Trampoline and Tumbling. Input from those with experience?

[Mabelen]

My 11 yo dd has been doing Rhythmic Gymnastics for the last 4 years. She loves it, I love it, BUT it is very time intensive. Right now she is a level 4 and training 6 hours a week. For next year, training ramps up to 9 hours a week, the year after, 12, then 16, etc.This is not sustainable for us long term. She has several other extracurriculars that she loves too and that she would have to give up. Plus it is also very, very expensive. This is the end of the road for dd.

 

We are looking into Trampoline and Tumbling as an alternative. My dd is all for it. Se did a year of recreational TnT in a local gym before she started Rhythmic Gymnastics and she would love to go back. I have read that TnT is not as time intensive as Rhythmic Gymastics nor as expensive, at least as far as training. I would love to have input from experienced moms to make sure we are on the right track. Grover dmmetler nd293 DragonFaerie Anybody else with experience?

 

My daughter likes to compete and I think I just have to come to terms with this and try to channel that desire into something that the whole family can live with, since she seems to be the only one with the competition gene.

 

Also, what about injuries? Are they common? Anything else I should be aware of?

 

Thank you so much for your input!

 

[Mabelen]

Bumping and hoping somebody will have some input. Thank you!

[maize]

My ds9 wants to do this, he is just at the beginning stages though (working on his back handspring, I saw him do one on his own for the first time this past week!) and not competing yet so I don't have much perspective to offer. We were debating between artistic gymnastics and tumbling/trampolining, he just decided last week he wants to stick with tumbling. Less time (and money) commitment are pros for him because he is not wanting just one activity to consume all his time and for me because I have multiple kids and activities to juggle :)

[JumpyTheFrog]

Tigger competes at a gym that also has a tramp and tumble team. It's a small team (only 3 competing this season) and they only practice for 4 hours per week, which is much less than artistic gymnastics. Tigger's coach mentioned the scoring is easier, too. As an outsider, it seems lower key.

[Mabelen]

It's good to know that we are on the right track as far as time and money commitment is concerned. I think I will need to research some more about the safety aspect of the sport before I even mention the possibility to my husband.

 

I am still listening if anybody has more to share.

[kiwik]

Is there not an option where you can do a more reasonable number of hours a week.

[Mabelen]

Is there not an option where you can do a more reasonable number of hours a week.

I wish that was an option but I am afraid it is all or nothing, no middle path!

[JumpyTheFrog]

Another thing to ask is how far away the meets are. There aren't many tramp and tumble teams, so you if your child competes, you may ending up driving much more than for artistic gymnastics meets.

[Dmmetler]

My DD does T&T, but at a rec level only (She also cheers on a competitive rec team).  She practices 2 hours a week, of which over half is conditioning. One thing about T&T, at our gym, anyway, is that there are only three class levels-beginning goes up through working back and front handsprings on the floor independently, and working tucks on the trampoline. DD has had her tuck on the tramp for awhile, and has her front handspring on the tumble track, but doesn't have the back or front handspring on the floor yet.

 

At least at our gym, there's a big difference in age between T&T and artistic gymnastics. In general, if you haven't moved from rec to team by age 10 in artistic, you're going to find yourself feeling very uncomfortable. Rec only goes to level 3, and most artistic gymnasts are level 3 by age 6 and 7. Because so many girls do T&T training as an adjunct to dance or cheer, a beginning class might have 2-3 6-7 yr olds, but also several 12-14 yr olds. And it may have a mix of boys and girls, while artistic training diverges by age 5.

 

In DD's case, she is hypotonic and hypersensory, and the tumbling work has helped her SO much in those areas. In many respects, it's helped her more than OT did.  The fact that she's been able to take a long time to get through the beginning skills in T&T at her own pace, without feeling embarrassed by being the oldest in the class as was happening in artistic as early as age 7 really has been wonderful for her.

 

 

 

 

[Mom22ns]

In the world of gymnastics, 4 and 9 hours a week is very low. In artistic, level 4 for my dd was 9 hours, and by the time she was 11, she was doing 20 hours/week. She switched last year to Acro and now trains 9-12 hours at the same level she trained 20 hours in artistic. I don't have experience with TnT other than that we watched some of the TnT competition at Nationals last year. It did seem like a far more relaxed environment that Artistic gymnastics. If your dd likes it and the training schedule is a better fit for your family - go for it!

[Aurelia]

DD has done TnT for 4 years now, 3 of them competitively. The national team at her gym trains 6 hours a week, and that's really plenty for most of them. There are only 3 events so each gets practiced thoroughly in the 2 hour blocks the competitive teams train in. (3 competitive teams - National 6 hrs/wk, State 4 hrs/wk, Junior 2 hrs/wk.) Rec classes are 1 hour. The competitions are pretty low key, probably since there are fewer athletes than at artistic or rhythmic gymnastics meets, at least until you get to JO or Nationals, anyway. 

 

Compared to the "gymnastics" gyms, the rate at DD's TnT gym is lower per hour, plus they don't need to train as many hours a week. 

 

Injuries are pretty uncommon. As far as I know, my DD is the only one who has been injured (other than minor bruises or scrapes) since they built the gym. It was just an accident (she's all better, and back to competing - about to move up a level on trampoline. :001_smile:)

[Mabelen]

Another thing to ask is how far away the meets are. There aren't many tramp and tumble teams, so you if your child competes, you may ending up driving much more than for artistic gymnastics meets.

Good point about the meets. I think there may be two other teams in town. I haven't checked surrounding cities/counties. I will have to look into that too.

[Mabelen]

My DD does T&T, but at a rec level only (She also cheers on a competitive rec team).  She practices 2 hours a week, of which over half is conditioning. One thing about T&T, at our gym, anyway, is that there are only three class levels-beginning goes up through working back and front handsprings on the floor independently, and working tucks on the trampoline. DD has had her tuck on the tramp for awhile, and has her front handspring on the tumble track, but doesn't have the back or front handspring on the floor yet.

 

At least at our gym, there's a big difference in age between T&T and artistic gymnastics. In general, if you haven't moved from rec to team by age 10 in artistic, you're going to find yourself feeling very uncomfortable. Rec only goes to level 3, and most artistic gymnasts are level 3 by age 6 and 7. Because so many girls do T&T training as an adjunct to dance or cheer, a beginning class might have 2-3 6-7 yr olds, but also several 12-14 yr olds. And it may have a mix of boys and girls, while artistic training diverges by age 5.

 

In DD's case, she is hypotonic and hypersensory, and the tumbling work has helped her SO much in those areas. In many respects, it's helped her more than OT did.  The fact that she's been able to take a long time to get through the beginning skills in T&T at her own pace, without feeling embarrassed by being the oldest in the class as was happening in artistic as early as age 7 really has been wonderful for her.

 

Yes, about the age thing, it is true of rhythmic gymnastics to some extent too. My daughter is in the oldest age group in her level in her gym. At competitions there is only one older age group that competes at her current level. She doesn't seem to mind though.

 

 

 

[Mabelen]

In the world of gymnastics, 4 and 9 hours a week is very low. In artistic, level 4 for my dd was 9 hours, and by the time she was 11, she was doing 20 hours/week. She switched last year to Acro and now trains 9-12 hours at the same level she trained 20 hours in artistic. I don't have experience with TnT other than that we watched some of the TnT competition at Nationals last year. It did seem like a far more relaxed environment that Artistic gymnastics. If your dd likes it and the training schedule is a better fit for your family - go for it!

 

I can see that rhythmic gymnastics has almost the crazy level of intensity as artistic gymnastics. It looks like TnT is indeed far more relaxed.

 

[Mabelen]

DD has done TnT for 4 years now, 3 of them competitively. The national team at her gym trains 6 hours a week, and that's really plenty for most of them. There are only 3 events so each gets practiced thoroughly in the 2 hour blocks the competitive teams train in. (3 competitive teams - National 6 hrs/wk, State 4 hrs/wk, Junior 2 hrs/wk.) Rec classes are 1 hour. The competitions are pretty low key, probably since there are fewer athletes than at artistic or rhythmic gymnastics meets, at least until you get to JO or Nationals, anyway. 

 

Compared to the "gymnastics" gyms, the rate at DD's TnT gym is lower per hour, plus they don't need to train as many hours a week. 

 

Injuries are pretty uncommon. As far as I know, my DD is the only one who has been injured (other than minor bruises or scrapes) since they built the gym. It was just an accident (she's all better, and back to competing - about to move up a level on trampoline. :001_smile:)

 

Thank you so much for sharing your daughter's experience. That is the kind of scheduling we could easily live with. She is finishing her rhythmic gymnastics training soon and we will explore the TnT gym further. She really likes competing so I hope it does work out for her. I am glad to hear your daughter has recovered from her accident and also that injuries are not too common.