All-Star Gym Hopping

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If a gym doesn't have what my cp needs or wants to improve and have opportunity or current gym is not a good return on investment, a change is necessary. I am loyal to a fault. My fault if I make my cp stay just because I feel loyalty. I will alway tell my current gym why I feel the need to leave to I've them a chance to meet my needs. But if you can't then we have mutually agreed I will move on. No hard feeling and not gym hopping.


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I have to say that the term "gym hopping" is crazy. I am both a gym owner and cheer parent. From an owner's perspective we have a service we are selling. If I don't do my job then you should leave. You have no moral obligation to stay. It's hard when dealing with people and friendships form. The fact is you pay to come there. From a parent, I would have no problem changing if I don't feel my child is getting their money's worth. It is not the athlete nor the parents job to help a gym grow. If you do the right thing you will. Very simple. It drives me nuts for a gym owner to pull heart strings on a child to get them to stay. Get off your butt, coach, they will. Very simple!


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What about the opposite phenomenon? The gym shopper? I've been told of many athletes OPENLY trying out at multiple (up to 4!?!) gyms shopping for their placement of choice. That's the real disgrace!


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What about the opposite phenomenon? The gym shopper? I've been told of many athletes OPENLY trying out at multiple (up to 4!?!) gyms shopping for their placement of choice. That's the real disgrace!


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They should. Do you not shop around for the best with your kids? Buying a car? Once again, do our job and there is no problem.


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What about the opposite phenomenon? The gym shopper? I've been told of many athletes OPENLY trying out at multiple (up to 4!?!) gyms shopping for their placement of choice. That's the real disgrace!


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Why would trying to find a gym that fits both you and your child's needs, be a disgrace? I have had my child try-out at two different gyms...and then we both evaluated what was the best fit.

Gym shopping (as you called it) is nothing to shame someone about. Things that we considered...
  • Made a higher level... would that team actually be competitive?
  • Made a lower level but that gym is going to kick butt in this division.
  • Which team is closer
  • Which team is worth driving for
  • How many fly away nationals do they compete at.
  • Price
  • Coaching styles
I think Gym personality is an important thing to look at, and you need to go there and experience it to really know. Some gyms are very conservative...not risk taking, never trying to max out a score card, clean emphasized not difficulty, full top for everyone, T-shirts only, and no sports bra's worn during practice. All these things as a whole contribute to the personality of a gym.

The above description is where my cp was at. It drove her crazy that she couldn't wear a sports bra when it was 87 degree's in the gym. It drove me BESERK that the coach was so conservative and never took risks even after it was obvious that the routine was not ever going to score well or win ever....and I mean ever.

The gym we are now at is still very small like our other gym but the owner is a risk taker. She puts together teams, athletes, and performances with winning in mind, doing her best to maximize the score sheet. There camp wear is cool, cute and comfortable. There uniforms are beautiful. I like the little more aggressive approach to training.

The only thing I miss about the old gym was the tumbling...they were a gymnastics gym. Their tumbling program was top notch with great progressions and fabulous experienced teachers. I would pay for her to go back to this gym for tumbling classes but they will not let anyone back who left for another team.
 
I changed gyms 3 times in one season. Call me a gym hopper? that's fine. I was finding which program made be the happiest and suited me the best. So sue me.
I agree 100%! If the athlete isn't happy they should change. Too many "coaches" talk loyalty when in reality they won't get off their butts and coach! Like I said, it's my job as a coach to make you better and happy. If I do that then there is no problem, if I do and you still leave, then it wasn't meant to be. We had an athlete who left because all we had to offer her was a Jr 2, she was a lot better she was a level 3, she left, we worked the kids butts off all yr they became a 3 and guess what, she came back the next season!


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I changed gyms 3 times in one season. Call me a gym hopper? that's fine. I was finding which program made be the happiest and suited me the best. So sue me.

My question is every season for 3 years do you switch 3 plus times.... :) Sometimes you have to do what you have to do and well, sometimes there are exceptions :)

I define a gym hopper as child with crazy cheer parent who has mind-set my child is perfect and should be treated like a queen versus the rest of the peons and it has to be everyone else's fault that my child isn't getting the tumbling skill or whatever it may be, so i am walking b/c the grass is greener at every local gym in the area. :) So then child has a 'tude typically and it's just not productive all around.. or the poor kid is accused of gym hopping when the parent can't get along with anyone and reminds me of Ann on youth silver or whatever show that is ;-)
 
My question is every season for 3 years do you switch 3 plus times.... :) Sometimes you have to do what you have to do and well, sometimes there are exceptions :)

To answer your question, No. I was at Gym A for 4 seasons. Did my hopping around, ended up at Gym B for my last two seasons.
 
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