OP here! She got into pre-team at another gym and decided to give it a try! She came out of the trial class gushing, and couldnt stop talking about the coach. I wish I would have pulled the bandaid off sooner. I’m happy my kid is happy!

Anonymous wrote:I second the recommendation to look at Xcel -- most rec programs are more similar to each other than different.

Dynamic in Falls Church has Xcel, if that would be convenient. Cardinal just started theirs this season, which has it's benefits and drawbacks too I suppose.

My daughter has found that Capital's Xcel team is a very nice middle ground between the two crazies (large rec classes and the DP stress) if you like everything else about the gym.

Forgot to add, at 9 years old in Capital's Level 3-4 she may be too old to be selected for DP pre-team at Capital but smaller, less competitive gyms aren't as rigid with ages as they are. You said she wouldn't want to anyway so that makes it easy, but 9 in Level 3-4 is NOT too old to start at other places if she changes her mind.

I second the recommendation to look at Xcel -- most rec programs are more similar to each other than different.

Dynamic in Falls Church has Xcel, if that would be convenient. Cardinal just started theirs this season, which has it's benefits and drawbacks too I suppose.

My daughter has found that Capital's Xcel team is a very nice middle ground between the two crazies (large rec classes and the DP stress) if you like everything else about the gym.

Mega also has Excel

Mega in Lorton. I've heard great things

That’s really good advice. I will reconsider Xcel. It is still competitive in NoVA. She has to be invited at her current gym. She can’t just choose to do Xcel. Minus pointing her toes she can do everything expected of her at her current level. 😄

Would you consider an xcel program or a gym with a house league? I think that it gets tricky to keep progressing within rec gymnastics at a certain point, especially if your child genuinely wants to improve in technique. Most rec programs are better suited to kids interested in chucking stuff and having fun on the mats, which is ok but probably unsatisfying for your DD.

Xcel, when done as it was originally intended, is a great middle ground between the USAG developmental program and rec gymnastics. I live out of the area, but in my area gyms that offer xcel usually populate their teams with girls from the rec program and practices start at twice a week for 2 hours/day. It's better to find a gym that does xcel and DP concurrently- ones with just xcel as their competitive program are usually more time-intensive and competitive in their team placement than I think you're looking for.

Whatever you do, don't let your kid do tumbling at a place that doesn't have a sprung floor. They are too young to start accumulating those sorts of impact landings.

What are the alternatives to Rec classes for a 9 year old? We have been going to Capital Gymnastics for two years and she isnt get on a team at this point as a Rec Level 3-4. Nor does she want to! She is tiny and athletic, loves gymnastics as a sport, but just really needs a coach that cares about her technique and improvement. The rec classes there are cash cows and they just cycle kids through there quickly. Most of the rec coaches there look bored to tears. Here are the options I'm considering for classes 2x/week (Tumbling and Gymnastics).

Option 1 - Cardinal Gymnastics for both Tumbling and Gymnastics;
Option 2 - The St. James for both Tumbling and Gymnastics;
Option 3 - Hot Topic for Tumbling and do gymnastics at Cardinal; or
Option 4 - Dance Sensations on telegraph Road for Tumbling and elsewhere for gymnastics.

Thanks! Looking forward to the responses. lol.