No conversation about gymnastics would be complete without addressing the issue of money. Gymnastics is an expensive sport.

How expensive? Just how costly gymnastics will be depends on your specific situation.

Of course, you can do things to keep gymnastics more affordable, so let's start there.

The total cost of gymnastics will depend on the type of club or gym you're going to. Large, nationally-known for-profit gyms are going to be the most expensive option for gymnastics. Smaller and more local gyms are usually less costly options for gymnastics classes.

Community-based gyms, such as those in community centers or at the local Y, are often more affordable for beginner gymnastics.

If affordability is a concern, be sure to check into your local Y and community centers. Many have tumbling or gymnastics programs available for the area's youth. Most Y's also have scholarships available to ensure access for everybody.

Every gym bills for classes slightly differently, but recreational classes are usually billed either monthly or per session. Gymnasts sign up for their level of group class, and monthly payments are made for gymnastics tuition.

Because of the wide variety of gyms that offer recreational classes, the price will vary too.

Recreational classes can range from just $25 a month for one hour per week to $75 per hour, depending on the type of gym you choose to train with.

Be sure to check into all the options around you when looking for gymnastics classes. There is a wide range of courses available in most communities.

There are no pieces of home equipment required to be purchased, as most coaches will tell you to leave gymnastics for the gym.

But, realistically, your child is going to want something or everything? Some essential pieces of home equipment can help anyone with their gymnastics journey.

First, a good quality mat is essential for stretching. I recommend a mat with at least 1.5" (but prefer 2") of high-quality foam.

Next, I'd recommend a pull-up bar or stall bars. Either will help gymnasts tremendously with strength and shaping for gymnastics.

Another factor that will affect your total cost of gymnastics is whether your gymnast will compete.

Gymnasts are so excited when they are invited to a gymnastics team or pre-team (pre-competitive team). Being invited to train and compete is a big deal to most kids.

Being invited to the team can also be a huge sticker shock to parents if they're not prepared for it!

Let's prepare you now, so we can avoid the shock later.

Just like you paid for recreational classes, you'll pay tuition for gymnastics team training. This is usually paid per month, every month, all 12 months of the year.

The monthly cost of gymnastics training covers a lot of things. It includes the cost of your training hours in the gym. It pays for your coaches and managers, support personnel, building, utilities, and gymnastics equipment.

Unfortunately, team tuition doesn't cover a LOT of other things. Let's cover some of the additional expenses you'll be expected to pay when your child competes in gymnastics.

Every sport has its own uniform and equipment requirements, and gymnastics is no different.

For attire, competitive gymnasts are usually required to purchase a team competition leotard.

At lower levels, the team competition leo may be a tank-style leo. At higher levels, it will usually be a long-sleeve or 3/4 sleeve leotard. Often, the leos have incredible designs of color and sparkles gems on them. Sparkles on leos can be everything from glitter in the fabric, to sequins, to crystals and gems. For some teams, the more bling, the better!

In addition to the competition leotard, gymnasts also need warm-ups. This includes both a pair of matching team pants and a jacket. Some gyms embroider individual names in addition to the team name on the jacket, while others go with just the team name.

Some gymnastics teams require footwear in addition to the team warm-ups. That may include sneakers or slides, depending on the gym.

Most gyms require a team bag to be purchased, so all of the gymnasts match. The team bag often has the gymnast's name on it in addition to the team name.

In the time of Covid, some gymnasts are required to purchase matching team masks.

One of the largest expenses you'll encounter with a competitive gymnast is meet fees.

Meet fees pay for gymnastics meets - sounds simple, right? Well, it's not always that simple, but let's start there.

Meet fees will cover, at a minimum, your gymnast's entry fee to compete at that competition. There are many different kinds of gymnastics meets, but the larger meets are more expensive in general.

Small meets are often held at the host gym, while larger meets are often held at conference centers or arenas.

Registration for meets will depend on many factors. Whether the meet is sanctioned by a league and by what league will help determine fees. The level of competition can also affect meet fees.

For a typical women's USA gymnastics sanctioned meet, registration fees would average between $85 to $125, depending on the level and time of the year. Of course, there are less expensive meets and more expensive meets. Meet registration fees may or may not include a gymnast gift.

Beyond paying for the meet registration fee, how gyms bill for meets and the associated costs will vary.

Depending on how your gym bills families, meet fees may pay for just your gymnast's entry into the gymnastics meet - or for a whole lot more.

Remember how your team tuition paid for your team training hours in the gym, including coaching? Coaches also need to be paid for their time at meets and meet fees may or may not cover this. If your coaching fees for gymnastics meets aren't included in your meet fees, they will be billed separately.

In addition to registration fees for gymnastics meets and coaches fees, your meet fees may also cover travel to and from the meet for coaches. Your coaches may need to stay overnight for some meets if their team is competing on more than one day.

Of course, you're also responsible for your gymnast's travel to and from the gymnastics meet. Depending on how far away the gymnastics meet is from your home, that may mean staying overnight at a hotel if your gymnast is competing in an early or late session.

Unfortunately, you often don't have an exact meet schedule until a few weeks before the competition, making it harder to plan overnight accommodations.

One of the tricks our gym used was to encourage parents to reserve both nights at a hotel, each in their own reservation. Then, each night could be canceled individually without affecting the other night's reservation or room rate. So, if the competition is Saturday and Sunday, you could reserve Friday in one reservation and Saturday in another. Often, hotel reservations can be canceled just a few days before without penalty - plenty of time to receive that meet schedule.

For travel meets, families usually travel by plane because of the distance involved. These require extra planning, and of course, are more expensive than local meets.

Suppose your gymnast qualifies for Regionals and/or Nationals at the end of a season. In that case, an additional fee may need to be paid. For some gyms, you need to decide on the night of States if you’ll travel to Regionals if your gymnast wins a placement. Be prepared to make the decision quickly, as gyms must reserve that spot, otherwise another gymnast may attend in their place.

I can't write about money and gymnastics without covering Private Lessons.

Private lessons are self-explanatory. You pay the gym (or coach), and they work with your gymnast individually for the specified amount of time. It's one-on-one training with a coach. It is NOT renting out the gym for your personal use.

Your coach may ask if you have input on what you want to work on during your private lesson, or they may have specific skills they want you to improve.

If a gymnast is having trouble getting a specific skill, a coach may recommend a private lesson.

Private lessons can be invaluable, especially at higher levels or if a gymnast is having difficultly grasping a specific skill. A few private lessons with extra spotting and drills can really help a gymnast get their back handspring or their back walkover on beam.

Competitive gymnastics is expensive, although there are ways to reduce the cost.

Parents should do their research and ask educated questions to gauge whether they're comfortable with the gym's financial expectations. In other words, be sure you know exactly what you need to pay, what it pays for, and when it will be due.

Preparing for the financial expectations will ensure a smooth transition to competitive gymnastics.