Would an All Star gym ever make an exception for a family medical situation?
My 5th grade daughter recently made an All Star Elite Level 2 team. Unfortunately, my family needs to spend about 6 weeks with my parents this summer because of my mother’s health condition. She is very ill, needs care and support, and deeply wants to spend time with my children. Since my daughter is still young, I cannot leave her behind and travel alone.
The issue is that the gym has a strict policy that Elite athletes can only miss up to 2 weeks during the summer. We were told that if she misses 6 weeks, she would need to move to the rec team.
To be honest, this is partially my mistake. When my daughter was on the rec team, summer absences were much more flexible, and I incorrectly assumed Elite would still allow longer absences as long as she returned before choreography. I completely understand now that Elite commitment is very different.
At the same time, I truly feel stuck because this is not a vacation situation for us. It’s family/health related, and I honestly don’t know when my children will have another chance to spend meaningful time with their grandparents.
I already explained to the coaches that we are willing to do everything possible to keep her training while we are away:
- daily tumbling practice
- sharing training videos
- joining a cheer gym in that area during the summer
- reevaluating her skills immediately after we return
I also told them that if they genuinely feel she is no longer at the Elite level after reevaluation, we would accept moving to rec without argument.
My daughter’s skill level honestly fits Elite much more than rec, so this has been really heartbreaking for her.
For parents/coaches with All Star experience — is this level of strictness pretty standard for Elite teams? Have you ever seen gyms make exceptions for situations involving family illness or unavoidable travel? Or are there any other options I may not be thinking of?