You get burnt out from the drive?

[putri]

We tried out at two very good gyms (they have 2012 Olympic gymnast and 2016 potentials). One of the gym, let's call it gym A, was very enthused about dd. So enthused (they think dd has what it takes to be an elite gymnast) that they want to start her out ASAP and very willing to work with us on when she can come to gym (temporary, since dd have other after school activities until April). They really want to help her catch up and perfect her skills which dd and I really appreciate and have been looking for in a gym.

I love gym A in terms of communications and their willingness to work with dd. Their enthusiasm made dd jump with joy. All around gut feeling says YES! Dd loved the coaching too. She has no complaints there.

Here's the great part... it's the furthest gym. It's 37 miles but the drive itself is about 50-60 minute. Could be more on a bad traffic day. I do though have an option to carpool the kids which means I might only have to drive once a week.

Gym B is 33 miles away. But, because it's all highway from me to there, I can make the drive in 38 minutes. I've been taking youngest dd there because it's the only place with a structured class for her age and been timing my travel. The thing is, from my meeting and emails, I've been getting vague responses. I don't quite like the feeling and that's why I'm not into this gym even though I like their waiting policy better and they do have a cafe. Gym A has a no waiting policy. Parents can watch sometimes, there is a window for that and an actual waiting area, but doing it regularly is not recommended.

I am very leaning towards gym A just because I think it'll be best for dd but to those who drive distance to gym, does the long drive wear you out? In the long run, if the gym still think dd's got it, dd still love it, and still has dreams of higher level gymnastics competitions we can move. We want to move anyways - we're renting now - and in terms of hubby's drive to work it'll be the same or closer. But right now, we love where we're at unless the most perfect Grade II hundred years old house come available for renting (it's my American living in the UK dream, to live in a stinkin' old house )

 

[sally]

Well we live a long way from my dd gym, and yes it does have a toll on you. I get tired and now after 3 years of it we are moving closer. But it is worth it and wouldn't have changed a thing

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

Like Sally we live a long way away from gym, around 45 minutes (one way) on a good day. Yes it does take a toll, on both the driver and the gymnast, I know my kids get sick of so many miles in the car. They rarely complain about gym, but they do complain about the time it takes to actually get there. There are weeks when I feel like I live in the car.
Is it worth it? I think for us it is, the program at this gym was and still is the best fit for our kids... but really only you can answer that question for your self.

Not sure how old your DD is, but I would factor in the return driving time as well. Depending upon the time training finishes and the age of the gymnast, that 50 or so minutes it takes to get back home and then do dinner/shower/homework/bed after a long training session can be the thing that really takes the toll especially with young gymnasts.

 

[Galadriel]

lots of girls travel a long way to the good gyms.
especially when they go elite
if you would only have to drive that drive once a week due to car pooling i would say give it a go!

 

[emorymom]

I would put her at the gym you like and have a real estate agent start looking for houses for you near the gym. And what's the joy in an old house if you never get to be home?

 

[MaryA]

I would put her at the gym you like and have a real estate agent start looking for houses for you near the gym. And what's the joy in an old house if you never get to be home?

When I first read this I thought it made sense... And certainly if I was moving to a new area I'd consider driving distance to the gym of my choice in my house-shopping considerations. But even girls with lots of potential decide to quit gym, or get hurt and are unable to continue. I would hate for my daughter to feel the pressure that "We uprooted our whole family to move you close to this gym." I know it happens at the elite levels, but OP's DD isn't there yet. Plus, if a move means that a parent now has an hour commute to work, nothing is gained.

Then again, it sounds like you feel pretty strongly that this is the right place for your DD. I say talk to gym A and ask them to put you in touch with people you might be able to car-pool with. If you can work it out so that you don't have to make the drive too often, yur DD will likely learn to use the drive time to eat, do homework, etc. so the time will not be wasted. I guess my only other concern would be sleep. Will the ride get her home in time to get a good night sleep? Do you think she might be able to sleep in the car on the way home?

I think it's workable, but I also think that you're wise to be thinking through this ahead of time so that you don't have her start at Gym A and then find that you've bitten off more than you can chew.

 

[bookworm]

When we first began this journey in gymnastics, our round trip commute to the gym was 70 miles, and I thought that was far...well fast forward 8 years and our round trip to the gym is now 160 miles , and yes that IS far...would I do it all over again? yes...and how do we make a long commute work? well, for starters, you can't have a kid that gets carsick, second, we do most of all homework in the car (yes, I ride with the lights on at night to facilitate this) and third, I have their evening meal ready to eat on the way home (I have containers with pasta or chicken or something similar that I zap in the microwave and a salad usually and a drink) so that when we get home an hour and a half later, they are ready to just jump in the shower and go to bed. Another thing that has facilitated this long commute has been the schools my daughter has attended...they have allowed her an early dismissal time from 4th grade on ...without that, we never would have made the practice times. Now if I were relocating to an area, I would definitely try to live close to the gym however because that would make it so much easier in general...

 

[Deleted member D3987]

^^^ you couldn't wait for her to get her drivers license and now the end is near. i love when someone says they "would do it all over again". THAT makes my day and reaffirms why we do what we do. just 1. just 1. ***smile with sigh***

 

[momof5]

You might want to think about what the driving would be like if all your carpoolers quit. Could you still make it work? We live far away and over the last year we lost one of the girls we drive with and it has defineately made it harder since more driving is involved. Also lots of driving can be hard on younger sibling who end up spending a lot of their after school time in the car.

 

[rd7]

Well ..... elite training is quite difficult to come by in the UK, there aren't that many elite gyms.

Gym B - 40 min drive, Gym A - 50-60 mins? That's only an extra 20 mins at most each way. Both A and B are going to seem like long drives to young children.

I vote for gym A.

(Is it the one that begins with H?)

 

[Galadriel]

ooh - i remember your other post now - i had been thinking the one that begins with N!

Good luck whatever you choose and keep us posted!

 

[bookworm]

^^^ you couldn't wait for her to get her drivers license and now the end is near. i love when someone says they "would do it all over again". THAT makes my day and reaffirms why we do what we do. just 1. just 1. ***smile with sigh***

Dunno, I would love it if she would drive to gym but she's a very timid driver and basically drives a 5 mile radius from our house!! and highways would definitely be out so....off I go!

 

[putri]

Well ..... elite training is quite difficult to come by in the UK, there aren't that many elite gyms.

Gym B - 40 min drive, Gym A - 50-60 mins? That's only an extra 20 mins at most each way. Both A and B are going to seem like long drives to young children.

I vote for gym A.

(Is it the one that begins with H?)

Thank you all for your comments!!!

Rd7 and the previous poster, it's N we're going to. The H one didn't give me the warm and fuzzy. We went to H because we were wanting to move that way. But soon after the try out dd told me she wanted to be serious in gym and so I went and contacted N to see what it's like there and it's what a lot of you said to do, to try out different gyms before settling on one.

To bookworm, it's you I think, 160miles?!?!? Good gosh!! You win hands down!!! See, if it's US highway, 37 miles is 30 minutes on a 75miles/hr road. But here... NOT

After talking to the family, friends and reading this forum we'll do the hour drive. Even before showing up I already liked the N gym because the emails between the gym and myself was so detailed and prompt. I asked them to be honest with me on dd's abilities and they did even though I was surprised at what they thought of dd. Dd's excited and can't wait.

The move... Moving closer to the gym will not effect work commute. Depending on where, a house move closer to the gym might make work commute shorter. You see, if work is the middle of the circle, our house woukd be on the south side of the radius and the gym is on the north side. There are actually more period homes on the north side. But, we just like our south side. We're one of the villagers, we have many great local friends, and everything is quite convenient from us. Unless there's a house that we must have, I think we're going to just stay here for another 6 months. We'll reevaluate gym and if all's still good and dd needs more gym time we might have to stop being stubborn and move a bit north. If she quits she quits. I got my period house

Carpooling... We'll see what happens. Going 6 months at a time

 

[my4buffaloes]

I think you know which gym to go with - the one you and your dd love! Carpools are great, but you can't count on them I found. The first summer we joined the new gym (25 min away) I had a great carpool. Come fall the others in the carpool moved up (we were just starting at that level) and the times didn't match very well. Suddenly our perfect carpool worked only once a week. Once a week helped, but we still drove a lot!

Fast forward a year and while everyone moved up a level, the other girls level meets on the total opposite days as my dd's level. We drive all the time now - for 2 dd's! Hoping that come move-ups in June we will match up again, because there aren't that many girls that go there from my town. Still, going to that gym is so worth it! We pass several others on our way but we are at the best gym for us.

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

The drive is definitely do-able, but you must make a big commitment to be willing to do it. Since it sounds like your DD is going to be fast-tracked and probably competing at a high level in not so many years (eeep!), it would be a worthwhile investment to pick the gym that has the better atmosphere even if it means an extra 20 min each way. A close friend of mine drives 1 hr each way to and from gym - her mother has taken a second job at the gym so she doesn't have to sit around or drive all the way back.

 

[bribri514]

I sympathize with the driving problem! I live in a small mountain town, in a very large county. There isn't a single gym in our entire county though! I have to drive about 60-70 miles away to get to the closest gym (and luckily it has a USAG team!) That drive is through the mountains entirely, and mostly along a major interstate. However, this involves going over a giant mountain pass (the peak is 11,000 ft above sea level). There's huge trucks that crash and lots and lots of ski traffic. The Pass is often closed leaving us stuck on either side.

But despite that, I love my gym 100% and wouldn't give it up for the world. My mom did get burnt out from the drive, we were lucky to have one girl to carpool with for most of the years I was there. She was thrilled when I turned 16 and could drive myself there!

(what the road can look like to my gym!)

I agree with the other posters though, it sounds like your DD has a lot of potential and I really think the commitment would be worth it, as long as it works for your entire family!

 

[rd7]

Ok, I give up, can I have a clue on which gym N is?

 

[Galadriel]

not hard! has elites, is more north, H is more south!

 

[putri]

Ok, I give up, can I have a clue on which gym N is?

It's in N county and not far from the city of N
In between gym H and gym N is the known horse racing town of N in S county.
Gym N, the initial N, is what the county is too.

This is kind of fun

 

[rd7]

Ah ha, that was my first guess but thought it was too far away from you.

Wow, they are one of the top gyms in the country, you can double (no triple) my vote for gym A

Huge congratulations to your DD.

Did you know that 2 WAG gymnastics from there qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic team? (One unfortunately suffered from a hereditary back problem and had to pull out at the last minute)

You are right about the driving though, those roads can get horribly busy, at least you know you can move in the future.

You'll have to let us know when your DD competes her first compulsory level.