My Shelton Gymnastics Experience: Not Quite What We Expected
Alright, so a few people have been asking me what I thought about Shelton Gymnastics. Figured I’d just spill the beans on our whole little adventure with that place. It’s a story, let me tell ya.
It all got going when my sister’s kid, little Leo, suddenly decided he was going to be an Olympic gymnast. You know how kids are, one day it’s astronauts, the next they’re trying to do cartwheels in the living room. My sister, Sarah, was looking for somewhere local, and someone at her book club mentioned Shelton. Sounded alright, been around for ages, apparently.
So, I got roped into taking Leo for his first trial class. I thought, “Okay, could be fun, see what it’s all about.” We showed up, and the place… well, it had seen better days. Not rundown, exactly, but definitely had that old-school gym smell of chalk and, I don’t know, old sweat? I’m not trying to be mean, just honest. The welcome was a bit, uh, chaotic. Lots of parents and kids milling about, forms to fill, not a lot of direction.
Finally, the class started. Man, it was packed. I mean, kids everywhere. Leo got put in a group, and they started with some basic stretches. The coach seemed okay, a bit loud, trying to get everyone’s attention. But here’s what got me:
- They spent a long time on very, very basic stuff. Like, super basic.
- There was a lot of waiting. Leo would do one tumble, then wait for like ten other kids.
- The equipment looked… well, let’s just say it looked like it had been there since Shelton himself opened the place. Some of the mats were pretty thin.
I watched a few sessions, and it just felt like they were going through the motions. Same routine every week. Not much individual attention. Leo started getting bored, which, for a kid who was so excited, was a bit sad to see. He’d come out saying, “I just waited mostly.” That’s not what you want to hear, right?
The thing that really made me scratch my head was their insistence on this one specific way of doing things. The “Shelton Method,” I guess. If a kid didn’t do it exactly that way, they just had them do it over and over. I saw one little girl get really frustrated because she couldn’t get her legs perfectly straight on some roll, and the coach just kept saying, “Again! Legs straight!” No new tips, no different approach. Just “Again!”
We gave it about a month. Sarah talked to some other parents. Turns out, a few of them felt the same way. It was like Shelton Gymnastics was coasting on its old reputation. Good for them for being around so long, but things change, you know? Kids need a bit more engagement these days, more variety, maybe smaller classes so they actually get to do some gymnastics.
So, Sarah pulled Leo out. Found another place a bit further away, a bit newer, and he’s loving it. Actually comes home tired and excited about what he learned. Night and day, really.
Why am I even bothering to type all this out? Well, the other day, my buddy Mark was talking about sending his daughter to Shelton because it’s “a local institution.” And it just got me thinking. Sometimes we trust these old names without really looking into it. Reminds me of this old diner my dad used to love. He swore by their pie. We went last year, and man, it was awful. Frozen crust, canned filling. Dad was so disappointed. He realized he was just remembering how it used to be, not how it was now. That Shelton Gymnastics experience felt a bit like that. It’s not that it’s terrible, maybe it’s fine for some. But for us, it was a lesson in looking past the label and seeing what’s actually going on. Especially when it’s for your kids, you want them to actually enjoy it and learn, not just be another number in a crowded room.
