Parents Skipping Level 5

[thatguy188]

Good Morning!

I did a search to see if skipping Level 5 is possible, but all I found were threads from many many years ago. I saw this Mobility Chart (https://usagym.org/pages/women/pages/overview_jo.html) and it says a 32.00 AA in Level 5 to get to Level 6 (which imo is too low, besides the point).

So is it not possible to skip level 5 if a gymnast is ready for Level 6? The only thing I get from this chart is you could skip Level 6 from 5 to 7.

Just curious

Thanks!

 

[Aussie_coach]

You can’t completely skip level 5. The gymnast will need to do at least 1 competition as a level 5 and get the required minimum score to move up. They can move up to either level 6 or level 7 once they get the minimum score, because you can skip level 6.

 

[thatguy188]

You can’t completely skip level 5. The gymnast will need to do at least 1 competition as a level 5 and get the required minimum score to move up. They can move up to either level 6 or level 7 once they get the minimum score, because you can skip level 6.

Awesome thank you! That's what I got out of that chart. Has it always been like this?

 

[Natasha]

Level 6 was a newly created optional level several years ago. It used to be that compulsory levels 4,5,6 were equivalent to the now 3,4,5. But, what was found was that many were becoming very discouraged with the difficulty of the old L6 compulsory level (now L5) and were either dropping out, stuck in compulsory because they weren't ready for L7 or going to Xcel. So new L6 was formed which has roughly the same difficulty as L5, so now it has become common for many gyms to score out of L5 and compete L6 until ready to go to L7. That is why L6 is not a required level, so those that are ready can just go straight to L7.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Level 6 was a newly created optional level several years ago. It used to be that compulsory levels 4,5,6 were equivalent to the now 3,4,5. But, what was found was that many were becoming very discouraged with the difficulty of the old L6 compulsory level (now L5) and were either dropping out, stuck in compulsory because they weren't ready for L7 or going to Xcel. So new L6 was formed which has roughly the same difficulty as L5, so now it has become common for many gyms to score out of L5 and compete L6 until ready to go to L7. That is why L6 is not a required level, so those that are ready can just go straight to L7.

L6 level of difficulty is closer to L7 for some things but not quite.

And in some respects L5 is harder then L6 since it is a compulsory level, In that you must do all the elements and can not selectively chose what you will or will not do.

It is gym dependent on how they do it. And sometimes even gymnast dependent. My kid spent more time at L5 then the rest of her teammates. They spent more time doing L7. They all started together at L2. They are all back together at L8 currently.

Sometimes it even about just keeping a larger group of kid’s together for the purpose of meets. In smaller gyms, 4 L6s means they can compete for team award. And it’s one session, keeping coach availablity and expenses down. 2 L 5 and 2 Level 6 means oubliette session and or 2 coaches at the same session

 

[sce]

In the sense of skipping, it usually means not competing it for a season. Gymnasts still have to comepte level 5 at least once to get the score required to go on to level 6 or 7.

 

[MuggleMom]

From reading on here and what i have seen in the real world most gyms will do a season of 5 then try to go to level 7 or one meet at 5 then a season of 6. Having seen the struggle that is level 5 I am glad we do one score out meet and move on---BUT I will say that the girls that do level 5 seem better prepared for level 7. I think my DD would get very discouraged at level 5 though so glad she will likely be doing 6.

 

[txgymfan]

From reading on here and what i have seen in the real world most gyms will do a season of 5 then try to go to level 7 or one meet at 5 then a season of 6. Having seen the struggle that is level 5 I am glad we do one score out meet and move on---BUT I will say that the girls that do level 5 seem better prepared for level 7. I think my DD would get very discouraged at level 5 though so glad she will likely be doing 6.

Which is exactly why new 6 was created.

 

[Freddy's Fred]

From reading on here and what i have seen in the real world most gyms will do a season of 5 then try to go to level 7 or one meet at 5 then a season of 6. Having seen the struggle that is level 5 I am glad we do one score out meet and move on---BUT I will say that the girls that do level 5 seem better prepared for level 7. I think my DD would get very discouraged at level 5 though so glad she will likely be doing 6.

There are still plenty of gyms that compete 5 and 6. Ours in one of them. Our girls could do fine at 7 this year, but they don't all have their giants so they are doing 6.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

There are still plenty of gyms that compete 5 and 6. Ours in one of them. Our girls could do fine at 7 this year, but they don't all have their giants so they are doing 6.

Giants arent required for 7.

But if that’s your gyms reqirememt why aren’t the girls will have them doing 7

 

[Freddy's Fred]

It's our gym's requirement to have a giant for 7. I think it's just nice to keep our cohort together. It's not a race. They will be great at level 7 next year. I think advancing slowly saves your joints. I'm a parent not a coach, so I just do what they tell me. Maybe some will score out of 7 and go to 8 if they are ready.

 

[AquaticSoul]

My daughter is finishing Level 4 and the coach has mentioned “skipping” her to Level 6. If she can score out of Level 5, what would the advantages of competing on Level 6 be if both 5 or 6 (32.00 AA) can lead to Level 7 after a season? Thanks!

 

[twinmomma]

My daughter is finishing Level 4 and the coach has mentioned “skipping” her to Level 6. If she can score out of Level 5, what would the advantages of competing on Level 6 be if both 5 or 6 (32.00 AA) can lead to Level 7 after a season? Thanks!

Getting out of the compulsory "nickel and diming" nightmare. Level 6 allows your DD's coach some flexibility in what she does and she gets her own floor music (at some gyms, some still have everyone at that level use their own music.)

 

[GymDad44]

We are in a state where Compulsory states are in December, and of course the Optional cycle is in March. We see a lot of 4/6 and 5/7 splits. In other words, my DD's (large) group competed L5 in the fall and L7 in the spring two months later. Another gym close to us is pushing some of it's last-fall L4 girls to L6 this year. Either approach can be done with success. The bonus with a 5/7 split is that you don't have to "test out" of L6.

All of that said, it completely depends on the girls, the coaches, and in many cases having the plans in place well before the compulsory season begins, in order to really be ready.

There is another "successful" gym in our area that appears to almost exclusively do 5/6 back to back in the same manner, and that's far less of a jump. By the time they all get to L8 or L9, any of the strategies probably wash out.

 

[mls529]

Our old gym did 4 to 6 (with a level 5 score out after level 4 states). The benefit in our area is that there is a lot more level 6s in our area than 5. When we competed 5 a few years ago, our HC said it was only a few gyms around who did 5, so we were competing against the same group of kids over and over. Also, my DD loved it because of the optional music, right around the time when she was feeling burnt out on compulsories. Other teammates loved it because they could do layouts on floor (and more creative beam dismounts, etc.) if they were ready.