Parents TOPS??

[TallaB]

So...my 6 yr old got invited to join our gyms TOPS program. But, I'm so confused as it's not like what I read about online lol. It's 2hrs/WK and it's for 5-7yr olds. The coach said it's the route kids take prior to a competitive route and could lead to a team invite next summer. Is this what most tops are like?

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

At most gyms TOPs is extra hours, or a more intense track for certain team kids, but every gym names its programs and levels differently, so it sounds like it's just your gym's name for preteam.

My daughter's gym had a cutesy name for preteam and I remember knowing nothing about competitive gymnastics and doing a zillion google searches that netted me nothing useful. Later I realized it was what many gyms call hotshots or preteam.

Welcome!

 

[TallaB]

I think you're right! The more I look into things, the more I think it's comparable to a Pre-Team. Is it common for Pre-Team to only train 2hrs/WK? That's what she currently trains in rec. And the Pre-Team girls look a lot further ahead than she does

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I just checked my join date and it was actually, "We've got our eye on her. How old is she? When she's 4 we're going to move her to *cutesypreteamname*." And me being "What the heck is that? How many hours is it? How much does it cost? What is the progression from there?" and the googling that ensued, that led me to Chalkbucket.

7.5 years later....

At the time, at my DD's old gym, the first level of preteam was 1 hour (bitty kids), then 3 hours, then 9 hours, then they competed level 4. Some of ours in the first level went twice a week but it wasn't required.

You would have seen a big gulf in the abilities of those kids vs. the rec kids going the same hours because of the coaches they had and what was demanded of them. That gym was very picky and so girls going in already displayed the ability to pick up skills pretty quickly, as well as being eager workers in the rec classes, and being focused for their ages. So once you put them with team coaches and spent more time on building strength than a rec class does, and they excelled pretty quickly.

All gyms do preteam differently though, at DD's current gym there is one preteam for younger kids and one for older and I think it's 3 hours. It's much less exclusive and if a girl is ready for team at the start of the season, she moves up, and if not she does preteam for another year (I think.) It would be a good idea to ask the coach how it works at your gym and also express your concern about her being ready, comparitively. It may even be that that group of girls is about to be moved up and a new group is moving in.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

Also, if she does move up, see if you can get friendly with some team parents. Some people talk about catty moms, but at all the gyms my DD has attended, most parents were lovely and there were always at least a couple who watched practice all the time or worked the front desk and were a wealth of information about the coaches, the program, the cost, and what to expect as she progresses through the levels.

(Hey! I think I'm that mom now. )

 

[cogymmom2dd]

Also, if she does move up, see if you can get friendly with some team parents. Some people talk about catty moms, but at all the gyms my DD has attended, most parents were lovely and there were always at least a couple who watched practice all the time or worked the front desk and were a wealth of information about the coaches, the program, the cost, and what to expect as she progresses through the levels.

(Hey! I think I'm that mom now. )

Same.
6 years later and we are friends with team parents, get ice cream together after practice, rent houses together for away meets to save on costs, and I am begging for a desk job to offset the costs of now having 3 kids ranging from L7 to our fancy named developmental program that will transition to preteam/L2 next year. I’m only watching practice because I don’t want the hassle of driving back and forth with their staggered start and end times of practice. I might as well get paid to be there and help out at the same time. Heck, I’d be ok with cleaning and sanitizing.
One of our best memories thus far was traveling by plane with teammates to the Atlantis Crown meet and spending the week in the Bahamas with them and their families at the resort. We traveled home on Christmas Eve and everyone (including little sisters who aren’t on team yet) had matching Christmas jammies.