Parents Thinking of switching gyms - advice please :)

[ePink]

Hello - This is my first post... here is goes.

My DD (6 yo) is just wrapping up her first year (9 months) of gymnastics. My DH and I feel like she has found her thing - she lights up when it's time for practice and comes home and keeps on practicing all week long. She does seem to have some natural talent as well. She took classes this year and ready to move up to either level 3 or xcel silver starting this summer.

I am new to gymnastics, so I'm learning by talking to other parents and reading this awesome forums!!

So, my question is where to have her continue on and any pros/cons to the two options that we have -

Option 1 - Stay at current gym. This gym is one of the top in our city/state and has elite/top/division 1 gymnasts. The classroom training has been fantastic. They have a level 3 team that trains 10 hours per week, 25+ girls on the team and consistently does well. The rec team trains 6 hours per week, 25+ girls, and usually places in the top third. This gym is about 30 minutes from our home.

Option 2 - smaller gym only 10 minutes from home. They use xcel as their compulsory program, train 10 hours per week, and have 10-15 girls on a team. The coaches seem very encouraging. This gym placed in the top 3 in the state xcel programs.

So, I am torn. I know option 1 is the "best" program around and my DD will get excellent training. However, option 2 is so much closer, where I can drop off. It also is much more personal and local girls my DD could be friends with. (I like option 1, but the gym is so well know that is draws girls from all over the city and there are so many girls on a team.) Option 2 is also less expensive even though it's the most training hours. Also, xcel seems like a much more engaging program than the compulsory program from a non-gymnast .

I'm leaning toward option 2, but before I make the switch I am considering everything. Is there anything else that I should be thinking about? Thank you!!

 

[Serenity28]

Option 1 gym 2 sounds like recreational competition. Why change when you have all you need at gym 1. Plus your DD is 6. If she is happy at gym 1 and receives quality training let get stay where she is.

 

[raenndrops]

If you are considering Xcel Silver, then I would go with the closer to home gym. If they use Xcel in place of compulsories, then they take Xcel seriously (whereas, it sounds like the current gym treats it more as an extension of rec).
Questions to ask if considering this route:
1 - How many JO Optionals do they have? What Levels are they?
2 - How smooth is the transition from Xcel to JO Optionals? Do they do an "in house" score out meet or go to another meet to score out of L4 and L5?

 

[ascarter1]

If you are considering Xcel Silver, then I would go with the closer to home gym. If they use Xcel in place of compulsories, then they take Xcel seriously (whereas, it sounds like the current gym treats it more as an extension of rec).
Questions to ask if considering this route:
1 - How many JO Optionals do they have? What Levels are they?
2 - How smooth is the transition from Xcel to JO Optionals? Do they do an "in house" score out meet or go to another meet to score out of L4 and L5?

Yes this ^^^
And you need to know what plan they have for your child. If it's to compete the same level for more than one year, or a level a year.

Also, if you decided to switch, would the other gym welcome you back.

My thought is to stay where your at. Only change if you are not happy.

 

[flipnastic]

I have had to make the exact same decision! My daughter is five-year-old level two, absolutely adores gymnastics and has talent. We chose the gym 35 min away That is very similar to your option one, except the team is quite a bit smaller. One of my biggest deciding factor is that no matter which direction she goes… As in, Whether she chooses later on to do the highly competitive gymnastics or chooses to do a recreational approach...I
Am glad that At this point I know she is getting high quality training And learning the skills correctly as opposed To incorrectly or sloppily. She learned a lot of bad habits at her previous gym and is having a hard time correcting them already at five y/o. Right now, since the hours are less, a 30 minute drive isnt a big deal. If she wants to be pretty competitive when she is older, I feel like she will be better equipped and our family will gradually be able to adjust to the drive as needed. But, if she went to the recreational gym that is closer, I feel like she would have a really hard time switching to a more competitive program if that is what she wants to do, Because she will Not have had the high quality training and will likely have to relearn "form"...plus, it would be a lot harder for our family to adjust from traveling the short distance to traveling the longer distance.

So, in short, The "option 1" gym works for us right now and keeps the doors open for any path my dd wants to take. If she wants to switch later it will be Very easy to switch to gym number two.

Good luck in deciding and hope this helps!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

It is easier to down grade then upgrade. Your current gym has high level gymnastics and your child is doing well and happy. A 30 min commute is not a biggie. Our commute is 40 min at rush hour, 17 minutes at pick. I go home. But my girl is there for 3 hours. Again as they move up to more hours you won't have (and shouldn't) stay.

Again, if it turns out to be too much, its much easier to go lower/smaller.

If lower/smaller turns out to be not enough its harder to upgrade as time goes on.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

If DD is happy and you have no complaints with Gym 1, I wouldn't change a thing. If she outgrows Gym 2, it may not be that easy to get back in Gym 1. Alot of really good gyms have waiting lists or don't have room, or are very choosy about transfers. Never fix what isn't broken in gymnastics. ☺

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Personally, I think I would stay at the current gym unless/until there is a good reason to leave. They sound like they have good coaching, are successful, your dd is comfortable there and there doesn't appear to be any negatives you've found with the actual gym. I know you mentioned distance and team size, but those are more positives of the other gym rather than negatives with the current gym. I agree with the pp that it would be most likely be easier to switch to the second gym later than it would be to have to switch back to the original gym if the second one doesn't work out. So I would probably keep it in the back of my mind and give the original gym a chance.

 

[Taurus]

I would look at it this way- you learn about gymnastics when you start going to meets (just watching practice doesn't teach you much about how much your daughter will like the competition part of gymnastics or if she really does have a knack for it or if you want to go the distance in this time-consuming sport). Once you have a few level 3 meets under your belt, you will be able to conclude that she loves to perform & can go a long way in sport or if she's just having fun & really likes it but it may not be a long term thing for her - as others have pointed out, it's hard to go back to JO after doing excel (standards are usually a bit more lax and she may be bumped down a level if you try to return to JO) and it can be much harder to go back to a gym you have left (gyms seem to be very territorial) - you may try just keeping her at the gym she is now (she'll make gym friends wherever she goes) and see how level 3 goes. After that, you will more than likely have a better grasp on the sport and be able to come to a decision that's right for her & your family. Good luck to you both!

 

[gymdog]

I guess it depends on your family situation and what you guys personally can do. I would think hard about it because now would be the easiest time to decide before she starts a real team.

From a sheer gymnastics standpoint if all else is workable and your daughter is a 6 year old level 3/silver then I would advise you stay at Gym 1. Provided you are comfortable with the coaches and program, etc.

 

[munchkin3]

Gym 1. If it ain't broke, then don't fix it.

Don't worry about the size, you would be surprised at how personal the coaches get with their 'team' kids. The longer she is there, and the higher she moves, she will have everything she needs there. Why downgrade, and run the risk of outgrowing the gym and then having to switch again.
Also, Xcel is a great program and many gyms use it as a springboard, but GENERALLY, it is the less competitive track and in most cases, it is very hard to move from Xcel to JO.

But parent to parent, if you are going to get into gymnastics, spend money, sacrifice the time, indoctrinate your daughter- might as well start out with a solid JO program and she can go as far as she may want.......as Taurus says, give it a season to see what kind of competitior you have.

 

[GymDad9.9]

We were faced with essentially the same choice and went the extra mile to the bigger more competitive gym. The choice was made by my daughter and we backed it in full despite the added sacrifice on my and my wife's part of time and logistics. Cost is actually either the same or less. My daughter has made great friendships despite none of them going to her school or living in her community. Our gym is also warmer and friendlier despite it's larger size.

 

[suebee]

One thing I would want to know is how many coaches does gym 1 have for their 25+ girls on level 3, and do all their girls do well, or do they score well as a team because they have 4-5 phenomenal girls and the test score low? Remember that team scores are usually taking the top few scores on each event from the team, so you could easily have a top team and with only a few high scoring girls, especially if there is a big team. I would also want to see whether many of the girls at the higher levels are homegrown kids who have gone through their program.

Same thing with gym 2: what happens to these kids after Silver? Do they go on to score out of 4 and 5 and then go on to do well in optionals? If this team uses Xcel as their compulsories, how do their optional teams do? The problem with smaller lower level teams is that when girls drop out, they may not have enough to sustain higher level teams.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Why would you switch to a lesser program?

 

[l.c.o]

Without knowing details, and going off our own experiences with three different gyms, I would not ever have my DD leave a gym we were at least mostly happy with.

You may like a thing or two about another gym better and/or dislike a thing or two about your current gym, but that will always be the case. If your DD is in a good, safe, proven program with coaches that treat her well, I'd do everything possible to keep her there if it were me... Took a few gyms and the right timing for my DD to have that.

 

[gymgal]

I guess my question would be "why did you choose gym 1 over gym 2 in the first place?" Why did you choose to place her in a rec program 30 minutes from your house when you had one 10 minutes away? That might help to decide whether gym 1 is a good fit.

You also should think about how far you are willing to let your dd go in gymnastics. Are you ok with her going all throughout highschool and possibly college, if it is in the cards for her? Would you prefer that she enjoy it now but once middle/high school comes around, you don't want her spending so many hours (20+) on a sport?

Related to this would be travel - the larger gym likely will be going to the larger meets across the country several times in the season whereas smaller gyms "tend" to stay local with a 1-2 major travel meets.

If you think that at any point in time you may want to switch back to the bigger gym, then there is no reason to change now. Gyms are finicky about switching and you may not be welcomed back.

 

[gymgal]

Why would you switch to a lesser program?

less expensive, shorter commute, less pressure, more family friendly? Really depends on what the family wants from the experience and how far they are willing to go in the gymnastics world. Lots of people choose rec sports over select/travel sports - not because their kids are not good enough but because where their priorities lead them as a family.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

less expensive, shorter commute, less pressure, more family friendly? Really depends on what the family wants from the experience and how far they are willing to go in the gymnastics world. Lots of people choose rec sports over select/travel sports - not because their kids are not good enough but because where their priorities lead them as a family.

But the kid is young at this point. Again if it gets to be too much at some point it will be very easy to downgrade. However if in a few years she wants more it may not be possible to upgrade.

Really the question does beg that gymgal asked..... Why was gym 1 picked in the first place? Which leads to the other side of the coin. Why was the closer gym not picked first?

Just my experience back when I had not one clue, we went to gym closest to our house, because it was close. Would of stayed there if it worked for us. Most folks don't start further when closer is an option, without a reason.

 

[gymgal]

But the kid is young at this point. Again if it gets to be too much at some point it will be very easy to downgrade. However if in a few years she wants more it may not be possible to upgrade.

My original point to coachp was that there are families who know early on that their family can't/doesn't want to support an intense gym program and might prefer a program that goes only to a certain level, is low key, etc. In that case, choosing the one closer to home, even though it might appear to be a "lesser" program might be the perfect option. Just because option 1 is "the best" in the area doesn't mean it is a good fit for every gymnast/family

 

[Tuppy]

I think your consideration is a good one. I think gymgal brings up an important point about whether it is a good fit for your life and whether you would be willing to continue to support if your child loves this. Personally, I would suggest you think not of now, but of the upcoming years as well , take the schedule for both gym 1 and gym 2, and look at the practices times and costs, and understand the commitment expectations. For example, there are families who find it important to have dinner together, and some practices can run until 830 or 9 on a weeknight. Another example, I think of is our JO team would frown upon going away and taking the summer off, because that's when the next season's skills are worked on. So think about what's important to you. I think it's easy to say just pick the best gym, and I think that will make your daughter the best athlete. But I think you have to decide if that's the right choice for your family in other ways. Good luck!