My expectations for you, the parents of a Tecumseh Gymnast
Welcome to the Family. Congratulations, you have a Tecumseh Gymnast...now what? Whether your gymnast is one of our Pre-School Hotshots learning the ways of the gym or a team gymnast preparing for competition, your roles as gym parents are pretty much the same and my expectations of you; TGA Mom and TGA Dad, are pretty simple.
#1. Be their biggest Cheerleader. The absolute best thing you can do as a parent of a gymnast is support them endlessly. Relish in their good days where they get new skills, a personal best score or get to play a fun game at practice. And support them in their bad days (because they will happen) and when they do they are going to need you to pick them back up, remind them how far they have come, remind them how much they love gymnastics, and how proud of them you are. The last thing you should do is participate in any negative conversation, because when the dust settles and the emotions wear off the voice that they hear in their head is yours. Don't let that voice be a negative one.
#2. Be supportive of your gym and gym family. Always. This is not my gym, this is our gym; One gym, one team, one family. It is our job to protect it and those in it, which means communicating with each other; gymnast, teammate, parent, and coach. Respecting one another in our roles and not speaking ill of one another. This includes non-supportive gossip in the bleachers, in the car ride home, or on social media. It's the job of each and every one of us to make sure this does not happen, from ourselves or those around us, so that we can collectively raise these children to be good teammates, good leaders, and contributing young adults. If issues arise we must handle them as a family in order to resolve them.
#3. Trust the process. Gymnastics is figuring out the perfect recipe of strength, flexibility, and bravery to get each skill that we are working on and every gymnasts timeline is different. Don't compare what teammates can or cannot do to what your gymnast can do. Ever. And don't point out how long they have been working on that same skill...trust me they already know. Every gymnast has their own magic number and if they do the training asked of them they will get it when they are ready. We as coaches always want what is best for your gymnast and want your gymnast to be the most successful they can be.
#4. Support your gymnasts goals. Whether they want to go to the Olympics some day or they just want to make it to the top of the rope, support them! One of the biggest mistakes I see parents make is pushing too hard and burning their gymnast out. Remember kids do gymnastics because it's fun and we want to keep it fun. Fun = Success. Gymnastics should never feel like a job to your child.
#5. Connect with other TGA families. We have a great group of families at TGA and you should get to know them. Your gymnast is making life long friends while at gymnastics, so connect with the other parents, because you will be spending a lot of time together and when you see a new family, welcome them with open arms :)
#1. Be their biggest Cheerleader. The absolute best thing you can do as a parent of a gymnast is support them endlessly. Relish in their good days where they get new skills, a personal best score or get to play a fun game at practice. And support them in their bad days (because they will happen) and when they do they are going to need you to pick them back up, remind them how far they have come, remind them how much they love gymnastics, and how proud of them you are. The last thing you should do is participate in any negative conversation, because when the dust settles and the emotions wear off the voice that they hear in their head is yours. Don't let that voice be a negative one.
#2. Be supportive of your gym and gym family. Always. This is not my gym, this is our gym; One gym, one team, one family. It is our job to protect it and those in it, which means communicating with each other; gymnast, teammate, parent, and coach. Respecting one another in our roles and not speaking ill of one another. This includes non-supportive gossip in the bleachers, in the car ride home, or on social media. It's the job of each and every one of us to make sure this does not happen, from ourselves or those around us, so that we can collectively raise these children to be good teammates, good leaders, and contributing young adults. If issues arise we must handle them as a family in order to resolve them.
#3. Trust the process. Gymnastics is figuring out the perfect recipe of strength, flexibility, and bravery to get each skill that we are working on and every gymnasts timeline is different. Don't compare what teammates can or cannot do to what your gymnast can do. Ever. And don't point out how long they have been working on that same skill...trust me they already know. Every gymnast has their own magic number and if they do the training asked of them they will get it when they are ready. We as coaches always want what is best for your gymnast and want your gymnast to be the most successful they can be.
#4. Support your gymnasts goals. Whether they want to go to the Olympics some day or they just want to make it to the top of the rope, support them! One of the biggest mistakes I see parents make is pushing too hard and burning their gymnast out. Remember kids do gymnastics because it's fun and we want to keep it fun. Fun = Success. Gymnastics should never feel like a job to your child.
#5. Connect with other TGA families. We have a great group of families at TGA and you should get to know them. Your gymnast is making life long friends while at gymnastics, so connect with the other parents, because you will be spending a lot of time together and when you see a new family, welcome them with open arms :)
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