Thank you! To clarify -- she's a 10 year-old but not a L10 gymnast!

We were in DC recently and she practiced at a few gyms, including Hill's, and she loved it (Hill's) so we're going to give it a go. At her current gym several states away she just finished L5 and would be competing L7 in the fall if we were staying here but at Hill's they said they'd likely have her do L6 instead, depending on skill acquisition this summer and other factors. Either way is fine with me ... and she's just glad to be done with compulsories.

Appreciate everyone's comments/suggestions.

Anonymous wrote:Hill's puts a lot of emphasis on attending public school. They have an arrangement with the county for those gymnasts who are on the elite track. Otherwise, practices are scheduled around school. Homeschooling is damn near unheard of by Hill's gymnasts.

Capital is much more into homeschooling. But quite frankly, living in Silver Spring, Capital would be a non-starter for me.

Don't even think about Dobre. The couple that runs it has run a bunch of other gyms. All of them end up closing after a few years.

Thank you very much for this!

Anonymous wrote:I don't think Silver Stars or MarVaTeens is going to be competitive enough for college level. Hills is the only one that can get you that far.

Do you know anything about their reputation coaching-wise? (temperament, style, etc.)

Anonymous wrote:Yes, Hill's for a 10 year old Level 7. If you decide to head to northern Virginia, it would be Capital.

Have you visited yet? Also, what do her coaches now say? They can possibly contact the gym in advance to introduce your child to the new coaches.

We're visiting mid-May and would like to set up an evaluation/tryout or have her practice with the team -- however they do it. I need to start making phone calls.

Her current coaches don't know yet that we're moving. We will tell them after we know it's 100% (right now it's 99.9% haha). Yes, I will have them get in touch when the time is right.

Do you know anything about Hill's beyond their capability to produce college-level gymnasts? What is their reputation coaching-wise? Lots of yelling and conditioning as punishment for not taking corrections or strict yet supportive -- that type of stuff.

Thanks!

We're moving from the midwest to the DC area this summer -- probably to the Silver Spring area but that is yet to be determined for sure -- and looking for a gym our 10-year-old L7 daughter can transfer to. We're not looking for the most competitive or "best" (in terms of producing college or elite gymnasts) gyms, but would like her to be in a gym where college would be possible IF she wished to pursue it.

Specifically, I'm looking for feedback regarding these gyms:

Hill's
MarVaTeens
Silver Stars

Environment, coaching, cost, overall happiness of gymnasts (do they love it? have fun? or is it "no pain no gain" all the time with lots of yelling and demeaning comments), parent culture, coach-parent communication/relationships, etc.

TIA!