All-Star How Is Tumbling Handled At Your Gym?

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How does your gym handle tumbling

  • Tumbling is done as part of cheer practice and included in tuition

    Votes: 9 29.0%
  • Tumbling is separate from cheer practice but included in tuition

    Votes: 15 48.4%
  • Tumbling is required in addition to cheer practice but not included in monthly tuition.

    Votes: 7 22.6%

  • Total voters
    31
Our team athletes have unlimited tumbling classes included in their tuition. There are 3 to 4 of each level class a week. They have the option of attending all classes or no classes at all.

As a coach, I love this set up because my parents can't complain if we don't tumble at practice during competition season. My response is "you have a choice of 4 tumbling classes to attend if you feel that Suzy needs to tumble more often." I don't often have time to work skills outside of what's in the routine, so it's good that they're getting it elsewhere. It's pretty obvious which of my kids go and which don't though. I have 6/11 BWO and 5 of those kids go to tumbling every single week.

PRAISE BREAK.

Practice is practice for the ROUTINE, skills in the routine, etc. Practice tumbling ALONE is not going to move your kid up a level.

Unlimited tumbling is the greatest thing ever from a coaching standpoint.
It's like, angry mom insurance.

Mom: I have to ask why Suzie isn't moving up to L3 yet?
Me: Well, you need to ask Suzie why she's been in tumbling one day for the past 8 weeks.

Or:

Mom: Why did you pull Suzy's BHS?
Me: Well, it's just not consistent.
Mom: I don't understand, why can't you work with her on it in practice?
Me: *pulls out tumbling schedule*

And my fave:

Pouty Child: But whyyyyy didn't I make S3? Anna, Jenny, and Jane did!
Me: *pulls L3 tumbling attendance for her*

The kids who are consistently in tumbling are the ones who are NOT doing the pouty face after evals. Unlimited tumbling removes ALL the parent/child excuses.
 
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PRAISE BREAK.

Practice is practice for the ROUTINE, skills in the routine, etc. Practice tumbling ALONE is not going to move your kid up a level.

Unlimited tumbling is the greatest thing ever from a coaching standpoint.
It's like, angry mom insurance.

Mom: I have to ask why Suzie isn't moving up to L3 yet?
Me: Well, you need to ask Suzie why she's been in tumbling one day for the past 8 weeks.

Or:

Mom: Why did you pull Suzy's BHS?
Me: Well, it's just not consistent.
Mom: I don't understand, why can't you work with her on it in practice?
Me: *pulls out tumbling schedule*

And my fave:

Pouty Child: But whyyyyy didn't I make S3? Anna, Jenny, and Jane did!
Me: *pulls L3 tumbling attendance for her*

The kids who are consistently in tumbling are the ones who are NOT doing the pouty face after evals. Unlimited tumbling removes ALL the parent/child excuses.
You're evil, but in a good way.


Pretending to be a parent since 1993
 
At my gym, tumbling is on Monday and it's just with my team. During that class we will work on the tumbling in our level and routine. After you (indiviudally) have mastered those skills , then you can move on to bigger and better skills. During competition season we will stick more with running thorough our tumbling (standing and running) sections along with jumps. We often condition inbetween sections to build up our endurance. We have cheer practice on Tuesday and sunday, sometimes Wednesday when it gets closer to competition season. That Monday class is included in our tuition. You are allowed to sign up for additional classes and those would be with people on other teams or that just go to the gym to tumble.
 
You're evil, but in a good way.


Pretending to be a parent since 1993

^^^Ha. Thank you? (Not sharing my school or gym name where I've coached (8 years same gym, same school with a year off this season from both due to an adoption) because I know that some of what I say is not the most popular thing in the world and there are probably parents from those schools/programs actively posting.)

What I say is not meant to be evil. I promise! It's just that when you've coached cheer for a while, you realize that unlimited tumbling is where it's at.

And before anyone says something, I love parents. Hey, no one would have kids to coach without them (and their money/time) but I have always tended to be rather honest (not rude, there is a difference) with them re: their kids and their progress.

Murphy's Law also generally states that the mom who complains the most about her daughter's placement in the routine or her level/team placement is the one whose kid has not seen tumbling since practically Vietnam.

"Oh I have a birthday party!"
"Oh we're at sleepaway camp that week"

You name it. Those things are all great, but at the same time, you cannot come back to me and complain about your child's placement when you put other things in front of tumbling. I'm very upfront with people re: the fact that your kids will get from cheer what they put in.

Ignore this statement if L5 is not the goal for your kid:

You want an L5 kid, she can't have a Mini 1 tumbling schedule.


Same with Senior athletes (for example) who are like "WHYYYYY IS ASHLEY L5 and not meeeeeeee?
Because you were at the pool/hanging out with your boyfriend when Ashley was on a hot date with her full.

Or:

Whyyyy didn't I make my college team???
Because while you were sleeping in, someone else was getting their whip.

Anything you want to do takes work. Unlimited tumbling levels the "can't afford it" playing field and shows us all who is willing to put the work in when the tools are provided for you.
 
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We offer tumbling worked in with regular practices. Extra classes are available if you want them on top of that, but 95% of all of our teams tumble during every practice. The only ones that don't are the open teams, cos not everyone tumbles. We also spend more time working new skills in the spring versus the rest of the year. While the kids will work new skills at other times, it's more about perfection of skills than getting new ones during the fall/winter in regular practices, but of course, we'll always take new skills too.
 
Those things are all great, but at the same time, you cannot come back to me and complain about your child's placement when you put other things in front of tumbling. I'm very upfront with people re: the fact that your kids will get from cheer what they put in.

Ignore this statement if L5 is not the goal for your kid:

You want an L5 kid, she can't have a Mini 1 tumbling schedule.


Same with Senior athletes (for example) who are like "WHYYYYY IS ASHLEY L5 and not meeeeeeee?
Because you were at the pool/hanging out with your boyfriend when Ashley was on a hot date with her full.

Anything you want to do takes work. Unlimited tumbling levels the "can't afford it" playing field and shows us all who is willing to put the work in when the tools are provided for you.

Yes!!! I want the unlimited tumbling!!!!!!!!
 
All star doesn't necessarily need to be expensive to start with. I have a friend whose program is dirt cheap monthly tuition basically covers cost of gym rental and tumbling instruction. Parents buy the uniforms and pay competition fees. Keeping low to start, if you can, might be school way to garner some interest.


Can I just direct deposit my pay checks to the gym?
We are doing our best to keep it low. However, I need to be able to back up my request to the gym owner when I ask that tumbling class be included in their current tuition.
Right now, ages 4-10 practice 1.5 hours a week with tuition at $100/month. The older group practices 3.5 hours a week with tuition at $120. Being that the gym already has two cheer tumbling classes in their schedule, I would like to require our cheer kids to attend one of those classes and have it included in the tuition, without raising it.

Team placements will happen in May, so if we are making changes they won't happen until then and I am able to update the program handbook for the 2014-2015 season.

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