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Parenting

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Original poster

Is 16hrs a week gymnastics too much for a 7yr old?

23 replies

allgonebellyup · 16/05/2007 12:49

my dd may be asked to up her hours at gymnastics soon as they say she has a lot of potential ,but she may be in a tiny group of 2 or 3 girls doing 16hrs a week, do you think this is too much?? she is desperately keen to do it..

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hana · 16/05/2007 12:54

I think that's a lot for a 7 year old girl - when would she be fitting it all in?
one of the reasons that dd doesn't go anymore - didn't fancy all those extra practices ( she was asked and I could see the road that we'd be going down)

WigWamBam · 16/05/2007 12:55

Personally I think that's way too much for a 7 year old. At that age I would be concerned that they were pushing her way too hard.

How much time will it leave her for things like homework, friendships, other hobbies? I would be worried about any activitiy where a child was being expected to train so hard that she had no time for other activities, or time just to be a 7 year old child.

But the other question, of course, is whether she's happy, and if it's what she wants. Is she serious about it, maybe as a career, or is it just something she enjoys doing for fun? If it's something she does just for fun then IMO 16 hours a week is much too much.

Original poster

allgonebellyup · 16/05/2007 12:59

she loves it and wants to do competitions etc, but as a career it can only last til the child is about 17/18 at the most.
she is very good at school and her literacy/reading is excellent for a child of her age. i wouldnt want her to get behind at school and not be in top groups any more.
She is desperate though and begging me. Also she sees her dad every weekend so has little time for parties etc.

might just let her try for a while and see how it goes?

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Earlybird · 16/05/2007 13:01

That sounds alot. Spread over how many days? How many hours at one time?

Y0rkshirelass · 16/05/2007 13:03

That sounds a awful lot for a 7yo, could she perhaps join but not go to all the sessions?

WigWamBam · 16/05/2007 13:04

When is she going to fit it in? Even if she trains every day that's over two hours a day ... that's a huge, huge amount.

You say she doesn't have time for parties and so on now - it doesn't sound as if this would give her much chance to relax and be a child.

ScaryHairy · 16/05/2007 13:04

It does sound like a lot but if she's desperate to do it, I would let her on the strict understanding that it is for a trial period and if she gets too tired or school work begins to suffer, she would need to cut back.

FunMumm · 16/05/2007 13:09

My DD goes to gymnastics and its great to see the younger children there doing amazing jumps and flips. The girls there all seem to enjoy it, that seems to be their social life, well that and going to competitions, Why don't you give it a try, if it becomes to much she can always do less hours again.
ohh... and let us know when shes representing the country!

crumpet · 16/05/2007 13:13

I would be concerned that it might have long term effects on her bone/muscle development given that she is so young - I'd be looking for expert guidance on this.

LIZS · 16/05/2007 13:19

I've got a friend whose dd s are doing similar training, although I don't think it is 16 hours. They enjoy it but the competitiveness can be harsh and it is physically demanding. One got injured and was reluctant to go back as she had fallen behind the others a bit. 16 hours a week devoted to any one thing at 7 seems a huge amount tbh.

SweetyDarling · 16/05/2007 13:34

My sister was doing similar hours at that age. If your dd is serious about persuing the sport then go for it!
DS saw a sports nutritionist and was put on an intensive high carb/high protein diet to ensure she got enough nutrients to compensate for the expended engery.
I would also recommend getting some high-level health cover for Physiotherapy as DS was there sooooo often!
DS thinks she might have ended up taller if she hadn't done such intensve training, but she is still a very strong and flexible woman (now 27).
It will rule your life though - just be warned!

WriggleJiggle · 16/05/2007 13:38

I think you're right to be wary. 16 hrs is a huge amount. At that age it is bound to affect her physical development. Can you speak to a sports physio about it? I would be very concerned at the stresses it may put on her body.

Original poster

allgonebellyup · 16/05/2007 15:37

WigwamBam, she already does 3 hr sessions after school twice a week, and a half day on a saturday.

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imnot27 · 16/05/2007 15:43

Crikey yes! That's like a part-time job!

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allgonebellyup · 17/05/2007 09:53

does she really need a physio at age 7?

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goingfor3 · 17/05/2007 09:55

When is she going to have to time for a childhood with 16 hours per week of gymnastics?

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allgonebellyup · 17/05/2007 10:04

er, the other 152 hours left in the week ?

no, i am slightly worried about it being all too much but she is addicted to going there and she just loves it. she is a very shy child and its lovely to see her so excited about talking to and being with people at the gym.
it obviously wont be every night after school so she will still have time to play and do homework, i hope.

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LIZS · 17/05/2007 10:09

but presumably it will be most days after school for 2+ hours plus weekend session(s)

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allgonebellyup · 17/05/2007 10:20

oh i really dont know what to do, i know they will build up gradually to 16hrs so it wont be this many hours immediately. But its still a lot.

On top of this, its the cost. At the mo its £100 a month but this will double, and i am a single parent living on £160 a week!!
i do still want her to have a life, and time to play.

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Earlybird · 19/05/2007 00:23

Don't know if you've decided what to do, but I can share a story with you.

Growing up I had a friend who was a talented swimmer. He trained after school every day. The older he got, the better he got. Eventually, he started training before school and after school. Then he added in weight training. Then he had to modify his diet. Then he started having to shave his body hair regularly because at that level of split second lap times, it made a difference. Most weekends, he travelled to competitions - many very far away. At age 14 he moved to Florida to train with one of the world's best swimming coaches. The coaches studied and worked endlessly with him on modifying/perfecting his strokes. He went to the Olympics twice and won a few medals.

He accomplished a tremendous amount, but he missed out on a great deal too. I remember thinking that he had an amazing skill, and a finely honed physique and fabulous technique. But, he was extremely immature emotionally and socially because he'd spent most of his time in training. His career was over in his early 20's, and I know he had some difficulty adjusting to normal life - because he hadn't had a normal life as a child, an adolescent, a teenager or a young adult. I'm not in touch with him now, but sometimes wonder what he thinks about it all now. Not sure he would say it was worth it.

Your daughter may or may not have that sort of talent. But it will take alot of time/effort/expense before you find out. She may do extremely well, but it will mean a great deal of sacrifice for her and you. It's a big decision.

Skribble · 19/05/2007 00:37

I have to say no way, DD does 1 hour gymnastics a week and enters 1 comp a year, a very low level comp.

She does dancing (ballet, jazz and tap) and musical theatre, which I like her doing as it is not competative. Unlike Irish, disco or Scottish dancing they do not compete they do 2 shows a year and a summer school plus 1 exam a year only for ballet but will be for all when older.

Thing is if she does have a talent for it and she enjoys it then perhaps I would consider it, I would really like to know how the 16hrs will be used as I wouldn't like a girl so young to be practising flat out for 16hrs a week. Young bodies would suffer I feel.

When my DD is older I would be quite happy for her to hang out 7 nights a week at her dance school, but she would be working in the cafe, helping with younger classes as well as her own dance. Good group of kids and they use it like a youth club almost, better than hanging out in the park drinking thunderbirds .

CristinaTheAstonishing · 19/05/2007 00:41

Too much IMO. I work 10 hours a week and find that hard to fit in sometimes. I imagine gymnastics is more fun for a 7 y.o. than work is for a 41 y.o, commitments are different etc, but still too much.

Chandra · 19/05/2007 00:55

I can not say much about gymnastics but that the very few people I know who trained rigorously from early age have their knees ruined and usually bandaged for any sort of excercise by the time they were 18. There was also another thing, all of them were tiny but I don't know if that was due to gymnastics causing the problem OR because shorter people normaly do better at this sport.

Too many hours too little life... I would be tempted to give it a go if my son loved it and I didn't need to sacrifice much for him to do it but I would stop things immediatly if it became too much for him or it prevented him to be involved in other things. But then, I'm going to bin Tumbletots in a couple of weeks so perhaps I'm not in a position to offer expert advice.

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