Anyone have experience with...
Find a Conversation
Anyone have experience with...
| Fri, 08-03-2007 - 2:06pm |
competitive gymnastics? When I went to "demo day" at Megan's gymnastics camp the head coach pulled me aside and invited her to be on the "pre-team". She's 7. It was totally unexpected! She LOVES gymnastics and does more cartwheels than walking I think. Is there anything I should know when considering going down this road? There would be travel involved later on. I'll deal with that when the time comes.
Just looking for advice from those who've BTDT...
Thanks!

Pages
My DD just did tumbling for a few years
This is still only pre-team though. I would let her go, see if she continues to enjoy it and revisit the decision if it ever gets to the team point. A year might go by and she decides she wants to do something else. My DD knew she wanted to compete from the time she was a 5 year old starting gymnastics and realized that she could do gym AND win awards. She was barely 8 when she was put into Level 4. If I knew then what I know now, I would have try to hold her off a little. In only 3 years, she burned out. I don't know if it was from starting so young, or her interest just waned.
I wouldn't doubt that there are body issues as they get older. I think a lot of those issues stem from the coach, rather than the athlete themselves. Kayti has never had a body issue problem. Injuries are another story though. She has had pretty normal aches and pains until she was learning her ROBHSBT (roundoff backhandspring back tuck) on the tumble trak. She opened too soon on her tuck and landed on her neck. It scared her so much that it was pretty much the beginning of the end at that point. She had done it correctly many times before, but for some reason, she wasn't completely focused (big no no in gymnastics!) and that was all she wrote! Almost all gymnasts have some sort of injury over the years. Mostly they are just minor aches and pains...but there is always that chance. Just like in any sport, of course.
If she is only going for preteam right now, give it a whirl. She might decide it isn't for her and that all these thoughts and concerns are moot...
That also puts you in the position to check out how the team is run and how the coaches are with her. Not every coach/gym is a good fit for each girl.
Best of luck! It isn't easy, that's for sure.
Renee'
Renee'
Mom to Kayti and Keeli and furbabies Meggie, Lucie and Pixie
Pages