CALLING ALL DANCE/GYMNASTICS MUMS

[motherof4girls]

Hello, I am mother of 4 girls aged 15, 13, 12 and 8. They all do ballet and the eldest 3 also do competitive gymnastics. Our youngest has a dilemma. She would love to continue with ballet but during one of her rec gym classes she was spotted by the heathrow gymnastics competitive club and they have asked her to join their team. They are known for pumping out olympic gymnasts. For her training with them she would have to either do both which would be very full on considering she also gets quite a lot of homework from her prep school or give up ballet. Have any of you been in a similar situation?

Former elite gymnast mum here. I can't imagine there is any way on God's earth there would be time to do both gym and ballet were your daughter to compete at a high level in gymnastics. Dd used to train more than 20 hours per week (and that 2-/ from reasonably early on). I've also heard that the two aren't compatible in terms of muscles used etc.

@nordstrom yeah our other 3 girls only do ballet recreationally (recitals rather than proper performances) due to the nature of their competitive gym but our ballet teacher tells us that our youngest would probably be able to stay on for ballet till she was around 10 and because she really enjoys it i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to manage with them all doing the same things, the eldest 3 attend 4 days a weeks of gym and do one rec ballet class, our youngest with the heathrow offer will be doing 6 days of gym and then with her free day doing the rec ballet class

I see. That sounds hectic!! We were run ragged with just one dd at gym. Plus there are all the comps, extra training camps to factor in. Sorry - no practical advice except (I'm not sure what level your other dd's do currently), but think very carefully about the level of commitment and sacrifice in gymnastics at higher levels. For example - our dd wasn't able to come on a family holiday because of competing at one point.

I'm sure this was a story in Bunty.

I really think she will have to choose one or the other. gymnastics at a high level will take up all her time and I don't think it would be sustainable to be doing ballet on her one day off. She will need a rest.

One of my children is a professional dancer. We were always told that ballet and gymnastics were incompatible because of the different posture required and the different muscles that develop. However, we were of course being warned off gymnastics as being potentially detrimental to ballet - it may not be the same issue the other way around.
What I would say for certain though is that if a child pursues either seriously there won't be time for the other. Both are very demanding physically and mentally and take a lot of time and money. If your daughter is serious about one then she will have to drop the other. She needs time for schoolwork of course, but also down time. Rest is crucial to well being.
However, if I have read your post right, she is only 8 years old and she hasn't even started with the competitive gymnastics team yet. I would let her keep her options open at this stage I think. She may not like the new team, or she may not develop in the way that they are hoping. I think I would be inclined to let her do both for a trial period. If she is really committed to the gymnastics then she will need to drop the ballet as it will be too much for her and a logistical nightmare for you. But if things dont take off with the new team she will still have the option of doing both as currently.

What level is your daughter going to be working at? How many hours a week will she be training?

My daughter did both. She competed at gym (training 18 hours a week) and did ballet on one of her days off. She did her national grades, but not compulsories. At her gym, they used to do ballet in gym, so gym never had a problem with the gym, but I don't think the ballet like it as much. My eldest gave up at 11.

If your daughter loves both has she considered Rhythmic gymnastics? My youngest competes in that and she does ballet in her training every week. It forms a big part of her training.

So if your 8-year-old takes up this training offer, she will be training 6 days a week, and do a ballet class on the 7th.

No rest days, or time to just be a kid, or to give her body time to recover from aches and pains.

You can't be serious.

She MUST have one completely free rest day. Her body will need time to recover.

Dd went to vocational school aged 11 and was dancing 6 days per week but the 7th rest day was strictly enforced.

I think 8 years old is too young to choose/focus on one thing to the detriment of all others.

And my dd was at prep school. One of the reasons she turned down a place at an Indy secondary was that the hours and level of homework required would have been too much along with the dance training.

I can't help but wonder what sort of ballet training your girls are getting, because the term 'recitals' is not normally used by dance schools in the UK.

Very true yera

And in the US where it is a common term a recital is a full on costumed show in a theatre (often lasting for hours)

Dance teacher here. My advice would be do one on a more serious level, and one on a recreational level for fun / hobby. Either gymnastics once a week and dance multiple times a week, or one ballet class a week and multiple gymnastics training sessions a week.

I have students who are on the competitive dance squad and who also want to join my competitive dance team - it just doesn't work, mainly with conflicting schedules and clashing competitions.

At age 9, my dd had to choose between gymnastics and ballet. She opted for ballet due to her passion for motion, rhythm and other forms of dance. Interestingly, she quickly lost some of her flexibility, and soon took on an acro class 3 days per week to counter this. She has potential, but, tbh I won't push her. I don't think dance is a career for her, as she has always been determined to be a scientist!