Parents Tips for a family new to gymnastics

[Graham14]

C'mon, let's stop scaring Graham14!
The reality is it is a wonderful sport.....and we all love it, and love what it has done for our children!!!!
It can get addictive at times. So, balance is key......

I hope your little one loves it as much as mine does.....enjoy it because they really learn and grow up so fast!

PS, my son did it for 9 years and it was absolutely excellent for his discipline.

I am really looking forward to when they start! If they stick with, I'm sure I'll be here asking all sorts of new questions

 

[Graham14]

My oldest is training for her 3rd competition season, my middle daughter is training for her second, and my youngest daughter is still in rec classes. My son can't start rec class until he turns two in May. We started with just the oldest in preschool rec for one hour a week. It has definitely snowballed from there, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Our gym does their best to give the kids good training for a reasonable price with a reasonable time commitment. It gets most expensive when it is time to pay competition fees (including uniforms) and when registering for camps. My girls rare some of the most physically fit at their school, and I credit gymnastics for helping them to become mature, hard-working individuals.

Do parents pay to enter competitions individually or does the gym sign the team up and the parents pay the gym?

 

[AgingHippie]

We are right around that cost and doing 16.5 hours. If she gets to optionals next year the cost only goes up $15 a month and goes up to 18 hours.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Gym signs up the team and parents pay the gym

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I wonder if prices vary per area? I don't think our area is very into gymnastics... A ton of girls do gymnastics from ages 2-6 or something like that, but few people stay in very long. At least that is what it seems like. I think the more well-known gyms are from a different area of the state.

How many hours in the gym per week does 7 grand get you?

It definitely does vary by area. @Deleted member 18037 and I are only like 4 hours apart and I pay a lot less than 7G including a private once a week. Puma jr goes 16 hrs total, so believe more than her daughter. But then again, I think her daughter's form is a lot cleaner than mine! Lol Good luck and welcome to this awesome, crazy sport!

 

[AgingHippie]

It definitely does vary by area. @Deleted member 18037 and I are only like 4 hours apart and I pay a lot less than 7G including a private once

Do you have room in your home for a family of 4?

 

[Mrs. Puma]

Do you have room in your home for a family of 4?

You may not like the snow! Lol

 

[Graham14]

At 4, I'd let her coaches dictate the pace. As her mom, just make sure she is having fun and getting enough rest and good nutrition. My daughter started at 7, Level 4. She is now 14 and second year Level 10. Most parents will experience some kind of sticker shock at one point or another, either in tuition, days/hours of practice, meet fees, coaches fees, competition leo and workout leo costs, etc. Then there is traveling quite a bit for meets as you get to the higher levels, splitting the household in two because meets may require the whole weekend.

No one can really prepare you because gyms are managed, coached and trained differently. Most parents are "overly" and outwardly anxious and too invested in the sport in the first few years (myself included); largely because (I think) they think their kids are so darn cute (and they are,) and we are impressed that our little suzy went from walking to tumbling and doing things we couldn't do ourselves. Then that wanes and anxiety turns inward as we just hold our breath not just wishing they'd get that skill but merely hoping then don't hurt/injure themselves yet again! At this point, really just enjoy watching your daughter and share in her joy and celebrate her getting any skill she is currently working on.

Wow! Level 10! Is she thinking of going elite or NCAA? Congrats!

The look on DD's face when she finally "mastered" her little crabwalk at dance class lol... I'm sure seeing that look of pure joy and accomplishment and pride on her face could definitely become addictive!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I wonder if prices vary per area? I don't think our area is very into gymnastics... A ton of girls do gymnastics from ages 2-6 or something like that, but few people stay in very long. At least that is what it seems like. I think the more well-known gyms are from a different area of the state.

How many hours in the gym per week does 7 grand get you?

We are in NY. That is 9 hrs per week, some camp weeks in summer, coaches fees for meets, meet fees, travel expenses to meets (most do not require hotels), the occasional private (which is the least of it), team Leos and warm ups, coreography.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

And yes Mrs Puma is further north then we are. And little Puma goes more hours.

They are in the snowbelt, us not so much.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

And yes Mrs Puma is further north then we are. And little Puma goes more hours.

They are in the snowbelt, us not so much.

There are advantages and disadvantages upstate...lol

 

[Muddlethru]

Wow! Level 10! Is she thinking of going elite or NCAA? Congrats!

The look on DD's face when she finally "mastered" her little crabwalk at dance class lol... I'm sure seeing that look of pure joy and accomplishment and pride on her face could definitely become addictive!

Elite is not in the cards for my daughter; but there are a lot of parents in this forum on that boat, have sailed on that boat and have abandoned that boat. My daughter is hoping to do college gymnastics. I only mentioned her age and level to show how many years we've been in the sport.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

There are advantages and disadvantages upstate...lol

Funny, my Long Island family considers us upstate.
LOL

 

[Mrs. Puma]

Funny, my Long Island family considers us upstate.
LOL

No way! Albany and up

 

[Deleted member 18037]

No way! Albany and up

Sorry to hijack but yes way.

I used to live 12 miles north of the Throggs Neck Bridge which connects Long Island to the rest of NY and my brother would tell people he was going upstate for Thanksgiving.

Now that I moved he is over that.

 

[profmom]

Gym fees vary wildly. I just forced myself to do the math, and yes, we are over that 7K figure, but not by much, and that's for my two L8s, who spend a combined almost 40 hours a week at . . . THAT place. I like how we handle meets. We pay individual entry fees, and the gym hosts a big meet annually, the proceeds from which covers all coaches' travel expenses, from the clinics that kick off the boys' season in Sept./Oct. to JO Nationals in June. Future Stars too!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

Sorry to hijack but yes way.

I used to live 12 miles north of the Throggs Neck Bridge which connects Long Island to the rest of NY and my brother would tell people he was going upstate for Thanksgiving.

Now that I moved he is over that.

So funny...we consider Poughkeepsie "downstate" lol its all relative, I guess!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

So funny...we consider Poughkeepsie "downstate" lol its all relative, I guess!

And yes, sorry to hijack! We shall discuss NYS geography elsewhere...lol But, to the OP, there is some great advice on here. I especially like @Sasha 's. Definitely try to take it one day at a time, though it is hard! Every kid is different, and as you've seen, every region and even gym is very different. Good luck! Sounds like you're off to a great start.