Parents Update on DD's BHS and Other Thoughts

[motigymnasticsmom]

Actually, Gymdog, there are two of us mothers talking about the same thing. The op is TAANF, and we are in an xcel program. I would've changed already, but, when I did find another gym and contacted them, they were closing the very next day! Now, that coach is at our gym. He adores my dd and always watches her carefully. He gives her hugs and tells her she a good and happy gymnast. We also got a new jo/hc back in the summer. There is a new gym that just opened a couple of months ago, and we are breaking our necks to find out about the new gym. What programs they have, hours, money, etc.... My dd skills include, robhs, rodbhs, cartwheel on beam, cartwheel cartwheel on beam, half, and full turn on beam, ro off of beam, (probabley front tuck if allowed), tuck jump on beam(super high), split jump(super high and about 110 degrees) on beam, full handstand on beam, handstand turn dismount off beam, squat on, flatback vault and front handspring vault, all of the jumps and leaps allowed on floor plus a nice shushnova. She can do between 10-15 pull ups, 10-15 leg lifts and about 7-12 v ups. She tries to do a press handstand, but cannot do it from the floor, but can do it from the counter top, or table..LOL. She cannot kip yet because coach is not allowing them too, but yet she is already letting them do squat ons and long hang kips/baby giants. All of the mothers on dd team is complaining that coach is not pushing/challenging them enough. All of us has noticed that coach spends a lot of time on the phone or tells the girls to do a skill and just walks away to chat with someone else in the gym. P.S.....sorry for calling you coachp earlier

 

[LJL07]

I am going to ask about this. Ideally, this would be what we do.

Hi, my DD just switched gyms mid-season. I wrote a post about it a couple of weeks ago. So far it has been a great decision. She is getting more individualized instruction, they keep the girls constantly engaged, and the gym is just generally more organized. It was hard because we had been at the old gym quite a while, but the waffling back and forth was getting stressful for me. We did have to forfeit competing in the meets she was registered for through the old gym, but the new gym hosts a little invitational meet and is encouraging her to participate in that for the experience. I think the trade off is worth it anyways because she is learning new skills for levels 2 and 3 that they never even introduced at the old gym. She has had her round off Bhs for a while, but they were going to make all the girls repeat level one. Now she has the possibility of competing level 3 next season. If you are already doing lessons at the new gym, I suggest asking about switching over and just training with the team the remainder of the season. No regrets at all so far for us.

 

[LJL07]

One more thing: my child won't be able to do the state meet this year since we switched, but since it's level one, I don't think it matters. What level is your DD? If it's one or two, I'm thinking it's not a big deal. Someone correct me if that's wrong.

 

[LJL07]

Oops, just saw your DD is doing TAAF. Not familiar with that. We are USAG level one, but still I think USAG one and two are optional for competing, right?? Could you ask this new gym to do an evaluation and make a placement recommendation? I hate to see you juggling two gyms during this time. I know how I felt when I was trying to make a decision, and it wasn't fun.

 

[Ariekannairb]

Oops, just saw your DD is doing TAAF. Not familiar with that. We are USAG level one, but still I think USAG one and two are optional for competing, right?? Could you ask this new gym to do an evaluation and make a placement recommendation? I hate to see you juggling two gyms during this time. I know how I felt when I was trying to make a decision, and it wasn't fun.

She is competing level 3 this year. I suspect though that as soon as that back handspring is corrected that she would be able to move up to level 4 so I am hopeful, but not certain that she will be placed at level 4 this next season. I think it is possibly a bigger deal than level 1&2 USAG, but certainly not the end of the world. I swear if this was any other sport I would be able to walk away without looking back but I think I have just invested too much time into it for it to be that easy. I guess that is a side effect of having to be at the gym during practices due to the distance from our home. I don't think I will be quite as personally involved with the gym this next time.

 

[LJL07]

I couldn't agree more!! I am taking our gym switch as a lesson learned not to get too personally involved at this new gym. It's hard when they are so young and you are dealing with an intense sport. Good luck, and hang in there.

 

[gymdog]

If she is level 3 then I would think that right now she could get placed at least on a preteam or xcel group at another gym. I would switch now because it doesn't sound like her chances of moving to level 4 will be as good otherwise and it sounds like there are some issues impacting her health and safety at the current gym. Otherwise I would tell you to wait and see. But be prepared that she may not be placed in the level system at a new gym. She may go in Xcel.

 

[Ariekannairb]

If she is level 3 then I would think that right now she could get placed at least on a preteam or xcel group at another gym. I would switch now because it doesn't sound like her chances of moving to level 4 will be as good otherwise and it sounds like there are some issues impacting her health and safety at the current gym. Otherwise I would tell you to wait and see. But be prepared that she may not be placed in the level system at a new gym. She may go in Xcel.

They have a TAAF team so my best guess is that she will placed there and we will just let them know her goal is to try out for the USAG team. They can let us know if/when she is ready. We have decided to make the move at the end of next week. I wanted to give her a chance to compete these last two meets and for the gym we are moving to, to let us know how they want to handle her.

 

[Ariekannairb]

I am so angry right now. DD had a meet yesterday and my DD was the only girl from her team in the division that was competing. Instead of warming up my DD was sat down by her coach who spent most of the warm up time texting on her phone. The coach looked entirely uninterested in being there through the entire meet. DD did very little stretching and warming up and as a result now has strained a muscle in her back as well as re-injuring a tendon in her arm that was strained from having bad form in her BHS that isn't being corrected. I had planned on letting her compete one more meet since my MIL would be in town for that meet, but I am pulling her today.

 

[Seeker]

I would just go to the gym, gather her things and leave. Don't make a big scene, tell them why, etc. Just go quietly and call or email that she won't be returning. Due to the strained muscles, I would probably take a week off, massage/light stretching/rest/etc. and then start fresh at the new gym.

If it were me, I would also have a conversation with my DD about her own personal responsibility to ensure that she's warmed up and ready to compete. Regardless of what her coach (or teammates in an alternate scenario) is doing, she owes it to herself to do a proper warm up and stretch. It's not safe to compete otherwise, a lesson she's probably learned now based on what happened yesterday. No texting either..."devices" are not allowed on the competition floor. We do have that rule at our gym, but if we didn't I would implement it myself.

Good luck at the new gym!

 

[Ariekannairb]

I would just go to the gym, gather her things and leave. Don't make a big scene, tell them why, etc. Just go quietly and call or email that she won't be returning. Due to the strained muscles, I would probably take a week off, massage/light stretching/rest/etc. and then start fresh at the new gym.

If it were me, I would also have a conversation with my DD about her own personal responsibility to ensure that she's warmed up and ready to compete. Regardless of what her coach (or teammates in an alternate scenario) is doing, she owes it to herself to do a proper warm up and stretch. It's not safe to compete otherwise, a lesson she's probably learned now based on what happened yesterday. No texting either..."devices" are not allowed on the competition floor. We do have that rule at our gym, but if we didn't I would implement it myself.

Good luck at the new gym!

Just to be clear it was the coach texting, not my daughter. We don't even allow her to have a phone We did talk about stretching as soon as the meet was over because I knew at the least she would likely be stiff from competing cold. She definitely learned that lesson the hard way. I am sending an email today. She has nothing at the gym so we won't need to go back.

 

[Seeker]

Oh!!! Coach stood around texting? Seriously unacceptable. I wish you the best at the new gym...this experience has unfortunately been lots of examples of what a gym/coach shouldn't be. Onward and upward!!!

 

[gymdog]

Coaches aren't allowed to text during the meet. But I am glad you are pulling her sooner rather than later. I'm a little confused why the coach wouldn't have her warm up or if they just didn't use all of the time, but either way it sounds like there are safety and competency issues that aren't compatible with progressing much further than level 3.

 

[Ariekannairb]

I did it. The email is sent. I am shaking from it. Awaiting the backlash.

 

[Seeker]

I did it. The email is sent. I am shaking from it. Awaiting the backlash.

Do not waste one bit more of your energy on it. Clean break, don't look back.