Parents Finally got an answer on being invited to camp...

[FlippinLilysMom]

And while I was a bit disappointed at first we think it is actually a good thing. DD nor any of her teammates will be getting an invite the June camps. Our coaches just returned from the elite camp that was held this week and they were able to speak with Valeri and Kim and received a ton of useful and helpful information. Our gym is just now getting back into training elite so Valeri wanted to make sure that they knew what he was looking for and what training our coaches should be doing with the HOPES girls. The 4 girls at our gym our just now starting on the HOPES training and it sounds like the camps are all very full with girls that were picked from the TOPS camps as well as girls that have already competed in at least one HOPES meet. So the plan for our girls is to train them on HOPES and Level 9/10 skills over the summer (regular training for their level 9/10 skills and 5 extra hours per week on HOPES, along with ballet 1 night a week), qualifying HOPES compulsory at the end of the summer/early fall, and competing JO level 9/10 during the 2018 season with our travel meet being at a HOPES optional meet (sounds like it might be the one in Vegas) and hopefully qualifying HOPES optional while still qualifying for state, regionals and the ultimate goal of westerns. We were so worried with sharing the news with our DD but she took it great (better than we did!!). She said she didn't want to go to the ranch until she has all of her level 9/10 and HOPES skills and is maxed out on her physical abilities (she is still struggling with her presses). So the hope will be to get invited to a camp sometime in 2018, either by making it to the HOPES championship or being invited some other way.

 

[Jenny]

Sounds like a plan! Good luck. I think the first compulsory elite qualifier of the season is usually the one in December at Myrtle Beach

https://usagym.org/pages/women/events/zonequalifiers.html

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Our coaches plan to fly in a judge (or judges) to our gym for our girls to get the compulsory HOPES qualifying score. Shooting for end of summer/early fall. That will save us from having to travel to a compulsory meet.

 

[duyetanh]

Our coaches plan to fly in a judge (or judges) to our gym for our girls to get the compulsory HOPES qualifying score. Shooting for end of summer/early fall. That will save us from having to travel to a compulsory meet.

Wow. I had no idea that was possible.

 

[2gymmies]

You can do both the compulsory and optional portions in Vegas.

ETA... it's good to do the Vegas qualifier because not many make it there but since it's so early, there are other chances!

 

[bogwoppit]

Our coaches plan to fly in a judge (or judges) to our gym for our girls to get the compulsory HOPES qualifying score. Shooting for end of summer/early fall. That will save us from having to travel to a compulsory meet.

I have never heard of this happening. I thought it had to be a sanctioned meet.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

It would be sanctioned. It would be no different than the meets that we already host just smaller.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

You can do both the compulsory and optional portions in Vegas.

ETA... it's good to do the Vegas qualifier because not many make it there but since it's so early, there are other chances!

I have a feeling Vegas will be the optional meet we go to. All of the team girls will travel and compete the JO meet and the HOPES girls would compete in the HOPES meet.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

So just to clarify, our gym is not new to hosting sanctioned meets. We do a compulsory meet in the fall and and optional meet in the winter and we usually end up hosting either the compulsory or optional state meet each year. So the HOPES qualifier would be treated just like these meets except that we would probably have to fly in at least 1 judge because there is only 1 elite level judge in our state. It will be cheaper for us to do this than for us to have to fly somewhere to qualify the girls for the compulsory score. We have at least 2 other gyms in the area that would also have girls trying to qualify and possibly some border state gyms as well (we are in region 4 and there aren't any compulsory qualifiers within driving distance). I feel like everyone thinks we are trying to do something completely unheard of and we really aren't.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

I found this link on usagym.org:

https://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/ElitePre-Elite/hostrequestform.pdf

So our gym would have to fill out the request form and bid to host the meet.

 

[e'smum]

So just to clarify, our gym is not new to hosting sanctioned meets. We do a compulsory meet in the fall and and optional meet in the winter and we usually end up hosting either the compulsory or optional state meet each year. So the HOPES qualifier would be treated just like these meets except that we would probably have to fly in at least 1 judge because there is only 1 elite level judge in our state. It will be cheaper for us to do this than for us to have to fly somewhere to qualify the girls for the compulsory score. We have at least 2 other gyms in the area that would also have girls trying to qualify and possibly some border state gyms as well (we are in region 4 and there aren't any compulsory qualifiers within driving distance). I feel like everyone thinks we are trying to do something completely unheard of and we really aren't.

i think it's a great idea! it's like what our gym did last summer when our kids were testing out of level 5 (and will do it again this summer). we paid to have a judge come and do a meet at our gym with no other gyms invited. the prior summer i guess it was a disaster at a meet they went to hosted at another gym.
obviously not as complicated as your situation but not out of the norm at all. it just needs to be sanctioned.

 

[duyetanh]

i think it's a great idea! it's like what our gym did last summer when our kids were testing out of level 5 (and will do it again this summer). we paid to have a judge come and do a meet at our gym with no other gyms invited. the prior summer i guess it was a disaster at a meet they went to hosted at another gym.
obviously not as complicated as your situation but not out of the norm at all. it just needs to be sanctioned.

I get that...just thought for an elite qualifier it would be different.

 

[bogwoppit]

I get that...just thought for an elite qualifier it would be different.

My thoughts too. Hosting sanctioned meets is very standard. I guess you bid to host and see what the PTB say.