Tell me about being on a gymnastics team

[RainbowSprinkles]

My dd is crazy competitive and has been telling me she wants to be on a team ever since she started gymnastics this year in March. So she's only been doing it a little while, but we actually have the opportunity to join a team.

 

What have been your experiences? Do you have any advice for me before we make a decision?

[RainbowSprinkles]

:)

[Pamela H in Texas]

Oh, I hope you get some answers! Victoria, my 6yo, was invited yesterday.

We haven't actually said yes, but plan to; I'm just not positive.

[Guest submarines]

Bump. I just like gymnastics threads. :001_huh:

[Mommy22alyns]

:lurk5: We just joined in May, our first competition (for real) is the first weekend in October.

[HSinNH]

DD9 had her first competition season last year as a Level 4 and she absolutely LOVES it! She is constantly flipping around and watching gymnastics videos on youtube.

 

However, it is very expensive and very time-consuming. She is in the gym at least 12 hours per week, then meets on weekends. Not only do you have to pay monthly gymnastics tuition, but also meet fees, travel costs, and leotards/warm-ups.

 

If she did not love it so much and have a natural talent for it, I would ask her to pick another sport because it is a huge commitment. But, gymnastics is her world. Once they are hooked, there is no going back! So, BEWARE and be prepared to spend weekends for the next 10 years in a gym!

[Mandamom]

My daughter is about to repeat her level 7 year and maybe move to 8 by the end of the year. She loves loves loves the sport and that's the reason why we let her do it. I have always said that once she decides she's done she's done. I ask my daughter to recommit to me each year that she wants to keep going (and so far she's not wavered once).

 

Things to consider: time in the gym (6-20 hours per week depending on level), meets on week-ends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday -- we do anywhere from 8-12 per year), travel meets (if your gym does them), costs (meets, coaching, meet leos ($100 - $500), warm-ups, grips, etc.). We also do gift exchanges between the girls at holidays so things like that add up. We really have no breaks so it is a year round sport. The more you attend the faster they advance.

 

The gym is our family and the relationships that we have built are super strong. One of my daughter's friends just quit and the mom told me that she was more sad about not hanging out at the gym anymore than her daughter.

 

You get to watch your daughter work hard to learn a new skill and then when you're sitting at a 4-5 hour meet they fall on something you know they've done 10,000 times. Our coach awards a "no more tears" trophy (bottle of baby shampoo on a trophy stand, LOL) for those kids who don't cry at meets each year.

 

Some girls develop a mental block on a skill and it seems like they never progress and then all of a sudden the block is gone. Others get stuck and the coaches find a way to work around it. I still love the group of girls that my daughter started with but she went faster then them through the levels so she doesn't see them as often because they practice on different nights. Others, get stuck at levels for 3-4 years which can be a frustrating experience but it does happen. Some kids skip levels which can be a great success but also a failure if not done carefully.

 

Sorry for so much info. I'm kind of brain dumping. We are at our end of summer camp and entering the new season so things have been a bit crazy around here.

 

Now, off to youtube to see the new skill my daughter learned tonight because I probably won't get a chance to see her do it for a couple of weeks.

[RainbowSprinkles]

Thanks for the replies.

 

:lurk5:

[Mom22ns]

Dd started competitive gymnastics at 5. She still loves it. She does 16 hours/week and her gym friends are her friends.

 

Gymnastics is expensive and time consuming. It is hard and there is a high risk for injuries. Dd has broken about a dozen bones (all in her feet and toes). It is also high reward. There are ribbons, medals and trophies, not to mention stuffed animals and other goodies. There is the accomplishment of mastering new skills, perfecting them, then performing them and winning! There are also great life lessons like the best routine may not always win. Judging is subjective and learning to deal with disappointment is a skill too.

 

I'm a big fan of all that gymnastics has done for dd. The confidence, the strength, the friendships, the dedication, the focus... I could go on and on. Just know it does come with a price.

 

Also a warning: watch for how the girls are treated at the gym. There is a gym in our area with a male head coach who is verbally abusive and has violent tantrums at meets. i've seen him throw chairs, yell, throw score cards and more. Those who tolerate him get good results, but it is my opinion that subjecting your daughter to that kind of treatment teaches them abuse is okay. Make sure you find a gym where girls are treated with respect. Don't be afraid to walk away if that changes.

[jenn-]

 

 

You get to watch your daughter work hard to learn a new skill and then when you're sitting at a 4-5 hour meet they fall on something you know they've done 10,000 times. Our coach awards a "no more tears" trophy (bottle of baby shampoo on a trophy stand, LOL) for those kids who don't cry at meets each year.

 

Some girls develop a mental block on a skill and it seems like they never progress and then all of a sudden the block is gone. Others get stuck and the coaches find a way to work around it. I still love the group of girls that my daughter started with but she went faster then them through the levels so she doesn't see them as often because they practice on different nights. Others, get stuck at levels for 3-4 years which can be a frustrating experience but it does happen. Some kids skip levels which can be a great success but also a failure if not done carefully.

 

We are going through this right now. :glare: Nothing like watching your child do something hundreds of times at practice and at meets for her to wake up one day and decide it is scary and hard.

 

Gymnastics is a long commitment. Once they start on the team, it isn't easy to go back to regular classes where they just teach the basics. You compete and advance skills or you quit. Vacations are planned around when the gym closes (if you are lucky to have one that takes a week off). Missing too much practice can set you back weeks or months. An ill timed injury (not always related to the gymnastics) and you could be out for most or all of the competitive season, not to mention that whole being set back thing.

 

That all said, my DD loves gymnastics most of the time. Right now she is fighting a new skill on the balance beam and is about to be handed her hiney on a platter at her first meet of the season because of it. This has her discouraged and doubting next season. I know her well enough though that as soon as she gets the harder skill gym will be fun again and she will want to continue.

[LMV]

Some thoughts:

*Gymnastics can be expensive (tuition fees, meet fees, leotards, choreography costs for floor routines, travel, private lessons, etc). We're blessed to be at a really reasonable gym with an amazing booster club that pays for a lot. Additionally, our oldest daughter is a soccer brat and equestrian eventer so the cost of gymnastics appears less staggering I suppose.

*Our twelve year old is gearing up for her second L10 season. She trains fifteen hours a week most weeks. (This is less than the standard L10 training schedule at her gym --20-24 hours depending a bit on kid-- but she has some health issues that don't really allow for much more than that safely and we've worked that out with her gym.)

*Our daughter didn't compete prior to L5 at all and didn't live with us prior to competing L8 so I'm not sure on the meet commitment at lower levels. Her gym usually does 2 bigger travel meets and maybe another 2-3 more local meets before they get into the championship part of the season. For L10 they have state, regionals, and then nationals so they end up with about seven or eight meets between December and May. From talking with other moms that were at nationals this year I do think our meet schedule is probably on the lighter than many but it seems to work for our kids. Personally I think they compete plenty.

*Safety in the gym is a big issue. Our daughter is fortunate that her coaches work into skills, don't rush/chuck skills, don't tolerate form breaks that set up injuries, and ensure that they have the physical strength and flexibility necessary for it to be safe to try.

*Regardless of what I typed above when they get to the higher level it really does get a bit scary (at least for mom). I know I buried my head in my husband's shoulder through much of her L10 bars routine. She didn't have a scary Tkatchev (in the sense that it isn't technically correct) but it was still a bit scary for me to see. Honestly her amazing Jaegar that she is so proud of is not really the easiest thing for me to watch either.

*I do think that gymnastics in the right gym can be a positive experience and there are life lessons about work ethic, perseverance, etc that can be learned. Our daughter's current HC is a really good guy and he does ensure that it is a healthy environment. Unfortunately not all gyms are healthy environments and some are abusive environments. I think parents do need to be a bit aware here. Sending your child to a gym where coaches are emotionally, verbally, or physically abusive has no upside. It is a misconception that top programs need to be like this.

*Gymnastics is definitely a marathon not a sprint kind of sport. Skills can come and go. It is not uncommon for girls to lose skills as they grow and have to learn how to twist on a new axis etc. Perseverance is key and the skills will come back but this can be frustrating for girls.

*Meet hair! Meet hair! (This has actually been an opportunity for mother daughter bonding so I can't really complain.)

[momtotkbb]

Gymnastics at the team level can be fun, build discipline, endurance, and life-long friendships. For my dd she's been on pre-team and team for 10 years and is currently repeating level 9 because of an injury that we are now looking at the need for surgery. She LOVES it - she can't imagine gymnastics not being a part of her life - she has a passion for the sport and a dedication and discipline for the sport that most girls her age have long since left the sport for the ability to have more free time (she is one of two girls that started pre-school class, then team at the same time that are still competing and over the years throughout the state we've seen a lot of girls drop out by the time they hit high school). She gave up competitive dance which she loved bec it came to a point where it was necessary to choose - 15-25 hours a week in the gym and 6 hours a week at the dance studio left little time for anything else. We have given up travel for family vacations at times bec dd needed or at the very least wanted to be in the gym training for the next level. Gymnastics is year round - there is no time off.

Gymnastics is expensive as others have stated - it's not just the expense of the weekly/monthly tuition, but the competition leos, warm-ups, shoes, travel for meets, meet fees, Booster Club fees (in our case our dues and fundraisers help pay for coaches fees, etc.), private lessons if needed, music at the optional level and choreography, USAG and state dues, etc. For us we compete in 8-9 regular meets and then state, regionals, nationals. I've heard new parents justify the expense by saying, "well, if they make it to the Olympics.... or it'll get them college scholarships..etc" The reality is those chances are very, very slim - it will be much more likely for my ds to get a college scholarship for baseball than for dd to get a college gymnastics scholarship bec there are not a lot of schools that offer gymnastics. For parents that tell me they're hoping this will get their dd scholarship money to pay for college - I tell them they'd be better off investing the monthly money in a college fund if that's their sole reason for putting their dd on team.

 

It's a personal decision for each girl and each family. While there are times we've sacrificed in terms of family time I know that we'd do it again in a heart-beat bec of the passion our dd has for the sport.

[LMV]

For parents that tell me they're hoping this will get their dd scholarship money to pay for college - I tell them they'd be better off investing the monthly money in a college fund if that's their sole reason for putting their dd on team.

:iagree:

 

I've heard people say this about soccer for year and I completely agree. Our oldest is in the midst of soccer recruiting now. She has the ability and desire to play at the D1 level and will most likely be getting a full scholarship. She also has a college fund and we've never skimped on that to fund her soccer exploits. We're holding ourselves to the same plan with her younger sister's gymnastics.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Could those of you with kids higher up in levels (6, 8?) say how much this is costing, ballpark for a year?

 

I don't think we could handle more than what her coach said the other day. But if there is going to be even more jumps in cost, I'm not sure if it makes sense to do it anyway. However, I can see that what is required of a level 3 beginner would be different than a level 8, time/money wise.

[plansrme]

Could those of you with kids higher up in levels (6, 8?) say how much this is costing, ballpark for a year?

 

I don't think we could handle more than what her coach said the other day. But if there is going to be even more jumps in cost, I'm not sure if it makes sense to do it anyway. However, I can see that what is required of a level 3 beginner would be different than a level 8, time/money wise.

 

I always advise potential new gym parents to look at what the financial and other costs will be several levels up from where the daughter is starting. Gymnastics is a hard sport to leave, and you want your daughter to leave when she is ready to leave, not when the financial burden or time commitment is too great for the family. That said, most girls who start level 4 (I have never been in a gym that had level 3, so my experience is with 4 and up) will quit after level 6 or 7. Maybe 20% will ever compete level 8, and maybe 10% will stay in it until 9 or 10. I would love to see official retention figures from the sport as a whole, but this is our experience. Out of my daughter's original level 4 team of about 15 girls, she is the only one still in gymnastics. So, I will give you level 10 numbers for our gym, but the level 5 or 6 figures from your own gym might be more relevant.

 

The time commitment is pretty similar from gym to gym unless you are on an elite track, but there is much more variation in the financial aspects. To give you an idea, my daughter is a level 10 (practices 5 days, 20 hours per week during the school year, 25 hours during summer), and we pay:

 

*Monthly: $220

*Booster club fees (which covers meet entry fees and coaches' travel): $900 this year; $1500 last year; this varies according to how how profitable our hosted meets are; you also are required to volunteer at a ridiculous number of shifts for every hosted meet (3 or 4 meets per year).

*Official apparel: $500 every other year (this is by far the most we have ever paid, though--previous gyms were more reasonable).

*Travel: a lot. This year, we will have at least 5 meets that require hotel stays; at least 3 of those will require flying. This much travel is not the norm until you get to optional levels (8-10).

*Medical: also a lot for several major injuries.

*Gas: I drive 10 hours a week to and from practice and am counting the days until that child can drive herself.

*Music and choreography: Music can be free, or not; choreography is $500 every other year ($400--by far the most we have ever paid, but you have to use the choreographer picked by the gym--for floor; $100 for beam).

 

This does not include bail or legal fees for Mom when she finally goes postal on the idiots who run the booster club, or the head coach she hates with the white hot passion of a thousand suns. But that wasn't the question, was it? ;)

 

Terri

Edited August 24, 2012 by plansrme
Forgot music and choreography

[jenn-]

Could those of you with kids higher up in levels (6, 8?) say how much this is costing, ballpark for a year?

 

I don't think we could handle more than what her coach said the other day. But if there is going to be even more jumps in cost, I'm not sure if it makes sense to do it anyway. However, I can see that what is required of a level 3 beginner would be different than a level 8, time/money wise.

 

It will really depend on the gym. I can promise you that it will get more expensive though so if you are looking at scraping pennies to get her through level three, you might consider something else for now. My DD is only a level 5 so our cost hasn't gone up dramatically since 3, but as soon as you hit optionals it sky rockets in cost of meet fees and travel.

[Tess in the Burbs]

However, it is very expensive and very time-consuming. She is in the gym at least 12 hours per week, then meets on weekends. Not only do you have to pay monthly gymnastics tuition, but also meet fees, travel costs, and leotards/warm-ups.

 

My dd just joined and is doing level 4 this year. It is a lot of time on her part but a lot of money and time on our part as well. We have Bingo fundraising every 3 weeks. It's a Sat night and runs well past our normal bedtime. Dh is doing it for now. The monthly cost is a small car payment. We haven't bought the leo's/warmups yet but I was told $4-500 for new but I might be able to get the leo used for half it's price. Then on the meets we host we have to volunteer. So daily shifts for days when we host. They had 4 meets hosted last year. I haven't had to do it yet so I can't comment yet about it. But obviously I will be at the gym more than she will be for the meet when we host :glare:

 

However, my dd loves it. She started last Nov and took off. She is constantly doing stuff in the house. I gave up telling her to stop. She's there 12 hours a week and begs for more. So we are giving it a try. She's aware of the cost and time commitment from her parents. And we have the understanding that the moment she starts to dread it she can quit.

 

But right now she's dreaming of future gold :D:tongue_smilie::lol:

[momtotkbb]

Could those of you with kids higher up in levels (6, 8?) say how much this is costing, ballpark for a year?

 

I don't think we could handle more than what her coach said the other day. But if there is going to be even more jumps in cost, I'm not sure if it makes sense to do it anyway. However, I can see that what is required of a level 3 beginner would be different than a level 8, time/money wise.

 

 

I think our fees are fairly reasonable and on the less expensive side and of course things will depend upon area of country too.

 

Monthly tuition: $195

Yearly Booster Club fees: $345 (this pays for coaches fees for meets, two team parties per year)

Comp. leos, warm-ups, flip-flops, bags: anywhere from $400-600 every two years

Team shirts a couple times a year: generally around $12-15/shirt

Meet entry fees: we compete in generally at least 8 meets a year not including state, regionals, nationals -- meet fees are generally $65-150 per meet depending upon meet and level of gymnast

Travel expenses - I have no idea what we spend -- for ones that are only a couple hours probably $100-125 for the day depending upon door entry for parent, gas, meals out and doesn't include if gymnast wants a meet t-shirt, photos, etc. For some of our travel meets w/ our whole family going we've easily spent a couple thousand for a 2-3 day weekend by the time you pay gas, hotel, meals, etc.

Our gym does lil sis/big sis program so you spend I'd say at least $100 a year on that -- they are little cards, small gifts for each meet then a bigger gift for Christmas and end of year

Music and choreography for levels 7 and up - generally $100 or so

We do fund-raising which can offset some of the meet fees - but generally each BC member only gets a couple hundred a year in their account from fund-raising. One of our big fund-raisers is our own meet we host - but then again there is the time commitment from a parent to spend 5-70 hours there, time and expense of donating products for concessions or coaches/judges food, etc.

[JumpyTheFrog]

Why is a leotard $400-500? That is insane!

 

Do boys' uniforms cost as much? My son started gymnastics a few months ago, but less than half the gymnastics places around here offer boys' classes after age 5, let alone have a boys' team.

[jenn-]

Why is a leotard $400-500? That is insane!

 

Do boys' uniforms cost as much? My son started gymnastics a few months ago, but less than half the gymnastics places around here offer boys' classes after age 5, let alone have a boys' team.

 

That fee is normally for both the leo and the warm up suit. We are always jealous of our boys' team uniform cost. They usually let them wear a black warm up suit available just about anywhere. Their other required uniform parts for the older boys run about $100.

[plansrme]

Why is a leotard $400-500? That is insane!

 

Do boys' uniforms cost as much? My son started gymnastics a few months ago, but less than half the gymnastics places around here offer boys' classes after age 5, let alone have a boys' team.

 

That is the custom leo, custom warm-up suit (that can be seen from space), shoes, and a bag to haul their stuff around the competition floor. Yeah, insane.

 

Terri

[Pamela H in Texas]

My son started gymnastics a few months ago, but less than half the gymnastics places around here offer boys' classes after age 5, let alone have a boys' team.

 

Weird. All the gyms here offer boys though there doesn't seem to be as many boys past the first couple levels. My little two are in Level 1 (my youngest is still the age for preschool, but in order to have all three of my kids take at the same time, they allowed him to try the level 1 class and he's done fine. In fact, it is a very young level 1 class anyway so though he's the youngest, it is only by about 6 months.). I can *see* my little one's muscles defining in his arms. Never did I expect that so soon (the boys started the last week in May). The control both boys show easing up to a headstand, for example, is also amazing. And I gasp seeing my little guy swinging on the rings, hanging upside down, dropping to the mat! He's so tiny! Anyway, my 5yo only has 3 more weeks as swimming is his sport of choice. I wish I didn't have to make them choose, but we just can't do multiple sports year round.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I appreciate y'all breaking down the costs. That gives me a list to talk to the coach about. She told me the monthly tuition, meet fees, and leo/warmup/bag cost. I guess I just figured meets were close by until higher levels and state meets and such.

 

I also didn't have a clue about booster clubs, fundraisers, etc. And we do many things in life differently due to our faith so some of those things also may be considerations based on your posts.

[jenn-]

I appreciate y'all breaking down the costs. That gives me a list to talk to the coach about. She told me the monthly tuition, meet fees, and leo/warmup/bag cost. I guess I just figured meets were close by until higher levels and state meets and such.

 

I also didn't have a clue about booster clubs, fundraisers, etc. And we do many things in life differently due to our faith so some of those things also may be considerations based on your posts.

 

Our level 2s and 3s mainly stay really local. I think the 3s go to a meet about 2 hours away but the 2s don't level the immediate area (luckily we are the host city for state this year). The 4-6 levels travel as far at 3-4 hours away for meets at times. 7 and up are lucky to have 2 meets in the state at all and one of those would be their state comp. They travel to Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi (we are in AL) for their other meets. Meets usually fall on a Friday (can be anytime as well), Saturday, or Sunday and you may not know which of those days your child will be on until the week before.

 

All of this may change if you live in a large metropolitan area with many local gyms to compete against. Here there are 4 localish gyms with 2 being tiny squads compared to the others (we are a large one). Competitions would be boring if those were the only places we went.

[Holly]

My DD has been in gymnastics for 4 years. She's been on two teams (we moved). We are very fortunate to be in an inexpensive program right now...it's $75 a month, plus meet fees ($25-50 for each meet they compete in), and $30 for her uniform! We were spending way more than that at our last gym...I think it came out to $1400 for the year (plus gas, meals on-the-go, hotel rooms, meet fees, etc.).

 

Time-wise, she's in practice for 6 hours/week (some gyms want you there for 12hrs). We have virtually no drive time now, but we used to spend 5 hours a week driving! If you are traveling very far, it also costs for gas and food out which can add quite a bit to the cost. Meets are take a lot of time. Some involve overnight hotel stays. Fortunately ours have all been within 1.5 hours, but when we were in NE, we'd drive up to 6 hours for meets (each way).

 

She loves going to practice (and meets) and has a great time with her friends. We've always had excellent coaches and the girls on her team are very sweet. I am secretly hoping my other DC don't want to join a team...I'm not sure we can handle 4 kids competing at once! Right now the middle two take lessons once a week.

[SweetandSimple]

I feel confused when people mention that more advanced gymnasts can't continue to take classes without competing.

 

Do any advanced kids ever keep taking classes without joining a team?

 

My DD adores gymnastics, but I can't imagine that we will ever have the money or time for her to be on a competition team.

 

Our local gym is a big one and offers regular "non-competing classes" up to level 7.

 

Wouldn't classes for levels 1-7 provide us with many, many years of gymnastics opportunities, even without competing?

[Mommy22alyns]

Tuition is $185/month. It goes up to about $215 for higher levels, not too bad. Rebecca's in the gym 9 hours a week right now, it was 12 over the summer.

Leo/warmups, about $300 or so? I blocked it out of my mind :svengo:. The leo was definitely over $100, we got a used jacket but new pants, and the bag (personalized) was $38. Shoes are just black flip-flops, whew! Booster club fees and meet fees, each $500. We'll have 5 meets plus states if she qualifies. It looks like we're staying within about a 2 hour radius this season. They're giving us Fri-Sun dates, I have no idea when precisely the meets will be, so how many hotel nights, etc. yet. Then of course food on the go, gas (we drive 40 minutes each way to the gym, 3 days a week), etc. And whatever hours and expenses associated with helping with BC fundraisers (i.e., buying a $15 car magnet...).

[itsheresomewhere]

I feel confused when people mention that more advanced gymnasts can't continue to take classes without competing.

 

Do any advanced kids ever keep taking classes without joining a team?

 

My DD adores gymnastics, but I can't imagine that we will ever have the money or time for her to be on a competition team.

 

Our local gym is a big one and offers regular "non-competing classes" up to level 7.

 

Wouldn't classes for levels 1-7 provide us with many, many years of gymnastics opportunities, even without competing?

 

It depends on the gym. Some gyms do offer rec gymnastics for the older kids without any team.

[AngieC]

My dd's falls in line with everyone elses:

Tuition $190

Leo/warmup $290

Coaches fees/registration $300

Meet fees $500

 

That doesn't include travel to/from meets or possible hotels for several of the meets depending on when dd's session falls. At our current gym, tuition goes up to $220 when you hit optionals and meet fees will raise somewhat, but not drastically. There also can be entry fees into meets at $8-10 per person per session.