A trial for my daughter....

[jumpinjen]

for an elite performance squad with a gymnastics team - last night - and the head coach, she liked her, said she had ability, said she was very strong and that she would pick up the bits she can't do (cos of not so hot local gym club) really quickly - it was a two hour training session and I was so proud of her during that time I was almost crying - I wasn't allowed down near the floor, I had to be up in a viewing gallery and my daughter is under the weather and her asthma is playing up and I wasn't sure she'd be up for it. She showed me a side of her I'd never seen before as she truly rose to the challenge, she tried her heart out and showed a maturity and poise well beyond her age - she now has a further four week trial and if it goes well then she's in - this club has an athlete going to the olympics and several youngsters with development funding as they are so good - it's such an exciting opportunity for her and it happened completely by chance!! i e-mailed my parents to tell them that car is ending early fore the next four weeks on Wednesdays - I said I understood if they wanted another minder etc etc, possibly lots of you will think me really unprofessional for doing it with so little notice but my daughter comes first adn this kind of chance only comes around once!
Jen x

[desiderata]

Well done !! is it Lilleshall cos my daughter was a gymnast and she trained there with some of the Olympic Squad until she was 16 . Hope it all goes well for her.

[Zoomie]

Go your DD

I loved gymnastics (but was sadly always too tall and big)

[PixiePetal]

good luck to your DD.

I loved gymnastics - was never really that good but enjoyed what I did do gave up at 13

you would never believe it to see me now

[jumpinjen]

Well done !! is it Lilleshall cos my daughter was a gymnast and she trained there with some of the Olympic Squad until she was 16 . Hope it all goes well for her.

it's the city of Birmingham team actually - based at the Alexander stadium in the GMAC..... lilleshall is used by the Parc wreking club in Telford i think?

Jen x

[jumpinjen]

good luck to your DD.

I loved gymnastics - was never really that good but enjoyed what I did do gave up at 13

you would never believe it to see me now

both my girls have enjoyed it recreationally but then this lady said she's 'look at her' (sounded like inspecting stock at a cattle market tbh) and we thought well, give it a go, and we're off on a new direction now - have a sneaking suspicion that gym could dominate our lives after this four weeks trial period LOL,

Jen x

[miffy]

Fingers crossed for your dd Jen.

Miffy xx

[sarah707]

How exciting! Keep us updated

[loocyloo]

ooo, how exciting, well done your DD

and we DO need to put our own families first and most parents accept it. i used to have to have mindees picked up from swimming pool as DS had training, currently times have changed, but if i have to do it again, i will.

[The Juggler]

wow! that is so exciting. well done your dd next olympics we will be keeping an eye out for her then???

[pinkrabbit]

Well done to your daughter and good luck.
I always put my kids before childminding. I started minding so i could be there for my own kids and didn't want them to miss out because of me looking after other peoples children. Mine are now 21 and 24 and their activities didn't really affect childminding too much, and when it did parents were always understanding. I loved the job so much that i am still doing it!

[desiderata]

Hi Jen, Andis been there to compete too. She used to compete for Birmingham Flames , based at Birmingham Uni x It does get to dominate, she did Tues nights, Friday nights, all day Saturday and then competed on Sundays, I dont know how we fitted it all in but it was a brilliant experience. Take it by the horns and run with it, hope your daughter enjoys it too. Its amazing some of the other life skills that come from this.
Keep us posted. xx

[sarak31]

Wow well done her - that sounds brill

Definitely DONT feel bad putting your kids first at such short notice - sounds like this is an opportunity not to be missed!

[md0u0131]

Yay fabulous!! I hope she enjoys it. Xxx

[jumpinjen]

Thanks everyone for the support - I was a bit tormented about the idea of putting her up for that kind of intense specialised training at the tender age of five but the coach seemed lovely and there was nothing overly pushy about what they were doing with the children and my daughter enjoyed it - we discussed it a lot and in the end decided to run with it for now and see how she goes - it isn't the kind of chance that comes along often for such a good team and I suppose Olympic gymnasts do start somehwhere! just Wednesdays for the four week trial so we get a gentle break in! One family has used it as an opportunity to break contract but there were other issues there so I'm not surprised - the others have been really supportive and understanding and are picking up early and I'm adding an extra hour on another evening for them.

Jen x

[jumpinjen]

Hi All,

the trial ended last night, rather early when my daughter was asked to leave the session after saying....... no................ The coach went overboard at her, made her sit out at the side - I didn't realise what was going on in time or I'd have been down there like a shot - when I did see her go to sit out I naively thought she was taking five minutes break as she'd been trying her heart out for the last half hour trying to master new things and finding it tough but keeping trying - it was when she turned round to look up at the gallery and I saw her crumpled little face that i ran down there to see if she was OK and the coach told me that it was unnacceptable for her to say no..... not once, but TWICE when told to do something! She said my daughter shouted the second no at her and she wouldn't have it in her gym. I asked my daughter to apologise for shouting - but not for saying no, and said that there were better ways to say no than shouting. It was at that point that she told me to take her out as she wouldn't have that and she couldn't say no and refuse to try. I stood up for my daughter and said that at the end of the day, she was five years and 3 months old, and I'd seen her trying her hardest for the first half an hour and that a child that age feeling overwhelmed by what was being asked of her didn't always have the emotional control to say no without getting upset and that it was her body and her right to say no and that was safest.......

I came home very upset about how she had been treated, read the clubs handbook and policies and wrote a long letter detailing the incident and my concerns and quoting all the parts of their policies and codes of conduct that the coach has breached in my opinion. Oh, and informing them that my daughter would not be returning.......... the other mums watching told me that this is a regular occurence and that they just let it happen as they are scared their children will be kicked out of the squad if they disagree with the coach..... Well no-one intimidates my daughter and gets away with it unscathed I am now a hero in the other mother's eyes as I challenged this coach.

It is one of the major rules of safeguarding that a child must feel able to say no - if that is squashed out of her then how can she keep herself safe as she grows up, thinking that she must capitulate her body and will to the demands of others? This woman thinks she is untouchable because she is a top flight coach but I'd rather have a child that feels happy and secure and loves her sports than one who I have to force to go to training.... Nothing is worth that, not even a guaranteed place in future olympics!

Feeling sad but relieved that we found out about this practice at an early stage before we became too invested in it - my daughter seems fine, she was very glad to see a friendly face appear in the gym and she skipped out of the door asking if we could go to the park instead!!!!

ce la vie!

[miffy]

Oh Jen, that's awful. Thank goodness you were there to stick up for your daughter and I hope the coach (who sounds nothing more than a bully) is made to account for her actions AND to apologise to your daughter.

Miffy xx

[sarah707]

It is abuse to bully a child I hope the coach is tackled in the strongest terms.

Hugs to your daughter xx

[jumpinjen]

I hope so too Sarah but I fear that the ranks will close and nothing will be done! I posted my letter this afternoon, and contacted the British Gym association about it also - feel better now!

It's turning into one of those weeks lol!

Jen x

[nannymcflea]

I hope your daughter is OK. XX