Beginning gymnastics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good idea to check here. 10 is absolutely fine to start. And, no, you do not have to have Olympic plans.

I would also suggest looking to see if any high schools in your area offer gymnastics as a sport. You can do that by checking your your local high schools sport websites, and by checking your state's high school association athletic website. Gymnastics is not a sport offered at many schools. The point being though is that if there are high schools in your area with teams -- that means there are coaches for those teams and the contact info will be available either by calling the school or simply on line under the team. Those folks can be a good resource as, frankly, any athletes that you may know. The "oh look Darla from down the street was on the team last year. I will call her mom and chat."

My kid started at a local Y which had a mixed age team and a great instructor (pure luck mind you with our beginning choice). The mixed age thing was actually nice as it gave the younger kids something to work towards.

Yes -- it is a sport where kids can get hurt. They fall -- a lot. Learning to do just about anything involves lots of falling. Yes they mostly practice on a beam that is 6 inches from the ground, but the uneven bars and horse require air. Still, there is no doubt it toughens them up. And, as with many activities, they do learn things that can be used elsewhere. It is great for core strength. And, according to my daughter, middle school boys were always extremely impressed by her ability to walk on her hands from the end line to the free throw line and back (something they did all the time in practices).

Yep, 9:24 here. My daughter is only in 3rd, but she said she's the only kid in her class who can do multiple chin-ups etc. on the bars during recess--she said the boys make excuses as to why they don't do them, lol.

Yes! My DD is in MS but after years of gymnastics, she revels in recounting how she bettered the boys in PE. Sit-ups, chin-ups, etc. It's also a great start to many different sports. The balance, the concentration. At our gym, girls have moved on from gymnastics to many other sports and done very well.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I want to agree with a PP who suggested Little Gym. The program is really nice, kids all noncompetitive, teachers very positive and professional, and with all the equipment you'd expect to find in a gymnastics place. It's a mix of 3rd-6th graders in her class.

[Anonymous]

I don't have any beef with taking up gymnastics for fun, but I would avoid Dynamite like the plague. All three kids took lessons there for a couple of years and I cannot tell you how many injuries we went through because the gym was overcrowded and the instructors were not supervising and teaching adequately. Up to and including a concussion that we only found out about in hindsight as the gym itself never told us our DD had hit her head on the beam, let alone that she'd blacked out and didn't remember what happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from gymnastics. Based on personal experience it's one of the worst sports out there. It's hard on the kids body, can stunt growth, very expensive, and very time consuming. Also, it was a contributing factor to DD developing an eating disorder. My advise is to stay away from this sport and try something else. Had someone warned me early on, I would never allow my kids to do this sport. We have spent the last year getting DD healthy, and now she's moved onto other sports and much, much happier.

This. I have two friends who were competitive gymnasts- neither of then allowed their daughters to do gymnastics beyond basic classes for the under 8 crowd. One of the DDs is very into competitive dance and the other plays soccer and does swim team.

Just saying.

I did sign my DD up for gymnastics- she enjoyed it for awhile- got tired of it by 8-9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have any beef with taking up gymnastics for fun, but I would avoid Dynamite like the plague. All three kids took lessons there for a couple of years and I cannot tell you how many injuries we went through because the gym was overcrowded and the instructors were not supervising and teaching adequately. Up to and including a concussion that we only found out about in hindsight as the gym itself never told us our DD had hit her head on the beam, let alone that she'd blacked out and didn't remember what happened.

Not sure how the Dynamite gymnastics gym works, but OP's daughter might also try their agility class, which is loads of fun and has some gymnastic elements built into it. DC did it for 3 years and no, we never had a single injury.

[Anonymous]

Most gyms will have classes for your kids age. My older daughter started at 8 in a recreational class for 7-12 year olds and most of the girls were 4th-6th grade, my daughter was the youngest. As she progressed through the recreational classes even though they were all for 7-12 most of the girls were 11-12. A year later she made the Xcel team , if that’s something she’s interested in, which has a wide range of ages , at 9 she is the youngest but they considered her too old for the JO team. My 6 year old is on Pre-team for the JO team.
And I disagree with other posters discouraging gymnastics , the only thing that’s really expensive more than other sports is if you do go the JO route which at 10 isn’t likely. I found the rec classes not any more expensive than dance and the Xcel team fees are cheaper than my younger daughters Pre-team classes. Most sports are more expensive once you go beyond recreational classes. There are a wide range of body types at our gym in rec classes and on teams. I wouldn’t say anyone looks skinny , all the girls are very muscular .

[Anonymous]

At 10 - have you thought about cheerleading instead? Seems like a better place to start at 10 as a newbie. She could take tumbling classes. My kids took gymnastics and were good at the floor stuff, never much liked the bars or beams, so we drifted to cheer (cheer as a sport not rah rah stuff).

[Anonymous]

My nearly-9 year old has been doing gymnastics for 2 years - she loves it, but we are strictly staying with rec classes once a week and never moving to pre-team or team anything. I don't want to go near the whole competitive gymnastics culture. I figure eventually I will try to move her towards something that's easier to do into adulthood, like circus arts (silks, trapeze).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stay away from gymnastics. Based on personal experience it's one of the worst sports out there. It's hard on the kids body, can stunt growth, very expensive, and very time consuming. Also, it was a contributing factor to DD developing an eating disorder. My advise is to stay away from this sport and try something else. Had someone warned me early on, I would never allow my kids to do this sport. We have spent the last year getting DD healthy, and now she's moved onto other sports and much, much happier.

This. I have two friends who were competitive gymnasts- neither of then allowed their daughters to do gymnastics beyond basic classes for the under 8 crowd. One of the DDs is very into competitive dance and the other plays soccer and does swim team.

Just saying.

I did sign my DD up for gymnastics- she enjoyed it for awhile- got tired of it by 8-9.

Competitive dance has the same issues with eating disorders.

[Anonymous]

I will say that competitive gymanstics -- even low level -- is a sport that can take an athletic toll. My daughter never was seriously injured, but she sure was bruised up from falls. In a good setting though it was part of the atmosphere between the kids. There was, very much, the mind set that you can't get good at a particular skill until you wipe out 10 times trying.

I am thankful that she never seriously injured anything, but also that it toughened her up. Knocking around a soccer field was never much of a problem in comparison. My kid decided on soccer over gymnastics at 13, but enjoyed the sport and the training, and took away some good things.

[Anonymous]

Op, roughly where are you? In NOVa, I’ve heard good things about Barcroft rec center. We’ve done Dynamic gymnastics in Baileys Crossroads for years with my now 12 year old, but it is definitely rev level and only once a week. I can’t recommend it though, it is mad house crowded and stinky in there. Just wins based on location and demand for Arlington kids wanting gymnastics.

If further out near Fairfax, I’ve heard that gymini (sp?) is good. Also the ymca and the ffx county rec centers have some classes.