- Sep 9, 2013
- 780
- 1,063
I would say that in general as a coach, you try to avoid the back and forth plan. That being said, once season has started it can become inevitable if a gymnast is not making progress fast enough to match up with the meet schedule.
As far as your anxiety question... If your DD is at a gym where it's "okay" not to be a winning L10 or on that path, then she might thrive by staying in the sport. If she's in a different environment, it probably is contributing to her anxiety. I have coached at many programs around the country and I have seen kids who were made to feel valuable to their team even if they repeated L8 or L9 until graduation. I have been at other programs where after one allowed repeat season, you were moved up to the next level where you were expected to compete the routines you had at that level and scratch the ones you did not "until you got them." Really it was to get the gymnast to quit from the pressure, because they did not want you if you were not ultimately going to be a national qualifier/NCAA recruit. Those kids were full of anxiety. At that same program, they had one L8 who refused to quit and refused to switch to XD as they recommended every year. That had never happened before. They were so taken aback by her self-advocacy that they "let her" continue as a L8 until graduation. She was a beautiful L8 (never scored under a mid 37), but they did not want a L8 high school senior. At the end of the year banquet, even though XD seniors were asked to give senior speeches along with L10 graduating seniors, she was not. Just make sure she is not at a gym like this.
As far as your anxiety question... If your DD is at a gym where it's "okay" not to be a winning L10 or on that path, then she might thrive by staying in the sport. If she's in a different environment, it probably is contributing to her anxiety. I have coached at many programs around the country and I have seen kids who were made to feel valuable to their team even if they repeated L8 or L9 until graduation. I have been at other programs where after one allowed repeat season, you were moved up to the next level where you were expected to compete the routines you had at that level and scratch the ones you did not "until you got them." Really it was to get the gymnast to quit from the pressure, because they did not want you if you were not ultimately going to be a national qualifier/NCAA recruit. Those kids were full of anxiety. At that same program, they had one L8 who refused to quit and refused to switch to XD as they recommended every year. That had never happened before. They were so taken aback by her self-advocacy that they "let her" continue as a L8 until graduation. She was a beautiful L8 (never scored under a mid 37), but they did not want a L8 high school senior. At the end of the year banquet, even though XD seniors were asked to give senior speeches along with L10 graduating seniors, she was not. Just make sure she is not at a gym like this.