Anon want to switch gyms, but hesitant..

[Anonymous (1ac5)]

Hey, so I'm thinking of switching gyms. One of the issues I'm having with deciding if I should switch is that I would be one of the oldest on the team, and probably the worst. I started gymnastics not too long ago and made it onto the xcel gold team, I'm competing my second year of gold this season, and I'm 15 (would be 16 by the time I switched to another gym as I would finish comp season with current gym). I'm considering switching because I want a bigger gym that can take me farther, in hopefully less time. (Obviously not college gym or anything but I still want to improve my gymnastics before I graduate.) My gym doesn't move very fast in upgrades and doesn't focus as much on form as other gyms resulting in less placements and rarely regionals. With all that (sorry it was slightly off topic) I'm nervous to switch to another gym because I think I might feel even more behind if I was practicing with much younger girls. It's the only other gym nearby that I would consider going to; and I've seen that they go to regionals yearly in most levels (they compete mostly xcel but I think added dp recently.) They have all the xcel levels while my gym's highest level is currently platinum. I know someone who used to go there and she said it was a great gym (left as she didn't want to commit the time once she got onto team).

All this to ask, do you think it would still be worth it? Is it unwise to switch to a team with only younger girls? What's the age range of your teams? Am I too old to go to the trouble of switching gyms?
Thanks for reading this, and any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Anonymous (9954)]

Honestly, it’s up to you and how you work. If you have fun in practice by keeping to yourself and focusing on gymnastics, I think it’s worth the switch. If you work better when you can be social, staying might be the best. I know exactly what you’re going through, I’ve been through the same thing. I ended up switching gyms even though I was the oldest on the team by 4 years, and loved it! If you truly value the sport and competitiveness of gymnastics compared to the social aspect, I would switch. At least try out and see how the coaching is!

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

It sounds like your current gym is not meeting some of your gymnastics desires, but has some positive aspects. Realistically if you are interesting in the other gym but not sure if it will be the right fit, you should probably arrange a try out. Also be prepared that the other gym may not feel you are a good fit and may not offer you a place.

From a try out you can decide the pro and cons of each (no gym is perfect for everyone) and make a more informed decision - which may be that you are happiest at your current gym.

 

[NYGymfamily]

All this to ask, do you think it would still be worth it? Is it unwise to switch to a team with only younger girls? What's the age range of your teams? Am I too old to go to the trouble of switching gyms?
Thanks for reading this, and any thoughts would be appreciated.

I would see if you could do a trial week at the new gym. Get to know who would be your new teammates, meet their coaches, see if you like their coaching style. After that, compare what you like about that gym with your current gym. You're not too old to switch, if you feel like that gym would be a better environment for you!

As for age range, DD was on XG until she was 15. She was the oldest on her team. She was still able to bond with girls 2-4 years younger than her, and made some really great friends. I want to say the age range when she was on gold was 9/10-15. It was a large team though, so the 13-15 year olds were split up from the 9-12 year olds. For a bit more context, her XP had an age range of 13-16 and her XD team is now 14-17.