WAG supporting a childs elite dreams

[bookworm]

II've been told that elite is rather taxing on the coach and many very good coaches don't think it is worth it and have stopped pursuing it. There is one local gym that turns out excellent level 10's and college gymnasts and has a coach you'd probably know the name of, and they'll send girls to other gyms if they think they can make elite. I have little doubt they have the coaching chops for elite; they're simply not interested.[/QUOTE]



A legitimate elite program is taxing on everyone involved ...the elite coaches , the athlete;the family; the other coaches at the gym who have to pick up the slack when the elite coach is out of town with said athlete frequently; the other gymnasts at the gym who frequently have to deal with being short a coach, and the gym itself who should plan to hire extra coaches for this purpose but oftentimes do not ...it is a very labor intensive program and an expensive one for all involved and until they make the National team or are "invited" to the Ranch, all the travel exspenses fall back on the family...in the begining, every time my daughter went to the Ranch, it was another 1500 bucks, and she was doing that monthly for a while...

 

[exgymnastmomx3]

I had a long discussion once with a former coach of my dd's and he told me that the reason he stopped coaching any elites is because of the lack of satisfaction he got from it. The summary of the hour long conversation was that he could spend about 20 hours a week training a large group of girls to be great level 10s over the years and go on to get college scholarships and that gave him great satisfaction, as it also gave their families great satisfaction. Training elites is like putting your eggs in one basket, he said. It takes too many resources, too much commitment, and the several girls he had trained elite who were very successful in their training got burned out and 2 quit the sport all together and one went back and competed as a level 10 for 6 years and earned a top NCAA scholarship and was a top NCAA athlete for Nebraska. Another coach just had the same conversation with my dd's current coach. He took his most successful young level 10 and trained elite with her for 6 months and now she doesn't even want to do gymnastics at all. Elite is taxing on everyone and until you journey down that road, it's hard to explain what its like.

 

[bookworm]

. He took his most successful young level 10 and trained elite with her for 6 months and now she doesn't even want to do gymnastics at all. Elite is taxing on everyone and until you journey down that road, it's hard to say what it's like.

Exgymnastmom I couldn't have said it any better...people would often ask me why my daughter didn't continue with elite "because she was so good" ...and try explain that elite almost broke her , that in elite nothing is ever good enough and people look at you like you have 2 heads. My husband thought we should tell her that it's "elite or nothing" because she was good enough and I basically told him that if we do that, she'll be done with gymnastics ...fast forward several years and she's happy as a clam on her D1 gymnastics team and has never looked back on the "what ifs" with elite. Actually she has commented on it and says "if I had stayed in elite, I would have quit gymnastics..."

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

You have the chance to teach her an amazing life lesson...If she wants something she should be willing to put it all on the line. The beauty of her age is that if she puts it all out there and fails, she still has her parents there to help pick up the pieces. If she tries it and it isn't what she hoped it would be, then she changes the plan. The experience of gymnastics is what its all about, not just the destination. The world loves to tell us no, and she is saying yes. If you have it in you to support her dream, put it all on the line. The results are just details but the thrill of the ride is lifetime. There is no safer time in her life to take a plunge Many may disagree with me but that is my 2 cents. PM me if you want more information about my point of view.

Your post actually brought tears to my eyes. Well said.

 

[SignHere]

I think that's why there are so few elite gymnasts. And the thing is, they need the total package- everything - but also, they have to be such an overachiever that if you tell them, for instance, that the other girl can do 10 press handstands, they're gonna do 11 press handstands , even if it kills them.


OP, your DD sounds like an impressive girl. It doesn't sound like her gym is going to get her where she needs to go. However, probably the only way you will know that us if you talk to the owner of the gym.

I don't think that anyone has indicated she's in a situation where it would be unreasonable for you to ask for a sit down with her coach and the gym owner and tell them her goals and ask them if they can help her get there, and if not, why?

 

[SignHere]

I meant to say, why not her? Not why not them?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Exgymnastmom I couldn't have said it any better...people would often ask me why my daughter didn't continue with elite "because she was so good" ...and try explain that elite almost broke her , that in elite nothing is ever good enough and people look at you like you have 2 heads. My husband thought we should tell her that it's "elite or nothing" because she was good enough and I basically told him that if we do that, she'll be done with gymnastics ...fast forward several years and she's happy as a clam on her D1 gymnastics team and has never looked back on the "what ifs" with elite. Actually she has commented on it and says "if I had stayed in elite, I would have quit gymnastics..."

EVERYTHING you have posted so far is spot on and rings true. elite is not for the feint of heart or half empty wallets and pocketbooks. it is a daunting process. and for EVERYONE involved. as i have posted before, it is the HARDEST THING i have ever done. and i mean THING. and a THING that can not be defined. it is an altruistic endeavor for everyone involved.

 

[momof5]

Dunno your Pm box is full

 

[MaryA]

Poor Dunno. The last time I PM-ed him his box was full too. Somehow I imagine him like Lucy, sitting at a booth with a "The coach is in" shingle hung out and all of us lining up to ask him our questions. Maybe he aught to start charging us each a nickle!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

sorry folks, i'll take care of that right now.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

okay! send the nickels!!

 

[MaryA]

Ah, but for us to do that, you'd need to reveal your secret identity!

 

[wandrewsjr]

Hang on..... Isn't it Dunno or someone else who's in the know that has repeatedly stated that there are many successful elites who never went through TOPS? Or says something like there has never been an Olympian who went through TOPS? Am I mis-remembering?

Notmaking the arguement that TOPS was in any way necessary towards their path toelite, BUT would like to clarify that 80% of the 2012 Olympic team members wereon the TOPS National Team at some point (Jordyn Weiber,Aly Raisman,GabiDouglas,Kyla Ross) and 50% of the 2008 team were (Alicia Sacramone,ChellsieMemmel,Sam Peszek).

 

[Deleted member D3987]

it's not hard to do ^^^. and they only did it for a few months. it was good coaching and a good facility that got them where they got. and of course, the support structure of USA Gymnastics.

 

[bookworm]

Notmaking the arguement that TOPS was in any way necessary towards their path toelite, BUT would like to clarify that 80% of the 2012 Olympic team members wereon the TOPS National Team at some point (Jordyn Weiber,Aly Raisman,GabiDouglas,Kyla Ross) and 50% of the 2008 team were (Alicia Sacramone,ChellsieMemmel,Sam Peszek).

That was kind of my point when I asked if the OP's daughter ever trained TOPS...it would be another indicator of where the coaching is at in terms of progression (and not the ONLY indicator)