WAG It's vestibular, right?

[GymCMLA]

DD just turned 13, had a 1" growth spurt this past weekend at super camp (and has been growing a lot - last spurt before she starts, I am sure, which could be any moment THB) For about 2-3 weeks she has lost her beam series (working 8). She has multiple beam coaches throughout the week and has heard everything from "you rushed too fast moving it up while learning it," meaning she didn't spent enough time on low/med beam before taking it to high, fear, "you just have to go", "you must not want it", etc.
She texted yesterday and just said "I must just not be made for beam". She had it about a month before losing it. She says she is mentally and emotionally prepared to just go and do it, but then, she just won't go.
She did a HS-BHS wednesday, but couldn't do the BHS-BHS. Yesterday she could only do it on the floor line beam thing. She says she'd like to do it on the low beam with panels and them fold them down again like she did when she learned it, but her coach says no, you just have to want it and go. Really these coaches are experienced and really good.
I know I can't help. I am asking her to be patient. That her body is growing and needs a bit to catch up to what feels ok. She's frustrated, HC is frustrated...
This is vestibular, right? @dunno
HC knows this is vestibular, right?
I'm feeling bad for DD and also bad that HC is saying things that, to me, make it feel worse.
I also think it is hard to have 3 (albeit 3 very good) coaches on beam each week.
Advice, stories, help reassurance? She felt very on track for L8, but now is worried this will hold her back.

 

[agtc0424]

Probably vestibular. Growing always messes me up - even 1/2 an inch can force me to tweak skills. The coaches saying things like "you must not want it" are doing one of two things: either fueling her fire because she wants to prove him/her wrong, or pushing her down. My guess is the later. When I (and a few teammates) were scared to do hs-bhs, my (old) coach made us stand on the beam until we went. We all ended in tears, and eventually were allowed to hop down. But that didn't help - her comments, the embarrassment. That pushed me away from wanting the skills. I actually stopped training backhandsprings in general and went to side and front skills. Recently a large portion of my old gym switched to another, and we all began too work on backhandsprings again. This new coach (who happened to know lots about our old gym) looked at us in the eye and said, "whatever happens today is fine. You can fall, cry, get scared. That's okay. It's part of the learning process. As long as you're giving 100%, and tomorrow, are a little closer." This reassurance comforted us, and we all ended up going on a low beam. She put us on a line, then a extender, then a floor beam, the put us in the harness and spotted on a low beam. Until we were comfortable and got it. I'm not one who usually goes for skills without drills and drills and drills, but the way this coach acted reassured me. She repeatedly said - I would not let you try this if I felt you were not ready. I would simply tell you to move to a drill or another skill. But you are ready and I am confident you can do this skill. Maybe have her talk to the coaches (maybe a little before practice starts, or after?) about her fear/vestibular, how she really wants to get it back and is working really hard, but she feels that building it up from floor-line-extender-low beam w mats-low beam no mats etc would help. Coaches can be more understanding than they seem sometimes - that's what pushed me to do my backhandspring. Has she tried counting - 3,2,1,go? That sometimes helps, not always but it could be worth a try. She will get it back. I can almost promise that. Give it time, be patient, be ready for tears and ranting, and most of all be ready for the day she gets it - that deserves an ice cream (maybe a hug would work too[emoji6]).

 

[GymCMLA]

She does count/has a saying to go. And it has been fine last year HS BHS and fine 3 weeks ago BHS BHS, but then it wasn't ok anymore. More trouble going for the second one (even if she stops, she can't make herself go on #2) No trauma/falls/crashes etc to "spark this"
I have asked her to talk to the coaches today...frustraion^2 is not beneficial to either party.

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

Yep. Probably vestibular. Kipper starting having weird fear of BHS BHS series in March after competing it all last season. She was injured about that time and had an 8 week recovery. She finally did her series yesterday for the first time in 5 months. She said it "felt" different. She just didn't have the immobilizing fear she had been struggling with before. (she is 12 and just had a 3-inch growth spurt) It's hard, but try to be patient and remember: If she did it once, she'll do it again...as soon as she's ready. If your coaches are experienced, and your gymnasts happy (as a general rule), then they will know when to push and when to back off and rebuild. The new girls at our gym talk about how the "culture" of going for it really helps them go for scary skills in ways they couldn't/wouldn't at previous gyms. I'm not condoning lots of unproductive yelling and berating...I'm just saying your coaches probably have to try different things to help her get past this. Sometimes it's patience and sometimes it's a "kick in the pants". HUGS It's hard to watch them go through this.

 

[MaryA]

My daughter's skill acquisition, always "slow and steady", ground to a screeching stop from ages 13-15-ish. Growing, changing body, injuries, an increasing awareness of just how dangerous some of the stuff she was doing could be, and probably a bunch of other stuff. She's now gaining skills again, but it was a rough couple of years. It's not surprising that so many girls quit at this age. That won't necessarily be your DD's experience, but it could be. My DD found a year at Xcel Diamond helpful... gave her a confidence boost (lots of time at the top of the podium) and a bit of a breather from the constant push to get that next skill while her body settled into its adult. She's back doing 8 again and is very energized and excited and on track for having a successful year at that level (finally).

 

[sce]

Growth, especially rapid growth, throws off so many things.

I would have her talk with her, tell her coach coach about how she is frustrated, wants to do the skill be feels stuck and also bring up that she has grown and that has made things feel off.

 

[profmom]

I wish more beam coaches were more understanding of this issue. It's not about not wanting to do it. A girl with vestibular woes very much WANTS to do the backwards series, but she can't make her body go because her brain is overriding the command by saying, "No! You're going to crash!"

It will pass if she just waits it out. For my DD -- who had two solid years of this -- the key was doing numbers at the hardest point she could. Sometimes that was the floor beam. Sometimes it was a low beam with pads. Eventually it was on the high beam with pads, but it even took a while to get it from the high beam cranked down to the high beam at comp height. She was fortunate to have a beam coach who recognized that it just was not happening for her and who helped her through. If not for that coach, she would not still be a gymnast today.

The hardest thing for the parent side of this is realizing that you can do nothing to help (except possibly for talking with her coaches and reassuring them that you don't care when she gets the series and you aren't invested in what level she competes). Talking about it, trying to help, providing suggestions -- all of that just makes the kid feel worse when it doesn't work. We learned this the hard way. I finally understood it was vestibular and told her what that meant and that when her body and brain were on the same page again, it would work out. She still had frustration and tears after that, but for her, understanding what was going on made it less frustrating and made it feel less like some kind of personal failing. If you must talk to your DD about it or if she wants to talk to you, help her to understand that it's not her fault, it's as common as green grass, and it will work itself out in time. But don't tell her it took my DD two years!!

 

[GymCMLA]

I told DD yesterday that I believe in her to be patient and positive while it works itself out.
She did talk to coach and she's hoping for a plan that will be congruent day to day despite different coaches day to day.

 

[coachmolly]

Speaking as a coach, we tend to know when a kid has grown a ton and that growth, especially rapid growth, can lead to a halt in skill progressions or even a few steps backwards. And I think on lots of levels, coaches have sympathy for that and try to work with it the best that they can. But it does get frustrating- because the athlete isn't doing what the coach wants/expects/knows they can do, but also because they see the athlete getting frustrated and falling behind and that weighs on a coach too, especially if they know the road block will keep the kid from competing the desired level or having to scratch an event. If they are good coaches who you trust and know have your kid's best interests in mind, they are likely just getting frustrated for her and just want SOMETHING to work. But as a coach, I wouldn't mind a heads up from a parent that a kid was getting super frustrated and beaten down.

I have a 9 year old who has struggled her way through pre-team and Xcel Bronze, I told her mom she was likely to move with her team to Silver and would just compete easier routines provided she learned 3 specific skills over the summer. This poor kid was then hit by a massive growth spurt which has hindered her even more than her already present fear and strength/flexibility issues and has struggled all summer, getting none of the 3 skills she was supposed to. And I am frustrated, I'm frustrated with her- mostly because she's missed lots of practice and hasn't had the best work ethic, but mostly frustrated for her because I want her to be able to keep up with her teammates and not have to hang back and repeat a level. So sometimes I will make comments like, "you need this skill to compete" to help light a fire under her. But it's usually followed by some type of encouragement- "you can do this," "you've done this before and you WILL be able to do it again, just be patient" something along those lines. And I do typically break the skill down and allow her to go back to drills and progressions so she's not just missing the skill over and over again or just standing around not trying it all.

But I feel for you, your daughter, her coaches. Tell her to be patient. Take it slow. Hopefully her coaches will let her go back to basics, sometimes you just need to readjust to the feeling of going backwards on the beam. Have faith!

 

[Natasha]

My dd had a couple months of issues with her series when she was in L8 and your dd's age. (I remember the tears, frustration, wondering if this is the end...) Looking back, it is now just a 'blip' like all the others...She is going into 2nd year of 10, loves beam, and was commenting just last week about younger teammates having difficulties with fear issues on beam. I had to actually remind her that she went through that too, she actually did not remember! Hopefully it will be just a 'blip' for your daughter too.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

It's.... BHS BHS.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

DD just turned 13, had a 1" growth spurt this past weekend at super camp (and has been growing a lot - last spurt before she starts, I am sure, which could be any moment THB) For about 2-3 weeks she has lost her beam series (working 8). She has multiple beam coaches throughout the week and has heard everything from "you rushed too fast moving it up while learning it," meaning she didn't spent enough time on low/med beam before taking it to high, fear, "you just have to go", "you must not want it", etc.
She texted yesterday and just said "I must just not be made for beam". She had it about a month before losing it. She says she is mentally and emotionally prepared to just go and do it, but then, she just won't go.
She did a HS-BHS wednesday, but couldn't do the BHS-BHS. Yesterday she could only do it on the floor line beam thing. She says she'd like to do it on the low beam with panels and them fold them down again like she did when she learned it, but her coach says no, you just have to want it and go. Really these coaches are experienced and really good.
I know I can't help. I am asking her to be patient. That her body is growing and needs a bit to catch up to what feels ok. She's frustrated, HC is frustrated...
This is vestibular, right? @dunno
HC knows this is vestibular, right?
I'm feeling bad for DD and also bad that HC is saying things that, to me, make it feel worse.
I also think it is hard to have 3 (albeit 3 very good) coaches on beam each week.
Advice, stories, help reassurance? She felt very on track for L8, but now is worried this will hold her back.

yes, vestibular.

 

[txgymfan]

Hi Dunno! We missed you! [emoji2]

 

[Deleted member D3987]

hello there, txgymfan! i should be back more frequently now.

 

[duyetanh]

yes, vestibular.

He's baaaaaack.....!

 

[Muddlethru]

Definitely missed Dunno! Chalkbucket not the same without you!

 

[profmom]

yes, vestibular.

I am certainly not the only one who almost died laughing at the means through which you chose to make your reentry. Glad you're back!

 

[ladybird]

Some how the whole world feels like it is back in balance. Welcome back Dunno!

 

[GymCMLA]

She's so frustrated. Her coaches are frustrated. It's so hard to watch!
But I think (hope) she done growing, 3 inches in about 4 months. Her bars is finally coming back from that growth...beam is still a block on BHS BHS and by report vault is not so great right now I feel so bad for her. I keep telling her it will come back...I hope it is soon. It is significantly "dampering" her love for gym

 

[Aussie_coach]

I would be a bit concerned about the cosches attitude. I doubt they realise it is vestibular or they wouldn't be telling her she just has to want it. Of course she wants it, that isn't the issue. The body and the brain work together if it doesn't feel right the brain won't let the body go, so she needs to be working in other ways so it feels right. It has nothing to do with not wanting it badly enough.