Parents Transffering to Level 7 after one year of gym?

[Jenn's Jam]

So, the gym were at is a secondary gym from the main gym so the owner isnt usually at the second gym to often. Yesterday he came to coach the Xcel Platinums/Diamonds (my dd (12) is in gold) But sometimes she trains with the platinums if gold has to many people that day. And that was one of the days she was with platinum, so DD has all L7 and some Level 8 skills according to the coach.. So the secondary gym is newer it only is up to L4 at the moment and if you wanna go any higher they'll send you to the main gym. So he had a talk with my DD and myself. He wants to put her in L7 for the season. KEEP IN MIND* This is her first year in the gym and she hasnt competed before so I automatically though it was kinda odd, he thinks that she is more then ready for L7 and may be able to compete L9 next year. Their first meet in Xcel was next month but in L7 its the same weekend aswell but lets hop to reality real quick i'm not financially stable to put her in JO but my hubby is picking up extra hours and recently got a pay raise so we may be able to squeeze it in. (It'll be part of her Christmas present if it works) Anyways I think were ready to do it I know she really wants to do it but I just need some advice.. Do you think this is a good idea? At first she only wanted to do Xcel for fun but now she was talking about getting more serious with it. So im still on edge but I think I need some more experienced minds on this one.

 

[z2akids]

It seems odd that the satelite gym only competes up to L4, but has XG gymnasts with full L7 and some L8 skills. Before she can compete L7, she would need to participate in a score out meet for L4 and L5. That means that she will have to learn and compete the compulsory L4 and L5 routines and learn an L7 routine in the coming month. If she has the skills, the score outs shouldn't be too difficult. However, if she has never competed routines before, that is a lot of pressure. Sounds pretty daunting to me. But, if your DD has giants, CHS, etc. as a new gymnast, perhaps she can do it. Can I ask what skills she has?

I would talk to your daughter and your husband. Decide what her goals are and then whether your finances can really withstand a likely jump in tuition, choreography, meet fees, etc.

 

[txgymfan]

I would do the season as an Excel Gold and bump to platinum when she is ready. She hasn't competed yet so Excel is a great start. Also, gymnastics is expensive and if the real costs are even a question you would be better off saving the extra from this season and starting fresh with JO after the season is finished. Also, gymnastics is very hard on the body, I think one season at a slower pace makes sense.

Look up some previous threads about costs, extra fees etc. Look at meet fees, hotel costs, food, gas, wear on your car, lost work hours due to driving. It's a massive commitments and more if her first year is as an optional.

 

[sce]

Wow, it's great that she has made such fast progress and that the owner sees her talent. She would need to first score out of level 4 and level 5 (level 6 is not required) before competing level 7.

 

[Jenn's Jam]

It seems odd that the satelite gym only competes up to L4, but has XG gymnasts with full L7 and some L8 skills. Before she can compete L7, she would need to participate in a score out meet for L4 and L5. That means that she will have to learn and compete the compulsory L4 and L5 routines and learn an L7 routine in the coming month. If she has the skills, the score outs shouldn't be too difficult. However, if she has never competed routines before, that is a lot of pressure. Sounds pretty daunting to me. But, if your DD has giants, CHS, etc. as a new gymnast, perhaps she can do it. Can I ask what skills she has?

I would talk to your daughter and your husband. Decide what her goals are and then whether your finances can really withstand a likely jump in tuition, choreography, meet fees, etc.

Yup they already talked to us about scoring out, we would've had to score out of silver if we do xcel gold so we were told about it in may.
She has; RO BHS BL, Giants, Bhs - bhs beam, Solid Front Handsrping Vault, Suke (bit messy), Chs, Cast to handstand, Layout fly away, Front layout. Lots of others but those are the big skills I can think of.
EDIT: This is the gyms second season so im sure there gonna add atleast L5 next year.

 

[Jenn's Jam]

Wow, it's great that she has made such fast progress and that the owner sees her talent. She would need to first score out of level 4 and level 5 (level 6 is not required) before competing level 7.

Yup I agree!
And yes we were told about the scoring out thing in early may because she would've had to score out of silver

 

[z2akids]

Yup I agree!
And yes we were told about the scoring out thing in early may because she would've had to score out of silver

So the big difference between scoring out of XS and scoring out of Compulsories is the routines. To score out of XS, she could do her XG routines and just water down some of the skills. Just an example (I dont know the specific rules for the levels) she could do a ROBHSBHS in an XS score out doing her XG floor routine and the. use her ROBHSBT in her XG meets. Very easy transition. However, she would have to memorize all of the routines to score out of compulsory. Sounds lime the skills won't be an issue. But, if she forgets an element in those routines or mixes up the order, etc. it could make scoring out more difficult for someone who has never competed.

If she is building skills this quickly, it might make sense to do XG this season. Get her used to competing and then score out of L4, L5 and compete L7 and maybe L8 next season.

 

[raenndrops]

I would suggest doing Silver score out... AND Gold Score out and compete Platinum this season. THEN, score out of L4 and L5 over the spring/summer and compete L7 next season. IF she gets the L8 skills over the summer, she could score out of L7 or do 1/2 L7 and 1/2 L8.
It will give you time to save up money and be sure you CAN financially deal with it.

 

[Muddlethru]

I don't know anything about Xcel or what skills your daughter can do and can do well. And I am not one to completely trust the coaches based on my own personal experience. But since the coaches ultimately make the decision on how your daughter should progress (unless they've told you to decide, which would be a red flag to me), all I can suggest is that you do your research in finding out if your coaches have the required experience to coach high level gymnasts. If they have successful high level gymnasts (not just one, look for a history) would be an indication that they do have some experience and I'd put more trust in them. That said, gymnastics is expensive, requires a lot of commitment both from the family, the gymnast and the coaches; and there are no guarantees. It does sound like your daughter is talented for her to progress that quickly. So you should evaluate your financial situation (the additional expense given as part of her Christmas present will have to be a yearly Christmas present because it only gets more expensive as she moves up the ladder) as well as your daughter's goals, discuss those with the coaches and hopefully come up with a good plan moving forward.

As far a expenses, for our girls that have financial difficulty paying for training, the parents work at the front desk, the girls coach. There are ways to make ends meet. You'll need to be be creative and willing to make the sacrifices.

 

[Ginger]

Is the XCel Silver scoring out really necessary? I thought first required XCel level is Gold?

 

[RTT2]

How many hours is she training now, and how many would she train for L7?

 

[NutterButter]

Your DD sounds super talented! There's a girl in my area who made a similar jump going from xcel to L8 in basically 2 years and it was fun to see her compete and follow her success. If the coaches have experience with upper level optionals, then go for it! I also see nothing wrong with competing a year of xcel then switching over. Before you commit, seriously consider the financial aspect because once you start down the JO path it will only get more expensive and if your hubby is relying on extra hours and a pay raise to pay for gym, consider if this arrangement will be feasible for the next 5 years. I remember past comments you've made on affording JO. I didn't fully appreciate the costs of the sport when my DD first started competing. At the time we could easily swing the tuition and competition fees for Xcel. When my DD was invited to JO we were given the tuition schedule for all levels and I remember thinking how expensive it was and not fully appreciating that she'd be doing gymnastics 5 years later. Also consider if you have younger children who will find their activity one day too. My DS was still in preschool when DD started competing. Now he does 2 travel sports including one that takes him out of town/state a few times a year. There are a few months of the year where I'm shelling out $2K a month for both kids' activities. I did not consider this kind of craziness!!

 

[NutterButter]

I also wanted to add that there's a difference between having skills in Xcel and having the same skills in JO. My DD scored very high when she competed Xcel! When she moved over to JO, her podium placements were mostly the same but her AA score was much lower. My DD didn't match her Xcel AA score until L7. Some kids in Xcel have some difficult skills but the form is sloppy and therefore wouldn't score well in JO. This is where the overall experience in coaching upper level optionals with your DD's coaches comes into play. Exciting times for your DD! Keep us posted on what you decide.

 

[raenndrops]

Is the XCel Silver scoring out really necessary? I thought first required XCel level is Gold?

They changed the requirement last year. Silver is now the entry division of Xcel.

 

[gymdog]

I would go for it, it's not like she's 6 or 7. She should be able to decided. For your daughter this may be a chance to meet her goals. Waiting a year isn't a good option in my opinion at this age. If she were under 12 that would be different. And it is rare but sometimes girls do learn that fast. It is more common with boys.

 

[Ginger]

They changed the requirement last year. Silver is now the entry division of Xcel.

Thanks for the info.
Is there some kind of mobility between JO and Xcel now? We have several girls who competed JO L4 last season and they went straight to XCel Gold for this season, as young as 11 years old.
Some girls (who also competed JO one year ago) even started at Platinum this year, but these are high school age.
I believe there is one girl that is in 8th grade, did L4 last year and is also supposed to compete/trains with Platinum, but her first competition was Gold.
All the girls are USAG and we only do USAG sanctioned meets.

OP - sorry for hijacking...

 

[bogwoppit]

She is not getting any younger, so I say go for it now. You will soon see if it was a good fit or not. It sounds like she picks up skills super fast and more hours might just be what she needs to move her ahead. If she was 8 I would say wait, but at 12, it is a good time to push ahead.

 

[strawberries]

If she’s already 12, give it a shot. Bogwoppit and gymdog are right on.

 

[raenndrops]

Thanks for the info.
Is there some kind of mobility between JO and Xcel now? We have several girls who competed JO L4 last season and they went straight to XCel Gold for this season, as young as 11 years old.
Some girls (who also competed JO one year ago) even started at Platinum this year, but these are high school age.
I believe there is one girl that is in 8th grade, did L4 last year and is also supposed to compete/trains with Platinum, but her first competition was Gold.
All the girls are USAG and we only do USAG sanctioned meets.

OP - sorry for hijacking...

There has always been a JO to Xcel mobility.
The most updated mobility is:
L1-2 can go to Bronze or Silver.
L3-4 can go to Gold (but L3 can also go to Silver).
L5-6 can go to Platinum.
L7+ can go to Diamond.

 

[raenndrops]

She is not getting any younger, so I say go for it now. You will soon see if it was a good fit or not. It sounds like she picks up skills super fast and more hours might just be what she needs to move her ahead. If she was 8 I would say wait, but at 12, it is a good time to push ahead.

Normally, I would agree with this ... except for this:

lets hop to reality real quick i'm not financially stable to put her in JO but my hubby is picking up extra hours and recently got a pay raise so we may be able to squeeze it in.

my emphasis on MAY.
It would be terrible to let her do JO and realize they can't make it work. That was why I suggested Xcel for a year. To save money. She could, with her skills, score out of Silver and Gold and compete Platinum. If the gym has it, she could even compete Diamond while training higher skills (maybe talk to the coaches about going to the main gym sometimes and working out with the L7/L8 girls and work out a discounted rate for a few extra hours a week).