WAG Is this against the rules?

[Gymnast738282]

So there is this one girl on highschool who is being privately trained at a gym. Can you do that during the highschool season?

 

[CLgym]

I think it depends on your state's high school athletic association rules....

In my state, high school athletes can not participate on the school team and a non-school team for the same sport during the same season (e.g., high school baseball player cannot participate in club/travel team during the spring season). Our state bylaws define "participate on any non-school team" to mean tryouts, drills, physical practice sessions, team meetings, playing in a contest, etc., so I would imagine private lessons at club gym would fall under that definition. But this rule would only apply during the high school gymnastics season (for us that is November 11 to February 22 this year).

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I’m in NYS and you can. In fact most girls on HS teams are club gymnasts

 

[Gymnast738282]

What

I think it depends on your state's high school athletic association rules....

In my state, high school athletes can not participate on the school team and a non-school team for the same sport during the same season (e.g., high school baseball player cannot participate in club/travel team during the spring season). Our state bylaws define "participate on any non-school team" to mean tryouts, drills, physical practice sessions, team meetings, playing in a contest, etc., so I would imagine private lessons at club gym would fall under that definition. But this rule would only apply during the high school gymnastics season (for us that is November 11 to February 22 this year).

state do you live in?

 

[Aussie_coach]

I think it depends on your state's high school athletic association rules....

In my state, high school athletes can not participate on the school team and a non-school team for the same sport during the same season (e.g., high school baseball player cannot participate in club/travel team during the spring season). Our state bylaws define "participate on any non-school team" to mean tryouts, drills, physical practice sessions, team meetings, playing in a contest, etc., so I would imagine private lessons at club gym would fall under that definition. But this rule would only apply during the high school gymnastics season (for us that is November 11 to February 22 this year).

Wow, really. If we had rules like that here, there would be no one on High School Teams. Kids tend to get better training if they do a sport at Club Level, most school teams are taught by teachers. It also seems damaging to the industry. Forcing kids to quit their club training in order to participate in school teams would close down many sports clubs.

 

[Gymnast734]

Definitely think it depends on the state and how competitive gymnastics is in that state. In my state you are allowed to train at a club while competing with highschool. As long as you’re not competing for 2 teams at the same time, which is kind of difficult because highschool and club seasons overlap. Therefore during the overlapping club season, girls will compete “unattached” for club to make them eligible to compete in highschool. Unattached basically means your scores don’t count towards the team score and your competing for yourself

 

[Aussie_coach]

Definitely think it depends on the state and how competitive gymnastics is in that state. In my state you are allowed to train at a club while competing with highschool. As long as you’re not competing for 2 teams at the same time, which is kind of difficult because highschool and club seasons overlap. Therefore during the overlapping club season, girls will compete “unattached” for club to make them eligible to compete in highschool. Unattached basically means your scores don’t count towards the team score and your competing for yourself

So do High School Teams compete against Club Teams? I don’t see why they can’t represent their school and their club at the same time, it seems to be a very different thing.

Here in Australia school gymnastics is very rare. Only a handful of schools do it, and in my state at least, only private schools (having said that 40% of Australian students attend private schools so it’s not as exclusive as it is in other countries).

They do their own league, and they hold one competition only. It’s a mix of kids who do gymnastics at a club and kids who have never done gymnastics competing routines at about a level 1 standard. The highest level you can compete at school is equivalent to level 6.

Some of our kids do it and they train 2 hours per week for about 2 months, basically just long enough to learn the routines.

 

[JessSyd]

Aussie Coach here in Sydney, it is similar but there is a public school competition too although it is fairly low key.

The independent girls school school competition is fiercely competitive (at least in division one schools) and goes all the way to level ten. Some of the schools that participate in the gymnastics competitions operate their own gymnastics program as a club, meaning girls from outside the school can also train there and compete for the club, although of course they can not compete for the school.

The state high schools also have a competition (one carnival a year) but like most state school sports, they rely on kids having outside coaching. You can not compete at all unless you have already competed the level for a club in a Gymnsw sanctioned competition.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

In Minnesota you can't do club and high school, it's one or the other. Our club does offer high school classes during their off season.

 

[Gymnast738282]

In Minnesota you can't do club and high school, it's one or the other. Our club does offer high school classes during their off season.

Ok thanks I live in Minnesota to.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

So do High School Teams compete against Club Teams? I don’t see why they can’t represent their school and their club at the same time, it seems to be a very different thing.

Here in Australia school gymnastics is very rare. Only a handful of schools do it, and in my state at least, only private schools (having said that 40% of Australian students attend private schools so it’s not as exclusive as it is in other countries).

They do their own league, and they hold one competition only. It’s a mix of kids who do gymnastics at a club and kids who have never done gymnastics competing routines at about a level 1 standard. The highest level you can compete at school is equivalent to level 6.

Some of our kids do it and they train 2 hours per week for about 2 months, basically just long enough to learn the routines.

We are in New York. Not a lot of schools have gymnastics but there are schools that do. Ours is one of them.

And yes many of the girls do club and compete for their school. And some do not. I believe the expectation is skills be in line with L8.

We have attended some of our meets and the skill level varies widely. And we have seen scores as low as 4-6 And then some solid gymnasts with solid scores. It would be unlikely a gymnast would qualify for sectionals/states without club experience. Or even do gymnastics safely without club experience.

A few girls on our HS teams are retired from club but do HS gymnastics. But they left club as L8s, so that is a lot of years of muscle memory.

Mine is at the age and grade where she will be making decisions. She could of done HS gym in middle school. She had an injury last year and has decided she wants to just focus on a successful L8 season with her club.

But should she decide to do HS gymnastics (and hang up her club competition grips) in the future as a parent I would only be ok with it if she at least continues to practice with her club, most of the year. Maybe not at her current hours or year round.

Regarding high school sports in general. Our district is just starting girls lacrosse. They are phasing it in because if we went right to varsity those girls would get trounced by schools and districts that have club lacrosse teams and girls have been doing lacrosse for years. So they are starting with junior varsity. Will start a modified team (which is middle school). Now doing clinics for younger kids Kindergarten to Grade 8. So when they phase in varsity the girls will stand a chance at being competitive.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

The reality is the rare athlete that goes into any high school sports never having participated at that sport in a club level. Be it little league for baseball. Pop Warner for football. Even cheer has clubs now for kids as young as 5/6.

 

[Flippin'A]

Where I grew up (and I believe this is still true,) the rule was that you could compete club and high school at the same time, but you had to practice with both. So you couldn't go to club practices and then just show up for high school meets. You had to go to a certain number of high school practices before you were eligible to compete for the team. It certainly dissuaded people from doing both simultaneous because it was exhausting to go to both practices, but a couple managed it. The majority of my high school team was made up of club gymnasts who had recently quit or those who had related activities (dance, rhythmic, cheer) and wanted to give artistic a shot.

 

[NutterButter]

I’m in Minnesota too. She can continue to train at her gym until the season starts then she will need to stop and train w/her high school team. The high school season ends early enough where there is still enough time to compete in a late season meet and qualify for state. Most club gymnasts don’t pursue both though.

 

[catherine]

Since athletes spend the majority of their sport career with their club coaches it would be detrimental to a serious athlete’s progression/goals to say they cannot do both for the High School season. That really adds up over 4 years. However egos seem to get involved and what is best long term for the athlete is pushed aside. I coach club swimming and this is always an issue. We don’t force our athletes to choose between the two but some HS and some club coaches do. It’s too bad for the kids who want to be part of their HS team (fun, camaraderie, finally having their peers see what they spend their free time doing) but don’t want to get off track from the goals they have been working so hard for all year for years. If they are willing and can manage both why penalize or talk badly about them....Let’s admire their dedication and sacrifices.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Where I grew up (and I believe this is still true,) the rule was that you could compete club and high school at the same time, but you had to practice with both. So you couldn't go to club practices and then just show up for high school meets. You had to go to a certain number of high school practices before you were eligible to compete for the team.

This is the case in our district. The HS coach recognizes that the kids also do club. So they are not required at ALL practices. But they do need to make "x" number and I get that..... You want them to be a team....

For my kid she could easily make HS practice, with minimal time out of club gym, but she only does 12 hours at club. Also she could to HS practice and get to most of her club practice.

Also factor in the HS is very short for actual competitions.

 

[raenndrops]

Definitely think it depends on the state and how competitive gymnastics is in that state. In my state you are allowed to train at a club while competing with highschool. As long as you’re not competing for 2 teams at the same time, which is kind of difficult because highschool and club seasons overlap. Therefore during the overlapping club season, girls will compete “unattached” for club to make them eligible to compete in highschool. Unattached basically means your scores don’t count towards the team score and your competing for yourself

Ohio is similar in a way ... you can still practice with your club, but you can't compete for them once you start competing for your high school until your high school season is over. There is no way to compete club "unattached" and still maintain high school eligibility.
We have several girls on our team that do both high school and our team. They compete with us for the November meets. IF we have December meets, they can compete for us until they compete in their first high school meet (last year, a few girls skipped the first high school meet to get in one more meet with our team ... with the coach's blessing since she coaches both teams). Once they get past High School Districts, if they have not qualified to move on, they come back to compete with us. The HS State meet is before our final season meet, so they are all back for our Championship meet.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Here the gymnasts train in their clubs as usual and just compete for the school as well. Their school coach will often come to their club during practice to see her routines and get used to coaching her. Non-club gymnasts can usually find a gym to practice at or the school coach makes arrangements with a local gym. There is just no way our high school gymnasts could practice as a team with their high school team, and if they excluded the club gymnasts there wouldn’t be many girls left to compete for their school. I feel sad for the states that won’t allow club and high school simultaneously. Since full-time gymnasts can’t really do another sport at school, this allows them to be included in HS sports and earn a letter as well.

 

[2G1B]

Wow, I don't see how a kid could safely do high school without doing club to some level. It is my understanding that high school is about L8, no way to do that safely if you aren't a club gymnast since school only practices a few months per year.

 

[Flippin'A]

Wow, I don't see how a kid could safely do high school without doing club to some level. It is my understanding that high school is about L8, no way to do that safely if you aren't a club gymnast since school only practices a few months per year.

There might be areas where high school gym is very competitive and this is true, but that hasn't been my experience at all. When I was a high school gymnast it was very welcoming for all skill levels and we regularly saw gymnasts competing with level 3 equivalent routines. Maybe even lower. You also had level 8 gymnasts there, and obviously those were the ones who made it to state, but the teams were made up of all ability levels. The ones who were at a high optional level typically still practiced with their club gyms simultaneously, or found places to practice and keep their skills up during the off season if they'd already quit JO gymnastics.