Australian Gymnastic Streams

[gymfanatic]

Anyone out there who can tell me the difference between competing in National and State Stream? I know that they are a basically a continuation from the B and C divisions in Levels 1-3. I guess what I want to know is are the State stream skills easier? Is the judging different? Why would a child be chosen for State Stream and not National? Is it a potential based thing?

My daughter has just turned 8 and has been selected to train for Level 4 State Stream next year. She is going from 2C. Any ideas on why she would not be put through the B stream at the lower levels? Thanks

 

[jes.the.gymnast]

i'd find it odd that she'd go straight from 2c to 4. pretty much in simple terms state stream you only compete within your state and you can't become a member of the state team. National level means you are able to be selected for the state and will compete both within your state and other states. If you compared a level 7 state gymnast with a level 7 national you would find the nations skills are of a higher standard. Nationals train alot more than state level. Although state steam cant be in their state them they do have the chance of going to national club comps but that would depend on the club.

as far as i know judging is the same for both

hope i've been slightly helpfull.

 

[meng.luvs.gym]

what has been said is correct. at oour club, you get to choose if you want to do national stream, if you get given the option. some of the girls at our club had been doing state stream all this year and have been asked if they want to do national, some said yes and some said no.

state skills are not easier but the requirements are slightly lower down. state is also a bit more fun and relaxed, and you still have the option to compete. doing national is more competitive and more intense but you have more opportunity to go interstate.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

State stream I believe is geared more towards the gymnast who does not want to train huge hours and still have a chance to be competitive. I think some of the states have limits on the hours you train when competing in the state stream.

Some clubs seem to use state four prior to a gymnast competing at National four. This may explain your situation. I think this is often a good idea, Level 1-3 (all streams) seem to have a lot of skills for the sake of filling the routine, they are important but you can waste a lot of time perfecting skills at an early stage when it would take less time to learn later.

State level four is basically modified National four, it varies for each state. WA for example is national 4-6 with no bonus or encouragement skills permitted. You can generally find the requirements for each state on their technical page. I am sure it will also tell you what purpose the state stream has.

Meng, State stream is discontinued in WA next year as a result of low numbers and the recent changes to the national stream.

 

[Aussie_coach]

There are two streams in Australian Gymnastics. They are the international stream and the national stream (i'll explain what state stream is in a sec). International stream is preparing gymnasts for international level competitions like the commonwealth and Olympic games. Most gymnasts doing international stream start in the level 1-3A routines. Training is many many hours (usually 25-40 per week in levels 5-10) and it is done at specialist gyms. You must do this stream to be considered for the Australian team. But you DD is already probably too old at 8 to start this one.

The next stream is national stream. Most of these kids come from levels 1-3B. This stream train a lot of hours. (12-25 a week in levels 4-10). And do the harder routines, not as hard as international but harder than a state system. In this stream you can go to nationals from level 7.

State stream is not a part of gymnastics Australia it is a part of your state association so its different in every state. Some states dont have state stream and others do. The ones that do make up their own routines to be an easier version of the national routines. These kids train less hours (usually less than 10 a week). And can only compete to a state level. usually their athletes come from levels 1-3C.

Some states even have a 4th stream, although not many. In WA its called the club stream, and I think Vic also has one called gymstar. This is an even easier stream designed for training just 1 or 2 days a week.

Its not that unusual in Australia to go straight from level 2-4 because levels 1-3 are not compulsory. many gymnasts skip all three of them altogether and just start in level 4. If she is ready there is no need to spend a whole year in level 3 just to pass time. Also sometimes it is done if there aren't enough kids for a level 3 team.

There are several reasons why a child might be chosen for state stream and not national.

1. Commitment. the national stream means a lot of hours the gym may not be sure if you want to commit that many hours or if your DD is ready to handle it. If the hours are a big jump from 2-4 they may have chosen state to work her up to the bigger hours.

2. Ability, yes they may look at her and decide she doesn't have the ability for national stream. But this doesn't mean she never will. Some kids start out in state stream and move up as their skills progress.

3. Space in the squad, gyms have to be run practically. If the national squad is full and not the state squad they'll put her there.

4. Skills, she may not yet have some of the skills required for national while she does for state.

5. Age, some teams will choose athletes based on age. So they are a similar age to the others in her group. 8 is still quite young for level 4. Sometimes the national team girls are a bit older and they may feel she'd fit in better with the younger ones. Most national level 4's train 14-16 hours a week, they may feel its too much for an 8 yr old.

6. Body, gyms often choose gymnasts based on their body. It seems unfair but it does happen. They want kids who look a certain way. Small, trim, muscular, strong looking.

7. Strength and flexibility are often a requirement when choosing teams. If she hasnt got enough strength yet she might not keep up with the national team girls.