions.

I do hope you find the best route for your daughter and that she is happy and healthy along the way.

thx for your feedback. Honestly every time I get a moment to try and reply, I have 7 more to read and just haven't had the time! I'm taking all of this in and am grateful for all of the advice!

 

[lovegymnastics22]

To the OP, I’d say I get the same exact reaction you are getting from this list when I tell friends and family that my 7YO goes 15hours/week. Hah! Goes to show it is all relative

Having thought about this alot-- and totally getting that we may be talking apples and oranges--here are the things I think matter.

1. Will they treat her like a future olympian or a 7YO? Are they going to be flexible if she needs a day, or a week off. Are the hours going to be designed for a 7YO to have fun as well as work hard. Are there hard-line policies that prevent flexibility or individual policies appropriate to age?

2. Are they super cautious about the effect on her body? Are they going to let her rest if she says she’s hurt or push her on. 7YOs are not in a position to differentiate a little problem from a big one.

3. Is she going to have enough time to be 7? Will her weekly schedule allow enough time to be a kid-- playground, board games, TV, hanging out, etc. Is there an option for her also to do an art class or something else? I’d be nervous her whole identity would get locked in “being a gymnast” and would want my young DD to have lots of time for other stuff.

4. Is there an exit strategy? What if she doesn’t like it? Or stops liking gymnastics altogether. Are you going to be able to walk away? Will the coaches be OK if she moves out of this program? She’s just 7 and this can totally happen.

I would want to know what other parents who have kids in this group think about these questions (and not the obviously cgm ones!). And I’d also want a commitment from the coaches that they are going to be understanding and flexible-- that they know she is just a little girl and this is a really big deal.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Some further thoughts:

At 7 years old, whether she's a future elite or not, the most important thing is for her to have fun. I think that for young kids, it's always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to determining the intensity and frequency of training. They SHOULD be chomping at the bit, begging for more hours. They SHOULD be unsatisfied with the number of hours they're training. They SHOULD have few enough hours that they are begging to come to the gym more.

Why? Because it keeps practice from becoming a chore. It means that they are looking forward to every practice, and leaving the gym each day wishing they could stay longer. They will be more likely to get the most out of every second of workout.

 

[alsmom]

My 7 year old just started a program like this about two months ago. She is doing 25 hours a week. She is now homeschooling. She is training TOPS and working to score out of 4 and 5 to compete 6 next year. We are also on a HOPES/Elite path. She has tolerated it well and is loving every minute of it. She has picked up tons of new skills. 32 sounds like A LOT of hours to me. Before deciding to put my daughter in this program my biggest fear was that gym would become a job, and not a fun activity that she loved. So. Far she is having a blast, but I am carefully monitoring her to ensure that the pressure does not become too much.

Part of what I like about this program is that she has time to be a KID. She plays outside. She has play dates with friends. She joined a brownie troop. Every gymnast and family is different. If you think this path will work for yours I say give it a shot, just be mindful of the affects it has on your girl.

 

[Flyaway]

Wow. Seems like a fast track to burn out to me, no matter how talented. Hard to imagine a little 7 year old body able to take that type of training indefinitely.

Is there another option? Even 25 hours a week (while homeschooling) seems more doable. Good luck with your decision!

 

[SignHere]

Your DD is obviously very talented if this is the plan.

Unfortunately, this is an adult decision to make, because a 7 year old has no concept of what it means to be an elite gymnast.

As far as she is concerned, she gets to go to gym more often and she's going to be in the Olympics, right?

There have been some really good comments on this thread, super helpful ( burnout, overuse injuries, etc.). There are also some old threads on elite track - bogwoppit has posted some things.

Pursuing elite training is a huge sacrifice for the entire family, and when I think of the pressure it puts on some of these kiddos to know what their parents and siblings have sacrificed in pursuit of the one child's dream... It makes me a little sad.

Good luck to you in your decision.

 

[balancedmom]

wow-- interesting thread. My kid is NOT on any elite track, but it is hard for me to believe almost any gymnast is on any particular track. Plans are made to be broken right? Taking a path to elite is planning for something that may never happen-- as everyone has said there will be injuries, fears, burnout. I cannot imagine choosing at age 7 not to send my kid to school where she is a kid because there was some remote chance she could be a superstar 6, 7 years down the road. Gymnastics should be for today, for the here and now for these kids. Anything beyond that is unknown. Would also be interested to hear whether these homeschooled kids working these little bodies 30 plus hours feel too much pressure and don't feel like there is an exit ramp. Even with 12 hours in the gym, we have had lots of injuries, making the future unknown for all of them...and fears...another issue some of the girls struggle with

And, our kids did great at level 6 this past year doing 12 hours a week-- not that they are superstars, but they felt great! Good luck with your daughter who sounds incredibly talented.

 

[jjsmom]

I appreciate all of the feedback. I didn't include that this program is the "fast track" to elite...just so you know there's a reason behind it. Not that it makes it the right thing to do...just fyi.

My daughter is 8 and also on what you would call the "fast track" to elite and she only does 22 hours with TOPs. 32 seems a little excessive. The idea of homeschool seems okay (we're doing that too this coming year) since it may allow better hours at the gym or more balance so that they can enjoy "kid" things, but not necessarily to do that many hours in the gym...that's almost a full-time job!!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Even 22 for an 8 yr old seems too much, but clearly what do I know

 

[kaloss]

Dd is 7 and training 19 hours to include TOPS training. She seems to handle it well, but we also homeschool, so she has plenty of down time to just be a kid and do family things

 

[skschlag]

I guess I just can't imagine training that many hours at that age. D is almost 13 and is just now moving to over 20 hours a week. I know that girls/boys are different. however, our gym has had national team members, many girls on Scholarship, and they did not do this number of hours at these young ages.

 

[auswi]

IMHO fast track to elite track or fast tracking in the elite stream is usually done within the same hourly framework of that offered but it's the athlete who fast tracks by picking up skills at a faster pace then teammates, with a combination of natural talent, hard work and ' train ability '- able to accept corrections well etc.

So from what I've seen an athlete will be picked up as fast tracking because of the progress they're making in comparison to other athletes training similar hours.

It is not necessarily very high hours which lifts an athlete to elite- this will only take them so far, at junior level.

I would be concerned ( hugely ) with these type of hours.

Good luck

 

[iyddsytnbe]

Gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint. The kids that will be successful are the ones that stay in the sport and stay heathy. That is just so, so many hours. I would not recommend that. Consider calling a respected program with many TOPS athletes or 10's/elites and see if they have anyone that young doing that kind of hours. I think you would be hard pressed to find one.

 

[blueredzone]

Wow that seems like a ton of hours. My daughter is 7 and no way would I have her in the gym that much. To many other things going on in life. Like friends, birthday parties, sleepovers, stuff like that. So my question would be when do the 50-60 hours a week start?

Sounds like a fast track to resentment. Kids are only 7 once. Hurrying up to be the only girl in the age group doesn't really teach them anything about competing either IMO.

Also in our gym once you hit lvl 6 you can't do anything but gymnastics. I guess I'd rather know my kid is in it for the long haul before making that huge financial commitment.

But maybe I am a little different. Just my 2 cents

 

[wallflower]

IMHO fast track to elite track or fast tracking in the elite stream is usually done within the same hourly framework of that offered but it's the athlete who fast tracks by picking up skills at a faster pace then teammates, with a combination of natural talent, hard work and ' train ability '- able to accept corrections well etc.

So from what I've seen an athlete will be picked up as fast tracking because of the progress they're making in comparison to other athletes training similar hours.

It is not necessarily very high hours which lifts an athlete to elite- this will only take them so far, at junior level.

I would be concerned ( hugely ) with these type of hours.

Good luck

I think what you said about it being the gymnast determining if they are on a "fast track" is so dead on. Can they move faster within the normal hours for that level? Anyone can move faster if they spend triple the amount of time in the gym.

My DD would be considered fast tracked when she was a compulsory. She went for level 3 to level 7 in a year, but she wasn't doing high hours at all. She did 10.5 hours at level 3/4. When she moved up to level 5 she did 14 hours. And finally when she was competing 7 she did 18. She did tops that summer after level 7.

So 32 hours seems like A TON for a kid hoping to compete level 5.

I could see it if she were already a level 9/10 and training elite, but not for training level 5.

 

[munchkin3]

Ha! I just told my DD coaches that my DD would NEVER get up to 24 hrs. And lucky if she ever did 20 a week. I consider her to be moving faster....but I want her to stay happy in the gym. 30+ hours not only is a risk to her passion in the sport, but injuries.
Good luck!

 

[GymmieC]

I appreciate all of the feedback. I didn't include that this program is the "fast track" to elite...just so you know there's a reason behind it. Not that it makes it the right thing to do...just fyi.

Is there really a "fast track to elite"? Oh my...elite seems so tough as I watch a super talented gymmie try to get there at C's gym. Nothing seems "fast" to me.
I just talked to a friend tonight whose 8 yo is also doing 30+ hours. I had to be honest with her and told her those hours are crazy. Her DD is training level 5?? Sure she is working to get TOPS skills, but so what? Idk...am I wrong to think that a talented gymmie just does not need those hours? Something is so screwy when coaches require that. Has anyone found success with this type of training?
I am noting that the successful elites are those that have worked their way up to not just the hours but the levels as well. Why not keep it fun, serious yes of course, but fun...it is not and should not be their first full time job at 8 yo...

 

[Jenny]

Anyone can move faster if they spend triple the amount of time in the gym.

This is so true. I see a lot of club who throw lots of hours at kids doing super well up to a certain point - yes the kids are talented but huge hours play a big part. As other girls add the hours later they go past them, those girls often then get dispirited at not winning everything and drop out. Also as they are training at maximum hours early they tend to plateau earlier and get dispirited and drop out. I don't see the point.