Samnastics

Sam is still loving gymnastics - he looks forward to it every week.  He took a class over the summer and throughout the fall at a small Eastern European Cultural Center/Gym and he liked it.  We liked a lot of things about it too - it was small, friendly, not too competitive.  The flier said they had a boys team, and we thought Sam might be able to be on it at some point.  But we started to have some concerns as the fall class went on -Sam didn't seem to be receiving much instruction.  He got to do a lot of things, but it had more of an open gym feel.  On the days he did get instruction, he soaked it up like a sponge and could tell us in detail what he had learned, all the proper terms and could do whatever he had been taught with relative ease.  But that was not the norm.  I emailed the director with our concerns and she took responsibility for perhaps not giving the boys coach enough training - it was a very thoughtful reply.  But we didn't see any improvement, so we started looking around.  In the last week of January (heretofore known as the best week ever for Sam) Sam went to gymnastics 4 nights in a row.  On Tuesday, he went to his last class at the first place.  One Wednesday he went to a first class at a new gym.  They have 3 locations and this was the closest so I called and got him in.  He had a great time, but the teacher told me he was "too advanced" for this gym, because this was more tumbling and none of the boy event equipment which he has already had a bit of experience with.  On Thursday he went to his first class at the farther way, enormous new gym.  The first thing you see when you walk in is their overflowing trophy case.  "Mom, these people are really good at gymnastics" he said.  He was placed, based on Wednesdays teachers recommendation, in an advanced beginner boys class.  I may have already said this pace is enormous.  So big that you can't even see where your kid is in the gym from the waiting area full of tables and crying baby brothers and sisters.  There is a monitor split four ways where you can occasionally catch a glimpse of your kid.  I stared at it most of the hours and fifteen minutes he was in there and was able to see him do the things he loves - he got to show his cartwheel, roundoff and rings skills.  And he got to jump into a huge pit.  At the end of the class, the coach came out and told me he was in the right spot and they were happy to have him.  He was thrilled!  He totally loved it there.  One Friday, we went back to the first place for the end of class show - the Gymnastical.  When we pulled up, Sam was confused - "why are we back here?"  He enjoyed the show though.  And it was our first chance to see the boys team.  Our decision to move on was confirmed by this evening.  There were 2 boys older than Sam, maybe young teens, that were the team (maybe others could not be there, I don't know).  Other than the vault, Sam could do everything they could do.  Ugh - we would so love to be part of a smaller gym but the boys instruction just isn't happening. 

At the gynmastical

It's hard to get any pictures of what Sam is doing now due to the crowd and the big gym, but I can tell you he is learning and progressing at his new gym.  I watch the monitor sort of obsessively :)  He has incredible control over his body - the way he can hold himself on the rings, or bounce as instructed on the trampoline, while his classmates flail around.  He has gotten to try pommel horse and is already taking to that.  And most importantly, he is a good listener to his coach, and waits politely for his turn to try something.  

Recently he asked me when tball was going to start.  I explained that we did not have time to do both gymnastics and tball, and asked which he would chose (not mentioning what we just paid for gymnastics!)  Without hesitation he chose gymnastics.  We are so glad he loves it so much!