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I can't remember how much I've posted in here about E's gymnastics, but we're at another decision point.
Backstory: Before we moved, she had been invited to move up to the pre-team. She loved it and was learning a lot. When we moved, I looked at 2 gyms. Gym B is closest to the house. Gym H is a little bit further, but still not far, and super close to her school for next year. Gym H said that she would have to be in the preschool class until she started kindergarten, so I didn't spend much time looking there. Gym B said she could tryout for their pre-team, but it meets T/Th from 4-5:30. I can't get here there at 4, and I don't want her doing gymnastics 3 hours/week at 5 years old. Plus her dance class has been on Tuesdays. So, they said she could do preschool until she turned 5, and then she could move up to the rec classes. We went with Gym B. When she turned 5, she moved up to the Intro 5-7 rec class. The first day was a disaster with epic crying, but then she loved it. A month later, they tested her and moved her up to the Gym 2.0 class, which is with kids mostly 8-12 years old. We had the same issue with the first day of class, but again, after that she loved it. She has a lot of fun and keeps up well with the big girls. I see the older girls practicing, including the teams, and it looks like they're being trained well, so I feel good with her there.
Yesterday I got an e-mail inviting her to tryout for the pre-team at Gym B. She's very talented and really enjoys it, and I think she would love a team. I haven't confirmed, but I think we're going to run into the same issue with the time of the class. Her dance class will be on Mondays starting in the fall, but the elementary school doesn't dismiss until 3:50, and even if I could get there to pick her up or hired a nanny to drive her and be first in line, it's still at best a 15 minute drive to the gym. So I called Gym H again and talked to them. They said she is welcome to come join their team. At her age, they meet for 1 hour a week, and there are 3 different class times we could choose. If she moved up to the second level, it's 3 hours/week, and there are still different options to choose from. In general, they are a very family oriented gym and don't want to over-commit the kids, which I love. But, I don't know much about how well they train the girls, and they don't generally compete other than small local competitions.
So right now my options are to keep her in the rec classes at her current gym, or consider switching her to the other gym so she could be on a team. What would you do?
Backstory: Before we moved, she had been invited to move up to the pre-team. She loved it and was learning a lot. When we moved, I looked at 2 gyms. Gym B is closest to the house. Gym H is a little bit further, but still not far, and super close to her school for next year. Gym H said that she would have to be in the preschool class until she started kindergarten, so I didn't spend much time looking there. Gym B said she could tryout for their pre-team, but it meets T/Th from 4-5:30. I can't get here there at 4, and I don't want her doing gymnastics 3 hours/week at 5 years old. Plus her dance class has been on Tuesdays. So, they said she could do preschool until she turned 5, and then she could move up to the rec classes. We went with Gym B. When she turned 5, she moved up to the Intro 5-7 rec class. The first day was a disaster with epic crying, but then she loved it. A month later, they tested her and moved her up to the Gym 2.0 class, which is with kids mostly 8-12 years old. We had the same issue with the first day of class, but again, after that she loved it. She has a lot of fun and keeps up well with the big girls. I see the older girls practicing, including the teams, and it looks like they're being trained well, so I feel good with her there.
Yesterday I got an e-mail inviting her to tryout for the pre-team at Gym B. She's very talented and really enjoys it, and I think she would love a team. I haven't confirmed, but I think we're going to run into the same issue with the time of the class. Her dance class will be on Mondays starting in the fall, but the elementary school doesn't dismiss until 3:50, and even if I could get there to pick her up or hired a nanny to drive her and be first in line, it's still at best a 15 minute drive to the gym. So I called Gym H again and talked to them. They said she is welcome to come join their team. At her age, they meet for 1 hour a week, and there are 3 different class times we could choose. If she moved up to the second level, it's 3 hours/week, and there are still different options to choose from. In general, they are a very family oriented gym and don't want to over-commit the kids, which I love. But, I don't know much about how well they train the girls, and they don't generally compete other than small local competitions.
So right now my options are to keep her in the rec classes at her current gym, or consider switching her to the other gym so she could be on a team. What would you do?
"Then again, she's also very smart and doesn't NEED a sport..." In my (very limited!) experience, it's the smart kids who NEED sports most of all. When school is ridiculously easy, it's invaluable beyond compare to have an activity where things don't come as easily, where you have to work to achieve. Of course, that falls apart if your kiddo has an athletic talent too (and it sounds like yours does!) My kids are mediocre soccer players, but when they apply themselves they are solid team players. I feel like that experience gives them ten times the personal growth as does getting yet another 100% on a Pre-algebra test or accelerated spelling quiz. 
It's just another dimension to consider.
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