WAKE Gymnastics

~My child attended WAKE Gym for 3 years. She was shuffled around from class to class given no encouragement from her team coaches despite her absolute love for the support. The positive point about this gym is its cleanliness and kind staff (aside from the owner). However recent actions from the owner have resulted in the rejection and hurt feelings of multiple 5 year old girls who are all now seeking a new gym to attend in the Raleigh area. \r \r Recently with our first season of competition many of the parents had questions about the following year. Our girls' love for gymnastics was through the roof now that they had gone to a few meets and brought home their medals. We asked business managers, coaches and other parents to try and understand what was next for them. When we did we were always told the same thing - that the owner makes the decisions. Further none of the coaches or staff even understood the programs themselves. Last week a couple of the parents requested a meeting with the owner. We were all denied any face to face communication via email. When we asked again stating our specific desire to know where our children fit into WAKE's program we received identical emails telling us that our children were being dropped from WAKE Gymnastics ""effective immediately"". Two days later we each received March's tuition returned in the mail. \r \r ~This is a terrible place for any parent who wishes to be included in on the decisions being made about their child and the program(s) that they are in. We have recently learned that we were not the first set of parents with children who were kicked out by the owners. In each case the parent's made the mistake of attempting to ask questions to the owner about their child(ren). We were all told that our questions and interest were ""unappreciated"". And we were berated for approaching coaches and other parents with questions and told doing so was ""out of line"". \r \r ~We have all tried to shield our children from the hurt and rejection they have suffered from this. They miss their friends; they want to finish their meet season. They do not understand WHY they were receiving medals at their meet on Sunday and were told they can never return on Monday. \r ~ I cannot express my shock and upset over seeing my child be bullied as a means to punish me for my respectful desire to know more about my daughter and the program that she was in (and that i was paying for!). I speak for other parents going through the same thing at the moment. We will no doubt be better for this in the future and look forward to watching our children continue to pursue their love for gymnastics elsewhere. I write this with sadness as I always believed that my child was loved and cared for at WAKE. It will take awhile to truly wrap my mind around the fact that they could do this to my child as well as to the other children. At WAKE, mostly every parent is confused and frustrated. At best, questions are ignored, and at worse your child is thrown out.\r • • • more

I have been apart of many competitive teams, as an athlete and coach. I have never met a more tyrannical system as the one at WAKE. They refuse to entertain any questions regarding their decision and turn away any concerned parent that they foresee might question their judgement and ask for coaching advice. I hope whoever reads this understands that the owners pick their competitive team as they see fit. I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is when I asked what my daughter needed to do to improve and work on to make the team, I was offered no OBJECTIVE criticism. The response I received was ""Not mature enough"", ""Maybe next year"", ""I don't know"", ""She may never make it"", ""We are looking for certain kids"" These are the responses, about a 5 year old mind you, I received when I asked what can we help our daughter work on to make the competitive team at your gym. I asked what SKILLS my daughter needed to make the team and the response was, ""Even if she has the skills she still might not make the team."" My wife was a competitive gymnast through college and could not believe these responses. We continued to ask about criteria for the team because our daughter really enjoys gymnastics and wants to compete. She is five but in gymnastics the girls have to start learning advanced skills that only the competitive team learns in order to continue to progress in the sport. As parents we wanted to know what we could do to improve our daughters chance of making the team next year and how she would learn the skills she needed to continue to advance within the program and sport. The owners response was not to give us feedback but to kick our DAUGHTER out of the gym. A five year old girl who wants to do gymnastics with the friends she has made over the 3 years she has been going to the gym was KICKED OUT! I blame it on the lack of effort and skill as coaches. When coaching little kids you have to enlist the parents help so they can work at home on the skills needed to be successful. (I have experience coaching kids from 4 through high school and have done it for many years.) The fact that nothing constructive could be given to willing parents of a willing child is simply lazy and demonstrates the absence of real coaches. The fact that the owner/coach would rather get rid of a child simply because they do not want to talk to their parents makes me wonder why they are coaching kids at all. If you are looking for a gymnastics program and want you child to be competitive in this sport THIS IS NOT THE GYM!!! Unless you meet the owner's elusive standards and submit to the monarchy of WAKE without question. more

We have only been at this Gym for 6 weeks and it's been amazing!! My child was at another gym (Ahem, they were HORRIBLE) and now my kid is able to things we have only seen the ""big kids"" do they make it fun for the kids and still teach them real gymnastics not just balance and tossing stuffed animals!! I couldn't be happier!!! Love that they have adults teaching the class that are parents or at least care givers so they know how to treat children and teach them to reach beyond their comfort zone!! I am 100% happy and hate i wasted months at superior gymnastics! more

I got a great deal on The Kids Deals website. This is a new site that just launched offering daily deals for kid finds and deals. The Kids Deals had a coupon/certificate for a Parents' Night Out at Wake Gymnastics. My son had the best time playing in the gymnasium, eating pizza for dinner and watching a movie! My husband and I had an enjoyable date alone! I am so happy about this new site for savings, ""The Kids Deals"" and will definitely go to Wake Gymnastics again for Parents' Night Out! more