Parents Would you drive 20 minutes further?

[gwenmom]

Here's a little back story. Our current gym is about 10 minutes from our house. For a few reasons, we have decided that we need to switch gyms. We are looking at three gyms. Two of the gyms have similar programs and similar equipment and almost identical 34-35 minute commutes and DD would probably do fine there for a couple of years. The third gym is almost an hour drive and originally was my third choice until I saw their optionals at State this weekend.

My question is would you drive the extra 20 minutes to the gym that impressed you? Dd is currently 7 and competing Xcel Bronze and has the typical dream of the Olympics and obsessed with gymnastics. But she is 7 and in a year she could decide she doesn't want to do gymnastics anymore (although it would surprise me at this point).

 

[bogwoppit]

Sure, I drove 40 mins each way (in good weather, don't even ask about snowy days) for over ten years multiple times a week. You do what you can do.

 

[MaryA]

Changing gyms is hard. If I was going to switch, I'd want to go into it expecting it to be the last switch. Not that things always work out the way we expect them to, but still... If you need to switch now, I would at least seriously consider the gym you are thinking of as a "long term" gym, assuming you can make it work with your schedule, make it work financially, etc.

Just wondering, what was it about their optional team that impressed you? Were they just really good? Did you really like the interaction you saw between gymnasts and coaches? Definitely do all of your homework and don't just go off your impression from that one meet. I've known people on this site who have done that and then gone on to have not-so-great experiences with the gym that "wowed" them. I think it could definitely be worth an extra 20 minutes for the "right" gym, but you want to be as sure as you possibly can be that it IS the right gym.

 

[gymboymom]

No. It wouldn't work for my family. I agree with Mary to think about those things too when picking a gym. If the lower levels are well coached, and the gym is a good fit for your child and family, I would stick closer to home until optionals. I do think it is important to figure out if the kids are well coached at the lower levels though, so it would be possible to do that change later. I say it wouldn't work for my family because I have other children to get to their activities too. There is no way I could drive that far and get back for them, or there is no way I could stay for the whole practice with our other commitments. Good luck, gym changes are hard to figure out the best thing to do.

 

[sglemon]

I would closer to home for now, until she is ready for the jump to optional s. She is xcel now, maybe have her try a JO program. If she enjoys the larger commitment and competition of a JO program, make the move in a year or two. It is very time consuming, and a lifestyle change to add an hour commute each way to a gymnastics program, you don't want it to burn her out.

 

[gymgal]

I personally would not drive an hour several times a week for a 7 yr old just starting out on team if there were other options available, unless it was obvious this kid was a Phenom, but I also have 2 other kiss and work full time. Its all about your individual family's priorities.

As Mary stated, be careful about judging a gym by just one look - especially at a meet. They may score really well and look really polished, which is great, but it's how the girls get there that is important. What is their training like: coach/gymnast interaction, training hours, mental/emotional health, stress level.

 

[gwenmom]

I would closer to home for now, until she is ready for the jump to optional s. She is xcel now, maybe have her try a JO program. If she enjoys the larger commitment and competition of a JO program, make the move in a year or two. It is very time consuming, and a lifestyle change to add an hour commute each way to a gymnastics program, you don't want it to burn her out.

There is no JO program at her current gym. They also rarely if ever make the girls do anything correctly in form or precision. These are two of our main factors in deciding to change. If I am going to spend all this time and money I want her to learn to do it correctly and to the best of her ability.

 

[MaryA]

Yes, when they learn things sloppily, it is hard to "unlearn" them. If you see this as something she will possibly want to stick with for a while, you are right to find a program that teaches good basics.

 

[gwenmom]

Changing gyms is hard. If I was going to switch, I'd want to go into it expecting it to be the last switch. Not that things always work out the way we expect them to, but still... If you need to switch now, I would at least seriously consider the gym you are thinking of as a "long term" gym, assuming you can make it work with your schedule, make it work financially, etc.

Just wondering, what was it about their optional team that impressed you? Were they just really good? Did you really like the interaction you saw between gymnasts and coaches? Definitely do all of your homework and don't just go off your impression from that one meet. I've known people on this site who have done that and then gone on to have not-so-great experiences with the gym that "wowed" them. I think it could definitely be worth an extra 20 minutes for the "right" gym, but you want to be as sure as you possibly can be that it IS the right gym.

The girls looked great, the coaches seemed to really care an the girls seemed to be having fine. Of course I would not change without actually going to the gym (all three of them). I agree what you see at a meet is a small piece of the puzzle.

 

[JBS]

I don't like driving. My truck is 14 years old with 110,000 miles.

 

[tooootsie]

We had (we JUST moved) a gym literally behind our house. We have been at the same gym 25-30 mins away for nearly 5 years now. It is a WAY better gym.. And I would never switch to the local gym. I have parents at our gym ask me all the time why we commute, and I explain that we love this gym and I would never change. I wouldn't even begin to know how to file "divorce" with our gym who has given my daughters so much opportunity. But I think it depends on what you want for your kids Good luck!

 

[roll123]

We are much like tootsie. There is a gym 10 min from our house but we drive. 1hr 15 min to our gym. Granted we were already at our gym when the local on first opened but I couldn't imagine switching. We tried the local gym for a session but the coaching style was different. It was much more hands on spotting and they uptrained big moves ( like 3yo doing rbhs). They are also more about "getting" a skill than about doing it right and I felt this was, in some ways, a safety issue. Our current gym is big on conditioning and they work towards perfection on skills. I think you need to choose the gym that is the best coaching style and fit for your DD,especially if you are thinking the competitive track.

 

[GymBee97]

I drive that now not really a big deal but then when you live where just about everything is 20 - 30 min away its just a short distance. the furthest gym we were at was 45 min away which we would have still been at if it werent for a difference in opinion with new coach staff.

 

[emorymom]

Waaay too personal of a choice. I wouldn't but neither of my kids have expressed that kind of desire. I just want a decent team experience not too far from the house so I can juggle them.

 

[bookworm]

I have an hour and a half commute (each way, no traffic) so another half hour would probably put me over the edge but way back when , when we first started, our gym was 35 minutes from the house , and we opted to move (driving past many a gym...) but I guess I would only do this move if she were to go into a JO program. If either of the gyms in the running even suggested keeping her in the Prep Op program, I'd stay where I was...

 

[shelovestoflip]

You mention your daughter is 7 and Excel Bronze....and that your current gym doesn't have a JO program.
Assuming you want that opportunity for your daughter, I would make some sort of a switch now while she is young. Can you bring her to this 'far' gym and have her skills assessed and see what their recommendation is? I would def do that if possible.

I wouldn't switch to the far gym if they won't accept her on their JO team to start.

I agree with others...def a personal decision based on your family/lifestyle. There's been lots of talk the past few days about driving to far gyms/staying at gym for practice etc....so you would need to decide how it will work for you.

We are in an urban area with many gyms....gyms that have trained Olympians togyms that only have rec classes.
I could drive about 45 minutes to an hour in traffic to have my daughter go to the Olympic level gym....but I have made the choice to stay where we have been since my daughter was 6 (after a 2 year stint at a local preschool type gym)....we have great coaches and my daughter has great teammates. She is learning well and doing well and I can't imagine her switching.

My daughter does well with consistency and isn't a huge fan of transition. I guess we are lucky to have found the right place early on. I would work to find a good place to call home long term.