Beginning gymnastics
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Anonymous
| My 10 year old wants to try gymnastics. She did it as a little kid and didn't like it but wants to give it another go and would need a beginning class. Anyone know a good beginning program where she won't be with a bunch of 5 year olds? |
Anonymous
| Following... |
Anonymous
| Just today I heard on the radio another conversation about how corrupted the world of gymnastics is. Please be careful. |
Anonymous
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Dynamite Gym, and I'm sure other gyms in the area, has "recreational" classes for beginners of all ages. My 14 year old son did the 10 and over classes last summer at Dynamite. He has been going for fun for a month each year, and is definitely not athletic. If your daughter wants to end up on a competitive team, just ask, they'll observe her and let you know what she needs to do to get there. And to PP, plenty of activities are corrupt and also risky for young women's health and self-esteem, but it's usually at the international/professional level, which few children attain. There are many artistic disciplines that are still rather patriarchal and misogynistic. Ballet and classical music come to mind. I know, I have a daughter in one and her friend in the other. |
Anonymous
| You could try summer camp at Xtreme Acro in Rockville. |
Anonymous
| 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. |
Anonymous
| Her kid is 10, not going for the elite route. Gymnastics is a great rec sport. |
Anonymous
Don't be ridiculous. Gym is a afterschool activity like any other, and there is extremely little chance that it will become anything else for a 10 year old beginner. All gym places here are very accepting of all body types, as their bread and butter IS after school gym classes. Low expectations. Not competitive teams. OP, don't be put off by these posters. Recreational gym is an excellent way to stay fit for kids. It's not more or less dangerous in any way that beginner-level martial arts, team sports, horseback riding, ballet, or anything else. |
Anonymous
| Don't laugh but Little Gym. My dds wanted to do gymnastics at a rec level when they were that age. We did the older kid rec class at Little Gym. It was perfect for what they wanted out of gymnastics. |
Anonymous
This. Amazing conditioning. Many sports have corruption and abuse at the elite levels, but not relevant for OP. |
Anonymous
| What does your DD want out of gymnastics? For my DD, she just wanted to learn tumbling and it wasn't about the events so much. She has taken a 10 and older tumbling class at Dynamite 2 and LOVES it. SHe is 13 and the others in the class are similar in age and all learning at different levels but it is a ton of fun! |
Anonymous
+1. My DD was a competitive gymnast, but her gym offered rec classes that were great. Check out a local gymnastics club or two and see what they have. They may also have a tumble and cheer-type class that will probably be older girls. |
Anonymous
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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). |
Anonymous
+2. The overwhelming majority of kids in gymnastics are not on the competitive track, and are just getting good exercise, and hopefully developing proprioception, or sense of their body in space--I've always had terrible balance, and thought gymnastics might help my kid avoid my same fate, lol. Turns out she's pretty good so after 4 years of just 1x/wk rec and coaches asking her to try out, she finally did and made team--however it's a non-competitive team with a lower time commitment, which works for us. Many of her friends do gymnastics, but she's the only one on team--they're doing it for fun 1x/wk, which is likely what OP's kid would be doing. |
Anonymous
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. |