Gymnastics Angst

Enough with the angst. I tell ya, it's getting old. Anthony and I are watching Buffy and are on season 3. Season 2 had a lot of angst with the whole evil-Angel-will-Buffy-kill-him-now-he's-good-but-I-have-to-kill-him-anyway thing. Angst is continuing in season 3. We are not amused. Anthony has labeled this the "poor Buffy season."

And then, in our real life? More angst. We went to watch the last half hour or so of Davan's gymnastics practice last night and found Davan, sitting down, looking pathetic and sad. I called her over and asked what was up. Tummy ache. We took her home.

Now I don't expect every day with gymnastics to be sunny and wildly happy. I do expect, though, for the money we're putting into it, that most days (maybe all but one a month or so), she'll want to go and have a good attitude about it even if she's having a rough patch.

Today she didn't want to go. Her tummy still hurts some. But, also, she just wants a break. She is feeling badly that her vaulting isn't going well. She isn't having fun. Last Friday was difficult with Brandon (the head coach). There are tears.

Fine. But, if this is what we have to deal with on top of paying out big time money (with more due soon for meet fees and assessments - who-hoo!), then I don't want to be dealing with the angst, as well.

If she were to be having angst over swimming lessons, I'd feel okay about that. It's only $25/month. That's not the case here. We're paying $189/month, if we get the early bird discount, which we always so, just for tuition. We've purchased a competition leotard for the price of one month's tuition. We have paid the yearly "team fee" of $75 to help keep the gym up to date in equipment. Soon, we'll be assessed for meets. We have to pay entry fees for the meets Davan goes to - all the ones in the fall are mandatory - and we also have to pay for the coach's time and travel fees. It works out, paying monthly over the year, to just double tuition each month.

Yeah. I'm not paying that sort of money and living with angst. I'm just not. So, this all has to come to a head.

Davan signs a contract saying that she'll have a good attitude and not miss more than one day a month for anything other than true, verifiable illness? She goes back to recreational gymnastics, which is only once a week? She changes gyms? She quits?

I don't know, but the current situation can't go on.