14 year old with 7 and 8 year olds?

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

hi so i just started gymnastics and i'm 14. i am a level before level 4 and at this new gym i want to attend( my old one wasn't teaching me what i needed, and overcosted us) the level 4 group have 7 and 8 year olds only. The teacher and my mom say that i am too old and my mom thinks it would be a waste of time in the long run because i would get to level 6 annd 7(my desired levels) around 15-16-17 years old and i could do other sports right now. But ireally like gymnastics, a lot, i'm obsessed and i could quit and just move on but i love it. what do i do?
Should i just quit and move on?
or compete with other 7 and 8 year olds
 
You would train with your teammates 7 & 8 yr old, but at meets when awards are handed out you would be grouped with kids your own age. If you live it as much as you say I don't think you should quit. This is something you need to decide with your family.
 
One idea for you would be to see if the gym offers trampoline and tumbling. Many teens and even adults do it and compete it. I used to do artistic and I was dissapointed at first to find out that was the only class offered to adults, but I quickly found out how much I enjoy it! It is worth a try.

Aerialriver
 
Well my DD is 4 and she has a 9 year old in her group. She loves this older girl and really looks up to her. The older teammate is always helping my DD and I'm so glad she is with my DD. I'm sure the younger girls would really look up to you and you would be a great asset to the team.
 
Also, depending on how quickly you progress you could talk to your coach about scoring out of certain levels. You would need to do one USGA sanctioned meet at each level and earn a minimum score to be allowed to skip to the next level.
Obviously you would need the reauired skills for each level, but this option would move you up to the optional levels more quickly
 
I definitely don't think you should quit. the level you are has nothing to do with your age. You just happened to start the sport a little later than these girls and thats all.

Doing gymnastics is definitely not a waste of time. Why does it matter that you would be 15-16-17 at level 6-7. Here in Australia, most level 7's are that age, and they love it. In fact there will be many advantages of being older when you are that level. You will be better able to cope with the longer hours, you will have a better ability to understand the things your coaches will be asking for you, you will have developed more of your adult strength.

If its what you love then stick with it. You wont be competing against 7 and 8 year olds, you will be in your own age division. And it shouldnt bother you to train with them, you are there to learn gymnastics not for a social class. So it should make no difference who your teammates are.
 
My DD also started the sport late. She is the oldest in her training group (14). There are a few 12 year olds and then there's the 9 and 10 year olds as well. She is a Level 7. Who knows how much longer she will continue since she is starting her freshman year in high school... but she loves the sport, it keeps her in GREAT shape and active. As long as she is having a great time with it, she will keep doing it.

As others have said, at the competitions, you'll be surprised at how many older gymnasts there are out there! Hang in there!
 
i would say if you really love it then don't quit but you should probably keep in mind that you won't be able to get to a high level and stay there for a long time because you will graduate from high school and (probably) won;t be a level nine or something like that but if you just love doing it and want to compete then do it! I know how you feel cus everyone on my team was 9 when i was 11 and i felt kinda old but you compete against girls your age (and you can usually place higher because there aren't as many teens doin level four:D)
 
If you have friends at a similar age, you could ask them to try gymnastics with you, and if they like it and want to continue, perhaps they could do privates or semi-privates, or practice with the team, so that you could have others at your age and level. It brings more girls to the gym, so that's good for the coaches.

I'm 14, L5.5 (I have some L6 skills but might not compete 6 this year), and my team is mostly 10 yr olds. If you love the sport, I think you should stay in it as long as you can. If your age really starts to bother you, you could ask the coaches if you could do some kind of quick-progression program and maybe not compete. Once you have your L7 skills, you can petition USAG and send a video of your routines to skip up to that level, because you're over 14.
 
Thank you everyone but what if there aren't any other 14 year olds at the competition?
and also the owner of the gym thinks it wouldd be strange to place a 14 year old with 7 and 8 year olds and also they were saying that the way you teach an 8 year old a skill is different from how you would teach a 14 year old.

also my mother tells me that i wont get anywhere in the long run with gymnastics since i cant get a scholarship for college since i'm so much older.
 
My youngest is 10 and since she was about 7 she has trained mostly with older girls. Her Wednesday group has her, two older 10year olds, two 11 year old one 12, one 13, one 16 and one 17. They all compete in different leagues and use different heights for equipment and even different vaults, but the coach always makes it work. YOur coach is correct it is not the same coaching a 7 yr old and a 14 year old, but a good coach can make it work. It just requires some flexibility and I have to say my youngest loves being with the big girls and they love having the younger ones around.
 
Well if there are no other 14 year olds at the competition you will win 1st place. Generally there would be a senior division for kids who are say 12 and up and you would be in that. It would be quite rare to find a competition where you would be the only one. Just because this gym doesn't have teens in level 4 doesn't mean that other gyms don't.

It sounds like this particular owner won't be willing to allow you to join the team. Some gyms are restrictive about age, their idea is to produce elites, or at least level 10's by the 10th grade so that they have a shot at a college scholarship. But from reading other peoples posts surely you see that not all gyms feel this way. If this gym wont accept you onto their team then why not look around, there will be a gym somewhere that will.

Your mother is wrong though if she thinks gymnastics won't get you anywhere in the long run. Sure its true you wont make the olympics, and you wont get a college scholarship. But gymnastics will give you a lot of other things. Being a competitive gymnast can enrich your life in so many ways. Trust me, the skills you gain from being on team will benefit you for the rest of your life. Gymnastics is a unique sport, and the hard work and dedication required is incredible, you will learn life skills that will help you get through everything you have to face and deal with in your life. Thats worth more than any college scholarship.
 
So what if there aren't any other 14 year olds at competitions! We have been to some meets where there is one older gymnast in a division and they win all the medals and still have decent scores.
It sounds to me like it really comes down to whether you want to do gymnastics or not. While you are practicing at the gym and even at meets, it shouldn't matter what age the other girls are because you are working on your own individual skills, not theirs.
I think if you want to continue you should find a coach that will work with you and work towards scoring out out of a couple of levels so you can move onto optionals and be more "on track" with your training.There are plenty of older gymnasts out there at the elite level and you are still young enough to reach that dream if you work hard and don't let others tell that you can't do it.
 
I'd look for a different coach/gym ... if your coach thinks it's a waste of time, they're probably not going to put as much effort into training you (they would most likely view it as a waste of THEIR time coaching you).
You love it - definitely don't quit!! You'll only regret it later. Find someone who's happy to coach you and don't worry about how old the other girls are.
 
I think that if you love it you should do it, and so waht if your not gonna do college gymnastics. Im going to be 16 and this is my first year level 7. And there used to be this girl on my team and she did level 7 for three years and that was all her high school she gratuated as a level 7 but she did it because she loved it no because she wanted to be uber duper good. But I think that you should stick with it and prove the coaches wrong work really hard and maybe you could skip level 5.
 
I think you should stick with it if you love the sport. The rhythmic team I coach has one 14 year old level 5 and one 14 year old level 4. Last year they were both the only ones in their age groups at all the meets they attended (they competed L3 and L4). That meant that they got 1st place in their age divisions. The girl who competed level 3 felt a little out of place with the 7 and 8 year olds (she is also a very tall girl) but she knew that she was going to move to level 4 the following year. She knows that she will still be the only one in her age division but the level 4 routines are more mature so she is feeling very excited about the up-coming competition season. The girls know that they will never be high level gymnasts, and in rhythmic there aren't any college scholarships. They just enjoy practicing and learning new skills and getting to wear pretty leos and traveling to meets:)
 
Dear Patrithang,
I was 33 years old at Level 8 training with teenagers. As far as I could perceive, they looked up to me and I helped encourage them all I could. Work at the level you are at no matter what age the girls are in your group! Your passion for gymnastics will rub off on them and hopefully encourage them to stay in the sport longer. If you end up being the only girl in your age group in competition, who cares?! Take those gold medals or blue ribbons home and be proud of them! It takes a lot of hard work, no matter what your age is, to compete. Gymnastics is NOT a little girl's sport. Adult gymnasts (anyone over age 18) have just as much potential as a youngster. It all depends on how much you love the sport and work to progress at whatever level you are at. Show your heart at workouts! Be a great example. Even if nobody else appreciates your efforts, you can be happy with yourself knowing you are doing something you love and are working hard at it.
I wish you the BEST! :)
 
You definately shouldn't quit! I was in USAIGC Copper last year (like Level 4) and I was 14. The oldest kid besides me was only 10! This year I am in USAIGC Bronze (Like Level 5) and there are some 13 year olds and an 11 year old who are my friends. Eventually when you get to higher levels, you will meet people your age! If you love the sport, you shouldn't quit! It is so healthy and good for you and a lot of fun!
 
Remind your mom that most of the girls who start training at age 5 aren't going to be getting a college scholarship either, just as most high school football players or track stars won't be playing in college.

It is important to find a gym that will work for you. At our gym, a girl your age would probably not make team, but would be able to compete in league. League is really fun. They have their own meets where they do all the USAG stuff for their level, but get to do their own floor routines to less annoying music. The girls work really hard on skills but do less conditioning.

But there are other gyms in our area who do have girls your age on team. Different gyms serve different purposes.

I agree with the person who suggested you look at Tumbling and Tramp if there is a program near you. I would never want to deter you from artistic if you really want it, but in T and T you would be able to progress to more flashy and fun stuff quicker.
 

New Posts

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

Gymnaverse :: Recent Activity

College Gym News

New Posts

Back