You may be shocked to know that gymnastics classes and programs are available for children as young as 3 months. But there are gymnastics classes and programs are available for children above 3 months through adults.
The yearly costs for being a gymnast has quite a bit of a range from around at least $1,000 to sometimes over $20,000 for a year’s costs. However, some of these costs are only ones that might need to be bought only once.
This is a very wide range of costs, but this is due to a number of different factors. Almost everything about gymnastics can come in a range of prices, so when all of the costs of gymnastics for a year are added up there ends up being even more of a range.
What Are Some Of The Things That Affect This Range?
There are a lot of individual factors that affect the price of gymnastics for a year, which is one of the reasons why there is so much of a range of costs. For example, if you are just getting into gymnastics then there are certain things that you will need to buy.
On the other hand, if you are an elite gymnast then there will be added costs that a beginner gymnast will not need to pay for such as a sports nutritionist, international travel costs, and other things just to name a few.
As you may have heard or read about by now, one of the main things that is going to affect the yearly costs is if you plan on doing gymnastics competitively or if you are simply looking for a hobby. Naturally if you are only using gymnastics as a hobby you will need to buy less things for it and your yearly costs are going to be a lot lower.
Gymnastics Classes
Gymnastics classes is one thing that you are not going to be able to do without. Programs range from recreational classes to competitive training programs for future Olympians. Generally, the cost of doing gymnastics vary and depends on some factors.
The cost usually depends on the age of the gymnast, the level of gymnastics that the gymnast is in, and also the location. In some gymnastics schools the cost ranges between $15 per lesson to $500 for a package of a set number of classes, while in some other schools located in different parts of the world, the cost might be higher.
Artistic gymnastics is the most common form of gymnastics and it involves many different apparatus: vault, uneven bars, beam, and floor. For kids, the recreational gymnastics program costs about $15-$20 per class.
Their meeting days is normally once a week. While some schools bill by month-end, others bill in sessions which is usually 10-12 weeks in length. In addition to weekly classes, many gyms offer drop-in playtimes that average $10 per session for young kids and toddlers.
The competitive gymnastics classes go between $200 and $400 per month and vary based on two significant factors. It depends on the training level of the athlete and the number of hours the athlete is training each week.
Summer camps and day camps are also popular things for gymnasts to do. Summer camps are typically around $100-$200 per week and vary based upon the length of the camp and have classes every day and more than once a day.
Needed Costs
There are some other things that you will need to get if you are doing gymnastics, opposed to some of the other things that are more optional. The first one of these is leotards, of which there are two main types.
Training leotards do not have any sleeves so as to be cooler for training and can cost $20.00 to $50.00 or more, while competition leotards cost at least that much all the way up to a few hundred dollars. Competition leotards are made to have long sleeves in order to give the gymnast more clean lines and are made to be a lot nicer and fancier than training leotards are.
Also, when choosing a leotard, care must be taken to choose the right kind of fabric. A good leotard and other necessary gears should offer a great level of comfort and should pose no health risk to the gymnast, such as promoting the grown and development of bacteria.
You will need to have at the very least a couple of training leotards and one competition leotard to start off with if you are a beginner gymnast. However, many gymnasts have a few dozen leotards, so this is something that will definitely factor into the yearly cost.
Another thing that you will need is some gymnastics grips. If you are a beginner gymnast then you might not need these for the first year, but once you really start in on the bars this will be something that you will need to have.
Beginner grips, which help gymnasts hold onto bars and rings, start at about $10.00 and higher-end grips that you will eventually need will cost $35.00 to $50.00 and will need to be replaced when they wear out.
Optional Costs
While gymnastics shoes are not required, some gymnasts find them more comfortable than having to go barefoot. Should you decide that you do want to wear these shoes, each pair will cost you around $35.00 to $60.00. Depending how much wear they are getting and how good their quality is, then you may want to count on buying one pair every year.
Gymnastics Equipment
There is so much to gymnastics equipment that this gets its own section just for it. The fact is that if you are going to be doing gymnastics only as a gym and only as a hobby then you might not need to have any gymnastics equipment at home.
However, if you plan on doing any gymnastics training at home whatsoever, then you are going to need to buy a few things. While to some degree these things might be simply a one-time cost, they will eventually wear out or brake and will need to be replaced.
Considering the short period of hours allocated weekly for gymnastics classes and programs, you must understand that the limited time will not be enough for you to have enough learning and practice time in order to achieve the level of a professional and proficient gymnast.
So because of that, you might have to get some basic equipment for you to be able to practice more at home during your leisure time or at your convenience. Such equipment includes the gymnastic mat and the gymnastic bar.
Also, if you are a young gymnast who is still growing, there are some pieces of gymnastics equipment that you are going to grow out of. Each piece of equipment is going to cost something different and will have a range that you might have to pay for it.
There are three main pieces of gymnastics equipment that you will want for your home. These are: a mat, a beam, and a bar. If you have to only choose one of these three items to get, it should always be the gymnastics mat.
A gymnastics mat can cost anywhere from $20.00 all the way up to well over $1,000.00 in order to get a gymnastics mats that is long enough for you to practice a complete tumbling pass on. However, most cost somewhere around $40.00 for one that will fit most of your needs.
One of the reasons why this is the one piece of gymnastics equipment that you should get is because it is something that you will not outgrow, though the mat can wear out over time and will need to be replaced eventually.
One of the most important things for you to look at is how thick the mat is and if your hands sink into it at all. If you are a beginner then you might want to go with one that has plenty of cushion to it even if you do sink into it a bit.
However, if you are in the higher levels of gymnastics then you are going to need to not sink into the mat or else this could interfere with your moves on it since the moves you do in the higher levels of gymnastics are going to require more control.
Some of this is going to depend on what the mat is made of, which is something that you are going to want to look into before making your decision here since there are certain chemicals that can be present in mats that you might have a reaction to.
As mentioned, mats can come in some sizes that are quite large. Usually it is far better to get a mat that is bigger than you think you will need, but if you are on a tight budget you can choose to go with a smaller gymnastics mat.
Lastly, when it comes to gymnastics mats there are a few optional features that some kinds have which can be really nice. One of these is that it can be foldable and come with a handle on it to make it easy to carry around.
The other special feature is a strap of some kind that can be used to attach more than one mat together in order to have a larger area when you need it. Sometime this is found on all sides of the mat, but at other times it is only found on the ends.
The next of the three pieces of equipment is the beam which usually costs somewhere between $80.00 for a low-to-the-ground balance beam, to up to $400.00 for a competition-size 16-foot balance beam.
This is a piece of gymnastics equipment that has quite a bit of variety to it. For a beginner gymnast a floor beam where the beam is placed directly on the floor is usually the best choice, since this way if they fall off of it they do not fall far. These can sometimes even be folded up if you are short on space.
Finally, the last of the three main pieces of gymnastics equipment that you are most likely to need to buy is the gymnastics bar. This is something that can cost anywhere between $70.00 all the way up to over $4,000.00 for a professional-grade bar which comes with the mat that goes underneath the two uneven bars.
There are a lot of things that you should take into consideration when you are choosing your bar to practice with at home. The main two things are the height of the bar and the amount of weight that it can safely support.
Not all gymnastics bars are adjustable, meaning that if you get one for the right height for your kid then you may have to later on buy another one of these since they will eventually get too tall for it. The weight is an important thing to think about since if your child is too heavy for it not only will it be likely to brake, but it will wobble too much and interfere with what they are trying to do.
Random Costs
If a gymnast is part of a team, there might be traveling costs especially when they have a competition to participate outside their location. Those costs are usually that is dependent on the distance traveled to competitions. Entry fees for USA Gymnastics-sanctioned competitions are typical $30-$100.
There are other costs that you may not have thought about but which will add up over the year. One of these might be things like hairspray and hair items which you will have to have in order to keep your hair in its place.
Ways To Save Money As A Gymnast
Whether your interest or that of your child in gymnastics is temporary or for the long-term, it is equally important to not just budget for it but also to find ways to save some cash when going about it. There are quite a few ways that you can save money when you do gymnastics.
One thing that can be helpful is to keep in touch with other experienced parents. By so doing, you can easily get tips from them on how they keep their gymnastics costs under the budget. They can be in a position to offer some advice when looking for cheaper ways to buy leotards and apparatus, travel to competitions, and getting info on sales on merchandise and discounts on classes.
Also, if they have a kid who outgrew their lightly worn leotards then sometimes they do not mind at all letting your young gymnast have them if they will fit. Though hand me down items may not be as good as new ones, they are certainly a lot cheaper.
If possible, then there may be times when you can arrange to share transportation. Join with other parents to share children’s transportation to gymnastics classes by taking turns driving in order to save a lot of time and money on fuel expenses.
You should also take advantage of the siblings’ discounts. Most gymnastic clubs offer a discount for families with multiple children. Enrolling three and more of your children at the same time and in the same club could help save up to 15-20% of the standard tuition cost.
There is other things too, like early bird discounts. Gymnastics clubs and schools also offer discounts for prospects that enroll early for gymnastics classes or camp sessions. Most importantly, avoid waiting for deadlines before making payments for gymnastics classes to avoid late registration fees.
Also, while some programs offer discounts on non-class activities for members, others offer scholarships programs to those in need of financial assistance. You might need to inquire from your gymnastic clubs to know if they offer scholarships and in most cases where they do, the club will require you to complete an application and other financial information.
In fact, one other very good and important way to save lots of costs is to secure a scholarship. This will help you avoid paying for the majority of the cost implication for enrolling in a gymnastics class. This is something that will depend a lot on the age of your gymnast as to what kind of scholarship you hope to go for.
How Do You Get a Scholarship and What Can You Do To Improve Your Chances
Gymnastics is a sport where your skill level definitely counts. Only a handful of athletic organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) awards gymnastics scholarships to both the male and female athletes.
Due to this reason, the scholarship funding, application, and selection pool are constantly becoming more competitive than before. Interested gymnasts who want to pursue their dreams through a scholarship scheme are then left with a limited number of spots on the team to compete for, as the NCAA only allows a certain number of awards per school, per team, and per gender.
Although many gymnastics coaches are always on the lookout for good gymnasts at gyms that have become known for displaying impressive skills, the best strategy is not to wait to be contacted. Make efforts to showcase your best performance to the world and stand a chance of getting a scholarship.
Unfortunately, to be eligible for NCAA and other gymnastics scholarships, a gymnast should not depend solely on his or her performance and skill level in the sport. This is so because gymnasts are also required to have a minimum GPA and maintain good grades throughout their time at their intended schools.
So, if you are serious about getting financial aid to chase your gymnastics dream, you should never rule out good academic performance to complement your impressive skills. Those requirements include a minimum GPA for both the college-bound and those already on campuses and qualifying standardized test scores.
To find out more about this kind of scholarship scheme and to know if the students from your school are qualified to apply, you will have to contact your intended school’s athletic department for more information to see if you have the academics and the skill to play on a college team.
NCAA Scholarships
Every year, about a billion dollars are awarded in full and partial athletic scholarships for more than 126,000 undergraduates by the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA. These undergraduate student-athletes as usually selected from Division I and Division II schools.
Although not the NCAA, but the academic institutions directly oversee the awarding and administration of these scholarships to the student-athletes, you will be required as a student who is applying for this scholarship scheme to meet the requirements of the NCAA before you can be qualified to receive any funding.
Even if you have the talent, skill, and knowledge to try out for a college gymnastics team scholarship program, you should never assume or become overconfident that the scholarship funding you are eligible for will be offered to you by your intended college.
It is best if you carry out proper and thorough research about the school, and if possible have talks with your financial aid office and athletic departments about local and college-based awards you could be eligible for, before giving any of them your shot.
Local Gymnastics Scholarships
If you are thinking about pursuing gymnastics on the college level, you are probably spending hours at the gym of a local gymnastics club trying to up your game and keep fit, especially if your high school doesn’t have a dedicated gymnastics team.
Nowadays many of the larger gyms are willing to offer funding and support for their gymnastics teammates to help them pay for college, so you might consider talking to your coach about any available scholarships that you possibly benefit from.
Alternatively, your coach might be in a position to recommend or point you other local and state resources where the competition may be less fierce than awards through national organizations or colleges, so do your research properly and you might be lucky.
The Michael Sims Scholarship, for example, is open only to Texas gymnasts who plan on continuing the sport in college. Even if you land some scholarship money through your college, chances are it won’t be a full ride, so explore all of your options locally and state-wide.
A Couple Of Ways To Make Money As A Gymnast
With all of these costs, it is only natural that there should be a few ways that a professional gymnast should be able to make some money in order to help cover some of their costs, however you just might be surprised at how little this can add up to.
For example most Olympic gymnasts earn nothing for participating in the Olympic competition. Many countries’ Olympic teams, including that of the United States, only provides travel expenses to Olympic competitors. Even these funds don’t come directly from the government, but rather from a pool of private and corporate donors.
The only direct income a few Olympians receive for their competition is from corporate sponsorships. For an A-list Olympian, that means plenty of dough to support himself while training and competing. The rare gymnast can reportedly earn up to $10 million a year from these sponsorships.
This is also thanks to the many tournament winnings, but mostly because of the endorsement deals, which include popular brands. As a gymnast, you can earn a sizeable and a life-changing amount of cash just by doing gymnastics.
There are several windows of opportunities from which you can turn your gymnastic skills and performance into a money tree. The following ways are some of the ways you can make money as a gymnast.
You can earn a bonus when you partake and win in competitions. By now it shouldn’t be a thing of surprise to you that most gymnasts do not get any special payment for choosing gymnastics as a profession.
But what is mostly obtainable or practiced by most countries and other gymnastics bodies and groups is to award a token prize to the athletes especially when they come out victorious in any level of a competition that they partake in.
Another way that a professional gymnast can earn money is by teaching gymnastics and organizing gymnastic classes. Having developed your skill to a level of proficiency, you can take up the role or job of a coach or instructor and earn some money while teaching and organizing gymnastics classes for students or even coaching a team.
As mentioned, you can also earn lots of money from sponsorships and endorsement deals. This is what you might call the blockbuster when it comes to earning a living from the sport of gymnastics. Achieving fame for gymnasts comes with some great benefits and part of such benefits could be to serve as a brand ambassador for a known brand, company, or organization.
These companies usually are willing to part with huge sums of money just to get a famous gymnast or athlete to advertise or promote their brand. The only challenge with this kind of money-making method is that you must have attained a level of popularity and acceptance in the society before you could be considered for a role.
You can also earn money by selling gymnastic guides, gears, apparatus, and gymnastic equipment. There is actually quite a bit of money you can earn selling your used gymnastics apparatus, gears, and even self-written guides.
Take advantage of the high demand for cheap and quality gear in the gymnastics community. Most of these prospective buyers are ready to buy used gears provided they are still in good shape and condition. Of course, when it comes to selling self-written guides you will have more success with these if you are a famous, or at least a well known, gymnast.