Competitive Gymnastic Mom's... Can we talk?

[michaeljenn]

This is my daughter's 2nd year to compete... She is a level 4 this year.  She had a GREAT year last year, and the coaching was great.. this year, eh.. not so much.  I just went and watched a few hours of her practice, and the girls were working on bars, and there was not a coach at the bars helping them.  They were literally on the bars alone.  Is this normal?  I am feeling a bit frustrated, because it just seems to me that someone should always be right there COACHING them.   My dd does very well at meets, but I just feel like she needs a bit more pushing, you know?  

 

Soo.. please tell me how your gym handles practices... I soo feel like my sweet girl is on her own a lot this year.  She still score over a 37 on her first meet, but she can do so much better if someone would just critique her a little bit.  Me and several other moms are noticing the lack of coaching lately, and just don't know how to handle it:(  

[Mom22ns]

Hmm, I guess it depends on how long they were alone. It is normal at our gym for the girls to be working at stations. So if the level 4 team is on bars, there may be 4 or 5 bar stations, 1 working mounts, 1 dismounts, one full routines, one on a floor bar or low bar, one jumping to pit bar or whatever... level 4 was a really long time ago :). Anyway, the coach would be at one station and looking around and keeping an eye on the others and correcting/helping/encouraging/redirecting as necessary. Every few minutes, the girls switch stations, so all the girls rotate through the coaches station, but keep working constantly rather than standing in line waiting for a turn. It isn't unusual for a coach to leave the floor for a few minutes, but to spend the entire time at an apparatus without a coach? Never in 11 years and 2 gyms have I seen that happen. 

[michaeljenn]

Well... I watched them at the bars for 15 minutes, and there was not a coach there:(  I then had to run some quick errands.   Very frustrating.  One coach was at Vault, another was going between floor and beam.  But the head coach who trains bars was at the front on the computer.  Hmmmmmmmmm  

[Mom22ns]

Well... I watched them at the bars for 15 minutes, and there was not a coach there:(  I then had to run some quick errands.   Very frustrating.  One coach was at Vault, another was going between floor and beam.  But the head coach who trains bars was at the front on the computer.  Hmmmmmmmmm  

 

I would hope that some sort of situation had arisen that she needed to take care of and that it is not a regular situation, but I would probably do a bit more dropping in to find out :). 

[my3daughters]

It depends on the night how much direct coaching happens.  I always expect the coach to be out on the floor with the level they are coaching.  By level 3 I am ok with the coach coming and going from the floor if they NEED to (grab a drink, run the the restroom quick etc.) but it should be short and typically I feel they need to alert another coach that they are leaving the floor or make sure the girls are set up doing something relatively safe (but then again my daughter broke her arm on the high bar so I might be more paranoid). Often our gym has stations set up as well.  The coach is typically directly working hands on at one of the stations while coaching from a distance for the other stations (all within the same event).  Every coaches ability to do this varies though.  I would certainly keep an eye on things and bring up this concern if it continues.  

[ElizabethB]

We have stations at bars at our gym, but the coaches are always at at least one station, and are always at a station that involves a high bar. Also, for level 5 and up, there are a few dangerous low bar skills that the coaches spot at first and then stand there for ready to help if a mistake happens. The level 4 low bar skills are safe. I would watch the next entire practice and ask a coach or owner about their safety practices if no one is overseeing bars for longer than a minute or two to get a water or bathroom break.

 

If all they are working is safe, I would still expect some form reminders occasionally, there should be some level of coaching going on.

[ByGrace3]

The girls work stations, but a coach is always close by...with the exception of if a girl or two are sent o work on something other than what the group is working... My dd's group may all be working bars but they have about 6 sets of uneven bars so the coach isn't at all of them. Some working alone is ok, but I do think the girls are there to be "coached" and the coaches need to be engaged. Ours are very mindful and always present with some part of the team. I think it also depends on what they are doing. When my dd was a 4, a coach was always there to spot a squat on to the high bar...now they don't really miss that so you often see girls in her team (excel--this group has scored out of 5 but is not ready for 6) doing their routines alone except I think there is always a spot for the flyaway. Basically, old hat skills or low risk skills are worked alone, but new or more risky have a spot.

[Mommy22alyns]

I would hang around and watch a few more practices.  We do stations as well, and the optional girls are more independent.  I rarely watch practice, but when I have seen it, the girls tend to work new things with direct intervention and practice skills on their own.  So say my DD has her BWO on beam, she would be doing it alone, while the girls that don't have it would be with a coach on low beam.

[Heather in VA]

I would agree with mommy2alyns.  Stop by and watch more to see if the lack of coach is typical or if it was something unusual. As they get higher in the levels they will have more independent work with stations but there should always be a coach watching even if they are working on another station with another gymnast. Level 4s and 5s tend to be too young to do much without constant and direct supervision. They just don't have the attention span or gymnastics awareness to know what they are doing and whether or not they are doing it right. My daughter is a level 9 and she does do things seemingly on her own but her coaches are never far away and are always watching. We often joke that they have more eyes in the back of their heads than moms do :-). I would also pay very close attention to what they are doing without their coach because I would be concerned about injury. For example, our girls never work on their bar releases unless the coach is right there but they work on pirouettes, giants, etc while their coach is on another set of bars.