Anyone have a child in a very demanding sport? Some questions.

[cati]

xx

 

[missypie]

At our gym, if they see a preschooler/young girl who is taking normal recreational gymnastics classes and they think she has "potential", they ask the parents to enroll her in the "Hot Shots" class. I believe that meets twice a week...we weren't willing do to twice a week at first because she was so young and involved in so many things. After Hot Shots, they graduate to "Training Team" which they stay in until they can do Level 4 skills. Level 4 is the first level at which girls compete in our state- I think there has been talk about having Level 2 and 3 meets, but it hasn't happened yet. Our DD was on the Training Team for a couple of years before she was ready to compete. I doubted the wisdom of that until I went to meets and saw girls from other gyms competing at Level 4 who really weren't ready...pretty scary!

 

[gina2000]

My son is a swimmer on a competitive team. Right now he swims 4 days per week, 1 1/2 hours per day. If he goes to the next level, he'll swim 6 days per week, 1 1/2 hours per day. It's demanding, tiring and difficult but he loves it.

He has kept up his grades, has time for other sports and is enjoying life. Some kids thrive on the challenge. Personally, I'm exhausted but more than willing to keep up with him.

Healthy snacks? For DS, a sandwich can be a snack. He uses up a ton of energy and can eat all day, every day as long as he is swimming. He eats his share of junk, too. After all, he IS a kid! LOL!

 

[Cyn]

I have three competitive swimmers (14, 14, & 12) who I did not want to get into the sport. I was a swimmer growing up so I know the lifestyle I lived it until I was 5 months pregnant with the twins. I finally agreed to let them swim one summer when they were 11, 11, and 9 and they never quit. All it took was one meet and they were hooked. (They stunk so bad when they started). Now they have worked their way through their original team (mainly a recreational team) and now swim for a USS Silver Level team. They are the ones who have a breakdown if they can't get a ride to practice. That is the way it should be. BTW they have practice during the summer for 7 - 9 am and then dryland training from 4-5 p.m. every day except Sundays (Sundays is make up day if you were absent during the week). During the school year we just do 5- 6:30 in the water then 30 - 45 minutes of dryland. They have to go 5 days a week to keep their slot in the group.

No, I did not want my kids to get into this sport but I know this is what they want. Until last year, they still played soccer and basketball and just cut back on the swimming. Now they have decided to focus more on swimming. My youngest is so immensely talented at soccer had decided to just swim this fall. (That was hard for us to understand but he really loves swimming and is good at it too).

Our only trouble is vacationing is so hard with this schedule. Also, it takes time getting used to asking a coach if it is okay to go on a trip during a certain time. We manage a few trips a year but have to find someone to work out and they must work out. (Hubby says it helps them relax during trips).

 

[minmate]

I was a competitive swimmer for a number of years and it is the fondest part of my childhood memories. I ended up quitting when we moved to a new state and I had trouble settling into a different program. I wish now my parents would have encouraged me to stick it out a bit longer. I was just having trouble with the transition of everything else. So, I actually don't even have a problem with the idea of encouraging a child to stick with an activity if they really have big dreams about it... at least for a temporary period -- we all get discouraged here and there.... but as her parent, listen and watch... you'd know when it has become too much.

I'd just work your dd's schedule into your lives as best as you can and then talk about and watch for any signs of stress or fatigue. Who's to say you can't pull back if it gets to be too much? Better to go for it now!

Another point though, is that I believe that while we're young, we have the best access to learning a whole range of sports and activities. While I would never profess to be a pro in any of these areas, I did participate on teams and take lessons in piano, drama, figure skating, basketball, badminton, track & field, voice, photography and the list just goes on. Now, as an adult, it's harder to find time to participate and learn something new. Plus, I think as kids, we are able to adapt and learn more quickly. So, I would also still try to let your dd dabble in other activities as long as it doesn't over stress her AND with the understanding there is much less pressure on her performance... and that these are just things that are fun to learn as you grow on your journey in life.

Good luck to your dd!

Oh as for snacks...Do you need something she can fix at home quick or carry with her and eat at school/on the way to the gym?
how about bagels or english muffins w/ peanut butter or cream cheese? Celery w/ pb or cream cheese, string cheese, or the pre-cut shaped cheese -- comes in star and moon shapes and more -- on cold days -- instant oatmeal, snack packs of cottage cheese (sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it), yogurt, or even gogurt, snack packs of peaches, natural applesauce, hard boiled eggs, whole grain pasta pre-cooked and refrigerated can have some light butter or oil and parmesan cheese added to it and be microwaved pretty quickly. You can pre-make some customized trailmix including almost any dry ingredient you'd like from cheerios, chex mix, peanuts, raisins, choc chips, marshmallows, pretzels -- throw it in a bowl w/a cover and shake up to mix. Also, you probably already give her Gatorade or equivalent type of sports drink but just thought I'd mention it.

 

[dizagain]

We're involved in children's theatre....both DD's with the older being serious. We don't have the extreme physical strains on their bodies to deal with, but we do have it in some sense with the rehearsal demands and time management. When they're rehearsing a show, it's at least 7-8 hours a week of practice and then there's two performance weeks with at least 18 hours at the theatre each.

They are involved in other activities and our life gets crazy. We watch them closely, and at this time, they both are quite happy. They gladly (most of the time, anyway) give up parties or special activities if they must and have never once said they didn't want to rehearse. That would be the key in my opinion. If your child is as well-balanced as possible and obviously happy let them go for it if it's their dream. It's so hard as a parent to know what is right, isn't it? Just support her and keep letting her know that it's HER choice. The OP's situation sounds well-balanced to me!

 

[HollyJoy]

Both my girls take gymnastics and love it. My youngest is actually a bit ahead of her age group.. they don't do it competetively though. I was a gymnast when I was younger, and the sport scares me! LOL I don't see either of them being an olympic gymnast, so until the gym says they show that special something, we'll stay just where we are!

 

[shelbyjosh]

My DD9 is a competitive figure skater. Though she only skates 3 days a week during the school year she is still progressing. My daughter is no Michelle Kwan and does not want to be her. She does have goals and we are working to attain them. During the summer she is skating 3 days a week/4 hours a day. She also is doing a ballet class and an off-ice resistance training class. Yes, I am doing a lot of running around, but I would not give it up for the world. Skating makes her so happy and I will do anything to make her happy. DS6 is not involved in any sports this summer. He does go to speech therapy 2x/week and PT once a week. He does show interest in basketball. Maybe next summer I will be juggling bball and skating. That is my choice. DH works 9-12 hours a day 6 days a week. Family dinners together are difficult. It is usually the 3 of us eating dinner. Occassionally he will get home around 5, but during the summer that is rare.

DD knows that if she gets any grade less than a B, skating will be suspended until the grade improves. She knows school comes first. We have yet to take skating away because her grades drop.

 

[ahutton]

Just to add a very fast, portable snack option... We carry Zone Perfect bars, which are based on the 40/30/30 (Protein/Carbs/Fat) diet split. I find they are filling and give me good energy without a sugar spike. I am reactive hypoglycemic, so if I have something with too much sugar after about an hour my blood sugar dives to an unsafe level and I get sick. They have a ton of flavors, and Target sells them in boxes for $5 for 6 bars. They taste better than most "meal replacement" bars and make a great snack without being too much of any specific "diet" or eating plan. It would be something that would hold her over until she can eat a meal without making her so full she feels sick while she is working out.