All-Star Words Of Advice For Gym Party Reveal

[Mndl]

I hope you find a gym or alternative that works out for your daughter for this year. I completely understand how you feel and how she feels. My 7 1/2 yr old just had her first practice on her Jr. 2 team last night, she is the youngest on the team but the only other team would have been a young mini 1; she has all her level 2 skills and would have been bored to death. Would I rather her be with kids closer to her age? Yes, but it just wasn't feasible this year and I would rather her be challenged, the youngest and happy( and she was so excited when I picked her up from practice) than unhappy and bored but with kids slightly closer to her age. Good luck!

 

[SL&AM]

I hope you find a gym or alternative that works out for your daughter for this year. I completely understand how you feel and how she feels. My 7 1/2 yr old just had her first practice on her Jr. 2 team last night, she is the youngest on the team but the only other team would have been a young mini 1; she has all her level 2 skills and would have been bored to death. Would I rather her be with kids closer to her age? Yes, but it just wasn't feasible this year and I would rather her be challenged, the youngest and happy( and she was so excited when I picked her up from practice) than unhappy and bored but with kids slightly closer to her age. Good luck!

Thanks! I can't blame you for sticking your CP where you did, once the kids have xyz skills boredom is just as counter productive as everything else.

 

[newbiemom]

There is such a huge difference in a 6 year old and a 4 year old. We are looking at putting my little one on a mini team (it's a show team at our gym), she turns 4 in August and I'm going to fine out the other ages- are they also just turning four or closer to six because she's still a bit crazy- short attention span, and lives in her own little land. Light years away from a 6 year old, especially if it is not their first year of cheer.

 

[SL&AM]

There is such a huge difference in a 6 year old and a 4 year old. We are looking at putting my little one on a mini team (it's a show team at our gym), she turns 4 in August and I'm going to fine out the other ages- are they also just turning four or closer to six because she's still a bit crazy- short attention span, and lives in her own little land. Light years away from a 6 year old, especially if it is not their first year of cheer.

If the team is a Mini show team and not a Tiny show team then it's actually 8 and below as of August 31st, so your age range can literally be 3-9 (with a late birthday) depending upon the rules of the gym.

 

[newbiemom]

If the team is a Mini show team and not a Tiny show team then it's actually 8 and below as of August 31st, so your age range can literally be 3-9 (with a late birthday) depending upon the rules of the gym.

Ours will just be 4-5 year old per the flyer. But that's good to know, thanks! I wouldn't want to saddle those older kids and the coach with wrangling my newly 4 year old! They said 4 as of August 31st, which mine will be but before we commit I want to make sure she's not going to be one of the only newly four. Or maybe I'll let her do a trial practice with them and the coaches can tell me if she's ready...

 

[SL&AM]

Ours will just be 4-5 year old per the flyer. But that's good to know, thanks! I wouldn't want to saddle those older kids and the coach with wrangling my newly 4 year old! They said 4 as of August 31st, which mine will be but before we commit I want to make sure she's not going to be one of the only newly four. Or maybe I'll let her do a trial practice with them and the coaches can tell me if she's ready...

At that age, it'll probably take more than a few times before she gets into the swing of things...my CP did dance at 2 and 3, it was like herding a bunch of cats, but come recital they all knew what moves to do. Good luck!

 

[acecheermom]

One of my younger daughters has started cheer this year. She's a new 5 and we couldn't get a tiny team together so our gym has bumped her up to the mini (maybe prep) team. We are still in the wait and see mode. She's so young and has NO prior experience. Most of these girls are 6-8 and have cheered at least 1 prior year. She loved the first practice but then hated the first specialty class because it was larger and she had no skills to compare to the other kids in it. She has her first tumbling class tomorrow night and it is supposed to only be 4 kids to 1 coach so I guess we will see if her feelings swing back after that. I think she was just overwhelmed in a larger class with different age groups and her being so little she just didn't understand what was going on or how to perform what she was being asked to. It's all a learning curve at this point I guess.

 

[SL&AM]

Well better news to report---I just realized this thread has gone on way longer than I ever thought it would. Heard back from the gym I e-mailed last night and it appears they may just have a level/age appropriate team for it...thank the stars. I've been spending part of the day looking up videos, comp results, and getting an overall feel of the program and so far so good. For being a newer program, they actually have a huge amount of kids among multiple age divisions and levels from a Tiny show to a newish IOC Coed5, which is telling especially since it's located literally smack dab between the two older gyms in the area. I told CP about it once she got home from school and her eyes lit up; they do two open gyms a week, but it's DH's birthday this weekend so I told her we would try and go to the weekend one, otherwise I'll bring her next week so she can meet the staff, see the gym, and get an overall feel of the place. Fingers crossed she finds a new home.

 

[Belinda]

Well better news to report---I just realized this thread has gone on way longer than I ever thought it would. Heard back from the gym I e-mailed last night and it appears they may just have a level/age appropriate team for it...thank the stars. I've been spending part of the day looking up videos, comp results, and getting an overall feel of the program and so far so good. For being a newer program, they actually have a huge amount of kids among multiple age divisions and levels from a Tiny show to a newish IOC Coed5, which is telling especially since it's located literally smack dab between the two older gyms in the area. I told CP about it once she got home from school and her eyes lit up; they do two open gyms a week, but it's DH's birthday this weekend so I told her we would try and go to the weekend one, otherwise I'll bring her next week so she can meet the staff, see the gym, and get an overall feel of the place. Fingers crossed she finds a new home.

I'm happy you found another option that might work so fast! I'll keep my fingers crossed and 'hold my thumbs'(as you do in sweden lol), that it will all work out!

 

[CookieMomster]

Sounds like things are promising! Best of luck. I'm still scratching my head with the age grid change. Lil Bits is also caught in it. She was a T1 and crossed over to a M1 last season because she needed the challenge. She's working on on her BHS (some days it's there and other days it's enough to give me a panic attack), and can fly level 3 stunts and when she heard she could be a T1 again after turning 6 she's sad. She said she was so bored but did it because she loved her coach. We find out her team placement next week. The gym is making phone calls to all 500 athletes at our location and we're anxious to find out where she's placed. She said if it's T1 she'll take the year off and do gymnastics and dance until she can be Mini age (and we have 2 M1 and 1M2 teams) and then go back to cheer. We tend to place by age and skill because we have so many teams but you just never know if they want some older 6yr old girls on T1 with solid level 1 skills for an advantage. (Did I really just use solid skills and advantage when describing T1?!?

 

[SL&AM]

Sounds like things are promising! Best of luck. I'm still scratching my head with the age grid change. Lil Bits is also caught in it. She was a T1 and crossed over to a M1 last season because she needed the challenge. She's working on on her BHS (some days it's there and other days it's enough to give me a panic attack), and can fly level 3 stunts and when she heard she could be a T1 again after turning 6 she's sad. She said she was so bored but did it because she loved her coach. We find out her team placement next week. The gym is making phone calls to all 500 athletes at our location and we're anxious to find out where she's placed. She said if it's T1 she'll take the year off and do gymnastics and dance until she can be Mini age (and we have 2 M1 and 1M2 teams) and then go back to cheer. We tend to place by age and skill because we have so many teams but you just never know if they want some older 6yr old girls on T1 with solid level 1 skills for an advantage. (Did I really just use solid skills and advantage when describing T1?!?

You did, and that is what I don't get with those supporting this age grid. I've watched, and just since CP joined a few years ago, Mini's are getting more competitive---which is great, however, by being able to put 7 year olds on Tiny's with the right birthday---I guarantee we'll find a gym or three who is made up of all 6 year old & 7 year old Tiny's that sweeps every competition they go to.

 

[CookieMomster]

Mini's are getting more competitive---which is great, however, by being able to put 7 year olds on Tiny's with the right birthday---I guarantee we'll find a gym or three who is made up of all 6 year old & 7 year old Tiny's that sweeps every competition they go to.

Bingo! Even we have 2 T1 teams. 1 is more beginner and the other is the competitive team with girls at the top of the age grid with more solid skills. Time will tell. 3 yr olds and 6&7yr olds are day and night in terms of development. We're talking preschoolers with Gr 2 & 3's.

 

[elisekc9]

I've got a few things to think about from a coaches perspective . . .

Competitive Tiny 1 next season is going to be a completely different ball game in my opinion. At least at our gym it will be. We are fielding a "Teeny Tiny" 3-4 year olds prep team and a competitive Tiny. That competitive team is full of 5-6 year olds with front and back walkovers that are working backhandsprings already. Our parents were upset about being "held back" on Tiny until 10 mins into the first practice where they were putting up solid double bases by themselves!!!! They understood that with us just allowing 5-6 year olds on the team we are going to be able to run a mini prep style routine. Definitely no coaches doing the motions at the front of the mat. I would caution parents to not necessarily judge Tiny by what you've seen last season for that reason.

ALSO, I'm ok with parents campaigning for their child to be moved up a division early. What I'm NOT ok with is them later being upset that they have to cheer with "little kids" later on. This honestly happens ALL THE TIME. Mom wants her on youth 2 at 7 years old because she's "bored on mini" and then complains later when she's 11 and she has to cheer with 7 year olds?! YOU were that 7 year old being moved up early too! I just ask parents to put yourself in the shoes of those 11 year olds' moms and think of whether you would want to slow down a practice a bit to accommodate a lovely 7 year old on your team when you're 11! Just my 2 cents on that.

I find lots of people want special treatment in terms of being moved up early and then get upset later when it happens to other young kids too. The drive to be on the oldest team possible is so confusing to me because competing with the oldest kids possible in your age bracket will make a team waaaay more more likely to do well at competition. A mini team with all 7 and 8 year olds will most likely beat a team with 6 year olds on it every time. It's hard as a coach to make everyone happy, but my ultimate goal in placing athletes is setting up every team for success. In order to do that, many times I have to break hearts. I'd rather break hearts during placements, than on the mat when a team gets last place all year.

Not wanting to be confrontational here, just wanted to illustrate the perspective of many coaches in this situation as well. These really aren't easy decisions for us to make!

 

[CookieMomster]

You bring up good points @elisekc9. Our competitive T1 is like what you described. We were competing with double bases all season and the coaches were off to the side and not in front. It's a transitional year for sure. I feel for the kids from gyms that can't field multiple teams and are competing against the new super Tiny teams. It's an unfair advantage in a way.

I also agree with you and the pushing to move ahead and then turning around and complaining about the younger ones when they were the young ones at one point. I agree that kids need to be on age appropriate teams but they also should be placed on teams by skill too (I know it's not always possible). We can't in one breath say don't judge a book by its cover and then do so when we separate by age and not skill.

I don't envy the coaches. You guys are caught in a hard place and just tying to make the best of a situation. It's never easy and you can't please everybody all the time.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I've got a few things to think about from a coaches perspective . . .

Competitive Tiny 1 next season is going to be a completely different ball game in my opinion. At least at our gym it will be. We are fielding a "Teeny Tiny" 3-4 year olds prep team and a competitive Tiny. That competitive team is full of 5-6 year olds with front and back walkovers that are working backhandsprings already. Our parents were upset about being "held back" on Tiny until 10 mins into the first practice where they were putting up solid double bases by themselves!!!! They understood that with us just allowing 5-6 year olds on the team we are going to be able to run a mini prep style routine. Definitely no coaches doing the motions at the front of the mat. I would caution parents to not necessarily judge Tiny by what you've seen last season for that reason.

ALSO, I'm ok with parents campaigning for their child to be moved up a division early. What I'm NOT ok with is them later being upset that they have to cheer with "little kids" later on. This honestly happens ALL THE TIME. Mom wants her on youth 2 at 7 years old because she's "bored on mini" and then complains later when she's 11 and she has to cheer with 7 year olds?! YOU were that 7 year old being moved up early too! I just ask parents to put yourself in the shoes of those 11 year olds' moms and think of whether you would want to slow down a practice a bit to accommodate a lovely 7 year old on your team when you're 11! Just my 2 cents on that.

I find lots of people want special treatment in terms of being moved up early and then get upset later when it happens to other young kids too. The drive to be on the oldest team possible is so confusing to me because competing with the oldest kids possible in your age bracket will make a team waaaay more more likely to do well at competition. A mini team with all 7 and 8 year olds will most likely beat a team with 6 year olds on it every time. It's hard as a coach to make everyone happy, but my ultimate goal in placing athletes is setting up every team for success. In order to do that, many times I have to break hearts. I'd rather break hearts during placements, than on the mat when a team gets last place all year.

Not wanting to be confrontational here, just wanted to illustrate the perspective of many coaches in this situation as well. These really aren't easy decisions for us to make!

Another different perspective about this:

Everybody wants their kid to be on Youth early, until they're 11 on Youth and not a flyer anymore because they are the tallest kid on the team (and the flyers are all 7-9.)