WAG Does my kid have to use music for floor?

[tennismom4]

This is my daughter's first year of doing gymnastics and she made a level 3 team for the fall. Does she have to use the music that is with the floor routine? She's deaf so she can't hear it. Is scoring partially based on keeping time with the music?

Her coach has never coached a deaf/HOH kid so she's checking into it as well....


Thanks!

 

[munchkin3]

Yes, there are deductions for being off time.
Maybe she can have some kind of visual?...... I don't know, just a thought....
maybe there is some kind of rule in USAG that would allow leeway there.....

 

[CoachGoofy]

I would hope they'd let there be a hand signal, at least for when the music starts & stops! I dunno if it's heavy enough for her to feel it through the floor, though...

 

[txgymfan]

Tennis mom we have a moderator who competed through level 10 ( and strongly considered elite gymnastics) and is deaf/HOH. I will send her a message that you posted and perhaps she can send you a private message about competing. She is also a level 6 coach at a private gym so she may be a great resource for you.

 

[happychaos]

I love this video about Aimee Walker Pond, a deaf gymnast who competed for BYU. There must be some way to make it work. BYU Gymnast competes while deaf and blind in one eye - YouTube

 

[tennismom4]

thank you everyone! This is new ground for all of us, I don't expect special rules for her - I just don't know what say to the coach who is looking for my lead on how to handle this. I think the hand signals are a great idea Coach Goofy! Txgymfan thank you for the offer of connecting one of the moderators...we weren't sure who to ask!

 

[txgymfan]

You came to the right place. I sent her a message here and through another site. I'm sure she will be in touch. Please stay and enjoy the forum. We have some great parents and coaches that discuss a variety of informative, thought provoking and sometimes very silly topics.

 

[MaryA]

You came to the right place. I sent her a message here and through another site. I'm sure she will be in touch. Please stay and enjoy the forum. We have some great parents and coaches that discuss a variety of informative, thought provoking and sometimes very silly topics.

Silly? Us? Never! Now excuse me while I go fix some s'mores...

 

[shelovestoflip]

Isn't there a former gymnast/now coach on this list who is deaf? I recall reading her posts a while back.

Also, is it possible that your daughter will be able to feel the vibrations of the music somehow? Then, she can know how/when to tumble etc based on the vibrations? Just a thought!

 

[Muddlethru]

Isn't there a former gymnast/now coach on this list who is deaf? I recall reading her posts a while back.

Also, is it possible that your daughter will be able to feel the vibrations of the music somehow? Then, she can know how/when to tumble etc based on the vibrations? Just a thought!

Yes. I was thinking the same thing. She was even a moderator at one point. She was an aspiring elite and is from Colorado. I'll try to see if I can at least get her username. She has not posted in a while.

 

[Muddlethru]

I found her. But does not look like she is active anymore. Her lifetime goal was to start a gymnastics club for deaf gymnasts. She is also pretty active in the collegiate level. She seems very passionate about helping deaf gmnasts. Her username is bribri514. Maybe her email is still current. I'd shoot her an email.

 

[txgymfan]

I sent her a PM and a message on another site. I will see if Bog has a better way to get in touch with her.

 

[GymBee97]

My DD was actually on a team with a deaf girl and what they would do is have some speakers on the edge of the floor turn the music up very loud so she could feel some of the vibrations. The coach would signal her to start and they had a count for her to be on time. there were some moments where most kids go off so coach would let her know with a signal to wait or keep going. She was a great gymnast!! Placed in the top 10 always usually in the top 5! It can be done so long as the gym and the competition venues are willing to cooperate. The gym when signing up for meet would explain the need for speakers close to the floor and most would accommodate for her.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

You should bring her to my gym. Then I'll have an excuse to buy....

....an absurdly huge subwoofer.

 

[SignHere]

You made my day! I think my husband wants this for our living room!

 

[armbmom]

You may also try contacting the BYU coach.

 

[fliptwisttwirl]

I don't think Brad's (BYU coach) email is available online. Not that I could find atleast. Here is a way to contact him though. Their office phone number is available on that same website I think too.

http://byucougars.com/contact/Brad%20Cattermole

 

[tennismom4]

Thank you everyone for responding and for some of you for trying to track down someone to offer insight. This is new for us, new for her coaches/gym and well, I guess we'll just figure it out as we go along. I did talk to someone from the USAgymnastics for our state and they told me alert the judges of her deafness and they would take that into consideration when scoring - but that the coach will be allowed to be present and cueing her of when to stop/start. I'm not sure how that will go over (the "taken into consideration when scoring part") because I want my kid to be on an even playing field and not give anyone reason to take issue with it not being fair. On the other hand, with all the noise going on simultaneously during a meet, there would be no way she would know that her music has started...something that she just can't help. As many of you can already see, this might be a sticky situation if we should run into a wound-tight coach or parent. I just want things to be fair and still unsure what "fair" is...

 

[tennismom4]

...and Geoffrey - my goal is for her to confidently go into her floor routine - not get blown into the parking lot outside by the mega bass! Do you use a hand truck for that?

 

[bogwoppit]

I emailed Bri's mom and asked her to check out the thread and pass the link on to Bri if she has the time. They have many years of experience to share on this subject.