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!
