WAG Varisty vs. Club Gymnastics

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Hi! I am a gymnast in the competitive USAIGC program. I practice and compete on a high level in my gym outside of school. When I switch to my high school gymnastics equitment, I have to downgrade my skills and my form gets off, escpecially on floor with back layouts. At my gym, I am super straight/ hollow all the way through. At Varsity, I am arched and my legs are bent and I am forced to pike down. I can´t seem to fix my problems navigating the different equitment with the form of my skills. Help?
 
Sorry, I don't have any answers. Hopefully a coach can help but This is one of the many reasons why some club coaches don't allow higher level gymnasts to compete high school gymnastics
 
Hi! I am a gymnast in the competitive USAIGC program. I practice and compete on a high level in my gym outside of school. When I switch to my high school gymnastics equitment, I have to downgrade my skills and my form gets off, escpecially on floor with back layouts. At my gym, I am super straight/ hollow all the way through. At Varsity, I am arched and my legs are bent and I am forced to pike down. I can´t seem to fix my problems navigating the different equitment with the form of my skills. Help?
In my experience, form being off when being on new equipment is a mental trick. I had the exact same problem when I switched gyms. Took me forever to gain skills back in the proper form. I would say to be super careful with how much you are doing out of form. It may take you going back to the basics, taking a step down from say a back layout, to a back tuck, may be helpful to find where you are going wrong. You could also try videotaping your skills and slowing them down to understand what in the form needs to be fixed.
 
Sorry, I don't have any answers. Hopefully a coach can help but This is one of the many reasons why some club coaches don't allow higher level gymnasts to compete high school gymnastics
Okay thank you - one of my outside gym coaches is one of my coaches at Varsity which is the only reason I´m allowed!
 
In my experience, form being off when being on new equipment is a mental trick. I had the exact same problem when I switched gyms. Took me forever to gain skills back in the proper form. I would say to be super careful with how much you are doing out of form. It may take you going back to the basics, taking a step down from say a back layout, to a back tuck, may be helpful to find where you are going wrong. You could also try videotaping your skills and slowing them down to understand what in the form needs to be fixed.
Thank you! That all makes sense - I´ll try it! It makes me feel better that I´m not the only one!
 
The equipment is the same. And at least in NYS HS gym if meeting requirements is L9 like. My L8 daughter can do skills in HS she can’t in L8

And many girls are barely competing L4. And another bunch downgrade from L10. It’s quite a mix. But the equipment is the same
 
The equipment is the same. And at least in NYS HS gym if meeting requirements is L9 like. My L8 daughter can do skills in HS she can’t in L8

And many girls are barely competing L4. And another bunch downgrade from L10. It’s quite a mix. But the equipment is the same
Yes, except the floor. It's just a dead mat that makes tumbling difficult and hard on the ankles. No spring floors.
 
Yes, except the floor. It's just a dead mat that makes tumbling difficult and hard on the ankles. No spring floors.
Absolutely not. Certainly not every where. And not my experience in our section or at states in NY

Our meets are on gymnastic floors, with springs. Our sections were at an actual club gym the last 2 years. That gym has closed. 2 of our high schools have their home meets are at gymnastic clubs, so again real gymnastics floors with springs.

Our high school has also hosted sections and we have our own equipment, including floor with springs, which according to my kid has more bounce then her club.

And states up in Buffalo last year (and the upcoming 2 years). Had a gymnastics floor With springs.

The expectation is a modified L9. No “just mats” at any meet I’ve seen in the last 2 years
 
Wow, we are on Long Island and no meets, practices have spring floors until you get to States. That's why so many clubs frown upon their girls doing HS.
 
I'm about a L8 gymnast and I downgrade on floor because of the "dead mat" and that really messes me up. At my high school and every high school I've visited for meets, I have only seen the same type of floor (no spring). I know that at states in NY there is a spring floor and that makes no sense to me, but like Mish stated at the LI high school meets they are all dead mats. I'm struggling to complete all the requirements and figure out tumbling passes at varsity which is frustrating because I have way harder complex tumbling at club that would easliy complete the requierments. (I wish we had spring floors like club so I could not have to deal with the transition!)
 
I'm about a L8 gymnast and I downgrade on floor because of the "dead mat" and that really messes me up. At my high school and every high school I've visited for meets, I have only seen the same type of floor (no spring). I know that at states in NY there is a spring floor and that makes no sense to me, but like Mish stated at the LI high school meets they are all dead mats. I'm struggling to complete all the requirements and figure out tumbling passes at varsity which is frustrating because I have way harder complex tumbling at club that would easliy complete the requierments. (I wish we had spring floors like club so I could not have to deal with the transition!)
We are in the Catskills, all the gyms in our section have spring floors. And a lot of schools practice and host their meets at local club gyms.
 
In VA its a dead floor...at my HS it was a carpet on a wrestling MAT most difficult floor skill you saw was a full and there werent alot of those. Thats why our gym will let girls do HS gym but they HIGHLY recommend they do not do floor at all to avoid injury. Honestly if my kid does HS I will probably forbid her from doing floor she already has feet issues I think that floor would ruin her feet forever.

Realistically your form wont look the same because your power and timing will be off you can only do the best you can with what you got I think.
 
Why do you
Hi! I am a gymnast in the competitive USAIGC program. I practice and compete on a high level in my gym outside of school. When I switch to my high school gymnastics equitment, I have to downgrade my skills and my form gets off, escpecially on floor with back layouts. At my gym, I am super straight/ hollow all the way through. At Varsity, I am arched and my legs are bent and I am forced to pike down. I can´t seem to fix my problems navigating the different equitment with the form of my skills. Help?
What is the difference in equipment that requires a change in form? What happens when you go to a competition at a different gym during club? Are other kids able to perform high-level skills on the equipment, or is it unsafe? We encounter this all the time-when kids have to compete on a different style beam or bars, or on a less springy (or sometimes more springy) floor. A floor with less rebound will make you work harder to perform your skills cleanly. There are a couple of gyms that we competed in over the years that required us to pull some skills, but typically our girls can adapt without major changes. If you want to compete in this program, you will need to adapt-one way or the other. I would suggest talking to your coaches and see if there's anything they have done in the past, or if they have any ideas for improving your form on this equipment.
 
The high school equipment is usually not updated as frequently (i.e., the beam material is slippery and worn, springboards old, mats worn etc.) In our area the floor mat is literally just a flat, dead mat and they place some landing mats for impact. For this reason most level 8-10 gymnasts water down their routines because it can affect performance. This is also the reason many USAG teams around here do not let their gymnasts do high school gym. Many of the girls are from IGC teams, many are rec or former gymnasts, some dancers and tumbling, with a handful of upper level girls who are permitted to participate. HS gym around here is very varied in skill level, from kids who can only do the most basic skills, through to Level 10 gymnasts
 
Absolutely not. Certainly not every where. And not my experience in our section or at states in NY

Our meets are on gymnastic floors, with springs. Our sections were at an actual club gym the last 2 years. That gym has closed. 2 of our high schools have their home meets are at gymnastic clubs, so again real gymnastics floors with springs.

Our high school has also hosted sections and we have our own equipment, including floor with springs, which according to my kid has more bounce then her club.

And states up in Buffalo last year (and the upcoming 2 years). Had a gymnastics floor With springs.

The expectation is a modified L9. No “just mats” at any meet I’ve seen in the last 2 years
Same in MN. There are equipment and matting requirements to host meets for the high school league. There is also a huge variety of talent, depending on the program. Some feature kids just learning a RO/BHS, and others are pushing level 10s. Because of this, the requirements are suited to the top-end, and many teams with big skills will bring their own throw mats and stings along.
 
The high school equipment is usually not updated as frequently (i.e., the beam material is slippery and worn, springboards old, mats worn etc.) In our area the floor mat is literally just a flat, dead mat and they place some landing mats for impact. For this reason most level 8-10 gymnasts water down their routines because it can affect performance. This is also the reason many USAG teams around here do not let their gymnasts do high school gym. Many of the girls are from IGC teams, many are rec or former gymnasts, some dancers and tumbling, with a handful of upper level girls who are permitted to participate. HS gym around here is very varied in skill level, from kids who can only do the most basic skills, through to Level 10 gymnasts
That is your experience not actual fact. My/our experience is very different.

Im not disputing your experience but please state that it is your experience.

Our HS bars could use an upgrade. I would not post that all Varsity bars are in bad shape.

When you say “the HS equipment is xyz” you really can’t speak to all HS equipment, so clarify.
 
Why do you

What is the difference in equipment that requires a change in form? What happens when you go to a competition at a different gym during club? Are other kids able to perform high-level skills on the equipment, or is it unsafe? We encounter this all the time-when kids have to compete on a different style beam or bars, or on a less springy (or sometimes more springy) floor. A floor with less rebound will make you work harder to perform your skills cleanly. There are a couple of gyms that we competed in over the years that required us to pull some skills, but typically our girls can adapt without major changes. If you want to compete in this program, you will need to adapt-one way or the other. I would suggest talking to your coaches and see if there's anything they have done in the past, or if they have any ideas for improving your form on this equipment.
This, in a decade of gymnastics my kid can tell which gyms floor s$cks, which beam she dreads competing on, which floor and beam she loves. Which vault run is good or not. Down to where they set up. I hate the beam at xyz, it’s too close to the wall for dismount. ABCs floor is so much springier then ours.

This is why the get to warm up on the actual equipment they compete on.
 

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