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We had a 12 yr old, nearly 13, from our gym. I believe that Irina Alexeeva is only 11. How old is Ariana Agrapides - she is tiny.

LOL, I was just going to reply that I am happy NOT to be in the gym this summer watching my dd learn L9 skills on beam and bars. Watching her crash on back layouts on beam and try to fling herself between the bars scares the pants off me.

Ugh! So sorry to hear, but it's amazing she's gone 7 years without an injury. This truly is the best time of year for it to happen too. I know she's bummed but it sounds like it will be healed by the time school is out and summer training starts so it should not set her back at all. Sending...

Hmm, I had never heard that about presses. My daughter is small, but has a long torso and short legs and arms and has never had an issue with presses. I always thought long legs made it harder to press.

I'm not an expert, but as near as I can tell it is about the same as current Level 8 with the exception that one "C" skill is allowed on floor, beam and bars, but is not required. All C dance is now allowed as well. Vault has not changed.

We saw a few bails at Level 8 Regionals last weekend. I don't think any of those girls scored particularly well and one of them had a spectactular crash on the skill. I suppose at the new Level 8, one will be permitted to do a bail that starts in handstand but doesn't finish in handstand (a C...

I'm curious about this too. My dd may repeat Level 8, but would compete all the extra C's. We just finished regionals and from what I could tell, the girls who were super clean did best. That may not be as true in state (we are in Virginia as well), but my dd wasn't really rewarded for doing...

My daughter was 5 when she did her first press. Honestly, from my observations it is more about flexibility than strength. The most flexible girls in our gym can do them; many of the strongest can't. I think good balance helps as well once you are trying to do ten in a row.

My daughter does front handspring/front layout/front tuck or pike in her Level 8 routine. It seems like a fairly common Level 8 double salto pass.

LOL, so true! I was always told that level 7 is all about KISS. My dd's L7 beam routine was very short since she did her series into the dismount. I did not think you needed a forward or sideways element until L8, but could be wrong. My dd did a press into tick tock, which probably served...

I would say absolutely Gymnast #1 can catch up. As others have mentioned, there is so much that one cannot predict. Gymnast #2 may get injured, develop fears, get stuck with some skill, or repeat a level for another reason. Meanwhile, Gymnast #1 moves along steadily. In my experience, if a...

Our 10s do 24 hours a week - 6 days x 4 hours, but none are home schooled. Hours go up during the summer but not more than 28 per week with weekends off completely.

My dd never scored above a 36 in Levels 4-6. Mostly she was in the 35s. In Level 7, she scored a 37 plus at nearly every meet. At least around here, Level 7 scoring tends to be on the high side and our gym insists on free hip to hs and giants at Level 7, which resulted in very high bars...

LOL, yes! At least we parents can avoid watching when they are learning these skills. The poor coach has to watch and try to effect a save when necessary. Heart attack city!

Beam series is the worst even though its only bhs/bhs right now. Next year will be even more nerve wracking. I have seen a few girls smash into the low bar on bails and paks though - very scary. Not keen on watching that either, but it seems easier for the coach to at least spot that as...

I would let her, provided its a short swim and she's not in the pool for a long time. I suppose it has to do with not letting their hands soften up, but I don't think a short swim is going to be any worse than a long shower or a bath. I let my dd swim the day before her last meet - just 15 to...

I agree with gymgal, the answer depends a lot on how she did this past season. The child finishing near the top, even if not first, is already likely pretty confident. On the other hand, if she struggled in Level 4 finishing near the bottom, then a repeat of Level 4 could be just the boost of...

One of our Level 10s is a freshman and our coaches have been approached by college coaches at a few of the meets we've been to, have asked for video of her, and in general have expressed interest. She has a website and a youtube site. I think it's probably good to be on the ball by freshman...

LOL MaryA! I'm sure both my girls would be horrified too! Unfortunately for the Severs issue, my 11 year old gymmie is showing zero signs of puberty.

My dd had just gotten her first pair of Uggs for Christmas when she got her first round of heel pain! Talk about bad timing! I have to admit to letting her wear them a few times WITH the heel lifts and orthotics in them. I too am hoping it passes around age 12 or so, though that is still...