Tumbling or Gymnastics Class

I wish I knew of one that was in your area. Our little one took gymnastics until she was old enough to do tumbling. She really misses the gymnastics now though. She is always going to the uneven parallel bars and getting on them to do shooting stars and all kinds of other stuff. She is already on the show team, takes an additional tumbling class to keep learning more, is in Hip Hop, Tap and Ballet too. So we are at the studio/gym 4 days per week. She loves the classes she takes. Our classes start at $50 per month then each additional class is less a bit. Like $50, $84, $100, $115, etc...each additional hour added is about $15 more per month. It's so much fun. I hope you find a class soon.

My bias, right here, is that I was a competitive gymnast. My 9yo son has been in gymnastics since he was 3 (never competitive, just for fun). A more expensive program with better coaches is VERY worth the money not even, but ESPECIALLY for recreational gymnastics.

Why?

Safety.

Spots need to be done correctly. Moves need to be taught correctly (or you risk spinal injury and head injury and muscle injury). Equipment needs to be top of the line (knackered equipment or bargain equipment needs to NOT be in the gym at all). When you walk into the gym, kids need to have these big bright smiles on their faces.

I trained with Retton & Karolyi in the 80's. Bella was this gruff old bear, but even he had smiles and hugs out of all of us time after time after time. Some people have mistakenly copied his almost inimitable approach by being mean and nasty (Bella was never mean and nasty... he was papa bear). I went to, gosh, I forget now... 5 or 6 local gyms here in Seattle before I found "the" one. They're a mix of competitive and rec, and the coaches do both. They NEVER yell, swear, demean the kids. The equipment is top notch. The kids in BOTH programs have FUN.

Gymnastics HAS THE POTENTIAL to be a VERY dangerous sport. When muscles and ligaments are stretched in appropriately, they create life long problems. When tricks are taught wrong, kids get hurt. When spots and harnesses aren't used correctly, kids get hurt. When a leveling system isn't in place and used correctly, kids get hurt. Even something as BASIC as a front or backwards roll can seriously hurt kids when it isn't taught correctly.

This isn't a sport, rec or competetive, that you want to skimp on. It has almost NO extra costs (1 leotard, or shorts and a tshirt... instead of pricey uniforms. No shoes/cleats. No helmets. No pads.) So if you find a GREAT program where the kids are excited and happy/ and the coaches are people you LOVE to have in your kids' lives, and safety is the absolute paramount... it's WORTH the extra cash. Just think of the extra cost like needing to buy new cleats every 6mo because your kid's feet grow. Or helmets, pads, skates, uniforms, recital outfits. Those extras don't exist in gymnastics. OR as insurance against injury. An extra $25 a month in "health" insurance by going to a great gym instead of a bargain gym where safety isn't paramount.

((here we pay 224 for 3 months 1 hour a week, or 290 for 3 months 2 hours a week... which breaks down to $75/$96 a month, or $17/$12 an hour.))

I recommend Westwood Gymnastics Academy!!! It's located at Highland Knolls & Grand Parkway. My SIL told me about this gym b/c they offer a FREE trial class. I took my daughter & I would love for her to be able to go to this gym but it's not exactly close by for us b/c we live in Richmond. :( I'd say just do the FREE trial & then decide what you think. I believe it's $62 a month. One of the things my daughter loves about this gym is they have a "mountain" which has slides, a mosh pit, small rock wall, etc. they let the children play on after class. Below is the info! *You should go to an early class because after 5PM they get busy.

Westwood Gymnastics Academy
###-###-####
23333 Taswell Drive
Katy, TX 77449

Maybe you could look into your local rec center. We started at a rec center, but found that a gym had better qualities like equipment, coaching, etc. Now, we pay $65.00/month for a weekly 1hr class.

I live in the Austin area, not Houston. However, you should check your local YMCA. They have a pretty good program. Here in Austin, ours offers a 6 week trial class. You might start with that to make sure she likes it. I think it was only $35.