WAG Elite Gymnastics pros/cons

[tonya]

Hi,

My almost 11yo dd is being encouraged to take the elite route by her coach. She has been successful in the tops program and really enjoys gymnastics. I have questions and concerns about what this means.

1. What are the benefits to training to become an elite gymnast? It seems as though there are many girls striving for a very few spots on a team.

2. If she were to become an elite gymnast, what does that mean?

3. Is it true that only a few elites get to travel internationally? If so, what about all the rest - what happens to them? Is there just pride in saying "I am an elite gymnast?"

4. Is it also true that gymnastics is very political and even if a child becomes the best gymnast in the nation she may never make a team or travel internationally if Marta doesn't want her to?

5. Is the wear and tear on the body, expenses, and journey worth it?

6. Any current or previous elites out there who wouldn't mind sharing their experiences?

Thank you!

Tonya

 

[GymBeeMom]

Its the road less travelled and full of obstacles. But trying it is the only way to know. If it doesn't work, you stop and she has her whole life ahead of her. If it does work...

 

[Muddlethru]

There is so much to say about being an elite gymnast. While your questions are all valid, each of your question alone requires considerable information to answer. You might want to start reading about the elite program at the USAG website. Once you've narrowed down your queries to specific questions, you'll get more people to respond.

To answer some of your questions simply,and generally, the goals/benefits of training to be an elite gymnast is to hopefully make it to the US National team and hopefully the Olympic Team. There are around 60,000 registered gymnasts in USAG. There are roughly 30 girls that make it all the way to elite and only 5 make the Olympic team, every 4 years. So yes there is a very small margin of making it. And not all those that qualify elite get to make the team. Those who don't make the team will have to try again the next year. Being an elite gymnadt means you are one of the top gymnast in the country. Elite training is very expensive, very hard on your body, on your family, on the gym, and coaches. Most trainng elite are homeschooled and have to give up so much. Whether it is worth it depends on the individual. We all wonder and wish there was a crystal ball to tell us our daughter is the one that will make it to the top before we dive right in. But there isn't. However, if you don't try it, you'll never make it.

 

[LemonLime]

I wouldn't make the sacrifice or consider my child training elite unless my child's coach has had a gymnast go to the US or American Classic in the past 5 years or so. If they have not had an elite, if they have been rapidly progressing through the tops-developmental camps-Challenge systems, they are probably headed in the correct direction as well. Many children "train elite" but "training elite" is NOT elite. Labeling a 40-hour program where children fling themselves into mats "elite" is harmful to the kids, for instance.

Elite gymnasts go to the US and American Classic. Most elite gymnasts are 14 1/2 and under. A smaller percentage of those go to Championships. This past year, most Classic competitors went to Championships because they dramatically lowered the score for this one year (year after the O). Usually the percentage is smaller. Approximately 1/6 of gymnasts who compete at Championships make national team. Of those on national team (8 children 15 and under this season), most will be selected to compete internationally.

Politics impacts everything in gymnastics, but if your child has incredible qualities like Simone Biles who is the only elite in her gym, there is no issue as you earn your way toward your goals.

Elites are trained differently on every event, but particularly on beam and bars. Most of that training starts around age 9-10, but it doesn't have to start that young - especially for fx/vault specialists.

 

[iwannacoach]

1. What are the benefits to training to become an elite gymnast? It seems as though there are many girls striving for a very few spots on a team.

2. If she were to become an elite gymnast, what does that mean?

I lumped 1 and 2 together because they seem closely related

With the scarcity of team spots as they are, I'd suggest a child needs to have a few additional reasons to try elite. I think the good reasons are loving what you do in the gym and working for..... the feeling of getting a little higher, landing more softly, swinging with greater ease, and generally expressing your (or the coach's) opinion about how a skill should be done by doing it better than most, or all, the other kids in the country. McKayla Maroney doing an Amanar is a good example.

Another good reason is if she's moving through the progression of skills so fast that she'll approach the top tier of skills way before she's done with the sport, and realizes she'll be bored doing the same old full twisting double back off bars for 4 years straight because she can't train the hours required to prepare for, then learn and maintain a double twisting double back.

This sport seems to be one of those activities where you have to keep moving forward, or at least have the intent to, just to keep your place in the competitive arena. Elite is one means of doing that.

3. Is it true that only a few elites get to travel internationally? If so, what about all the rest - what happens to them? Is there just pride in saying "I am an elite gymnast?"

The chances of travel are very slim. It's possible to be just at the inside edge of the team for a year and not go anywhere but the normal run of invitationals and championships.

If travel is a must you can always keep her in the age group program and use the money saved to send her to Europe one year, China the next, and South America after that.

4. Is it also true that gymnastics is very political and even if a child becomes the best gymnast in the nation she may never make a team or travel internationally if Marta doesn't want her to?

It wasn't so much back in the days that I was a 24/365 coach, but it looks a bit that way now. Possibly because Marta has a sense about which kid is ready and how to put together a team for specific competitions... and I can't complain about what she's done because the purpose of the National Team is not to reward kids for going elite.

5. Is the wear and tear on the body, expenses, and journey worth it?

I don't think I'd agree that an elite has to endure more wear and tear because they are trained with more attention to the factors that cause wear and tear. They work longer hours and can be exposed to more pressure, but a lot of that depends on how the child views it, and reacts.

Expenses are a matter of relativity and I can't answer this for you. All I can say is the "economy class" of travel to the elite level can get to the 0,000+ range quite quickly.