All-Star Little Fish Big Sea Vs Big Fish Little Sea

[cheergoogle]

Which would you prefer?
A large gym where you or your child (excellent skills for age) will always just be in the middle of the pack.
A small gym where you or your child (with excellent skills for age) stands out.

I am especially curious of those of you with the younger CPs.
As background for my interest my CP just turned 7. She is a solid level 2 tumbler and flyer going into her 5th season of cheer. At our large gym she is no where near as talented as most of the kids her age--some are already on level 5 youth teams. It's weird when we tumble at a smaller gym everyone is always amazed at how little CP is and how good she does but at the large gym my CP is just average in comparison. We are very happy at our gym but I wonder if children and parent prefer one scenario or the other.

 

[King]

Which would you prefer?
A large gym where you or your child (excellent skills for age) will always just be in the middle of the pack.
A small gym where you or your child (with excellent skills for age) stands out.

I am especially curious of those of you with the younger CPs.
As background for my interest my CP just turned 7. She is a solid level 2 tumbler and flyer going into her 5th season of cheer. At our large gym she is no where near as talented as most of the kids her age--some are already on level 5 youth teams. It's weird when we tumble at a smaller gym everyone is always amazed at how little CP is and how good she does but at the large gym my CP is just average in comparison. We are very happy at our gym but I wonder if children and parent prefer one scenario or the other.

This is a great question! I am interested to see peoples answers (there is no wrong answer on this, all preference).

 

[INeverStopCheering]

I have always been a small gym kind of person. I believe it gives every child attention and a chance to shine, not this those with the biggest or the best skills. I think at small gyms no one gets lost in the crowd. The coaches know everyone. That's always been something important to me, that all the people who worked there knew me. Not just my coaches, but all the coaches. It's important to me to know not just my team mates, but most of the girls in the gym. Coaching at a smaller gym I can say I know almost every kid's name. I think at small gyms they can make every child feel valued whether they have a full or a bridge kickover.

 

[mommy2mygirls]

I have always been a small gym kind of person. I believe it gives every child attention and a chance to shine, not this those with the biggest or the best skills. I think at small gyms no one gets lost in the crowd. The coaches know everyone. That's always been something important to me, that all the people who worked there knew me. Not just my coaches, but all the coaches. It's important to me to know not just my team mates, but most of the girls in the gym. Coaching at a smaller gym I can say I know almost every kid's name. I think at small gyms they can make every child feel valued whether they have a full or a bridge kickover.

I wish I could shimmy this a million and one times. We went from a small gym to a large gym (thinking it would be better and have more opportunities) and now are back at a small gym. The smaller gym is much more for us - we feel more welcome and not just another number - but that could just be the gym in general not just the fact it was a large gym.

 

[LittleMiss]

Honestly they are all going to end up in the same place eventually so as long as you are both happy does it really matter that she doesn't have level 5 skills at 7. Sounds to me that she is exactly where she should be.

FYI....I have a CP that is the same age and same skill level. My CP belongs to a large gym and there aren't really many kids her age that are as well rounded throughout the routine as she. Are the other kids at your gym that are 7 well rounded, or can they just tumble their little hearts out?

 

[cheerinfo]

I will say that I used to run a small program, looked at a few small programs once I left my own, but have had my kids part of two very LARGE programs. I like the larger program because it is more likely to offer a place for a child regardless of age or ability. For example, my younger one had level 5 skills early on. And at the time, there was no bottom cap for senior teams, so she COULD have been on a senior team. Most of the smaller, local gyms near me at the time only had senior 5 teams. So my choices were to either have my 7 year old on a senior 5 team or have her on a youth 2 team. Neither one were a good fit AT ALL.

And being a part of two of the largest programs in the country, I will say that I have NEVER felt that either one of my kids have ever been thought of or treated as "just a number". To me, that isn't about size of your gym/program, but the quality of the coaches. I love being a part of a large gym/program, and would not change it for much of anything!

 

[Justacoach]

I personally prefer to be middle of the pack - better kids around to push cp to work harder.

Being the star is nice but imho the kid is usually treated like a superstar with sup par technique at these smaller gyms. All fluff and no substance. Kinda reminds me of the gymnastics movie Stick It where the coach tells every kid coming in they are going to the Olympics someday.

 

[cheergoogle]

Are the other kids at your gym that are 7 well rounded, or can they just tumble their little hearts out?

Yes, most of them tumble and stunt well. A lot of them spend many hours in the gym each week. I think most of the 7-8 year olds in the gym are very well rounded.

We are happy. I know my CP is in exactly the right place. I am so happy she has an age/skill level appropriate team to be on at her gym (Mini 2). I know that at a smaller gym she would probably be on a team that would either only be a good fit for age or a good fit for skill.

 

[FamousxMindset]

I think if the cp stayed at the small gym they might begin to be complacent, and a the biger gym its more work but they will push themselves harder.

 

[allthatglitters]

I must say I enjoyed being at a small gym when I first started because it was like a little family and everyone knew everyone. But I also love where I am now because everybody is so loving and the gym has a good rep. It's been quite a change but I think I'm going to like it.

 

[cheer97]

We started at a small gym and were always told don't go to the large gym, they won't know your kid and they will just be a number. After a couple of years at the small gym, my cp barely progressed, and the coaches really didn't pay much attention to her. after a few years we went to the large gym and it was the best decision we've ever made. every coach in our gym knows who my cp is and they make it a point to know all the kids. Not just the one who is coaching my cp. Her confidence grew and she has progressed above and beyond what I imagined. And every kid tumbles at their own pase, just because she's 7 and a level 2 doesn't mean anything, there are some naturally talented kids that can learn to tumble quicker than another kid. At a large gym I think you have more kids to choose from in order to make a true level team instead of sticking a bunch of level 2's on a 4 in order to complete the team. JMO

 

[Mamarazzi]

I think a child with excellent skills will stand out no matter where they are - large or small gym.
Starting out, I think a child may get more initial opportunities (maybe a base being given a chance to fly even though they never have before) at a small gym, but once their strengths and weaknesses are determined, you can pretty well tell where they will fit in best.
Bottom line, it depends on what the child is really doing it for. Is it the attention/being in the spotlight = small gym. Personal progression to higher and higher level skills = large gym. Spending time in a "family" atmosphere = small gym. Jackets/rings = large gym. Obviously, these don't always apply...
100% agreed with @cheerinfo , our gym has never, ever made my cp feel like "just a number," so I think that's either something the smaller gym might assume of the larger gym, or they may say it so that they don't lose athletes. I don't think either my cp or I ever felt any more, or less, special at either gym.
@INeverStopCheering and I live in the same area - her preference is one, my cp's the other. There will always be room for both large and small, and I'm very glad that our gyms both exist to meet the needs of as many athletes as possible!

 

[fancygirl#1]

When leaving my old gym (smaller) for a larger gym all we heard was you're just going to be a number and nobody will know your name. My skill set pretty much stayed in the level 4 range at the smaller gym because it was not enough tumbling instruction or you were constantly being held back to make up teams. Two months after leaving the program I mastered a full at the large gym with very good technique. In my first practice, the owner of this LARGE gym called me by my name. Then during the next practice she called my name again. Well needless to say, I'm not just a number.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

We've been at both small and large gyms, and I think we prefer the larger. We've been at one of the largest (Fame) and I have to say that my child was never just a number. Even with 12 teams at our location and thirty something teams overall, we never felt like that. Even just being a Mini 1 on a team with 35 other kids, those coaches knew her very well, the owner knew her, the moms knew her...very much still a family.

Actually the small gym was where we felt much less welcomed - we've been at 2 different fairly small gyms in 2 states, and both places I felt very excluded and not "part of the family" - no one even spoke to us for the first month at either place, including the owner. Coaches, yes - we've never had a problem with coaches being friendly and open in any gym. Just owners and other parents - very cold and clique-ish.

Skill-wise I definitely prefer a large gym. Both my cp's have progressed much more quickly at large gyms than small ones. There are a LOT more coaches to learn from, and a lot more opportunities to learn. And as was stated already there is a much better chance that there will be an age AND skill appropriate team for your child at a large gym - your level 4 7-year-old won't have to go onto a Senior team...and your Level 1 16 year old won't have to be on a Level 4 team that she isn't ready for.

It does really depend on what you're looking for. @Mamarazzi said it just right..."Bottom line, it depends on what the child is really doing it for. Is it the attention/being in the spotlight = small gym. Personal progression to higher and higher level skills = large gym. Spending time in a "family" atmosphere = small gym. Jackets/rings = large gym."

 

[LastPass]

Great question! I also have a young CP at a large gym with excellent skills for her age, but I think the reason she has the skills she does is because we're at that large gym. It's sort of a catch-22, I guess. Not only does she have access to several of the best instructors in the area, but it's the other young kids (with excellent skills for their age) that keep her motivated and progressing. My CP has never been the best on her team, and may never be, but I try to keep it in perspective. A 6 year old with a ROBHT is still pretty darn impressive.