Feeling Guilty About Switching Gyms

[CheerBank]

It's very hard to switch gyms but at the end of the day you have to do what is right for your child and your family. We left one gym because we felt that they had no integrity (no problem with cheating with ages) and just got tired of the way it was run. Kids my children were friends with for years proved their true colors with social media bullying - as well as the parents - instantly reinforcing that our decision was a good one. My best advice is that you handle it in a way that does not burn any bridges, because in cheer world you never know who you will run into at a later date.

 

[CheerSpecs]

I'm new but figured this was as good of place as any to post. We have switched gyms before out of necessity (move) and also once because a gym just wasnt a good fit. As long as you do it respectfully, it shouldn't be a problem. In fact, it should be expected.

 

[dream-infinity]

I really want to switch gyms now, this year has not been good at all. I have not been allowed to compete in a year. But my problem is that I feel kind of guilty and I feel that it is wrong to switch gyms though....

 

[americanmom]

CheerBank

"My best advice is that you handle it in a way that does not burn any bridges, because in the cheer world you never know who you will run into at a later date."


I agree with your comment!

 

[RLH7796]

I am going through this same situation right now and not sure what to do. We have done rec cheer for a while and have recently went all-star a year and half now. We originally picked a smaller, cheaper gym to make sure this is what we wanted. We love all-star but we believe we have outgrown our small gym, while I love the people and kids there I just feel maybe we should try something new. I feel so bad because I know a lot of the kids leave this gym once they advance to a certain level because there isn't enough of it there for them to compete at that level, and here we are one of those people. What do you do? It's to the point my daughter sometimes says "why do I have to try when I can't throw it anyway?" I am so lost and confused. I think we are going to go to 2 of her choice gyms and let her tumble and see how they work before we make any final decisions, but it is very hard.

 

[Seeker30]

i would let your daughter decide. maybe she likes the 'homey' feel about the small gym. this is you wanting her to make the change. maybe she might not even want to cheer in a few years.

 

[JJ Mom]

i would let your daughter decide. maybe she likes the 'homey' feel about the small gym. this is you wanting her to make the change. maybe she might not even want to cheer in a few years.

Well she is only 5 and she tells me that she doesn't care where she cheers as long as she does cheerleading!! We went to try a tumbling class at the possibly new gym and she tells me she want to go there to cheer. I really think the fact that they have a trampoline ( her other gym did not have one) is the real reason :)

 

[notimeforthat]

as a mom to a fairly talented level 5 cp who moved from a small gym to a big gym here is my words of advice...
Let them get a great foundation, nuturing, and confidence at the small homey gyms. For all of you that have posted that your cps are 5 or in that range their is no rush to go to the bigger gyms and the $$$ that comes along with it. My cp was 7 years old at a small gym on a youth level 2 team with a full, jumps to back and standing to full. At first it is dissapointing to have great skills and not able to use them because of the make up of the gym.
Guess what? she survived and thrived on being the special kid in the gym. We let her do individuals so she would have a reason to keep progressing and challenged.
We switched gyms finally when she was 9 going on 10 and it was a big change to be a little fish in a large pond but by that time I knew this was going to be her thing and we were both ready for the challenges and $$$ it was going to take.
At the present time we are still at our big gym that is far away entering our 3rd year on a junior 5. By the time she gets to seniors she will be more than ready!
So my advice is... is it in the best intrest to move the child or is it more that you want your child to progress more rapidly?
Remember as soon as the hurry up happens you have to wait!!
It is very stressful to change gyms please don't take it for granted! ( It is totally diffrent story if you are unhappy... most of you are saying how you love your litte gym) JMO,... Good luck in whatever you decide!
And in my opinion its okay to be a little gym that feeds the big gyms... The same thing happens in schools, the elementary feed the middle and the middle feed the high and then the college... The small gyms should feel a sense of pride that they helped create that remarkable kid and that that remarkable kid got to be on a team with other remarkable kids that thier gym would never have.

 

[SheCheers]

I agree with tinytumblersmom A coach that I respect immensely who thinks my kid is totally awesome...LOL...says to wait until she's 12 to do the big gym thing. Before then, it's not really necessary. And in those few years we wait until she does turn 12, there may be more closer opportunities. Or, one of a million other things can change to make moving gyms a non issue.

 

[12stepCheermom]

I agree with tinytumblersmom A coach that I respect immensely who thinks my kid is totally awesome...LOL...says to wait until she's 12 to do the big gym thing. Before then, it's not really necessary. And in those few years we wait until she does turn 12, there may be more closer opportunities. Or, one of a million other things can change to make moving gyms a non issue.

My only caution to that is to ensure that small gym has qualified coaches and it's not just some owner who cheered pop Warner as a kid and decided to open a gym.

 

[SharkDad]

Some great advice here.

From my experience the most important is to make sure it is a decision about what is right for your child and family.

#1 don't stick with a safe or unhealthy environment. (no mean treatment, bullying, poor equipment/training etc)
#2 Make this based on what your child wants not what you want
#3 Any reputable business should wish you well and respect your decisions as a parent and consumer. Anyone else is not someone or a group of people you should concern yourself with. Me and CP have lots of relationships from previous gyms and she just got a college offer from one of them that we left 5 years ago.