Bull City Gymnastics

This review is about the competitive gymnastics team, not the classes.nnBottom line: Proceed with caution.nnOur daughter did competitive gymnastics for seven years: two at Chapel Hill Gymnastics (which is owned by Bull City Gymnastics) followed by five at BCG. Her experience, and ours, can be divided into three categories.nnTHE GOODnOur daughter developed resiliency, persistence in the face of failure, and a tremendous work ethic. She also learned how to take coaching and counsel.nnThe families at BCG are solid people, as are most of the gymnasts. Our daughter made good friends, and we were on good terms with the other gym parents.nnHead coach Amanda is a gem. She has high expectations but is consistently supportive and upbeat. Most of the other coaches are quite good, though no one is as good as Amanda.nnThe gym school was outstanding. Low price tag for a private school, and the instruction was excellent. Our daughter learned quickly and genuinely enjoyed going to school.nnTHE BADnCompetitive gymnastics makes serious demands on your time and money, no matter which gym your child attends. BCG is probably just following directives and suggestions from USA Gymnastics. Then again, USA Gymnastics is a corrupt organization, so perhaps BCG shouldn’t be listening so closely to them.nnBetween gym fees, school fees, and travel/hotel/food associated with meets, the cost can be excessive, even prohibitive.nnThe number of practice hours increases significantly from level to level. By age 11 (level 7), our daughter was expected to practice 20-22 hours a week. Gym school made this time commitment possible—school 7:30-12 followed by practice until 5—but it’s still too many hours dedicated to one activity.nnEven beyond the hours of practice, BCG makes significant demands on your time. By level 8, gymnasts at BCG practice 6 days a week. There is no time off in summer and very little at holidays—practice is typically held the day before Christmas and the day after Christmas, for example. Family vacations are actively discouraged. Meets, many of them out of town or out of state, take up multiple weekends late fall through late winter.nnTHE UGLYnParents are not included in decision-making, and there is no parent advisory board.nnCoaches do not know parents’ names, at least not obviously, and do not greet parents at the gym.nnIn the wake of the USA Gymnastics child abuse scandal, BCG made no statements and no policy changes.nnCertain coaches can be emotionally and verbally abusive. A coach once threw a water bottle at my daughter. She said she couldn’t tell whether the coach was joking or not—and the mere fact that she couldn’t tell makes it inexcusable for the coach to have done so. On more than one occasion, I heard this same coach speaking in unkind terms to other gymnasts.nnNearly all of the coaches are strict and stern, which can be emotionally difficult for the gymnasts. This behavior also runs counter to research that has shown athletes do better in a supportive environment.nnTHE UPSHOTnWould we do it again? Possibly. I would certainly be more vocal about establishing a parent board that could bring problems and shortcomings to the attention of the coaches.

It was great!

I take gymnastics here and it’s amazing! The coaches are fun and friendly and the PO director who is a coach there, is a very nice and serious coach. We just recently moved into an amazing gym with lots more space. The equipment is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FUN

It's great for kids..they can learn gymnastics..and do exercise..

My daughter has been training at Bull City Gymnastics for 10 years, and we have been very pleased in all aspects. Their competitive gymnastics teams are top-notch as are their coaches. Given the number of children who go in and out the doors there on a daily basis, I am extremely impressed by how well everything runs. And, even though I enjoy watching my daughter practice her skills, I still love to watch the little kids trying out new gymnastics moves with big smiles on their faces.