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Pamela H in Texas
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My dd6 has just been moved up to pre-team.  How long does it take them to adjust to the longer hours?  She has only been to three practices with the team so far, and absolutely loves it--but afterward she just loses it.  The last two times she got home, ate an enormous dinner, and then broke down sobbing from exhaustion.  It was hard to get her to calm down enough to fall asleep.  Friday night was rough, and then at about 4 in the afternoon on Saturday it happened again, just sobbing that she was soo tired, but I couldn't get her to sleep until 7.  It just makes it harder that the practices keep her up later than she is used to.  She is doing two practices a week from 4:30 to 7:30, and her previous bedtime was 7 to 7:30.  She's also touchy and irritable with her siblings.  I'm worried that this is too much for her. 

 

It's a tough transition. A group of girls were just moved to DD's group, with a big increase in practice time. Two were crying as they were leaving the gym :( DD still has nights where she will come home and break down over things that would normally not effect her.

 

What's worked for us is encouraging our DD to sleep in, getting to bed earlier on non-practice days, and making sure that she goes right from practice to sleep at night. We have a 30 minute drive from our gym, so she'll listen to an audiobook and get mentally ready for sleep. I also have her dinner at that time, if she's not eaten it before practice. 

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DS8 has finished his first few meets. He's competing Level 5 for the first time. His previous coach was skeptical that he'd be ready to move up, but at his last meet (which was at a university and "a big deal" as he says) he scored over 62! He's really worked hard this season, in terms of time, physical effort, but especially mentally. He's finally stopped equating bigger = better,and has focused on perfecting the tiny parts of his routines that have lost points. 

 

DD7 is preparing to join the Level 3 girls in a few months. 

 

And DD5, my little Aspie, works out with the Level 1s. It's hilarious and heartbreaking, but it's been therapeutic for him. He benefits so much from sharing a coach with his big brother.

 

My fear is that one of the younger two will want to do this sport too. Money is a finite resource, and this is a huge budget item! They'll have to be sprinters, I think :)

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DS8 has finished his first few meets. He's competing Level 5 for the first time. His previous coach was skeptical that he'd be ready to move up, but at his last meet (which was at a university and "a big deal" as he says) he scored over 62! 

 

A 62 is a great score! Tiger's first year as a level 5 was in the 48-53 range. He's up to a 57.6. I hope he can get over a 58 at his next meet this month. That would probably be high enough for him to qualify for regionals.

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I wonder how the time increase will impact my kids. Ds10 and dd8 are both on pre team right now, at our gym that is 3 hours a week. Ds10 at least is likely moving to team this summer, that will be 8 hours. It's a big jump. Of course the kids competing higher levels are putting in a lot more than that.

Edited by maize
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  • 1 month later...

Hi ladies,

 

I'm not a gym mom, but could use some advice and info. My DS6 is in a boys 1/2 class 1 hr/wk. He turns 7 next month and they've asked him to join the boys team level 4. This would be 4.5 hrs total over 2 days/wk. Aside from the big bump in cost and time, what should I know in making this decision? This news is pretty much the only feedback I've gotten this since August (I'm sure he' getting feedback from coach, but I'm not getting it). Things I'm thinking about and don't know are: what other costs are involved (clothing/equipment/competitions) and what is expected at home/outside of class? Plus things I'm sure I don't even know to wonder about.

 

He is very into it right now, a pretty behaved, mature kid for his age and I think he has gotten confidence from his increase in strength and ability this year. Since his parents are both, to put it bluntly, fat, I really want to encourage physical activity, too. I also think it would be neat to be able to do like a back handspring or something. Already he can do a cartwheel and an almost pullup, which are things neither of his parents were ever able to do. I don't think there is much room for advancement without making this commitment, or am I wrong?

 

On the other hand, genetically he is not particularly coordinated or innately talented and he is likely to be very tall - his dad is 6'4" and I'm 5'8", so it's not like he'll ever be awesome. And I like the idea of doing multiple activities 1 day a week more than focusing on one at age 6/7. 

 

Thanks for any insight and/or feedback.

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DS11 joined the level 4 team at age 8, and he is level 6 now. You'll have to ask your gym about uniform and meet costs. At level four, our gym was still pretty casual, with just a few local meets and a simple uniform of any black shorts paired with a black tank top. At level five, the boys got full uniforms (which are pricey) and started traveling to meets around the state. Each gym will make different choices about this. The competition season runs from around November to the end of March or early April, but the boys practice year round.

 

Gymnastics is a great sport that develops discipline and physical agility. It can end up being very expensive, though. When we have to travel to meets, there is often a hotel stay involved. And it does start to eat up your time when they advance through the levels. DS now trains three days a week for a total of 10 hours; the older boys at his gym are there four days a week, up to four hours at a time.

 

Many boys start out at the lower levels and end up dropping out along the way as the time commitments and financial costs increase. If your son is interested in other sports, practice schedules can sometimes conflict.

 

There are pros and cons. If you don't want to commit to the team this year, talk to the coach and see if it would be okay for your son to stay at the lower level for another year. The lower level may end up being too easy for him, but the coach should be able to guide you. If your son is interested in gymnastics, he may be ready for more.

 

I know committing to multiple days a week with one activity can be a hard call. Since the meet season does not start until late fall, maybe you can try the team experience over the summer and see what it is like before you have to buy a uniform or pay meet fees.

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Hi ladies,

 

I'm not a gym mom, but could use some advice and info. My DS6 is in a boys 1/2 class 1 hr/wk. He turns 7 next month and they've asked him to join the boys team level 4. This would be 4.5 hrs total over 2 days/wk. Aside from the big bump in cost and time, what should I know in making this decision? This news is pretty much the only feedback I've gotten this since August (I'm sure he' getting feedback from coach, but I'm not getting it). Things I'm thinking about and don't know are: what other costs are involved (clothing/equipment/competitions) and what is expected at home/outside of class? Plus things I'm sure I don't even know to wonder about.

 

He is very into it right now, a pretty behaved, mature kid for his age and I think he has gotten confidence from his increase in strength and ability this year. Since his parents are both, to put it bluntly, fat, I really want to encourage physical activity, too. I also think it would be neat to be able to do like a back handspring or something. Already he can do a cartwheel and an almost pullup, which are things neither of his parents were ever able to do. I don't think there is much room for advancement without making this commitment, or am I wrong?

 

On the other hand, genetically he is not particularly coordinated or innately talented and he is likely to be very tall - his dad is 6'4" and I'm 5'8", so it's not like he'll ever be awesome. And I like the idea of doing multiple activities 1 day a week more than focusing on one at age 6/7. 

 

Thanks for any insight and/or feedback.

 

Gyms vary wildly, but I can give you our experience.

 

Our boys competed in 5 meets, including State, in Level 4. Their team fee was right around $1000, plus uniform (longs, shorts, and jersey were required - around $150, unless we found them used). We had to cover travel expenses, which often included hotel stays.

 

We've enjoyed that our son has a sport with the same teammates and coaches, lasting now for two competition seasons. DS gets a lot of his need to be with people and make friends with boys his age met by doing gymnastics. He's gotten crazy strong and flexible, but he tends to be athletic anyway.

 

Level 4 is a great beginner step in competitive gymnastics. It gives you a taste to see if that's the world for you kiddo.

 

Your gym might offer advanced rec classes for your son, though. Ours does, and it's not very large. Gyms have an economic incentive to grow their teams, but being on a team shouldn't be your son's only option.

 

Some cons you may not have considered:

- there's no off-season; at our gym we signed a contract saying DS would attend some minimum number of practices (80 percent?)

- it is a sport of individual accomplishments; if your DS would feel discouraged or unmotivated by **not** winning medals or ribbons, and you think he may not be competitive, it might not be the sport for him. My DS would not enjoy gymnastics if he weren't an achiever. The scores are posted, boys stand on the podium to accept awards...it's very public who wins and who loses. 

- the gym schedule hugely disrupts our evening life, as DS and our other gymnasts aren't at home for 3 dinners a week

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Tigger did level 4 at age 7, and level 5 at ages 8 and 9. He'll move up to level 6 next month.

 

We've been at two different gyms. At each gym, the boys were in 5-6 meets per season (November - March). Each meet costs about $200 in entrance fee/reimbursing the coaches for travel expenses. In our state, we have to travel 2.5-3 hours for all but one meet, so we end up staying at a hotel about half the time. (Early afternoon meets allow for a day trip, whereas morning ones don't.) Uniforms and associated gear are another $150-300, but can sometimes be used for more than one season.

 

Tigger joined the team at the first gym a few months after turning seven. We only tried it because the coach said that competing was optional. (This is probably unusual at gyms.) Three weeks before the first meet he decided he wanted to compete and we've spent the last three years carting him around. Although I drive 40 minutes to the gym three days a week (husband does the other day) for him, it's been about the best thing we could do for him. Not every kid needs this much exercise and discipline, but he does.

 

Gymnastics is probably the best sport for kids to improve their strength. It also teaches discipline because the judges are so unbelievably picky when giving scores. Tigger is one of those kids who has one speed: Fast Forward. His tendency is to rush through life and be sloppy. Gymnastics requires him to slow down and pay attention. His coaches spent the first two seasons telling him to stop rushing on his tumbling. Now he's finally slowing down and working carefully much more often.

 

Seeing the same boys for so many hours per week has been important in him making friends. They have lots of time to talk in line. Playing soccer and other activities that meet for just an hour or two per week hasn't led to any friendships.

 

 

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Who can tell me about Excel?

 

Dd8 has been invited to be on the Excel team at our gym, I dont know much about the program. Does anyone want to share experiences?

 

She has not competed before. Looking at last year's schedule it seems the Excel team had six meets. I've been told that practice is six hours per week.

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Who can tell me about Excel?

 

Dd8 has been invited to be on the Excel team at our gym, I dont know much about the program. Does anyone want to share experiences?

 

She has not competed before. Looking at last year's schedule it seems the Excel team had six meets. I've been told that practice is six hours per week.

Boys don't have Xcel, so I have limited knowledge. Girls can compete USAG JO or Xcel. USAG JO levels are numbers while Xcel levels are named after precious metals and gems. My understanding is that Xcel isn't typically as competitive as USAG and that the girls are given more leeway in making their own routines at a lower level than USAG.

 

I believe some gyms offer both programs for girls. My son's previous gym switched a few years ago from USAG for girls to Xcel. The girls could continue to use their USAG routines at Xcel meets, but it doesn't always work the other way around.

 

I hope someone with a daughter can chime in with more details.

Edited by HoppyTheToad
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I know our gym does both JO and Excel, I get the impression that girls who start when they are tiny go straight into the lower levels of JO, those who start a little later like mine go into Excel but presumably could move into JO at some point.

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Excel at our gym attracts girls who may have started late (so who would be 10 or 11 as a level 2, for example), or girls who want to compete in a relaxed environment. Our girls compete in fewer meets (especially at the higher levels, where the JO team competes in many more meets), and they practice about half as much.

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  • 1 month later...

We're not sure what DD's gymnastics future is, Xcel (or its Texas version, TAAF) is on the table. She's on the preteam and doing great, but we're not sure the hours require in the future will be workable for us. To make the comparison to high school sports, Xcel is kind of like a club team, where JO is varsity. Xcel still gets to compete, but the commitment and expectations are less than JO. Like at DD's gym, she would be expected to train 16 hours a week by age 9 (and up from there to eventually 28 hours.) Where as the Xcel programs we're looking at usually max out at 9-12 hours a week. 

 

So they usually attract:

~late starters

~kids who love gymnastics but may not be cut out for JO

~kids who also like other sports and don't want to be all gymnastics all the time

~families who can't or won't do the time or money commitment for JO

~kids who are in JO and get a "block" on a skill they can't get past, or who find it to high pressure sometimes switch to Xcel.

~kids who, for whatever reason don't fit the "type" the gym takes for JO. Some gyms are really picky.

~And some gyms ONLY do Xcel and don't have a JO team at all. 

 

 

DD got her press handstand Saturday! She was very excited. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

The karate thread about increased costs got me thinking....

 

How much is too much for gym? I'm panicking because in the fall our gym is raising the price for the optional team to $320 a month. That's a crapload of money, as far as I'm concerned. DD loves gym, though, and I don't want her to have to give it up. (I'm totally side-hustling this summer to see if I can off-set some of the costs.) I just don't know how long we can reasonably keep this up.

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The karate thread about increased costs got me thinking....

 

How much is too much for gym? I'm panicking because in the fall our gym is raising the price for the optional team to $320 a month. That's a crapload of money, as far as I'm concerned. DD loves gym, though, and I don't want her to have to give it up. (I'm totally side-hustling this summer to see if I can off-set some of the costs.) I just don't know how long we can reasonably keep this up.

 

I think "How much is too much" really, really depends on your individual state of affairs. Cost will vary significantly between different states, or even different gyms, given different hours and coaching staff. 10 years ago, I was paying $350 for 12 hours of optional team in one state and moved to a state where normal compulsory kids went 16 hours, the coaches were elite-level, and optional team was $550 So I think you really have to realistically consider where gymnastics may take her. If there's a good chance at a scholarship, then maybe it's worth the extra money now. And sometimes, gyms will have a program to trade services with people who can't make the tuition. And when your dd is old enough, she can coach.

 

But if you think she will be like most kids and quit in high school, and you're struggling to pay now, then maybe quit now, or move to xcel or tnt if she really loves the sport.

 

I certainly don't mean to say that quitting is the right choice for everybody who doesn't see a ton of success, but it may be the thing you need to do if you cannot afford it.

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Our optionals pay about $400-600 a month which, from what I've seen, is on the lower end for our area. But I am also in Texas, land of gymnastics insanity. Which is another reason I am really, really glad that DD is going a less competitive route. If she were already in optionals, I'd probably try anything I could to make it work. It's so hard. People who don't know these kids can't fathom how much work they've put in to get where they are. 

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I think "How much is too much" really, really depends on your individual state of affairs. Cost will vary significantly between different states, or even different gyms, given different hours and coaching staff. 10 years ago, I was paying $350 for 12 hours of optional team in one state and moved to a state where normal compulsory kids went 16 hours, the coaches were elite-level, and optional team was $550 So I think you really have to realistically consider where gymnastics may take her. If there's a good chance at a scholarship, then maybe it's worth the extra money now. And sometimes, gyms will have a program to trade services with people who can't make the tuition. And when your dd is old enough, she can coach.

 

But if you think she will be like most kids and quit in high school, and you're struggling to pay now, then maybe quit now, or move to xcel or tnt if she really loves the sport.

 

I certainly don't mean to say that quitting is the right choice for everybody who doesn't see a ton of success, but it may be the thing you need to do if you cannot afford it.

 

OK, so it looks like our gym has a lower cost than many. I guess that makes me feel a little better, though it doesn't actually help pay the bill. My daughter almost 12, so not nearly old enough to coach to help offset, but that's good to keep in mind for future reference. I can't see her quitting unless she has an injury---which is really scary!

 

 

Our optionals pay about $400-600 a month which, from what I've seen, is on the lower end for our area. But I am also in Texas, land of gymnastics insanity. Which is another reason I am really, really glad that DD is going a less competitive route. If she were already in optionals, I'd probably try anything I could to make it work. It's so hard. People who don't know these kids can't fathom how much work they've put in to get where they are. 

 

$600 a month is a frightening prospect! It's true, people have no idea how much gymnasts put into the sport, the love and dedication. I've never seen anything like it.

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 It's true, people have no idea how much gymnasts put into the sport, the love and dedication. I've never seen anything like it.

 

To the bolded: I have seen this in other places. Kids with a passion for music who practice hours every day at home on top of private lessons and chamber group and orchestra and performances and tours. Kids with a passion for dance who are in the studio for hours on end and push their bodies to their limits. 

 

I've seen it in other arenas as well, wherever passion and opportunity coincide. It consistently awes me to see how driven a kid can be in pursuit of something they love.

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To the bolded: I have seen this in other places. Kids with a passion for music who practice hours every day at home on top of private lessons and chamber group and orchestra and performances and tours. Kids with a passion for dance who are in the studio for hours on end and push their bodies to their limits. 

 

I've seen it in other arenas as well, wherever passion and opportunity coincide. It consistently awes me to see how driven a kid can be in pursuit of something they love.

 

I've seen it (and been that person in music!) too---but with my daughter it's different in that she's hurting, literally, all the time. The way her hands are shredded, and yet she goes back for more because she wants to get it right. I do imagine it's similar for dancers because their feet and toes are wrecked and bleeding, no off-season, etc. IMO, it's just a different level of dedication because these young kids/young teens are choosing this despite the pain and no/very few breaks.

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My 9 year old dd is both a dancer and gymnast. She loves both and is doing one or the other almost all the time. She's getting ready for recital right now and will have 13 dance classes this week as well as two days of gymnastics. Do you know what she's doing right now? She dragged her mat outside and has been doing gymnastics tumbling for the past few hours. It's quite a financial struggle for us, but she puts so much time and effort into it that it's worth letting her do it.

Edited by mom2scouts
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Does anyone have experience bringing a child back into USAG after spending several years overseas competing modified FIG? DD finished her level 6 season in March and is training level 7/8 skills but there are no sanctioned USAG meets in this region. Can she petition into L8 with an FIG score or do I need to send her someplace next summer where she can, maybe, participate in another gym's mock-meet to get the mobility score for L7 on the record.

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  • 3 years later...

My gymnast retired as a L7 (the training options were horrible overseas) and decided to move to competition cheer. So far, she loves it. DD still has friends competing tho and optional season is about to begin. Most of them are L9/10 but one is now elite and working toward the 2024 games. I’m excited for them and what they will accomplish.

Edited by Sneezyone
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I've heard all-star cheer is starting to really take off in other countries. Where are you?

When this thread started DD was barely 4 and I was fretting over the high hours. What a ride it has been since then! We did switch to an Xcel gym. There were a issues with the head coach/owner, but the other two coaches were so amazing. Eventually the issues came to a head and the gym basically imploded last season. Multiple people reported the owner to USAG for multiple issues and there's an investigation. The man just went off the rails. He'd always been a bit of an ineffective, distracted blowhard, but he became bullying and dangerous - creating physically dangerous training and competition situations. 

Immediately after the season, both other coaches along with 90% of the large team moved to a new gym (which the owner raced to open in time - seeing an opportunity to open their doors with many paying customers and great coaches from day 1.) It's great there, and the team has grown quite a lot over the summer. There has been a LOT of time spent trying to fix issues on vault and bars since the girls did not get any effective coaching on those events at the old gym. Our first meet is at home in 2 months and the coaches still aren't making final level designations for a couple more weeks - trying to give the girls as much time as possible to get the skills they need. 

DD was Gold last year and is trying for Platinum. She just got her back tuck and so she only needs her clear hip. I kind of think she's going to make it. I have no idea how she'll do though. Beam and floor are looking really good. Our gym goes 7 after Platinum, so she may sit in this level for a couple years - we'll see. 

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I've been wanting to check out the Xcel program at a larger gym for my eleven year old who so far has just been doing recreational gymnastics. 

My 14 year old son is competing on a tumbling and trampoline team for the first time this year.

 

Edited by maize
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9 hours ago, Sk8ermaiden said:

I am bumping this thread back from the dead!!

Compulsory season is wrapping up in most regions and it's almost Xcel and optionals time! 

Who is still here? Who retired or graduated? Who is a new gym parent? 

What are your gymnasts up to?

That's interesting! Where are you? I'm in US Region 5 and both compulsory and optionals season is just starting! Our gym doesn't compete level 5 and dd wasn't ready to move to level 6 (our gym requires a back handspring on beam), so she's staying on level 4. Her first meet is in two weeks and our compulsory and optionals attend most of the same meets.

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I'n in TX. Just off of social groups I think the majority of states do fall compulsory, but I really don't know what the breakdown is. Having them at the same time is much easier on coaches at small programs though. It's one small part of the draw to Xcel instead of compulsory. 

We love Xcel! It's funny reading back 4 years ago in this thread and the debate about Xcel in place of compulsory. It rages on - except it looks more and more like the horse that USAG will not be able to get back in the barn...

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3 hours ago, Sk8ermaiden said:

I've heard all-star cheer is starting to really take off in other countries. Where are you?


We are back in the states now, VA. My students (I teach online) in China are very familiar with cheer tho. DD found the transition to cheer really easy and likes the team aspect of it. She’s been recruiting friends from previous duty stations to try out next year. I have a lot to learn about this sport but I’m getting there. She was only three months into the transition when CCA came to visit and said she’d make a great flyer. She’s petite and has great body awareness and keeps it tight. Once a gymmie, always a gymmie. She’s been told she might get some featured tumbling passes in next years competition routine. So far, she doesn’t want to join a club team. She’s enjoying high school too much for that, but she’s decided to do winter cheer at school so we’ll see what the summer holds.

Edited by Sneezyone
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5 hours ago, Sk8ermaiden said:

I'n in TX. Just off of social groups I think the majority of states do fall compulsory, but I really don't know what the breakdown is. Having them at the same time is much easier on coaches at small programs though. It's one small part of the draw to Xcel instead of compulsory. 

We love Xcel! It's funny reading back 4 years ago in this thread and the debate about Xcel in place of compulsory. It rages on - except it looks more and more like the horse that USAG will not be able to get back in the barn...

All of the meets we attend also have Xcel competitions, so our entire team (Xcel, compulsory, and optionals) attend most meets together. In our gym, Xcel is used for those who want lower practice hours or stress, gymnasts who start at an older age, or gymnasts who just can't seem to get all the skills for the next level. Our gym doesn't really allow gymnasts to move from Xcel to USAG levels, but I know some gyms around here use it instead of repeating levels.

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