Parents Understanding TOPS

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Just trying to understand TOPs. A few of our girls tested TOPs and qualified to do those level 4 TOPs routines in competition. Great news! I'm curious if those routines have a different starting value than those of standard JO. I know TOPs girls aren't separated for competition so I'm trying to understand how a judge compares/grades each routine. Thanks for your help
 
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Unless things have changed Levels 2-5 will have the same routines on every event regardless is their in Tops
 
Unless things have changed Levels 2-5 will have the same routines on every event regardless is their in Tops
The girls who tested and qualified TOPS are working on routines with much harder skills (i.e. front tuck on floor, cast to handstand on bars, etc). That's why I'm unsure how a judge could compare standard compulsory with TOPs upgrades.
 
Those are Tops skills they can’t do them in compulsory just at the tops testing
 
Just trying to understand TOPs. A few of our girls tested TOPs and qualified to do those level 4 TOPs routines in competition. Great news! I'm curious if those routines have a different starting value than those of standard JO. I know TOPs girls aren't separated for competition so I'm trying to understand how a judge compares/grades each routine. Thanks for your help

The TOPS program has been going through some changes in the past couple of years…. but it is still the same in theory. TOPS is an “age based elimination program”. In other words… if you can’t do it by a certain age… you’re out.

 
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Just trying to understand TOPs. A few of our girls tested TOPs and qualified to do those level 4 TOPs routines in competition. Great news! I'm curious if those routines have a different starting value than those of standard JO. I know TOPs girls aren't separated for competition so I'm trying to understand how a judge compares/grades each routine. Thanks for your help
Like Ty's Dad said, there is no such thing as TOPs competitions. TOPs as the name implies (Talent Opportunity Program) is a way for the United States to identify and develop gymnasts who might ultimately compete for the US. Think of the old Soviet programs where they took children away from families to train and win the olympics to a lesser extreme. So girls test across the US to be "identified" and in theory move into the elite program up to national team. The elite program is completely separate from the development program (DP, or used to be JO). Girls in the DP program are broken into compulsory and optionals depending upon level. In compulsory, all girls are "compelled" to do the same routine so that developing (see the use of words there lol) gymnasts are judged on form and proper technique. In optionals, developing gymnasts have shown proficiency in form and technique and now have the "option" of choosing skills to perform. So you see, if a gymnast is in compulsory, they will always perform the same routine as everyone else, regardless of TOPs testing participation. In practice, gyms are all over the map with TOPs approach. Some gyms refuse to participate and prefer just move to elite program at the appropriate age. Other gyms, probably most, use it as an opportunity to provide their more talented gymnasts (at that point in time) a higher intensity of training and a potentially quicker path through compulsory and into optionals. Many gyms either have no intention of supporting an elite gymnast or do not have the experience of training an elite. So you will often see girls at these gyms training higher level skills even though in compulsory competitions they will not show those high skills. Sorry, I know that was a lot, not sure why I wrote that much lol.
 
There are specific competitions at which gymnasts will separately compete their TOPS routines against other TOPS gymnasts. At regular competitions they will compete the usual compulsory routine.
Its been awhile, but unless they significantly changed TOPs, there are no TOPs competitions, only TOPs testing. When I was involved it was physical ability testing and skill testing. But nothing that would be considered a routine or a competition.
 
Its been awhile, but unless they significantly changed TOPs, there are no TOPs competitions, only TOPs testing. When I was involved it was physical ability testing and skill testing. But nothing that would be considered a routine or a competition.

The skills testing is done at specific competitions, which gymnasts qualify for by passing the physical abilities test. OP mentioned their TOPs gymnasts are training TOPs routines; I'm not sure exactly how the testing goes, if they're actually given scores or just a pass/fail, but the testing is done at competitions, which will have a session specifically for TOPs.
 
Its been awhile, but unless they significantly changed TOPs, there are no TOPs competitions, only TOPs testing. When I was involved it was physical ability testing and skill testing. But nothing that would be considered a routine or a competition.

The way TOPs is done has changed.

The TOPs routines and current information are located at this link…

 
So the implementation of it has changed, but it is still physical abilities and skills. And there are no competitions, only testing. The combined score of physical and skills qualify you for national testing and then from there camp selection.
 
So the implementation of it has changed, but it is still physical abilities and skills. And there are no competitions, only testing. The combined score of physical and skills qualify you for national testing and then from there camp selection.

I have no stake in TOPS, but didn’t they announce at some point this summer that they were going to have TOPS sessions at certain big meets with specific skills judging? It was going to be between initial skills testing and camps. Did that get dropped? I think that’s what people are mentioning when they say competitions, but now I feel like I dreamed it because I can’t find any references to it or find it on any schedules.
 
I have no stake in TOPS, but didn’t they announce at some point this summer that they were going to have TOPS sessions at certain big meets with specific skills judging? It was going to be between initial skills testing and camps. Did that get dropped? I think that’s what people are mentioning when they say competitions, but now I feel like I dreamed it because I can’t find any references to it or find it on any schedules.

It's all right in the link I have provided...

TOPS (Talent Opportunity Program), is a talent search and educational program for female gymnasts ages 8-10 and their coaches. From September to November of each year, gymnasts age 8-10 are evaluated virtually by zoom on physical abilities. These dates are set by USA Gymnastics and are posted below.

From there, athletes may participate in skills testing that will take place at invitational competitions, Elite national Qualifiers, and selected Nastia Liukin Cup qualifiers across the country. Each state will have the opportunity to host a TOPS qualifier at an invitational competition in their state.

Based on those results, gymnasts are then invited to participate in the National TOPS Testing in June or July each year, followed by TOPS Training Camp which takes place in July or August of each year. Additional information can be found in the links in the left menu.
 
They decided not to have skills testing at invitational meets in 2023 and to invite all the athletes who qualified through the physical abilities testing to the national skills testing. I think the reason was that very few athletes qualified for skills testing, so there was no point in having another round of elimination.

 
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They decided not to have skills testing at invitational meets in 2023 and to invite all the athletes who qualified through the physical abilities testing to the national skills testing. I think the reason was that very few athletes qualified for skills testing, so there was no point in having another round of elimination.


Yes... they ended up have ~10x less athletes involved in the program. The program is very unorganized right now.
 
It would be better for long term elite development if these athletes were judged with a FIG pen/rules.
 
I know a child who did well this year as an 8-year-old in TOPs. She trained 26 hours per week as a 2nd grader too prepare. I think any program that requires extreme training for very young children is unwise.
 
They decided not to have skills testing at invitational meets in 2023 and to invite all the athletes who qualified through the physical abilities testing to the national skills testing. I think the reason was that very few athletes qualified for skills testing, so there was no point in having another round of elimination.

The 2022-2023 season is already over. All the talk about skills testing is refferring to the current season. The 2023-2024 season is requiring skills testing.
 

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