Doing the Same Skills/Drills Over and Over?

When you are sitting in the parents area watching your child's gymnastics class, have you ever thought or said, "I wonder why they always do the same things week after week?"  Maybe you have heard others saying it and gave it some consideration as well. 

Whether in recreational gymnastics or competitive gymnastics it is vital to their future in gymnastics (no matter what that future holds for your child) to perfect the basics before moving on to a more difficult skill set.  Let's look at a forward roll as an example.  By the time your child reaches Level 3 they will have likely performed thousands of forward rolls and a child will find forward rolls a bit boring.  When you reach Level 3 though, the first skill in their routine is a handstand-forward roll.  If your child has not perfected the forward roll, how will they fair doing a forward roll from handstand?  Then in Level 5 this forward roll becomes a dive forward roll and in Level 6 a punch front. 

So while it may seem like your child is not learning anything by doing the same skill week after week, it is building the foundation that is going to be necessary to achieve higher levels of gymnastics.  If you are concerned that your child has been doing the same skill for an extraordinary amount of time, talk to the instructor to see how close your child is from evaluation for the next level and/or what things are holding him or her back. 

Not Ready for Competitive Gymnastics

Because this is a topic that I cannot fully address in one post, I will likely be making this a series on my blog.  When I was working full-time at our local gymnastics club I heard so many different reasons that parents had for their child not to join the team, but the majority of parents said, "My child is only __ years old and two days a week for two to three hours per class is too much commitment.  My child is not ready for that." 

Let me decipher this statement for you.  "Yes, your child is __ years old.  YOU, THE PARENT are not willing to make the committment to two nights per week at two to three hours per night."  If your young gymnast was given the option to join the competitive team without any of your thoughts or inputs implanted in their mind, they would join that team almost every time.  The child does not have any problem with four to six hours each week at the gym. 

Your child is obviously a talented gymnast with a positive, go-getter attitude that the competitive coaches are looking to work with.  If your child is passionate and loves gymnastics, why not let them join the team?  My daughter, who is now a 10-year-old Level 6, started in a team class when she was six-years-old.  She was attending four hours per week in Kindergarten.  I feel that I have given her the best start that she could have by letting her work with the best coaches for the most amount of years.  

Please feel free to use my SHARE page to tell me the reasons you have given or heard either for a young child joining the team or not joining the team when they have been invited.  I am looking forward to addressing those things as well.   

So Much Drive Time

Often times when you are the parent of a competitive gymnast you feel like you spend HOURS each week in the car just running back and forth to the gym.  Well, I guess feel this way and I am sure that I can't be the ONLY one, right?!?  Please Moms don't leave me hanging here!  I spent some time reflecting today on things that I do to make the car ride into productive time - NO Ladies, I'm not talking about making phone calls while in the car, sending emails on my phone or texting!

Talking Time
While I have my daughter in the car on the way to or home from practice, I often utilize the time to talk with her.  We talk about things that are going on at school or practice.  We also talk about things that she is looking forward to - a special shopping trip, a sleepover, an upcoming competition, etc.  I also take the time to tell her about things that have been weighing on my mind - her chores aren't getting done, her grades are slipping OR her grades are GREAT, I am proud of her for this or that accomplishment, etc.  It is a perfect time to have a captive audience, these are 20-25 minutes that she can't run away from me. 

Homework Time
Obviously I am not doing homework while I am driving, but sometimes when my daughter has a lot of homework at night and she needs to utilize every spare minute.  She will take her reading or spelling words in the car with her.  Often this is the difference between her being able to stay at practice the whole night and taking her out early to complete homework. 

Quiet Time
When was the last time that you had a few minutes of quiet time without kids hollering in your ear?  When you are on the way home or back to the gym without your child, you can just enjoy the peace and quiet, listen to what you want to on the radio, and/or just enjoy some time with your thoughts. 

Brainstorm
I have had some of my very best brainstorming sessions in the car by myself.  Whatever problems are weighing on your mind, whether they be personal, professional, or family-related, you can always use some extra time for a brainstorm.  Your mind can work a mile a minute when you are in the car with nothing pressing to think or talk about. 

CAUTION
I would like to leave you with one word of caution - whichever way you choose to utilize your time in the car, please drive safely.  It is important that you, your family, and your gymnast arrive at your destination!!

To Watch Practice or Not To Watch Practice?!?

In all three aspects of my gymnastics life, this has been a lingering question regarding practices.  As a gymnast, do I want my parent's to stay and watch?  As a coach/office manager, should a parent stay to watch their child?  As a parent, do I want to stay and watch practice?  The answer:  it depends.

Parent of Recreational Toddler/Preschool Child
This would be a resounding YES from all three perspectives.  Your child wants you to be there in 99% of all cases, as it provides them with a sense of security.  From a coaches standpoint, it is helpful to have a parent present in case the child needs to use the restroom or gets a "boo-boo".  And lastly, parents, in a class that is 30 to 45 minutes, you can't realistically get much done anyway, so, stay and watch your child, converse with other parents, and have a great time. 

Parent of Recreational School Age Child
This is a grey area - your child would probably enjoy you being at their practice to watch and support them, the coach wouldn't mind if you left because typically a school-aged child will not need help from their parent during class, and you, as the parent, may or may not want to stay for the class.  In this instance, I, personally, would stay to watch my child at least every other week and if the class length is less than one hour, I would stay every week. 

Parent of a Competitive Level Child
Once a child reaches competitive level gymnastics, you are talking about a more rigorous schedule with many more days and hours in the gym.  From the three perspectives, I would say that NO you should not stay for every minute of every practice.  When I was a competitive gymnast, having my parents at practice made me nervous - I felt that I needed to be moving at every minute and that they were seeing every mistake that I made.  As a coach, it wouldn't make a difference to me if parents were present or not.  Now that I am a parent of a competitive gymnast and my daughter is at the gym three nights per week for 3-3.5 hours per night, no I do not want or need to stay.  I would, however, encourage parents to come in a couple times per month to watch at either the beginning or ending of practice for 45 minutes to an hour.  Often times your child is going to come home and have only positive things to say about practice.  They are not going to be forthcoming with information about any negative behavior, skills that they are struggling with or scared of, and/or if your child is having any issues with the coaches.  These are things that will be apparent in the time that you are there watching your child at either the beginning or ending of practice. 

At the end of the day it is not about whether or not you watch every minute of every practice or not, it is about being an advocate for your child.  You have to be the one who is in their corner NO MATTER WHAT - loving them, supporting them, and being there for them. 

Things to Remember For Your First Day of Gymnastics

Your child may be extremely excited or extremely nervous on their first day of gymnastics.  Either set of feelings is totally normal and they may fall other places within the spectrum. 

Here are a few pointers for Dad or Mom on the first day.  Fuel your child's body with good food prior to going to gymnastics class.  Make sure that they are wearing comfortable clothing free of buttons and buckles - leotards or unitards are best for girls.  Girls with long hair should have their hair pulled back in a ponytail and all jewelry should be removed (except for stud earrings).  Try to arrive for class about 5-10 minutes before it is scheduled to start - this will allow time for filling out any last minute paperwork, taking care of class payment, and getting your child settled and accustomed to the atmosphere.  It is important that your child has some basic information about the class before you arrive.  If you have received a list of gym rules before their first class, please talk about them with your child.  It will make them less anxious and help the instructor. 

The excited student will run right in when the teacher calls for their class.  The nervous student might hang back a bit and want to cling to Dad or Mom just a bit longer.  For the parent of the nervous child, remember to be patient with him or her.  Follow the lead of the instructor and/or the rules of the gym.  If you can sit with him or her while they stretch or do an opening activity, that may be all they need to become comfortable with the class. 

Choosing a Gymnastics Club

There are SO many decisions that parents have to make for the children everyday.  These choices can often be stressful because we want to do the very best to create a healthy, happy, well rounded child.  If you are already in the position to choose a gymnastics club, I am sure that you have considered things like: is this the right activity for my child, is my child excited about gymnastics, and is the cost of gymnastics reasonable for our current family situation/budget?

Step 1: Grab a Phonebook and Make Some Phone Calls
The phonebook will give you the location of the gym relative to your house.  When speaking to someone over the phone, you want to ask about the program(s) that they have for your child at the current time: duration of class, cost, instructor to child ratio, and their process for progression and evaluation.  You also want to ask what kind of programs that they offer for the future, both recreational and competitive.  At the end of the call, if you are satisfied with the program, you should ask if you can come observe a class and/or let your child try a class.

Step 2: Observe/Try a Class
The test for the gymnastics club begins before the class even starts.  When you walk in the door, you should evaluate the atmosphere.  Is the staff friendly?  Is the lobby/observation area and gym area clean?  Is there a place to watch your child?  How is the mood of the children and parent's in the observation area?

While observing the class, you want to make sure that the kids are active, not spending most of the class sitting.  Are the instructors having fun and interacting appropriately with the children?  Also, while you are observing, talk with some of the other parents and find out about their experiences with the club. 

Step 3:  Ask Additional Questions
After the gym and class meets your approval, it is time to ask a few more questions.  What is the policy for inclement weather?  Do they have gym have rules for staff, students and parents?  What forms of communication are used to notify parents of different situations (behavior, class day/time changes, advancing in level, etc)?  Are the staff/instructors required to do continuing training?  Are the staff certified in CPR/Basic First Aid?  Do they have a guarantee/refund policy? 

Step 4:  Arrive at a Decision
At this point, you should be ready to make a decision.  We all know as parents that we do not always make the perfect decision the first time, but remember two things.  Number One, you have done your due diligence in researching the gym and Number Two, no decision is ever final.  You may find out that your child doesn't really like gymnastics, the club is not the right fit for your child, or the club is not the right fit for you.  If they do not like gymnastics, it is time to move to the next activity.  If the club is not a good fit, there are other clubs out there, you can "interview" those other clubs and move on.

Remember, this decision is about YOUR child!  You must make them happy, healthy and well rounded above all else.  If it is their dreams to be the next Mary Lou Retton or Bart Conner, then it is your obligation as a parent to help them make that happen (if it is within your means to do so).  I wish you the best of luck in finding the perfect gymnastics club for your child and if you already have the perfect club, isn't it a GREAT feeling?!?

Welcome

Hello All.

I would like to welcome each of you the the Grand Opening of my blog. I started this blog for parent's (mostly mom's) of gymnasts. I got involved in the sport of gymnastics when I was in first grade (approximately 22 years ago) and I have been unable to get away from it since. I'm sure that you have seen the shirts: "Eat, Sleep, Gymnastics!" That is me, through and through. I am a gymnastics junkie. I can think about gymnastics 24/7 and never become tired of it.

I hope that you or someone in your life LOVES gymnastics that much. I am honored to have had you here today and I hope that you will come back and visit often. Feel free to share your story/stories on my SHARE page, which was designed just for YOU!!