If you recall, I mentioned awhile back that we were strongly considering taking Hana out of gymnastics and trying her in other sports.
I FIRST started to re-think this "gymnastics rabbit hole" back in June (when we were in Barcelona). Hubby and I had a long talk about the pros and cons of having Hana: 1. Continue gymnastics. 2. Enrolling in the on-site gym-school (which is ALSO a homeschool/hybrid situation). Initially we really liked the option of having Hana do BOTH school and gymnastics there. It would alleviate some stress of transportation, AND it would allow her to practice with the morning team (which is the coveted team at this gym). We actually signed her up and paid the registration fee!!
After stepping away for a few weeks, I realized that sending Hana to the Hybrid on-campus school would essentially "banish" her to the gym 5 days/week for 8 hours a day way across town. I didn't like the prospect of that at all. And the more I dwelled the less I liked the idea. So, I cancelled the Gym/Hybrid spot (lost the money, however) and let her current Hybrid school know that ALL three kids would be returning. (I had also paid the registration fee to the old Hybrid school, as it was a FAMILY fee and the other 2 kids were for sure going back).
Immediately after making this decision, I felt better.
Upon returning to Texas from Europe (and after hopping back into the rigourous practice schedule), soft whispers in my mind started asking the question: "do you think she'll miss out on too much family time and begin to feel disconnected?" Afterall, she was ALREADY missing huge chunks of very quality family time everyday from 3-8p (dinner and relaxation time). She was not around for impromptu trips to the cook store, or shakes and snacks. She missed home movie night, and nightly "play time" (which happens after everything is "done" for the day). I...missed her. And I started to really consider the end-goal of gymnastics for Hana.
Gymnastics will only continue to demand more time (eventually trips around the world alone with coaches). So many missed childhood opportunities to just *play* and have fun! School work may suffer. The friendships formed at the gym in this sport are superficial (and a set-up for disappointment) because all the girls are in competition with each other. And taking this little soft-hearted collaborator, and putting her into a cut-throat competitive environment where she is judged on her appearance and body size...just sounded very unhealthy.
So I asked Hana if she wanted to continue gymnastics, or try something else? She said she wants to be apart of a TEAM, and she wants to try basketball. She saw Haley play the sport a couple of years ago, and wants to try. So we looked up local programs, and low-behold, there is a 1st grad program that begins in Octobor.
So as we straddle the fence (really leaning towards having her quit gymnastics for more family time, and a team sport) a couple of "signs" help reaffirm what we already knew. 1. The transportation situation changed when my nephew destroyed our 3rd run-around car. He would help us transport Hana to/from gymnastics once or twice per week. And 2. I came across this article: Noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews wants your young athlete to stay healthy by playing less.
There are so many things to do in childhood, and gymnastics for Hana will effectively remove all of them. Music lessons. Other sporting opportunities. Future travel "for fun." And for Hana (with her history) being disconnected from the family is especially detrimental.
I posted the question to a mom's group of which I'm apart, and the feedback I received was as follows:
Mom 1: I was all over gymnastics back in the day. Karolyi would accept girls from all over - if the talent is there they will take them. My daughter did gymnastics for awhile, but then I made the decision to just do soccer for a couple of reasons. Gymnastics is a very critical sport where you have to be "perfect" not only how you perform but also how you LOOK. If you fall of the beam - there goes the meet. Whereas in soccer or basketball, the game goes on and you can recover and can still "win" - walk away feeling you did a good job.
Mom 2: I think her family connection is more important than the possibility of her progressing to a professional level.
There are SEVEN women on the girls Olympic team every FOUR years. There is ONE World Champion each year. There are a handful of college scholarships, but honestly, at $6000/year, one can save that money and pay cash for college if it's about investing *solely* for a scholarship (so that's not logical). Chances of her doing anything beyond college (and getting paid for her talent) are exceedingly low, I think. I do not think it's a sound financial investment. And maybe...not even a sound social or developmental one either.
Mom 3: In the past, I've run myself ragged and broke behind Ann's activities. She tried EVERYTHING, but it was largely driven by ME. Ice skating was very cut throat. Horseback riding was ok. She learned how to play the bassoon, dance, paint, sing, play soccer, ball, etc. All of that to say that her favorite activities ended up being debate and film. So, I've learned (1) running ragged and broke affects my parenting in a bad way; (2) it's ok to let your child experience something without making it a lifelong commitment. Do what works best for your family as a whole. Anything that promotes cohesion and happiness is a win in my book.
So our plan is - let her compete some this season, then pull her out. Let her rest. Then start basketball.
AND this comes right on time (financially) because....I think I found Haley a pedal harp to rent! :)
