Competitive Stream

Program description

The squad. Training is priced in hours a week rather than lessons, because that is how the athletes and their parents talk about it — nine hours, twelve hours, sixteen.

Competition entries, travel and leotards are billed separately as they fall due.

Sessions run four hours, Monday through Friday afternoons into the evening. A session is built the same way each time: warm-up, then a long conditioning and flexibility block, then apparatus. Athletes work one or two pieces properly rather than touching all five, and finish on routines — full run-throughs, sections repeated, the same eight counts until they hold under fatigue.

At this level the work is mostly repetition, and the difference between athletes is usually how they handle it. Coaches at Astro correct constantly and expect corrections to be taken and applied, not just heard. That is the actual skill being trained here, more than any single element.

What the commitment looks like. Eight hours is two sessions a week and is where most athletes start. Twelve is three. Sixteen is four, and suits athletes competing at a level where the routine load demands it. Athletes do not move up the hours because they want to but because their body and their schoolwork can carry it — we would rather a gymnast trained eight hours well for two years than sixteen badly for one.

Families should know what they're taking on. Competition season means weekends away, early call times, and entry fees, travel and leotards on top of the monthly training fee. Schoolwork gets done in the car more often than anyone would like. It is a real commitment from the whole household, not just the athlete, and we would rather you knew that before you started than found out in March.

What we're not. We don't train through injury, and we don't weigh athletes. A gymnast who needs a week off gets a week off. Rhythmic gymnastics has a poor history on both counts and we have no interest in repeating it.

Entry is by assessment. Most athletes come up through Pre-Competitive at Astro, but gymnasts from other clubs are welcome — get in touch and we'll arrange a session for our head coach to watch them train.