Did I make a mistake in switching my daughter to another club?
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My daughter switched clubs about 6 months ago. The change occurred when she no longer was excelling with her coach. The ice was crowded at the old club, and she no longer seemed happy. So, we made the switch. After being at this rink for the 6 months, I see no improvement. Her elements were more secure & consistent one year ago than they are today. Her current coach says that she isn't grasping the concepts & that she isn't driven to break out of her comfort zone. Any suggestions on how to instill this drive back in a child? She had it before but seems to have lost it. She insists that she still loves to skate. And how do I justify the added expense at the new rink plus additional drive time when I see no improvement? Did I make a mistake in leaving her previous rink too quickly when the chips were down? I removed her from her peers that seemed to spur her on to a place where there are currently no same level skaters. VMS |
Traci says:
Did your daughter want to switch coaches and clubs? Have you made these decisions together? And most importantly does your daughter really want to skate? Sit down with her and see if she wants to switch back to her former club. You don't have to go back to her former coach. Discuss the options!
I don't believe that as parents we can put expectations on our children to do well, excel all the time, and have fun. We may be putting too much pressure on them. Perhaps your daughter is just reaching a plateau with her skating right now. This happens to every skater. Some elements seem to come easier than others well some take a long time to master. Your daughter may also have grown and just needs to adjust for this when completing her elements. She may have other interests than skating and is maybe afraid to let you know because of the switch to the new rink.
Support her no matter how she does and do not place expectations on her. Do not bother her with the financial details. Focus on the positive! Good Luck :-}