OhioMomof3 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Hi. My daughter (7th grade) has decided that this will be her last season in competitive gymnastics (Level 7). She would like to find out more about crew or competing on a trampoline-and-tumbling team. She's open to the idea of tennis, too. If you are a parent of a child that competes in any of these sports, can you tell me what we should know about it? I know she should be able to jump right into crew (which begins about 8th grade here) or T-n-T (since she has competitive gymnastics experience), but what about tennis? Is tennis a sport that would be hard for my daughter to compete in with such a late start? My daughter has had some minor joint pain (wrists and knee) because of the impact of gymnastics, so we'd also love any information you could offer regarding the physical nature of the sport. Looking forward to learning more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jengjohnson Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I grew up playing competitive tennis and I struggle now with knee and wrist issues. Maybe not a good sport to start if she's already experiencing those problems. Crew is low-impact, easy to learn and she is at the right age to begin. The best rowers seem to be at least 5'7" though. I think of gymnasts as typically tiny. She might be recruited as a coxswain, but I don't know how much exercise they get. Our local rowing club has free weeks to try the sport. T-n-t sounds like it would be right up her alley. Has she considered diving? I know a few good gymnasts who have become great divers. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I played competitive tennis and I have bad issues with my knees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendy not in HI Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 My dd16 started tennis in 7th grade and was able to be competitive on the high school team her 8th grade year. Tennis is an expensive sport - it might give even competitive gymnastics a run for its money! She loves tennis, and the girls on the team were so fun. It is a little discouraging to play in (non-school) tournaments and get beat by little 8 year olds who have been playing forever, though! I know this isn't what you were asking about, but my dd also pole vaults. Pole vaulting is an awesome sport for a gymnast! Speed, upper body strength, and body control. There is a lot of skill involved. We moved last summer and at our new school, tennis is in the spring and conflicts with track, which is a bummer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I grew up playing competitive tennis and I struggle now with knee and wrist issues. Maybe not a good sport to start if she's already experiencing those problems. Crew is low-impact, easy to learn and she is at the right age to begin. The best rowers seem to be at least 5'7" though. I think of gymnasts as typically tiny. She might be recruited as a coxswain, but I don't know how much exercise they get. Our local rowing club has free weeks to try the sport. T-n-t sounds like it would be right up her alley. Has she considered diving? I know a few good gymnasts who have become great divers. I agree with books4girls. Crew is a great sport, but if she wants to be competitive it's probably not the best choice. If she just wants to find a lovely sport to get a good workout, that would work. Just like a tall girl will have more trouble in gymnastics, a petite girl will be at a disadvantage in crew because she's just not going to have the leg length to push the oar through the water as far with each stroke. I do know two ex-gymnasts who were varsity divers in high school. I think that's probably a good sport to check out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Any interest in running hurdles? Or whatever the lingo is for that. She would have the hip flexibility. I used to have a friend who left gymnastics and took up hurdles in high school. She is my age (old) and still holds some records at her high school. Another former gymnast we know took up golf at about 12 and got really good really fast. We also have known several who dove. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Rock climbing is a great sport for gymnasts. The body awareness and the excellent strength-to-weight ratio that are gained through gymnastics translates very well to climbing. I know many former gymnasts who retired due to injury, but went on to become excellent climbers. This is a sport that you can do for the rest of your life. Case in point ... I am 51 years old with a lot of body parts that are breaking down, and I climb. If you are looking for a sport that will pay for college, though, this is not one of them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks for the responses so far. I was thinking tennis might be hard on her knees with all the quick movements back and forth; I guess I just needed you all to confirm my suspicions. I appreciate the other suggestions as well. She'd definitely like rock-climbing. We haven't talked about hurdles or pole vaulting, because I hadn't thought of that. I will suggest those ideas to her as well. In addition to competitive crew and trampoline-and-tumbling, she said she'd be interested in recreational classes: trapeze, aerial gymnastics, fencing, ballroom dance, and parkour. She's not looking for a sport as a way to pay for college; she's just looking for a new sport in which she can train and compete. If she doesn't decide to do a competitive sport, she will look into any number of various recreational activities. She definitely needs to be physically active. In regard to crew, my daughter is approximately 5'1" and 103 lbs. She just turned 13. I spoke with the director of the local crew team today; she told me that my daughter would need to be 5'4" to begin training with them in the fall. Oh, and about diving---dd loves being in the water, but she thinks she needs to hold her nose when she dives. That kind of puts a damper on the diving idea! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 I appreciate the other suggestions as well. She'd definitely like rock-climbing. We haven't talked about hurdles or pole vaulting, because I hadn't thought of that. I will suggest those ideas to her as well. In addition to competitive crew and trampoline-and-tumbling, she said she'd be interested in recreational classes: trapeze, aerial gymnastics, fencing, ballroom dance, and parkour. She's not looking for a sport as a way to pay for college; she's just looking for a new sport in which she can train and compete. If she doesn't decide to do a competitive sport, she will look into any number of various recreational activities. She definitely needs to be physically active. Fencing is a great sport, and one that doesn't require starting at a young age. My son took his first lesson at 14, and he's already ranked in the top 20 nationally in his age group. Most fencing clubs will offer a free introductory lesson, and you can borrow equipment from the club for several months, while you're deciding if it's a sport you want to pursue. Fencing is a lot of fun, with big emphasis on sportsmanship & self-discipline, and the kids tend to be really nice, quite smart, and a bit geeky. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKWAcademy Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I played tennis from 6th grade through high school. I took very few lessons before that and played with my mom and older sister a bit. I don't think age is a factor in her situation. However, I think playing on the hard surface of a tennis court would not be good for her joints. Crew sounds like the lowest impact option. My sister rowed crew in college (and had huge upper body strength!) but that's the extent of my knowledge on crew. Oh, and they had to wake up really early for crew :thumbdown: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Track--long jump, high jump, hurdles, triple jump, pole vaulting, 200 or 400 sprint. Diving. You enter in straight, either feet first or head first, so water up the nose should not be a problem, you should not get any water up the nose if you hit right, which she should have the body control to do. After learning the basics of diving, she should be quite good because of practice with flipping and twisting. Also, if she has a nice tight pike, like most gymnasts do, that should give her an advantage, and a small frame means less splash, which means higher scores. Judo. I did gymnastics for 7 years and was able to compete at Judo Nationals after only a year and a half of Judo training because of my gymnastics background. (If you flip onto your stomach when thrown, you get 0 points scored against you, the body control from gymnastics allows you to do this easier than people who have trained for years in judo.). You are sorted by weight class so being small is neither an advantage or a disadvantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Track would be a good one to try. I have done gymnastics and tennis and have terrible wrists now. Some of the gymnasts I used to coach have had a lot of success in track - hurdles seem to be a popular event with former gymnasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Don't know if you'll see this, Corraleno, but loved your description of children who fence: "really nice, quite smart, and a bit geeky!" My daughter would be comfortable in that environment. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 dd did crew her freshman year of college. she spent more time on crew than school. she choose school over crew. as a tall lefty runner (apparently, they're desirable for crew) - her coach wasn't happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Has she thought about dance? We have a couple of gymnasts come over to the dark side on occasion. She can probably compete within a year or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Just wanted to say fencing would be a nice change for her but still play to her strengths--quickness, body awareness, etc. (I'm assuming those are in common with gymnastics...) Oh, and there are fencing scholarships. Ds started as a fencer and then quickly switched to historical swords. Lots of fun, good workout, but not competitive in this area, which was good, for him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 Minniewannabe--- Right now we are looking into all kinds of physical activity/sports options. Dance has come up, but I don't think my daughter will end up choosing it. She likes the idea of crew the most right now, but we are trying to learn about different sports to see which might be most compatible with her schedule and her abilities. Chris in VA--- We will be checking into fencing. Thanks for the suggestion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 I loved crew. I was competitive at the high school and club level. The problem is that,for the most part, it is very dependent on body type and size. Dieting and body issues is huge amongst many. The only reason I mention this is because I don't think parents were aware of it when I was a teen. I know my parents didn't know. I didn't realize it was bordering on inappropriate. I think it's an amazing sport just good to go into it with eyes open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Here's a link to a short but interesting article on the physics of sports: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/health/nutrition/27Best.html?_r=0 According to their studies, small, light people have an advantage at cross country or bicycling. Would either of those interest your dd, OP? They both are life long activities that don't require competition to be enjoyable, so that's a plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioMomof3 Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 So... crew is starting to sound like it's not going to work out, because my daughter will most likely not be tall (chances are 5'4" or 5'5"). She has the muscles for the sport, but not the body shape. I guess there's a chance she could be the coxswain, but what does that mean as far as preparing for that eventuality? Does one row through high school and then move into that position at the college level, or do you train as a coxswain from the beginning? Is size a huge concern if she just wants to row in high school and is not worried about pursuing this sport in college? I guess I'm wondering if I should be discouraging this sport and encouraging another... I have talked with her about all the other suggestions. Of those, she would consider cross country or fencing. Thanks, everyone, for all the helpful advice and information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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