WAG What numbers specify gym size

[gymgal]

There has been a lot of talk on the forums lately about switching gyms which leads to discussion about gym size ('smaller programs don't have the experience at the upper levels'), which got me thinking...

What do you consider a small, medium, large gym program - for both total team and optional levels.


For large competitions we go to, we see a max of about eight L7s and lower for the upper levels. Would this be considered a large gym or are there much bigger ones?

 

[sglemon]

I think it is all relative. Our gym is the largest area, but no where as large as some gyms in more populated areas of the state. So I consider us a large gym, until we are competing against a mega one. LOL

 

[gymgurl]

Our gym has close to 800 members i think however on team (so its comparable to the US i'll say level 4 and up) in state stream there are about 40-45 gymnasts, NDP there are probably about 25-30, IDP there is probably about 10 - 15

there are obviously many more in 1-3 and rec programs

 

[cbifoja]

I consider our gym a medium sized gym. We have probably 300 rec kids, 30 developmental kids, and 45 team members. Our coaching staff is made up of 6 team coaches, 2 developmental class coaches, and probably 7 rec coaches. Oh, and a dance instructor that comes in once a week.

We are in between two large gyms with probably close to 100 team members and who knows how many rec kids.

 

[gymgurl]

Our gym has close to 800 members i think however on team (so its comparable to the US i'll say level 4 and up) in state stream there are about 40-45 gymnasts, NDP there are probably about 25-30, IDP there is probably about 10 - 15

there are obviously many more in 1-3 and rec programs

I'd consider it a large gym for our area - we have consistently the largest teams at comps

 

[stargazer]

Wow I guess my gym would be considered huge then! We have close to 3000 members, but that includes a ton of rec kids. I would guess there are about 30 level 3-5 girls, 30 provincial girls, 25 competitive boys at all levels, and I have no idea how many kids are in developmental programs (tiny tumblers, petite elite, pre-competitive, etc). For our Adult Rec classes we regularly have to turn people away after 24 people have paid for the night due to the limited number of coaches for that class. We haven't had national girls for a few years (3 national boys this year though!), but some of the little girls have a distinct possibility of making it, and we sent two athletes to the 2004 Olympics.

When all the Level 3-5 girls and I ended up in the same flight for competition, people would always laugh at how ridiculously long it took for all of us to file onto the floor for warm-ups and awards because there were so many of us! Despite the large number of people the gym feels quite personal and friendly. There is a good atmostphere of community and family, which I love.

I think it's so interesting so see how gym sizes are defined in different areas!

 

[gymgal]

Wow I guess my gym would be considered huge then! We have close to 3000 members, but that includes a ton of rec kids. I would guess there are about 30 level 3-5 girls, 30 provincial girls, 25 competitive boys at all levels, and I have no idea how many kids are in developmental programs (tiny tumblers, petite elite, pre-competitive, etc). For our Adult Rec classes we regularly have to turn people away after 24 people have paid for the night due to the limited number of coaches for that class. We haven't had national girls for a few years (3 national boys this year though!), but some of the little girls have a distinct possibility of making it, and we sent two athletes to the 2004 Olympics.

When all the Level 3-5 girls and I ended up in the same flight for competition, people would always laugh at how ridiculously long it took for all of us to file onto the floor for warm-ups and awards because there were so many of us! Despite the large number of people the gym feels quite personal and friendly. There is a good atmostphere of community and family, which I love.

I think it's so interesting so see how gym sizes are defined in different areas!

This is exactly why I posted. Lol People are always talking about how a gym is too small or too big to be successful but it's all relative to your own experiences. I used to consider our gym a large gym (still believe that for the lower levels) until we came across some of the larger elite gyms.

Sent from my ADR6400L using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[gymcoach26]

This is all very interesting. Stargazer, I'd be interested to hear how your gym handles 3000 students! How big is the space, number of equipment, coaches, scheduling etc.
We often get overwhelmed with what I would consider our medium sized gym, about 850 students (about 175 preschoolers, 550 rec kids, 65 girls team between prep op and Jo and 15 boys team and some tumbling classes. We have 5 team coaches and many rec coaches but it's all a big puzzle to ensure each child has enough training time, getting to all events etc

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

I say we have a small gym here. We probably have about 600 members total, mostly rec though. Only 16 competitive girls. And about 25 pre competitive kids. The rest are all recreational classes, which are all full. Probably the smallest gym in the area considering team but not completely sure about rec.

 

[Bajanswife]

There's no question that we are a small gym. Our total team (boys and girls) is around 40, but most of those are at the lower levels and this includes pre-team as well.

 

[stargazer]

gymcoach26 I don't know all the ins and outs of managing the gym with such a large number of kids, but I think we have a relatively big space to work with. It's an old hockey arena and we have a kindergym area that's probably about 15ftx25ft, plus a rec side and a competitive side. We have two full floors, 3 sets of bars for each side and a pit bar, 4 high beams on the rec side and 5 on the comp side, along with 2 low beams. There are two vaults, though the rec vault has a much shorter runway. There are two full-sized above ground tramps and one in-ground, a men's high bar and rings over the pit (which the women's pit bar, vault and tumble track lead into). We also have a power tumbling strip and a boy's side with full equipment. Wow that sounds like I'm bragging, sorry that's not my intention.

We are on the lower end for hours. Level 3-5 train 8 hours/week, and provincials range from 12-24 hours or so. I'm not sure about the boys but I assume it's similar. There are 8 girls per group, and I'm pretty sure all the competitive boys trains together (though obviously the provincial and national boys train more often and longer). We rely heavily on parents/kids to help run the competitions. My fees for 8 hours/week were about $200 a month plus meet fees, so very reasonable. We get new leotards and warm-ups every two years and often some are passed around for many years.

I don't know how they do it but I personally think they do a fantastic job of running the programs! The competitive girls always stick around for ages - once girls come to our gym they don't really leave, which speaks volumes about the quality of the coaching and the atmosphere.