Questions for those who have kids in gymnastics

I know there are several on here whose kids are in gymnastics, so I hope you can give me some advice. Kylie has been in gymnastics in the past at the Y, but I finally did some research and found them what I thought was the best academy in our area to go. So I signed them up and they've been going for 5 or 6 months now, I guess.

I was never impressed with the teacher Kylie originally had, so I moved her to a different night, with a new teacher. WELL, I'm not impressed with this teacher either. I don't know if age has some to do with it - she's definitely young - but the class size is probably 10 kids and I just don't feel Kylie gets enough attention when it's needed. She should be doing cartwheels by now, in DH and my opinion, and she's not. The teacher doesn't even seem to pay attention to her when doing them, as she's got 9 other kids she's paying attention to as well. There are other things that annoy me about the teacher. Another thing that annoys me about the academy is it seems like often a teacher is sick and then they cram 15 or 20 kids into one class at different skill levels. There is also a girl in Kylie's class, that Kylie always gets stuck with. The girl has special needs, and I understand that, but she's really keeping Kylie from excelling. She slows her down on beam, and just is all over Kylie at all times and then Kylie can't pay attention to the teacher because she gets frazzled and angry (literally).

Then there's Megan. I LOVED Megan's teacher. She was very strict and ran a tight class. Megan was excelling quite rapidly in her class and really made me feel like she was going to go somewhere with this. THEN her teacher decided to quit because she's a school teacher during the day (has young kids) and teaching gymnastics at night was too much. I was very sad about this. Her teacher and I did have a rough beginning because she didn't understand Megan's sensory issues and how it affected her in class. Once I explained them to her, she was awesome with Megan, like I stated above. This new teacher is a teenager and I'm sorry, I don't care how much she knows about gymnastics, she is terrible as a teacher. There are 5 kids in the class, so not too big, but her teaching skills is TERRIBLE. Megan is going backwards in her skills, IMO.

I'm just starting to feel like the money I sink into this every month is going down the drain at this place. The problem is this place is supposed to be THE BEST in our area and it's the only academy around that I know where they do ALL forms of gymnastics: bar, beam, and floor. Most places do just floor (tumbling), especially at their ages. I just am not sure what to do. Should I just be focused on tumbling for their ages right now? If so I guess I should check out the other places more. I would go talk to the owners of the academy, but I'm afraid I won't get anywhere. I watch all these other parents and they don't seem to complain. Matter a fact I notice a few of them from the other place we used to go (which only does tumbling) and they've moved to this place because of its reputation.

Any thoughts? I honestly feel for what I pay right now that I could teach them these things at home - at least for their ages now and what they are learning right now. Later, well, that would be a problem.

Isabella is in gymnastics, and goes twice a week.

A great deal of a gymnasts success comes from how well she is coached. If you don't have a good coach, it is hard to learn and excell at the needed skills. I would look into other academys in your area. I know for Isabella her Monday night class has 5 other kids in it and it is a mommy and me class. Her wednesday night class is not mommy and me and it is for older girls and there are about 10 girls in there. The coach makes sure she gives individual attention to each girl.

The gym that Isabella goes to is run on a very tight ship, especially the girls programs, they are there to make gymnasts not to play around. If that is something you are looking for I would suggest looking around at other gyms. Look at their older girls programs and not just their younger childrens' programs. THe Y has some awesome programs, if you want the girls to compete you want them to be at a good gym with awesome coaches!!

GOOD LUCK!!

I loved the place that Ashley went to... it had small classes and if they added more than 6 kids, they added another teacher. I really liked how closely they spotted the kids as I think this is very important in this particular sport. The teachers were awesome at encouraging Ashley to try something without forcing her to do it. Ashley was scared of heights and didn't like the beam or the bars, but they were great with her and she matered the skills they were teaching on them. But, she really preferred tumbling, so that's what I was going to put her into this year... just a tumbling class. But, then they sold the place and now it's a bingo hall. I've been looking around for a new place to put her. I looked into a few places that friends recommended, but like you, I was not impressed with the teachers or the child/teacher ratio. The kids did not look like they were being spotted very well. I have looked at several places and I haven't found one that I am happy with yet, so she took a year off from gymnastics this year. I'm still searching, but I won't put her some place that I don't feel is safe.

So, if you are not happy with the place, I would continue to look even if the place has a good reputation.

Yeah, I think my girls like beam and bar much better than tumbling. That's what makes it hard finding a place around here. They even have their own beam at home, and Dh wants to make them a bar outside when it gets nice.

I guess I better start doing more research. GL finding a place for Ashley, as well.

This post has been edited by coasterqueen on Mar 31 2009, 08:07 AM

Karen, the coaching is key, obviously, but so are the hours and the physical abilities and temperament of your kids. Corey started out by going to Little Gym with my babysitter. The emphasis was on fun--there was absolutely no pressure put on the kids, not even to participate during group activities or instruction, and though it was the right place to start, after awhile I felt that it was kind of a waste of time--it was boring for her, and some of the other kids' behavior was obnoxious. Kids should be able to sit for circle at organized activities, imo.
We eventually enrolled in a "big girl" gym, and she started out going once a week for 2 hours. Again, it was a recreational class, and I wasn't all that impressed with the coaching, though she had fun, which was the whole reason we were there. The gym owner spotted something in Corey, and suggested I enroll her in "pre-team," which means a more rigorous, though still non-competitive program with twice as many hours as the recreational classes. That's when I first started to notice her improvement. She could already do cartwheels, roundoffs- basic stuff, but she really improved her form and started adding other skills. The instruction was exponentially better at that level. After a few months, she was invited to join the competitive team, where she is now. She goes 3 times a week, 3 hours per session, which sounded crazy to me but she can't get enough. She'd go 5 times if she could. That's when she started picking up back handsprings, handstands on the beam, vaulting, etc...The coaching is serious, disciplined, with very high expectations, though they are still very sweet with the little ones like Corey.
So, I would say, find a gym with a good pre-team program--the instruction will be more rigorous, and I expect she'll improve much faster than a purely recreational class.
Check out my post about Corey's first "real" competition this past weekend.
GL

Jeanne, my problem is Ryan nor I WANT them in instruction that many hours a week. They already complain they don't get enough time with us as it is, working full time and being gone all day. So I KNOW neither one would go with it no matter how much fun they would have doing it. Right now Kylie goes 1.5 hours and Megan goes 45 minutes. That is more than enough for us, lol. Even considering this for Kylie, she complains more than Megan about not getting enough time with us, and she still wants to be a kid -- playing outside, playing with friends and spending time with us. I'm not saying Corey doesn't want that, but Kylie would definitely complain about spending 9 hours a week doing gymnastics.

BTW, what time does she do gymnastics each night? Kylie goes from 5:30 to 7 and Megan goes 6:15 to 7 - same night. By the time we get home it's 7:30. By the time they get to bed it's at least 8 or a little after and they crash right away. I have to leave work 40 minutes early every time to go pick them up from daycare, take them to the gym, then Ryan meets us there. We then scarf down a sack lunch-dinner before practice. I can't even imagine doing 3 hour sessions 3 times a week, when we don't even get off until 5. I know there are girls who do it at our gym, but I believe their moms are SAHM's and I can see where that would be easier to do then.

Maybe we aren't going to be able to stick with this sport past leisure-wise, because both of us working full-time doesn't leave a TON of time for this much training in sports.

In my experience, hard core gymnasts live at the gym. Since it doesn't sound like that works for you guys, and since you said the girls wouldn't even want to go that much, I think I'd look for a place that was just plain more fun for them than where they are now. If you don't think you can devote the time it would take for them to be more serious about it, why not let it just be the most fun it can be, kwim?

Jamison takes gymnastics and we have had 2 experiences. We did the Y for a couple of years, it was fun, the classes were big, she got her basics there because she had a good instructor. When she moved up in skill, the class sizes were still big and she was unable to progress due to the lack of one on one attention.

We decided to change gyms. Since we changed in December, her class size is 6 kids, she is taught by a 15 year old girl so I can tell you, age doesn't necessarily mean anything--she is outstanding. They work on all the equipment but it isn't as "fun". Their work is very little "big skill" and much more getting the very technical stuff down---exact foot placement, how to run properly for the vault, how to get more power on casting etc. She is a level 3 now but non-competing. She goes 2 times a week for 2 hours.

Jamison lacked one on one teaching for a while but she practiced all the time at home and taught herself many of the basics. Does Kylie practice at home? Is she nervous to try new things? What are the other kids doing in her class? Are they working on cartwheels and no one is getting it? Is she having fun or getting frustrated with herself?

But then, Karen, my question is if you don't want them at the gym that often then why does it matter how serious the teacher is? Even Dominique Moceanu's talent won't get anyone to be a great gymnast without putting in tons of time at the gym so if you're not trying to raise super gymnasts then why does it matter how good the teachers are?
Feel free to tell me to MYOB but this just has me curious...when I was little, my mom kept switching me from one piano teacher to the next because none were serious enough for her but her expectations were very high and I was practicing at home, easily 12+ hours a week plus one lesson per week, along with an additional music theory class every other week (boy, did that ever suck btw) and it's not to say she expected me to grow up to be Beethoven but she did expect me to be very proficient at the piano and I most certainly was. Time was never an issue, though, if anything, she felt I didn't practice enough.
I'm just curious what your goals are as far as what you want to get out of their gymnastics training, if you don't mind my asking.

I would definately care how good the teachers are. You pay money each week for them to learn. The workout should be good, they should increase flexibility and strength, they should gain self confidence and should be working towards completing the criteria of the level they are in. I don't care at all if Jamison decides to move on to the team but I care what she is learning in the class she is currently in. It is unlikely she will make a profession out of this but I want her to get the best teaching possible.

She also dances, she dances competitvely at this point ONLY because the skill level of the teachers is higher for competitive dancers. You want the best teachers in all areas.

Personal opinion as an ex-gymnast myself.

We wanted the best for Isabella, not because we wanted her to compete, but because it is something she enjoys. I don't want to take her to a place with crappy teachers just because we don't want her to be the next Nastia Lukin ...

Isabella goes to gym twice a week, On Mondays for 30 mins, and on wednesday for 45 mins. With age comes more time at the gym to learn more skills. The longer their attention span the more skills they will pick up and learn. DH and I know as she gets older (should she want to continue) the gym she is at now is the best place for her to be Team wise . They are THE BEST around. They aren't there for play, which means that even at a 2yr old level they encourage them to try things they are a little hesitant to try. There is a routine and as an ex-gymnast my child does not play around while we are there. Davita < the coach doesn't allow nonsense. If your child wants to throw a fit, take them elsewhere.

I think the skill level that they will pick up all comes from the environment they are in. The little gym for Isabella was trivial and she hated it. So we looked for other options, I wasn't looking for a "run around and play" type of class, We were looking for structure, routines, that is what we have!!!

Good Luck in your search!!

btw, I realize that it matters that the teacher is not a goof off or a loser but what I mean is, if you're not looking for serious training then what does it matter if the class is not ideal or if their skill level is not improving at an ideal rate?
I have to admit, I was never good at gymnastics so I probably don't have enough understanding to be in on this convo. For me, if I had a child in gymnastics, I'd look at it this way--if she's really good, which I highly doubt any child that would come out of my body would have any particular talent for gymnastics but anyway, if she was really good, I'd send her to a very serious academy, similar to what Jeanne does, provided that is what she wants.
Or if she ends up being the same kind of gymnast I was, lol, and I did take gymnastics for a couple of years, then I would send her just for fun to a place where I know she's having fun.
Again, gymnastics was never my thing and that is putting it nicely so I probably should have just stayed out of this one.

Jennifer,

I agree with you somewhat, that why worry if their skills aren't improving if you don't want them to be competitive.

However, on the same hand, you want them to get something out of it. Some skills, rather than just tossing money in for them to go to this class. LIke your mom paid lots of money for piano lessons, don't you think she would have been highly peev'd if you weren't learning how to play the piano?? Wether or not she wanted you to be competitive down the line or not.

Karen, it sounds to me like you are looking more for a recreational class. If she wants to be competitive, unfortunately the hours and training go along with that. However, I don't think it is too much to expect the child to learn from a recreational class either. Yes, it is more relaxed, but they are still there to learn. And, if the environment isn't conducive of that, then I would look elsewhere. Ashley will never be a professional gymnast -- even with hours of training, she doesn't' have the body style, natural ability, or even desire to train to be a professional gymnast. However, she enjoys it recreationally. And, as Brenda said, it's been great for building body strength, flexibility and most of all her self-confidence. I still remember the first time she walked across the beam without needing to hold anyone's hand. At the end of her last class, she could do a forward roll on the beam... that is a big accomplishment for someone that couldn't even walk across it without shaking like a leaf. So, even though it is a recreational class, I still expect the teachers to be skilled in teaching the sport and in working with children. And, like I said before, my main concern is safety and I hate to go into classes where kids aren't being spotted.

I agree, Jessica, and overall, I should have stayed out of this because I sucked at gymnastics so I look at it through this black and white veil that you either suck like me and you do it just for fun and exercise or you're on your way to becoming the next Kerri Strug (minus the broken ankle, hopefully) and you spend your whole life in the gym.
I just wasn't looking at the middle ground so shame on me, seriously.

My goal is for them to have fun, but for them to at least learn the basics of gymnastics. If they then decide to go further, competing or whatever, then we will go that route no matter what difficulty it places on our family. I don't believe that is what they want at this age, for sure. I just saw how fast Megan was advancing with a more strict teacher. She was having fun, too, so that wasn't a concern for me. With Kylie...it's hard to tell if she's having fun, because she keeps getting stuck with that one girl and honestly sometimes she begs not to go, but only because of that girl. Kylie NEEDS gymnastics right now due to her tip-toe walking. She barely has range of motion in her feet, and the doctor wanted us to use sports to help stretch it, rather than do casts or surgery. Kylie has terrible range of motion in any part of her body, unfortunately. She's extremely NOT flexible, but with 6 months of gymnastics she's come a LONG way in that department. She's frustrated because she can't pick up on some of the things - even to the point of crying last night. Ryan and I truly believe it's because of the lack of attention by the teacher to HELP her tackle these issues. Most of the kids in her class can do a cartwheel already, but I don't know how long they've been in this class. You are in a level class until you master all areas at that skill level, then you move up in levels. So the other kids, which I know most have been going a long time, may be close to moving up in levels. KWIM?

I have helped them a bit at home, but space is limited and so is time. I am not looking at them in gymnastics as getting to the next Olympic gold medalist. I just want them to at least have the basics I got from gymnastics - cartwheel, sommersaults, backbends, etc, etc. They don't even have to be great at it. I've also always been with them that if they want to quit, they can --after they finish out the month I paid for at that time. They WANT to be there. I think they, too, don't like the lack of direction/attention/strictness that they get from their teachers. Like I said Megan did AWESOME with her 1st teacher. Her 1st teacher was even talking as if she was going to move her up. Then when this other teacher came in, spent less time with Megan, Megan seemed to care less and just not advance anymore. I so wish both girls could have Megan's old teacher, because if they did they would enjoy it and learn what they want to learn. There is only one other teacher at that academy like Megan's old teacher - she is in fact stricter, but she doesn't teach their levels at this point.

I agree, Jessica, and overall, I should have stayed out of this because I sucked at gymnastics so I look at it through this black and white veil that you either suck like me and you do it just for fun and exercise or you're on your way to becoming the next Kerri Strug (minus the broken ankle, hopefully) and you spend your whole life in the gym.
I just wasn't looking at the middle ground so shame on me, seriously.

Jennifer, no your thinking is much like mine. I learned gymnastics in an old lady's house. I ended up having to quit when I was young because of injuring both my feet in an accident, and every time I would heal I would re-injure them in gymnastics, and my mother just said - enough is enough. So I never got to be "great". My cousin was great, she went to the same place the girls are in now. I do think some of it has to be a child's drive - and I saw that drive when they had better teachers. So I know they have it in them.

Also, Jennifer, I know that Kylie will probably never be GREAT. I know that's an awful thing for a mother to say, but she just doesn't have the genetic flexibility, lol, one should have. Now Megan does. She can be great, and was doing awesome, with a great teacher. So my expectations are not high for my children - they can set their own and determine them. That's not my job.

You are so right, and for someone like Megan who has MAJOR issues with "her environment" and falling issues, I have been amazed at how well she was improving in these areas with her original teacher. She stopped being scared to walk the beam or flip over the bar. Now with this teacher she's afraid to death once again to do those things.

You're right, Karen, it's a HUGE imposition on the family in every way--we eat at 8pm a lot of the time, it's expensive, she goes to bed later than most 6 yo's, etc...As I said earlier, when i heard about the time commitment, I almost balked. But I figured we'd try it for the summer and reassess come Sept. She is obsessed, that's all I can say. She watches tv upside down, she practices her beam routine on the back of my sofa, she does her routines day in and day out all over the house--it's what she loves to do. So it doesn't feel like work to her, and I support her because, well, because that's what we do as parents, right?
You do have a right to expect high quality instruction regardless of the level, but in my experience, the coaches in the rec classes tend to be less knowledgeable b/c the skills are less complicated to teach. Idk why your gym uses that weird buddy-system thing, but maybe one solution might be to request a periodic rotation of partners so your dd isn't always having to compensate for the other child's special needs.
And finally, it's awesome that Megan's making progress due to her involvement in gymnastics, but she may be limited by her inflexibility in some areas. If you watched Corey's video, when she's doing the back walkover, she's practically folded in half. The kids who are less flexible took a lot longer to acquire that skill--some not at all.
Anyway, good luck. I do think it's one of the best sports for conditioning and body strength, though it does have one of the highest incidences of injuries at the upper levels of any sport. Why do my kids always do this to me? Can't one of them play the piano????