Boys gymnastics

[KiminChicago]

My DS (age 6.5) had been taking gymnastics classes at a non-competitive gym for almost a year when the gym closed in January. It was kind of nice for a while, he was the only boy in his class so he got a lot of attention and instruction. Just a couple of weeks ago, he was invited to a birthday party at another gym in the area. Afterwards the instructor asked me about Eddie's prior experience. He seemed to think that my son could possibly be good enough to enter competitive gymnastics.

So, here's my dilemma -- although Eddie really likes gymnastics, he also likes several other sports. I don't know if it would be a good idea to concentrate on gymnastics to the exclusion of the other sports. However, the instructor told me that the earlier Eddie would start competition, the better his chances of going farther in the sport. Of course, the idea of a college scholarship is nice, but it's not a sure thing, and I don't want to get my boy into something like this without some idea of what it all means.

So, are there any other parents with experience who can give me some idea what we might expect if he were to start competing? We're not signing up for any gymnastics (competitive or not) until after T-ball season ends so we have some time to think it over.

 

[Tiger Fan]

Emily (also age 6) competes with our local gym and has been taking gymnastics since she was 18 months old. We started as just a mom and me fun class and she quickly excelled. I have to say that competive gymnastics is very expensive and time consuming. We have lots of fundraisers that help alot, but it still takes money and time - big time! Emily is starting to get interested in more than just gymnastics and it's tough making her decided. She's very good at gymnastics, but is now interested in horseback riding (I don't why she picks all the expensive hobbies - LOL!) and she's having to make some decisions. I would love to think she would continue with a sport on through high school and college (I went to college on a full atheletic scholorship and had a wonderful experience). I'm trying to say basically that you should check out the program and the amount of competitions they do, how far they are willing to travel and if weekend competitions are out of the area, how many "outfits" they are required to have, etc.. Emily is in the youngest competition group and some gyms don't have competitors in this age and that keeps us from going every weekend. It's a lot of fun, but takes a lot of committment as well. Good luck in whatever you decide.
Lisa

 

[cgcw]

I can share my DS8's experience.

He started in gymnastics when he was 3. By 5 they pushed us to put him in what they called the kinder-twisters program. If I remember correctly, it was 2 days a week, an hour each session. By the start of 1st grade, they pushed us to put him in the twisters program....it be 2 days a week, an hour and 1/2 each session. It wasn't long before my DS started dragging his feet to get there. While he enjoyed it when it was just for fun, as it got harder and more time demanding, he lost interest. When it's no longer fun is when we decided to stop. My DS was too advanced to go into the regular rec program as he would have been bored. So, we moved onto other outside activities.

My suggestion would be to make sure this is something he wants to do and understands the time commitment.

Good luck.

 

[sncbird]

After Tball season last year we put ds into gymnastics. After 1 session, they moved him into the KinderTwisters - 2x's a week for 1 hour each time. They now want him to join the Class 7 boys team (competitive). He just turned 6 last week. At first he seemed really excited. We explained it's going to be 3 times a week for an hour and half to learn routines and then in the fall he would start competitions on the weekends. Then he started workingwith a new coach in his KinderTwisters class that starting pushing the boys harder. All of a sudden he didn't want to go anymore. Basically he did a complete 360!! After 2 weeks of discussions he said gymnastics wasn't fun anymore. Together we decided that he would finish the current session, take 5 weeks off and then go into an advance beginner boys class which is only 1 night a week. I think it's really up to the child and what they want to do. DS is also in Tball playing 3 games a week. Unfortunely, they only move kids on to the competitive teams at the beginning of summer. The other down side is the cost!!! You have annual fees, coaches fees, meet fees plus lesson fees. It's alot to weigh out. Feel free to Pm me if you want to know more about the costs or if you have any other questions.