For Parents All ages sessions

[starmaker]

I just found out that dd will compete in an all ages session. I knew there was a possiblity it would be all ages but I was hoping it would atleast be divided by older/younger for her first competition of the season. I wanted to see her compete with girls her own age for once. And I wanted her to feel successful. There is a 12 year old girl on dd's team who beat her for 2nd place AA at the inhouse competition.

I had to explain to her that she is not expected to beat all theses girls because they are so much older than her. She is very competitive and all she wants is first place AA. I guess having her struggle for it may not be a bad idea since everything else thus far has come so easy to her.

I just think there is a big difference between a 12year old or even an 8 or 9 year old and a 5 year old. I just hope she holds her own at least gets a medal or two or three. I would hate to her disappointed especially after all her hard work.

sorry just ranting....

 

[momof5]

Wow there is a huge difference between a 5 year old and a12 year old! Are there not that many kids competing?

 

[Billy]

I certainly understand your frustration. That seems completely unfair. Any idea what they're doing it that way?

 

[starmaker]

I don't know we are competing at the Aloha Invite in Tampa, FL. It is suppose to be a pretty big meet. Our team has (8) Level 3's competing. I am assuming there has to be atleast one or two other gyms competing level 3. It seems like it wouldn't be difficult to have two sessions.

All I can hope for is that dd gets ALL the cute points....heehee!

 

[bogwoppit]

My youngest competed at a meet where she was 5 and she competed against 14 year olds. There were 40 girls in the meet, she came 1st on floor and 2nd on beam and 1st overall. Here is the photo the photo from the awards, it is very funny to see her. She's the one wearing glasses.

My oldest DD's first comp year she was 6 and competed against the 12 and under category also with 40 girls in the category, she never won a thing, but we made sure before she went in that she had realistic expectations.

Our gym our head coach does our own award ceremony the week after each meet, so everyone gets ribbons for their placements in the gym. This means that every child who competed gets something.

I know it sucks to go into a meet knowing your child is so much younger, but sometimes the cute factor helps.It really is just a beginning level and she will have many meets to go in her gym career when there won't be big kids around.

 

[ginnymac]

Are you positive that the meet isn't breaking down the age groups. We've been to lots of meets where the sessions have several age groups, but the awards are given out separately.

Example: Session 1: 8 and under level 3,4,5
12+ level 3,4,5

Session 2: 9-11 level 3,4,5

Then at the first session the awards are given with the 8 and unders separate from the 12+.

If there are team awards, they will be held until the end of session 2.

Does that make sense?!?! That's how I've seen it done lots of times!

 

[gymjourneymom]

Yikes! That is a really wide age span! Our gym never competes until level 4, so I don't know much about level 3. Are 'all age' sessions common in level 3? DD has never experienced such a thing. This seems very unfair. Maybe it will be broken down more once you get there. Meaning... all ages will compete at that time(that session), but not all directly against each other. I've seen "8 & younger" & "12 & up" type sessions in other levels. Do you know for sure they are all being lumped together? Just hoping maybe you got miss information. Lumping them all together just doesn't seem right.

 

[gymjourneymom]

ginnymac...you must have been posting while I was still typing. I type real slooooow,LOL. We both have the same idea, hope we are correct for starmakers sake. But it looks like bog has experienced that wide of an age span before.

 

[starmaker]

WOW that's amazing! What a cutie!

I guess it's true about having realistic expectations. Just that my five year has her eyes set on the big prize. This morning on the way to school I explained to her how see will be competing with older girls and that she is not expected to win first place. I think she understood and as long as she atleast gets a medal she'll be happy.

 

[bogwoppit]

At the meets here, that are before the L4 equivalent, every child gets a medal for placement. Top third gold etc etc. Then there are medals for each apparatus and for AA, makes the meet fun for the gymnasts and parents, especially when they really are just beginners, even if they are 12.

What you know for sure is your little cutie is going to go on past L3 and those 12 year old's probably will not have the future chances to win or advance like little Olivia.

It is very hard for a 5 year old to look ahead like that so all you can do is come up with something else than she can strive to achieve at the meet. When my 5 year old went to the same type of meet we knew she would have to deal with it, we didn't make a big deal out of it. We were going out for ice cream to somewhere special after the meet and she was looking forward to that more than winning a medal. It's all in the way you sell it sometimes.

 

[gym law mom]

It is certainly not unusual(and actually more common) to group the girls by level and then break them out for awards by age. So even though your dd may be competing in the L3 session and all the L3s are competing in the same session, awards may be given out based on age.

Try and redirect the thinking a little at this point from getting 1st place. This is a beginning level and really more to give her experience in competing than anything else. You'll drive yourself crazy worrying about this girl or that girl that placed above your dd at a meet(and she will too!!!). This is time for her to show all she's practiced and have fun. Too much stress over placements now, could cause burn out down the road.

 

[starmaker]

Yeah the possibility does exist that I misunderstood. lol! Maybe you guys are right and they will break up the groups for awards. The actual sessions seems to all ages but awards could still be younger/older.

Thank you all I feel better knowing I just misunderstood what I read. And that she has a fair chance at receiving a metal.

 

[msl529]

We will be at the same meet!

We'll be in Gym B on Sunday, competing L6, about the same time you are in Gym A (that's when/where the AAU L2/3's will be, so I am assuming that's correct for your time/place).

Good luck to your DD! She'll do fine. This is a big meet & I'll bet those who run it are going to be pretty good about making the ages/abilities even.

 

[ZJsMom]

It is certainly not unusual(and actually more common) to group the girls by level and then break them out for awards by age. So even though your dd may be competing in the L3 session and all the L3s are competing in the same session, awards may be given out based on age.

/QUOTE]
All of the meets we've been to, except sectionals and states, have had all ages in the same session, but break down the awards by age. Even in the really big invitationals that do have more than one session of the same level, the kids are broken down by gym, not by age, so this seems pretty normal to me.

 

[starmaker]

We will be at the same meet!

We'll be in Gym B on Sunday, competing L6, about the same time you are in Gym A (that's when/where the AAU L2/3's will be, so I am assuming that's correct for your time/place).

Good luck to your DD! She'll do fine. This is a big meet & I'll bet those who run it are going to be pretty good about making the ages/abilities even.

We'll be in Gym B as well but session 3 at 1:00pm. Its the USAG Level 2 and 3. Thank you so much for the info.

 

[gym mom]

First off Olivia is going to do great.We live in the Tpa area and all of the invitationals we have gone to unless it was huge like Gaspiralla ,generally have all of the l3 and sometimes l2/l3 in the same sessions but do break them up for awards usaully 6 year old and under or 7 and under depending on how many girls.

 

[Livinatthegym]

Check out the scores. Go to gyms that post their meet scores, and you may be pleasantly surpised. Top scores tend to go to the younger girls, not the older. You may find you're at a huge advantage being the youngest.

 

[Ingymmom]

Not to worry, I bet they do break it up into age groups, but it won't matter cause Liv will knock the judges socks off anyway!

Good luck to her, we know so many gymmies competing there this weekend !

 

[Aussie_coach]

Pretty much all our competitions are like that here, it doesn't matter if you are 5 or 55 you compete in the same division. It goes by level not by age. In larger competitions they are divided into two age groups only. For level 4 it would be the under 10 division and the open division. So under 10 would be all level 4's from age 5-9 and open is all level 4's from age 10-adults.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

All of the meets we've been to, except sectionals and states, have had all ages in the same session, but break down the awards by age. Even in the really big invitationals that do have more than one session of the same level, the kids are broken down by gym, not by age, so this seems pretty normal to me.

Ditto for us. I've never been to a meet where all ages were given awards together. But then I've never been to a Level 2/3 meet. We only start competing at Level 4 at our gym.

At the higher levels there are large groupings like 8-11 and 12+ but there is still a break.