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    #205660 11/12/14 05:39 PM
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    DD4 is apparently gifted in gymnastics. She has already been accelerated 2 levels and today, I found out, her teacher is recommending that she go up another level. So she will be in a class that is 3 levels ahead. The teachers at the gym are telling me they have never seen a girl like DD. We started gymnastics a year ago because DD loves it and I thought she might have some talent. She continues to have a passion for it and just goes through every class with a giant smile on her face.

    I have never been athletic in the least. DH did almost qualify for an Olympic team when he was younger, but it was one of those not-really-heard-of sports that don't have the physical demands of gymnastics. So, this is new to us. I am trying to just go with the flow and follow DD's lead. But I'd love some guidance from anyone who has an athletically talented child.

    (I honestly DO NOT want my child to compete in elite gymnastics or anything even close to that. Gymnasts can get seriously hurt, so I am not so secretly hoping that she loses interest in a couple of years or less. But, at the same time, I am trying to be a good parent and feed her passion of the moment.)

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    I have a child in a similar position, although quite a lot older, and in a sport that's not as dangerous as gymnastics, but more expensive and potentially eating disorder-invoking. I've been taken aside y several coaches and told we have a natural talent on our hands. We're doing the same as you, keeping it light, fun and letting the child lead the way (last week I was asked if there were two hour classes they could attend LOL, no!). And, of course, hoping like mad the shine wears off when it starts to get really expensive/dangerous.

    As far as I can tell you should get several more years before you have to start carefully picking a training facility which strikes the right balance. It's scary! There are even more hothousing parents in sports than there are in academics!

    Last edited by Tallulah; 11/12/14 07:39 PM.
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    I don't have any guidance, but I can commiserate, especially about the injury concerns. We're dealing with something like the same thing, though your DD sounds further ahead than my DD9.

    We actually managed to put the brakes on DD's enthusiasm for gymnastics when she was five or six, by describing what life looks like for Olympic gymnastics trainees. Living away from home? Little time to play? No thanks, she said.

    She continued to train at a moderate pace, with targets of individual skills she wanted to acquire being the limits of her gymnastic ambitions, but somewhere along the lines she became obsessed, to the point where she was constantly tumbling at home, began coaching her friends, started watching videos online and unlocking certain skills on her own, etc. Now she's one or two steps away from the local gym's competitive team, and closing fast, thanks to an excellent work ethic, and she's pushing us for more training opportunities. DD's Christmas list is very short this year: bars, beam, and mats. She wants to turn her play room into a gymnasium.

    We're doing basically what you're doing... trying to be good parents and feeding her passion, while secretly hoping she doesn't break her neck.

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    Age four is way too young to specialize in any sport. While my kids are not naturally athletically gifted, they have had some success in sports with practice (older two have had interest from DIII college coaches in one sport, eldest made it to honorable mention all-state in that sport).

    We know one kid, still in HS, who is the most athletically talented kid we have ever seen. Around age 8-10, she could try any sport, practice for a few weeks, and be playing with the HS kids, holding her own. She played a variety of sports through middle school, but now has focused on one "lifetime" sport. She has verbally committed to a college that is great in both sports and academics.

    Let the kid try a variety of sports. If you are aiming for college sports, you might try something other than gymnastics (not many schools have gymnastics teams). You also might find the kid is very talented at a young age, and while still very good in HS, she might not have Olympic level talent. I've seen that too.

    Try to keep it fun and try other sports. Also, consider what sort of build the kid will have when grown. Does it fit gymnastics? My kids may have been more suited to the build for gymnastics, but chose sports where more height and weight would have been helpful.

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    This isn't my kid, but I know a kid just like yours. One thing the parents have done right is to encourage the child to try other sports and clubs and activities. You also have the power not to let your child be moved up so fast in gymnastics if you don't want her to be or to limit practices to less times per week. That is a tough decision, but it could be the right decision for many families.

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    Originally Posted by somewhereonearth
    She has already been accelerated 2 levels and today, I found out, her teacher is recommending that she go up another level. So she will be in a class that is 3 levels ahead.

    Is she doing USAG gymnastics? I only ask that because I have a dd who is also a talented gymnast smile

    FWIW I think it helps to keep a perspective on what the "levels" mean in gymnastics - (and if it's not USAG things might be different, so ignore my thoughts lol!). A gymnast moves up levels by mastering all the skills at a previous level. So when saying she'll be "3 levels ahead" I'm not sure what your dd is actually "ahead" of anything other than her previous starting level (?). You'll find gymnasts of a wide variety of ages at each level in a typical gym, and a lot of times you'll find the gymnasts at each level that are younger are there because they started gymnastics earlier in their lives.

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    The teachers at the gym are telling me they have never seen a girl like DD.

    It sounds like your dd has natural talent and potential, but at 4 years old that's quite a ways away from elite gymnast. The early levels are relatively easy to breeze through for a child with natural talent, but once you get to higher level skills that same talent might look a lot different if a child runs head-on into one skill that is difficult for them to learn.

    Older children also run into time conflicts - if you stick with gymnastics and are competing, most gyms require a significant time investment - my dd, for instance, works out every night of the week right after school for three hours. She participates because she *loves* gymnastics, but even for a kid with her level of passion, the schedule is sometimes brutal. She's very aware of all the things her siblings are able to do with their time after school that she can't - they aren't cramming homework in on the weekends, they can go to after-school activities at their school or with friends, they can choose to participate in more than one sport at a time. The sports conflict has probably been the most difficult for dd - she is talented at other sports too, and she loves a lot of other sports. There are more than a few times she's thought about quitting gymnastics just to give another sport a try, but so far her passion for gymnastics is holding. She's at an age, however, where other talented gymnasts we've known have quit - starting middle school. I am not sure exactly how to describe it other than to say that gymnastics is a sport unlike most others in that the way it's structured really sorta sucks up kids into a "gym is everything" type of lifestyle which ultimately really isn't everyone's thing - so no matter how athletically talented any one individual is, it's not just the athletic talent that they have to have to keep at it for the long run - they also have to have a lot of drive, and they have to hold that passion for it at a high level through times when they are changing as they grow and possibly wanting to try other things, or simply have more free time.

    There are a few things I'd watch out for two - the first with moving up levels is what is the age-mix in the group your dd will be spending her practice time with. If she's being thrown in with older girls, she's going to be spending a lot of time with older girls, and that means she'll be hearing about older-girl things that might not be what you are ready for her to hear about yet. I'd also be careful to watch for the business side of gymnastics - gyms are businesses as well as teams; not everything is about competing and bringing home prizes. There is a benefit at most gyms to moving gymnasts up in levels - because that opens up space in the lower levels to bring in more gymnasts, and every extra gymnast that is participating is also paying to be there. It's relatively easy to find gymnasts to fill up the lower levels (young kids who are eager, parents who are excited about it, skills that aren't limiting), but not so easy to fill up the higher levels.

    Please know I'm not trying to be cynical, I love gymnastics for many reasons, and it's been a wonderful sport for my dd to participate in. I'd just caution at 4 getting too worked up about thinking my child is going to be an elite gymnast. Let her continue as long as she's passionate about, and see where it leads.

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    She continues to have a passion for it and just goes through every class with a giant smile on her face.

    As long as she's loving it and you can afford it, I'd keep sending her smile

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    Gymnasts can get seriously hurt, so I am not so secretly hoping that she loses interest in a couple of years or less.

    This used to be one of my biggest fears - to be honest I still freak a bit when I see the skills on the bars lol. The thing to do to ease your fears about this is to watch how the coaches at your gym work with girls. Some gyms push kids through to higher levels without really grounding them in basic skills along the way, and other gyms are very careful to be sure each skill is properly mastered before moving up - as long as you're in the second type of gym, the risks are mitigated. that doesn't mean that a freak accident won't happen, but avoidable accidents will be far less likely to happen. Also watch how the coaches coach, how they spot, what they encourage and discourage the children from doing. And watch at meets - if your gym has a lot of kids who score low and are really nervous at meets, that's a sign they may be moving kids up too fast (we have a gym in our area that clearly does this). Over time you'll get a good idea re how your particular gym handles safety. And the more you watch, the less scary it may all seem.

    Best wishes to your dd - gymnastics is a fun sport!

    polarbear, who is a total klutz smile

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    Originally Posted by polarbear
    Older children also run into time conflicts - if you stick with gymnastics and are competing, most gyms require a significant time investment - my dd, for instance, works out every night of the week right after school for three hours. She participates because she *loves* gymnastics, but even for a kid with her level of passion, the schedule is sometimes brutal. She's very aware of all the things her siblings are able to do with their time after school that she can't - they aren't cramming homework in on the weekends, they can go to after-school activities at their school or with friends, they can choose to participate in more than one sport at a time.

    Yes, we expect this to be the next brake on our DD's interest, if/when they select her for the competitive team, and describe what that time commitment looks like. DD has too many other interests, I think, to go all in on this. She's at three hours of formal training per week at the moment.

    Yesterday she had an orthodontics appointment late in the afternoon, then homework and dinner, then we had a movie on hand we'd scheduled to watch for the evening, and we were treated to a mild, "Rawr, playtime!", so that's a pretty good indicator. Luckily, I found an hour in there for her.

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    Finally getting around to this!

    "If you are aiming for college sports, you might try something other than gymnastics (not many schools have gymnastics teams)." We are aiming for nothing! Though what I find to be truly unbelievable is the fact that there ARE parents of 4-5 year olds at DD's gym who ARE aiming for something. As my DS likes to say, "those people live in crazy town".

    "Is she doing USAG gymnastics? I only ask that because I have a dd who is also a talented gymnast" Yes, she is.

    "A gymnast moves up levels by mastering all the skills at a previous level. So when saying she'll be "3 levels ahead" I'm not sure what your dd is actually "ahead" of anything other than her previous starting level (?). " I meant, 3 levels ahead of where she started. Maybe I didn't phrase that the right way. It seems to me, though, that in the span of about 10 months, that's a lot of movement for a little kid. But what do I know? She will be with much older girls for the next semester and this does concern me. But I have a good relationship with the manager of the gym and she is happy to work with me to find the right teacher for DD who will be mindful of the age gap in the class (and I almost always stay and watch the class with toddler in tow, so I will see if there are any problems). DD naturally gravitates towards older kids so this will not be a social stretch for her. It's just the issues of girls who are 3-4 years older than her that concern me.

    "I'd also be careful to watch for the business side of gymnastics - gyms are businesses as well as teams; not everything is about competing and bringing home prizes. There is a benefit at most gyms to moving gymnasts up in levels - because that opens up space in the lower levels to bring in more gymnasts, and every extra gymnast that is participating is also paying to be there." I asked around at the gym and outside of the gym, with families who have competed against them. This gym appears to be very conservative with moving kids up. As far as I can tell, there is only 1 boy and 1 girl who are moving up for next semester. Also, I get the same feedback from those who have competed against this gym. Very conservative. So, this makes me feel good from a safety standpoint (and ethical standpoint).

    The good news is that DD loves her free playtime. She is happy to play and pretend and create for 2-3 hour stretches. She would hate for that to be interrupted, even for her beloved gymnastics class. So for now, we will play and occasionally go to gymnastics class. Thanks for the feedback all!



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