OP, I am in exactly the same spot with my 7 year old. I know she'd be a great gymnast and she is interested. I took gymnastics as a kid for several years and loved it, but I am wary of signing my daughter up for a few reasons. First, with 3 kids, we can't afford it time or money wise if she is on a team. (I suspect that, based on her skill level, she would be encouraged to join one.) Second, as an adult, I am bummed that there are really no outlets for me to do gymnastics recreationally (anyone know any?). I'm trying to encourage my kids to try sports they can enjoy their whole lives. Third, when I signed my kids up for a week long gymnastics camp last summer, 2 of them (tweens) came home and started talking about dieting (!). These kids are not overweight, but their counselor was talking about the need to diet to be a good gymnast. That really concerned me. So, for now, I am encouraging my 7 year old to do indoor rock climbing, which she loves. That said, I am still thinking of gymnastics if I can find a place that will encourage skill without focusing on competition or weight fixation.

Check out the county gymnastic classes. They are hit or miss.

Anonymous wrote:Dynamite is a pretty messed up environment.

What does this even mean? My DC loves Dynamite and we haven't seen "a messed up environment" or anything like this. PP, please give details if you are going to post conclusory statements like this.

Dynamite is a pretty messed up environment.

Hill's is wonderful!!

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like you did a team tryout or pre-team tryout. Class might be more of what you are looking for. My kids do team gymnastics - Each in a different gym in a different discipline. The competitive track requires a lot of parent commitment and for those of us whose kids take that route, we are really concerned about how they are doing and how skills are developing. But in all my years of doing this, and my kids have gone as far as nationals every year, I really don't see what you're talking about. Parents I know are supportive of all kids, even those on other teams, as well as their own.

You are seriously clueless.

My two DCs are at Dynamite, and very happy.

My kids goto Silver Stars and I think they do a pretty good job overall. If she's 7 and hasn't done gymnastics yet, she'd just be in a class, and their classes are pretty fun for kids. If she does have talent, she'd be invite to try out for one of the teams. There is also a non-competitive team, so she could work on skills at a higher level but not be in competitive environment.

There are things I hate about Silver Stars (the parking! the toy sales! the crowded waiting room!), but there are also things about it I think are good - lots of smiles, kids seem to be having a good time, the pricing isn't bad, camp is a long day and relatively inexpensive.

I don't see what area you live in? My dd is 10 and wants to do gymnastics. I signed her up at our community center. My other dd also did classes there, and there was certainly no drama.

I wouldn't keep your DD out of a sport she's interested in because of worries about the parents (and it's almost always the parents, not the other kids who are the problem). Every sport has crazy parents. My kid is a competitive gymnast and I have totally stayed out of the drama, largely by not hanging around the gym during practice. It's his thing, after all, not mine.

If your DD is just doing classes and not trying out for team, I really don't think there's anything to worry about, OP. Rec parents and kids at the two gyms I have experience with are very laid back. There are a lot of good gyms in this area. Try a few others and I think you'll find a good fit.

OP, no, the gym you visited is not typical of gymnastics culture in general, but maybe of that particular gym. The sign on the wall you mentioned would give me pause. That said, even if that is the only gym in your area and your daughter just wants to take classes it would probably be fine. Just don't hang out in the viewing room or bring a book and headphones. There should be zero drama at the class level.

If your daughter wants to compete eventually then you should visit a few gyms and find the one that is the best balance of a strong program, location, and schedule for your family. We have experience at a few Maryland gyms and the only drama we experienced was with the management and coaching staff at a few of them. The families were virtually all very friendly, supportive, and sane.

Sounds like you did a team tryout or pre-team tryout. Class might be more of what you are looking for. My kids do team gymnastics - Each in a different gym in a different discipline. The competitive track requires a lot of parent commitment and for those of us whose kids take that route, we are really concerned about how they are doing and how skills are developing. But in all my years of doing this, and my kids have gone as far as nationals every year, I really don't see what you're talking about. Parents I know are supportive of all kids, even those on other teams, as well as their own.

We have tried Dynamite, Marvatots and Silver Stars. Dynamite is the cleanest by far and is my favorite. I agree that some parents at Dynamite are a bit... off, but the rest are normal, friendly people. The rec classes are perfectly fine. The teams in competitive gym are serious - some of them have had some issues with their coach and some families quit because there was some frustration and mismanagement. But overall Dynamite is a good experience.

Are you looking for a class or team? My dd lives gymnastics but is not looking to compete. There is certainly no crazy parents for the classes and everyone- team and class parents are friendly. Maybe you just picked the wrong class or picked up negativity from 1 parent?

My dd is at dynamite

My 7 year old has a real interest in gymnastics and does seem to have some natural ability. She's never done any formal classes or training but has been asking me for a while. I told her in summer we can sign her up. So I took her this week to try out a gymnastics place for weekly classes but the vibe was so icky. Uber invested pageant "mean girl" mom types . The culture was just not our style. I don't want my daughter in that environment and frankly, it was all I could do to sit in that viewing room for the hour and half. There was even a sign on the wall about leaving the drama and negativity at the door and being a good example for kids. Foreshadowing?

I'm looking for a fun no pressure kind of place for my daughter to have a good time and work on something she really enjoys. Was this place I visited an outlier or indicative of some kind of gymnastics culture?