National Elite Gymnastics

Our kids have been going here for 3 years now and we’ve done regular classes, after school and Mother’s Morning Out. Our daughters love it and have said they like it better than Star Center, which was there previous gymnastics place because the staff is friendlier, great support and the facility is bigger and more updated. I fully recommend it!

I don’t ever write reviews on here but I had to for National Elite Gymnastics. So after a horrible experience with another gym, I found this gym for my 5 year old. I have been so impressed with the skills taught. My daughter has been in gymnastics for over 2 years and has learned so much in the last few months here. I have enrolled my 3 year old son as well! I travel 40 mins back and forth so my children can get quality training and have a fun time doing it. I can not say enough how happy I am as a parent that I found this gym. Other reviews on here I don’t feel give the gym justice, they are first old, and they are before the recreational director that is here now was apart of this gym. Bring your child to a trial the coaches are wonderful!

My daughter has been at NEG for going on 3 years. She started when she was 3 and is now in their pre-​team invitational class. I appreciate the work ethic they instill in the girls. I have really enjoyed all of her coaches. Matt, Jill, & Hayley. It’s been a wonderful environment for her so far.

This review pertains primarily to summer «sports» camp. I signed my 6-​year-​old daughter up for what was billed as an active day of sports and recreational activities. The camp day runs from 7:30 — 6:30 potentially, so I wouldn’t expect them to be running the kids hard all day. However, what I discovered is that this was not a «sports camp,» it was a «child care arrangement.»
Our experience began when I dropped my daughter off in the rec room a little before 8:00. Most of the children already present were glued to a television set. My mom-​sense went «uh-​oh.» But I figured that it was still the arrival period, so I didn’t say anything, even though the website stated that between 7:30 — 8:00, the children would be doing «recreational games,» not watching TV.
When my daughter came home after being picked up around 5:30, she told me that she had watched TWO movies that day, one of which had a PG rating (I am cool with PG movies, but feel that a camp should not be making that call for a group of 5 – 7 year olds). After she described her day, it became clear to me that the only «sports» that went on at NEG camp that day were a short gymnastics period in the morning, and then going to the pool. The rest of the day appeared to be playground time and TV.
When I addressed this with the staff, they did not deny that several hours of TV were watched. Their excuse was that they had a coach go home due to a family emergency and did not feel «safe» having the kids on the playground with the caregiver ratio available, so they needed to come inside, and that the kids «voted» to watch a movie. Well, yes. If I asked my kids to vote on what they wanted for breakfast and ice cream was an option, what do you think they would pick?! They are KIDS! Furthermore, the fact that they did not have a backup plan for a coach’s absence tells me they are not well-​organized, and are cutting it very close with regard to caregiver ratios, which is also a safety and quality concern. I also sensed that the coaches needed to plug in the «electronic babysitter» to maintain control of the group of children when playground time was not an option.
Bottom line is that I felt tricked. The NEG website and printed materials describes this camp as active, sporty, and nowhere in their materials is the potential for HOURS of screen time disclosed, with the exception of a lunch time movie on Friday. Given that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that «children and teens should engage with entertainment media for no more than one or two hours per day, and that should be high-​quality content,» I am disturbed that NEG chose to decide for our family to more than double the recommended amount of screen time without even telling me that was a possibility.
My children both took gymnastics at this facility this year and I have a number of similar concerns with that program: poor communication with parents, frequent coach turnover without notice or update (it got to the point where my kids couldn’t even keep up with their coaches’ names), lack of skill progress evaluations (in over a year, my older daughter received only one eval, and my younger daughter never did, not even a verbal), a generally disorganized and chaotic atmosphere, a bizarre «cash or check only» policy (??) and HEAVY pressure to join the competitive team if your child shows any aptitude whatsoever. One of my older daughter’s many coaches even talked with her directly about joining the competitive team without clearing it with me or even advising me, and it took them over a week to return my call about this concern. Bottom line is we will not be returning here, either for camp or for classes.

We went for a trial class and it was rather disappointing experience. Poor communication and not kid friendly (age 5). Staff failed to communicate that I would not be allowed as the parent to walk my child to a class of which we has never met the instructor or anyone in the class. They expect you to just drop off a 5 year old without any introduction. Not very reasonable and empathetic.

Just finished our girls’ birthday party here and boy, were we impressed. We had the facility to ourselves (on a Saturday!). It is so spacious that children and adults alike had plenty of room to do their thing and hang out. It was quiet, unlike the bouncy houses that have to have those giant fans blowing constantly. And I can’t say enough about the two women who led the children and cleaned up afterwards. They were incredible at enforcing safety rules but not alienating the kids. They had two age groups to work with, under 3 and around 6, which isn’t easy, but they handled both ages perfectly. They were kind enough to ask if the party area was ready before they unleashed the children for cake. And they cleaned everything, including packing up the presents and the cake! So nice, so professional, and both had great senses of humor. I can’t say enough about what a wonderful experience we had here.

My daughter took gymnastic classes from National Elite after having so much fun at the summer camp. Unlike the summer camp, which gave her an intro to the gym, the actual gymnastics class was sad. The teenager who was supposed to be leading everyone seemed to pick the few girls who were already good, and worked a lot with them. All the other girls were given their opportunity to make a poor attempt, get no feedback or encouragement to do better, and get to the end of the line. A few months of tuition later and she hadn’t learned pretty much anything. That’s when we pulled the plug on it. I guess you have to be ready to put down the real money to have your kid there all the time to get real instruction.

I can only speak as a parent who has had birthday parties there. We had one party there and the kids liked it so much that we are about to have another. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I drove up but once we were inside, the kids all had a great time. We discovered them when they donated a birthday party to our school’s silent auction — which they’ve done for many years as I understand it. The coaches guided the kids through many activities but also gave them some free time. The location is great for us because we have friends spread through out the Hill Country and in Austin.