WAG Taking time off?

[x98peterson]

She's 7, level 4 and the gym won't let her drop to 1 day a week plus a private for just TWO WEEKS?!?! That's crazy--do they not allow vacations too?? I'd definitely call the coach and clarify with him.

No, that is what they decided to do after I asked for two weeks off.... so we complied, sorry for the confusion..

 

[x98peterson]

What is the atmosphere in the gym regarding both cheer and gymnastics? Is the gymnastics owner also owner for the cheer side? Do a lot of gymnasts at your gym also cheer? I wonder if the response you are getting is due to the fact that the gymnastics side of the house "loses" kids to cheer eventually. We have had girls do both while they were still compulsory level but I don't think the gymnastics coaches were thrilled about it. By the time the girls got to the optional levels, the coaches wanted them to decide between the two - and I've never seen it decided in favor of gymnastics. I do not know if this is due to a difference in how tumbling is taught, if it is a concern around the time spent between the two sports (as you say - both sports require a lot of time), or what. If your daughter did crossover between two cheer teams and gymnastics - she's had a pretty busy schedule - I can see why she's tired! And as you say - she is only 7. She should have every chance to participate in both sports and see which one she likes. Good luck to you - I hope she'll be able to compete gymnastics this upcoming season!

Totally agree with your thoughts, yes - the owner used to coach cheer, and does lose kids to the cheer team after all they give them flyers in their boxes encouraging everyone to joing, kinda mixed messages to a seven year old for sure. The owner is very active with the optionals girls, our gym coaches up to about level 8, then the girls seem to transfer, we have 3 cheer teams, and about 40 team girls at the most, so twice as many cheer girls as gymnastics, but a TON of rec girls- like 100 or so? We are in a small town just a few miles from our house, great community, great gym, we did "shop around a little at first, and while the other gyms seemed to have better results- the experience as a whole IMO was "horrible".... my daughter left crying a few times at the other elite gyms..... so- although I thought our gym was relaxed, once you commit I think they are good at "holding you to it" b/c number one- they can't afford to lose you (money wise and member wise)- and two- it just seems ethical to stick with what ya start. But in the case of gymnastics- where does it ever end? Seems to me the "seasons" just blend together.... with cheer it does end but starts again pretty quickly.... Thankfully both our USGA team and Cheer teams rock it. She did try the CARA program- kinda like EXCEL and liked that too- but it overlaps at same time as cheer. The coach is GREAT- she stays after w/ Tay and does extras w/ her (skills they won't let her do at USGA but she does in cheer). Kinda asynchronous development I guess. Her tumbling rocks, but her bars and beam are just ok.... The kid can barely do a kip but can do full layout tumbling and back tucks and stuff- the coach thinks she might just be "bored" with gymnastics- so much tweeking to get the body awareness down to a "T" but in cheer she can be sloppy and no one cares.

 

[LJL07]

^^yes, I think a mixed message too.

The tweaking is definitely hard for the young ones to appreciate. Mine gets bored for sure with that, but in her case, she needs it! Interesting that her coach will let her work the cheer tumbling though they don't want her doing that at gymnastics practice. That also seems like a confusing message...