What to ask Head Coach?

[Megley]

Just posting to say I think she your dd adjust. I was worried about this same school/gym issue when my dd started Level 4 practices and full day kindergarten. She was tired at first, but she adjusted after a few weeks (we did 12 hours - one Sat. practice and the other two during the week). I would make sure your dd gets extra sleep on her off nights just to be sure she is getting enough rest. Not sure how far you are from the gym, but my dd does her homework in the car on the way to gym and gets ahead on the nights she has off. We asked the teacher for the homework ahead of time and she tried to work as far ahead as she could. Last year in 2nd grade, the homework was not so difficult that it couldn't be handled this way.

I do think that they ought to have a snack break in a two hour practice, though. Our team does 4 hour blocks but they get a break for a snack.

 

[CoachTodd]

Practices are on Tuesday and Friday from 4-8. She is able to eat a quick meal before and after practice, but they are not allowed to eat at practice. Her normal bedtime is lights out at 8, so Tuesday nights are obviously late. Last week I saw her yawning at the top of the rope at the end of practice which didn't seem safe. I think I will ask about leaving a little early on Tuesdays if I know she is too tired. I am thankful the other practice is on Friday.

Just my 2 cents worth but I think a 4 hour workout is too long. After about 2.5 hours you start diminishing your returns.

 

[standsonherhands]

Well, coach was slow calling back, so Friday practice came before we talked. All I can say is I won't look like a high maintenance mom for calling, because we wound up with drama. Dh drove to gym, but dd refused to go in and started to cry. (I knew she was too tired earlier in the week, but I would have never expected that.) Dad asked if she wanted to quit and she said no, I want to do Team and I love gymnastics, but she wouldn't budge from the car. Dh went in to tell HC that she was in the car but refusing to come in, HC offered to go out and talk to her. HC invited her in and dd responded she wanted to go home and lay on the couch. HC asked if she wanted to try practice for a little bit and she could go home when she wanted. Dd agreed and stayed the whole time (so did one of us, so dd could leave if she wanted). Dd had a great practice, and HC did talk to husband about harder schedule adjustments for perfectionistic kids. HC thought dd would be adjusted in 1- 2 months. HC also complimented dd, wanted to work with her, and said she wanted to keep communication open with us. We will see how it goes. Dd seems very happy today. Wish us luck.

 

[drivingmom]

What great coaches you have. It's so nice they are taking the timed to work with her issues.

My dd started team at 7 and only went 3 hrs 3x week. It was an adjustment for the family. The whole family has to be on board because of the time it takes, takes a parent away from the family, the money, the travel and lose of family dinner.

We still finds gymnastics more than any other sports intrudes in our lives and we have to make adjustments for it. I do however let her take time off here and there to still be a kid...go sleepovers, bday parties, or when she just plain needs a rest.

 

[nevertooold]

Just my 2 cents worth but I think a 4 hour workout is too long. After about 2.5 hours you start diminishing your returns.

I completely agree and especially for that age group.

Parents, gyms have 4 hr practices b/c it works for the coaches and it works for the gym owners. It is easier for scheduling b/c you get in almost the same hours as 3 days 3 hrs but you free up a whole day that that coach or coaches can be teaching another group and bringing in $$.

I would say to pull her at 7:00 or 7:30 on Tuesday and don't be surprised if other parents of the younger ones follow suit and the gym might get the message.

It's a hard balance to find for parents AND gym owners, but really, all day school and then going right to 4 hrs of gymnastics and then home to fall into bed is not fair to a 7 yr old.

 

[coachmolly]

I agree that 4 hours at a time is just too much for a 7 year old, especially going so late. I don't blame her for being tired! I'm guessing the coaches probably won't be too willing to make adjustments to the schedule for one child, but mentioning your concerns to them could maybe make them aware of potential problems and think the practice times through a little more in the future. I also think practicing until 8 on a school night is too late for such a little one. They need time to get home and unwind before bed.
I kind of disagree with other posters suggesting talking to the school about letting her miss PE or being made an exception. She is 7 years old, she doesn't need to be singled out, given a special school schedule, or special homework allowances. I'm guessing the quantity of homework given at her age isn't much anyway, so it wouldn't seem too unreasonably difficult to help her get a good grip on time management now, especially if it looks like gymnastics is going to be something she wants to continue with. And while she is plenty active outside of school, PE is good for other things as well. It gives kids a chance to get up and out of their chairs for a few minutes and blow off some steam, play with friends, and experience new activities. I know all schools differ, but I'm guessing the PE program at her school really isn't intense enough to even make that much of a difference in terms of fatigue.
Give it some time, maybe she will adjust, but you know your daughter best and you need to trust yourself to make the decision that is best for her. If she needs to leave practice early one day a week for her happiness and your sanity, do it. You can always add that extra time back in gradually as she gets more used to longer hours in the gym and balancing it all with school. I really don't view a parent looking out for the best interests of their child as being pushy. Good luck!

 

[BlairBob]

As a coach, personally I'd like to say let the kid sleep in later but that depends largely on school time and a few other factors. One of my guys was frequently tired near 7PM@10yo stemming from the fact he had to be at school at 7am just to spend 1hr in daycare because of his mom's schedule. 1hr of wasting his time, imo.

I don't like the idea of kids skipping out the last part of practice as they may miss valuable conditioning and stretching time but it will do nothing for a kid if they are on the verge of falling asleep. They will not want to train, they won't be able to and it will be a big waste of time with no productivity to show for.

 

[LizzieLac]

At 8,my DD has both a late swim practice one night and a late gym practice another. 8 PM finish for gym and then about 25 minute drive home. 8:30 finish for swim but only a 5 minutes drive home. However, in both cases, we made sure that the only thing that needed to happen when she got home was brushing her teeth and falling into bed. In fact, she sometimes brought her PJs to practice and put them on when she was finished, making her that much closer to bed! It worked for the most part, but there were definitely weeks when she was tired. I don't advocate skipping practice for "no good reason," but if you see a week where your DD is overly tired, skipping here and there for extra rest is not a big deal at this age.

 

[standsonherhands]

Our gym has successfully worked with its practice schedule for a long time, so I don't presume to challenge their methods. I want to follow their program, but if dd is way too tired, I'll take her out early if necessary. Our gym has always seen itself as an optional level gym, and they only added L4 competition last year. I know they have trained young developmental kids on this schedule for years, but adding the rigors of competition might require a little more of the youngest team kids.

 

[flipper's fan]

As a coach, personally I'd like to say let the kid sleep in later but that depends largely on school time and a few other factors. One of my guys was frequently tired near 7PM@10yo stemming from the fact he had to be at school at 7am just to spend 1hr in daycare because of his mom's schedule. 1hr of wasting his time, imo.


Maybe, but if his mom didn't work she probably could not afford to send him to gymnastics.