Gymnastics is a kind of sport that started centuries ago in Ancient Greece. Practicing this sport requires you to have a huge amount of balance, strength, and most important of all control.
The popularity of gymnastics has risen in recent years. International competitions have sprouted everywhere, with the Olympics and the World Championships being the most coveted victories of all among gymnasts. It would also be safe to say that the sport’s rising fame over the years has also given birth to the numerous schools that become training grounds for gymnast-hopefuls.
Training for gymnastics takes years. Children as young as two years old are already sent to gymnastics schools. While quite a number of them may go find careers in other industries, a handful of these trained kids end up competing internationally, bagging medals for their home countries.
And so if you are interested in getting your kids trained for this sport, you may be asking, how much does a gymnastics class cost?
Average Cost of Gymnastics
The cost of gymnastics would range from as low as $45 to as much as $445 per month. A $45-per month class is being offered by the Elite Gymnastics Academy in Ogden, Utah for children aged three to five. It is a 50-minute per week class for your little one that aims to hone their motor skills through working on balance and coordination.
A $445-per month gymnastics class is by invitation only which is being conducted at Silver Starts Gymnastics, a gymnastics school with locations in Maryland and Connecticut. This is only for gymnasts aged seven and up.
That’s quite a gap in prices but in most schools, gymnastics prices average at around $140 to $270 per month. At Seattle Gymnastics Academy, for example, they charge $79 per month for classes that would last 45 minutes per week. The prices increase as the number of hours goes up. A five-hour per week class at the same school would cost you $237.
Some schools would also charge you per groups of sessions. The Los Angeles School of Gymnastics, for example, published their costs at $250 for one-hour classes per week, with the whole program lasting for eight weeks. A six-hour per week class for a program of eight weeks would cost you $730.
What are Included
The most popular types of gymnastics among males are the pommel horse, still rings, floor exercises, vaults, parallel bars, and the horizontal bars.
The women, on the other hand, have competitive gymnastics including vaults, uneven bars, balance beams, and floor exercises.
Another type of gymnastics getting popular with women athletes is the rhythmic gymnastics where there is gymnastics mixed with a dance component to it. It is also of this type that the athlete has an apparatus that could either be a ball, a rope, a hoop, a pair of clubs, or a satin ribbon.
It is common for gymnasts to start training at a wee age of about 2 to 3 years old. At this stage, the parents are usually involved and present during the training sessions. This aims to promote hand-eye coordination, strength, and balance. Pre-school gymnastics happen at age 3 to 4 that still aims to develop balance and strength. It is also during this stage that children are being taught how to work with groups and how to follow directions.
An introductory gymnastics is also squeezed in for girls who do not have prior gymnastics experience or for those needing more skills before they are being introduced to beginning gymnastics. This happens at age 5; with the gymnasts moving up until level 10 depending on skill and development.
Gymnasts that compete internationally are already way above level 10 and are considered as the elite group of gymnasts.
Additional Costs
Gymnastics prices are not about tuition fees alone. Additional costs also include an annual fee. In some schools, it is a registration or an enrolment fee. An annual fee is paid on your anniversary at the school, and would usually range from $20 to $40.
Some schools, however, like the Seattle Gymnastics Academy, would charge you a one-time registration fee. After paying $55, you will never have to pay it again forever.
If you are late in paying your monthly dues, you may be charged a late payment fee ranging from $5 to $15. Each school has their own deadlines and so it would be best if you check out their payment schedules first after enrolment.
If your child is not able to attend gymnastics classes for one reason or another, you may contact the school to check if they offer make-up classes. Most schools offer a number of make-up classes per year. For example, ASI Gymnastics in Texas gives students three make-up classes per year. If you use up all three make-up classes for the year, your fourth would cost you an additional $20.
If your child is rooting to go for rhythmic gymnastics, you need to prepare for apparatuses that are needed for such type. A rubber ball costs $32 to $149, hoops would be anywhere from $49 to $89.99, ropes at $64 to $120, clubs at around $65 to $170, and $25 to $100 for the satin ribbons. You would also need to prepare about $34 to $64 for a pair of toe shoes.
At gymnastics schools, a proper wear refers to leotards which would cost about $15 to $30, depending on brand. In addition to that, ponytail holders and hair ribbons for girls would cost around $8 to $20.
Once your child’s level goes up, there may be possibilities of competing. Depending on where the competition is, prepare for some cash for your hotel accommodations and meals.
Shopping for Gymnastics
Gymnastics schools usually accept cards or cash. There are some that may put you on autopay, meaning an automatic charge is made to your card and the amount of the tuition fee is deducted every month. The date the charges are made is always made known to you once you enroll in the school’s autopay system.
If you are looking for sportswear and other apparels online, you may want to check out Romsport.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Gymnastics
How much does a gymnastics class cost for a beginner? The cost of gymnastics varies depending on which level your child is already in. For example, World Class Gymnastics Center in Belleville, Illinois charges $151 per month for Level 1 students while it would cost you $243 if your child is already at Level 6. The number of hours also varies per level. A Level 1 student may train for an hour per week while a Level 6 student trains for about two hours or so weekly.
The girls also seem to have a more expensive monthly rate than the boys. In the case of TAG USA, girls at Level 10 have tuition fees of $325 per month while boys of the same level have tuition fees of $315 monthly. This is also the same for World Class Gymnastics Center where the girls at Level 6 have tuition fees amounting to $243 while it is only $182 for the boys who are at the same level.
Discounts can save you lots in gymnastics schools. The Metropolitan Gymnastics in Kent, Washington would charge you the full amount for your first enrolled child. For the next sibling you enroll, you get 10% off. You can also get a 5% discount if you pay three months ahead of time and 10% if you pay six months before the due date.
Private classes are also offered by most schools. The Metropolitan Gymnastics in Kent has private lessons of $75 per hour. If you would prefer private lessons for half an hour, it would be $55. A semi-private class would cost you $40 for 30 minutes. Semi-private classes would be composed of up to three students only.
Additional Information
There are also boarding schools that list gymnastics as an interscholastic sport. Some of these schools are Cotter Schools in Winona, Minnesota and St. Johnsbury Academy in St. Johnsbury, Vermont.