Parents To move gyms or not to move?

[Robbo131]

My daughter is almost 12 and has reached the highest level of any gymnasts at her gym (WAG in UK). There are no older or more advanced girls for her to learn from or aspire to be like.

She adores her coach but the coach is also quite young and as head coach has nobody to mentor her or to learn from in terms of what good looks like in coaching, and I'm not always happy with the way things are handled and don't feel the level of coaching expertise is that brilliant.

In general the club doesn't always align with my values on various levels.

I'd like to move my daughter to a gym where she is no longer top dog so she can learn from other, better gymnasts, and benefit from more experienced coaches. However she is reluctant to move and I don't want to risk ruining her love of gymnastics.

What would you do in this situation? Has this happened to your child and what was the outcome?

 

[supernicegymmom]

My daughter is almost 12 and has reached the highest level of any gymnasts at her gym (WAG in UK). There are no older or more advanced girls for her to learn from or aspire to be like.

She adores her coach but the coach is also quite young and as head coach has nobody to mentor her or to learn from in terms of what good looks like in coaching, and I'm not always happy with the way things are handled and don't feel the level of coaching expertise is that brilliant.

In general the club doesn't always align with my values on various levels.

I'd like to move my daughter to a gym where she is no longer top dog so she can learn from other, better gymnasts, and benefit from more experienced coaches. However she is reluctant to move and I don't want to risk ruining her love of gymnastics.

What would you do in this situation? Has this happened to your child and what was the outcome?

I don’t know much about gymnastics in the UK but I’ll look more into it soon, what level is she? If the gym only has lower level competitive gymnastics, then it’s definitely time to leave for a high level gym, if this gym has had high level athletes in the past than it’s completely normal to be one of the best in the gym (especially in elites).

 

[Dahlialover]

I would take your daughter to visit some other gyms after the end of your competition season (not sure when that is in the Uk). At this age, it is going to be important for your daughter to be on-board with a change. The only reason I would force it is if there is a safety concern.

We were in a similar situation—my son loved his coach but he was a much higher level than the other kids in his group. The gym wanted to move him up but my son didn’t want to. I forced him to give it a try, and it was a disaster. He developed anxiety and mental blocks and nearly quit. I felt extremely guilty.

When kids are extremely attached to a coach, it can be really difficult for them to change. I think that usually kids adapt pretty well but not always. Be sure you leave the gym in such a way that you leave the door open to go back.

Good luck