Parents Unpopular Opinions

[LJL07]

So if YOU didn’t want your daughter/family to go the elite route why complain about hours and opportunities if you’re doing anything about it. Yes I said everyone has the same 24 hours in a day because it’s the truth we all do. This is the life my daughter wanted to do, I ask her all the time if she still wants to peruse the elite route and it always is a yes. If your kid wanted to go that route and you didn’t switch gyms or switch states that’s on you and your family. I’m just saying don’t come on here complaining about the people that did go the elite route

I can come on here and complain about whatever I would like, just as you can. You don’t have to read it, and neither does anyone else. It is not true that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but why try to argue with you? You don’t get it. No, I don’t want to split up the family or switch jobs over gymnastics. You do not have to make a decision like that anyways, and that is great for you and your family.

 

[Ty’s Dad]

I can come on here and complain about whatever I would like, just as you can. You don’t have to read it, and neither does anyone else. It is not true that everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but why try to argue with you? You don’t get it. No, I don’t want to split up the family or switch jobs over gymnastics. You do not have to make a decision like that anyways, and that is great for you and your family.

You day isn’t 24 hours? Ok sorry about that

 

[Ty’s Dad]

But anyway yall right my bad for jumping in yall convo.

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

I have an unpopular opinion - most Brand ambassadorships/rep programs are a scam…using a child as basically free advertising for little or no compensation, or a small discount. (And I said MOST…we have one girl on our team who actually models for specific brands and they fly her to photo shoots, gets compensation, etc)

My daughter has done some acting and modeling and her agent (and other that I have spoken to in the industry) feel this same way! Why pay a model, photographer and crew when you can give a mom a discount on product and get the ad for free?

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

I know I'm late to this thread but here are my unpopular opinions that I know are unpopular on these forums...
1) I think it is ok for me to sit and watch most or a lot of my daughter's practices. She likes for me to be there, her coaches don't mind and I enjoy watching her do what she is passionate about.
2) Home equipment isn't evil. My daughter has gotten more than our money worth out of her kip bar, mats and low beam.
3) It is ok to have different opinions than other parents in the sport and parents with more time in the sport have no right to talk down to new parents.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

My thoughts on elite:

A lifetime (for somebody in a developed country who survives infancy and is in a family with enough money to put their kid in gymnastics) is roughly what, 85ish years on average?
An elite gymnast will -- if we're extremely optimistic -- retire in their mid-20's. And then have another 60ish years in which that gymnastics skill is utterly irrelevant.

I say this as a former elite (albeit bottom-end elite) gymnast myself: it's not worth it. There are better ways to spend that time and energy.

Don't get me wrong: I don't regret being a gymnast or a coach. But if I could go back and do it again, I'd casually train trampoline and tumbletrak, and devote the rest of the time I spent training to school, or music, or writing, or learning another skill instead.

 

[JPC13]

My thoughts on elite:

A lifetime (for somebody in a developed country who survives infancy and is in a family with enough money to put their kid in gymnastics) is roughly what, 85ish years on average?
An elite gymnast will -- if we're extremely optimistic -- retire in her mid-20's. And then have another 60ish years in which that gymnastics skill is utterly irrelevant.

I say this as a former elite (albeit bottom-end elite) gymnast myself: it's not worth it. There are better ways to spend that time and energy.

Don't get me wrong: I don't regret being a gymnast or a coach. But if I could go back and do it again, I'd casually train trampoline and tumbletrak, and devote the rest of the time I spent training to school, or music, or writing, or learning another skill instead.

Gymnastics does appear to be a very unforgiving sport. If you’re incredibly lucky you make two Olympic teams and retire with your health at 25. On the other hand, 43 year old Kim Rhode went to six Olympics (so far) while living a totally full adult life (college, married, I assume home owner) while employed as a professional shooter.

 

[WV Gym Mom]

I’m a little confused with some of the responses about school, but I agree with the original poster about this. I believe that gymnastics should not come before school in terms of priority. I’m not saying the gym should enforce good grades or anything like that. But if a parent/gymnast says they need to miss practice because they have a project//test/whatever then I don’t think the gym should give them a hard time, punish them or in anyway imply that gymnastics is more important or needs to be priorized higher. Nope, that wouldn’t fly for me at all. I think that’s what the poster was saying and I agree. And I do think some gyms think gymnastics > school , but I don’t. It’s a sport.

My unpopular opinion on this: I 100% agree that sports should never come before education, but I will say that the majority of the average public school day is not education. Leaving school an hour early on Friday, or 30 minutes a few days a week, I don't see an issue with. As a former public school parent that has been homeschooling all my kids for five years now, our academics are done in 2-3 hours a day. Add an hour or two for "socializing", meeting with friends, trips, activities, and that's about 4 hours a day max. Public school in my rural area catch the bus at 620am and don't get home until 3:45pm. Then add in an hour or so of homework and that is 10+hours a day that is taken up by school. 50+ hours a week.

 

[MuggleMom]

the majority of the average public school day is not education. Leaving school an hour early on Friday, or 30 minutes a few days a week, I don't see an issue with.

I definitely agree with this. I am less concerned with "attendance" and more concerned with mastery of the material. My kid missed about 25 days of school last year...about half due to illness then a week for a once in a lifetime vacation and a few other days due to gymnastics meets. She still got straight As. Absences mean you have to have better independent learning and time management but I am not afraid to let my kids miss as long as they can still manage to master the material.

Schools like to scare parents with attendance policies too I got several letters about "mandatory failure due to absences" and reached out to the school counselor about it and shes like its at our discretion if your kid is passing the class they will pass the class don't worry... but parents that aren't aware or confident enough to figure out how to work the system could be really overwhelmed in those situations.

 

[rlm's mom]

I don’t believe in kids sitting still for 6 hours a day either.

Let kids be kids!!

 

[3rd_time_around]

So if YOU didn’t want your daughter/family to go the elite route why complain about hours and opportunities if you’re doing anything about it. Yes I said everyone has the same 24 hours in a day because it’s the truth we all do. This is the life my daughter wanted to do, I ask her all the time if she still wants to peruse the elite route and it always is a yes. If your kid wanted to go that route and you didn’t switch gyms or switch states that’s on you and your family. I’m just saying don’t come on here complaining about the people that did go the elite route

Thank you for taking an interesting and entertaining thread and using it to get on your soap box and scold everyone for our opinions. The fact is, elite training is EXPENSIVE, time consuming, and hard. OK?

 

[3rd_time_around]

At meets they have a higher chance of messing up and getting deductions thats why they’re elites, they do way more in each routine.

Actually, those training elite do not usually perform their elite routines at regular meets, they water them down for DP competitions.

 

[3rd_time_around]

What you are describing at practice though is not the norm at our gym. I don’t recall seeing anyone wearing strappy, high cut, open cut out type leotards. Maybe it’s a regional thing? Like I don’t think I’ve even seen a Sylvia P type on any of my daughters teammates. Mostly they wear meet leos or plum/gk.

They like the strappy SylviaP, Cocovida, and Salute. Lots of high hips, open backs, open sides, straps everywhere, etc. Not my cup of tea, nor my daughter's, but lots of girls like them.

 

[Ty’s Dad]

Actually, those training elite do not usually perform their elite routines at regular meets, they water them down for DP competitions.

And that is why the non elites have an advantage 1) elites are only at regular meets not states and so on 2) if they’re training their regular meets then have to water stuff down they’re not use to doing it. That’s why the JO gymnast have the advantage

 

[Ty’s Dad]

Thank you for taking an interesting and entertaining thread and using it to get on your soap box and scold everyone for our opinions. The fact is, elite training is EXPENSIVE, time consuming, and hard. OK?

You want to come on here just to talk about me on a soap box and what did you just do to bring up stuff we was done talking about. Nice one though

 

[ReluctantGymMom]

Heres my guilty pleasure unpopular opinion: I don't mind other people's drama as long as it doesn't impact me or my kiddo. Sometimes its a bit entertaining to listen to the crazy parents. I do feel bad for their kids but sometimes in the waiting room I'm not really reading my book I am listening to all the low stakes drama around me. I think its not so bad to feel this way because its all been fairly low stakes drama (who gets what skills, move ups, etc).

The best though is the outside gym drama people talk about on speaker phone...I have heard some next level housewife drama before like....wow you really want to talk about that in the parking lot ok.....

I’m here for the messy mom drama, I really am - from a back corner of the room with my headphones in, but nothing playing

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Yeah.... I gotta admit the drama can be entertaining

 

[3cats]

At the T&T meets my daughter goes to its very common, might even be more common for the athletes to wear shorts while competing. So I'd say giving kids the choice to cover up more may be better received than you think.

I think a lot of the college girls are unfortunately buying into misogyny, that showing skin sells. They can make money on their image now, and scores often reflect audience participation. So unfortunately, probably without even knowing why, they prefer to show more and hike up their leotard. The college gymnasts I know are often given a competitive leotard 1 or even 2 sizes too small. So those girls aren't given a choice on showing more skin. That leotard will not lend itself to coverage. On the other hand in college these girls are adults, so if they want to wear the less modestly cut leotards that's their prerogative. I just wish college's would give the girls a shorts choice too. Sociologically, I wonder if, or how long it would take for the girls to shift their behavior?

My daughter once did a private to fix her vault. It was amazing how quickly her score improved after she had some one on one time to fix her run, her steps, and her jump to the spring board. Her score went up a whole point the next meet. It was very beneficial. We tried other privates few times after that with only limited success. But that one private was amazing. As a whole though, her gym didn't suggest private lessons to the athletes or their parents. If they weren't getting it at regular practice then they either weren't practicing hard enough or they just weren't ready for it yet.

I think gymnasts at all levels should get an extended time off every year. Like a month in the summer. I think it's good for the body and soul.

 

[Duckling1234]

Elite is not the end all, be all.

More hours isn't always beneficial.

The Olympic age should be raised to 18.

 

[rlm's mom]

Elite is not the end all, be all.

More hours isn't always beneficial.

The Olympic age should be raised to 18.

Yes! To the Olympic age being raised. It should be adult competition. However i think we should be sending to youth olympics always.