What ages are your kids that are involved?
My two girls--6 and 8
How long have they been in gymnastics? 2.5 yrs
What kind of classes are they in? Intermediate recreational
And just for fun, where's your favorite place to get leotards?
The thrift store! Especially mixed in with the bathing suits. Some consignment shops have them as well. But I've had many recommendations from the team moms for Melody Leos. It's also where the team gets theirs.
What ages are your kids that are involved?
8
How long have they been in gymnastics?
Since she was 3
What kind of classes are they in?
gymnastics, trampoline
And just for fun, where's your favorite place to get leotards?
DD just wears a t-shirt and shorts. She didn't like the wedgies from the leotards.
I've got 3 in gymnastics.
DD1 is 10 and a Level 4 on the competitive team. She started at age 4 and I think has taken 2 months off during all this time and that was only because I refused to drive her to the gym when #4 was born! Needless to say she loves it. She currently is in the gym 9 hours a week all year long.
DD2 is 6 and in the Beginning Girls class. She has been there for 1.5 years and won't be moving out of that level until she gets a cartwheel over a block, and that is not happening anytime soon. She started at age 2.
DS1 is 3.5 and just started classes last fall. He is the Gymni Crickets class. He wakes up every day asking to go to "nastics".
We first attempt to buy our leos used. There is a closet at our gym where you can buy used ones. I have found probably 5 GK leos over the years at thrift stores. We buy them new when we need to. Mostly GK brand because they hold up well and fit my girls just right. DS1 just wears a t-shirt and gym shorts.
ooh, ooh, me!
Let's start with some basic info:
DD is taking a break from gymnastics, but she will be going back after soccer is over in mid april. I think the next session starts June 6, so that's when we will re enroll. Her very favorite thing is the balance beam. Also, she is a super huge fan of anything trapeze related. My girl LOVES to fall into foam blocks. There's several swinging options where she does her classes, and at the last class she actually tried to put her toes up on the bar that her hands were on while in mid air! Way braver than me...
What ages are your kids that are involved?
She will be 3 in March, and she's having a gymnastics birthday party.
How long have they been in gymnastics?
She's been doing it since August, so just a little while, but she really likes it.
What kind of classes are they in?
She's in a parent-tot class, but when we go back I think she will be okay in the preschool class, where no parents are out on the floor with them.
This will depend on the gym. I would say it is typical, but it also depends on the level as well as the age. Our boys' beginner classes still cover the low balance beams, etc. They have a separate events class for extra time on rings, pommel horse, etc. Currently our gym has no boys' team, but there has been a spike in boys' enrollment. Some gyms do track their boys in separate apparatus from about the age of 6, but it depends on the gyms and their affiliations and the curriculum associated with that organization.
What ages are your kids that are involved? dd8 third grade
How long have they been in gymnastics? since kindergarten
What kind of classes are they in? She is a competitive USAG Level 4 gymnast. The team practices 10 hours a week and she has an additional 2 hours of tumbling.
And just for fun, where's your favorite place to get leotards? We are required to buy so many from the gym, that I don't need to buy any. We have mostly GK and you can get them pretty reasonable on ebay. Just go by the girth measurement, not height.
My daughter has yet to join the team due to financial reasons only. She has been invited, and we have declined 3 times.
Again, it depends on the gym and their affiliation. Our gym is also with USAG. We have a Level 3, which is judged by coaches. The commitment is once a week in addition to regular class, plus a $300 fee that covers uniforms, etc. This is payable in installments at our gym. After that level, we can join the recreational team which has lower fees and time requirements, and the meets are judged by coaches. I like to think of this as "Gymnastics for people with other interests"!
Level 4-6 are the "compulsory level" USAG teams. Time commitments vary, but usually start at 4 days per week. Competitions are judged by USAG coaches. Skills should be consistent amongst gyms with the same affiliation. Fees are much higher.
After levels 4-6, gymnasts at our gym can join the advanced recreational team or move on to the optional team--USAG Level 7-10 (I think, we currently have no gymnasts above Level 8 here). I asked one mom of a Level 8 girl if she could give me a ballpark figure for how much she spends, and she said about $5000 per year (2 years ago), not including the cost of competitions (parents don't get in free!) and traveling for parents. Her daughter trains 6 days a week.
We are lucky in the sense that we live very rurally, there are no private gyms here. The only gym is city owned and run through their parks and rec dept. I pay $110 a month for 9 hours a week. Another $100 a year in fees and then they buy new team leos every 2-3 years. Travel is our biggest expense. All meets are 8 hours away and we did 6 of them last year which is the max the city will pay for in regards to the coaching fees, 4 meets, regionals, and state which DD1 made it to. We only compete against other city run programs which in our rural state, there are quite a few. We obviously do not have super talented girls here because of the location and limits of our gym but our coaches are actually decent, having come from large, private gyms at one point and our girls do always place well at state. But they aren't going farther then that. Coach fees cap out at $130 a month for 4 days a week, no one trains more then that because the boys train the other days. Gymnastics is one of the cheapest competitive sports we've done and we've done quite a few. But again. we live so rurally that every single competitive sport here has major travel involved. we had some months last year where I was traveling across the state, 8+ hours each way, 3 times a month for several months in a row for one sport or another. The comp fees are reasonable compared to other sports where we can pay around 100 bucks each time for her to compete plus another $50.00 or more to watch her!
My DD is 3.5 and has been doing gymnastics since right after turning 3. She LOVES it!
She is in a "preschool" class 3-5 year olds. Which she has really enjoyed but it seems like they do the same things everytime and is a lot of money, Its about $100 every 6 weeks for a 45 min class once a week.
I want her to continue because she loves it so much and I can really see her having the potential to eventually be on a competative team eventually, but I'm not sure if I should continue her doing it continously or only do a few terms a year at this age? Any advice?
What ages are your kids that are involved? DD1 (9) and DD2(4)
How long have they been in gymnastics? DD1 for 6 years ( Level 7, going into Level 8 this year) and DD2 for a year now
What kind of classes are they in? DD1 does Competitive rythmic gymnastics, she was in artistics but her coach suggested her to try it because she was not doing so good in artistics and well, she was not enjoying it that much and she was staying behind, she has been in rythmics for 3 years, but 6 in overall gymnastics, she goes to the gym everyday, 90 minutes Mon-Fri and 2 hours on Saturday. She is a hopeful for the Russian Junior Team.
DD2 just started artistics last year, she goes 4 times a week for an hour each day, one of those days she takes only ballet, the rest are mixed with tumbling and warm ups, they are starting her on the other apparatuses this year.
DD2 just started artistics last year, she goes 4 times a week for an hour each day, one of those days she takes only ballet, the rest are mixed with tumbling and warm ups, they are starting her on the other apparatuses this year.
I've heard that in Russia they stress ballet alongside gymnastics. It is interesting to hear it starts at the beginning. I am also a bit envious about the rhythmic gymnastics-- it is not offered in every gym, I guess not being as popular here. I know my girls would have loads of fun with it. They were "wowed!" by the amazing performances at the Olympics.
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