Parents Level 2

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LYoungblood

Proud Parent
I would like to get some insight on what other parents felt about their gymnast competing level 2... Please don't tell me it's a waste of time/money

Our gym decided to have my gymnast compete level 2 because she was missing more than 1 level 3 skill and because she has never competed before. It was definitely a disappoinment for us but since there is nothing we can really do about it I'm just trying to get to a place of acceptance of you will.

For those of you whose gymnast did compete a level 2 season did you feel like it really made a difference for them? Did they end up skipping 3 the following season? My hope is that this season as a level 2 will give her the confidence she needs going forward because she's definitely more than a level 2 skill wise.

Thanks for your feedback!
 
We did not skip 3. I felt it got them familiar with competing, but from a building skills standpoint the same progress could have been made in classes only.

Level 2 to 4 would be quite a jump. 3 to 4 is even a big adjustment.
 
We did not skip 3. I felt it got them familiar with competing, but from a building skills standpoint the same progress could have been made in classes only.

Level 2 to 4 would be quite a jump. 3 to 4 is even a big adjustment.
Honestly we were surprised she was made a 2 after we had been told by one of the team coaches she would be a 3 so that's why I think she might make that jump. But I don't know enough about how all this works still.
 
My daughter competed level 2 after preteam. It is (or at least was.. it may be changing) pretty popular in our state and region when she was that age. No regrets here, although I suppose she may have ended up in the same place without it. Like I said, it was just the expected path at our gym. She did training group, levels 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 and is currently training for level 10. No skipping levels/scoring out of levels and no repeating levels (so far).
 
We live in an area that in past years competed compulsory levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. Here is our experience with level 2: my oldest daughter (training level 10 now) competed level 2 after level 1. She had a round off BHS, the mill circle, and the front hip circle, so in hindsight, it was probably a waste of money and time to do level 2 rather than 3. She then went from level 2 to level 4 and did just fine. My youngest daughter went from level 1 to level 3. She then went to level 4 and also did great. Levels 2 and 3 (before the new upcoming level change which I know very little about) were pretty similar honestly. My thought is that if a kid has the skills to do 3 (and usually the biggies are the RO BHS and the bars), I think it makes sense to go ahead and do 3. If your daughter is lacking those skills, I would probably do level 2. If it is any consolation, neither level (2 or 3) seemed to have much bearing on their future progress in gymnastics. I hope that helps.
 
We did L2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and now 8. They were all the right level for where she was at the time…… it took me various amounts of time to make peace with where she was at at the time. But I did make peace (and in the scheme of things relatively soon). And to me level 2 is excellent for learning how competitions go… dealing with their bags and stuff, hair, saluting the judges, dealing with nerves, learning to be a good winner and or loser, being a supportive teammate. All of those things are just as important as a specific skill
 
My daughter competed level 2 after preteam. It is (or at least was.. it may be changing) pretty popular in our state and region when she was that age. No regrets here, although I suppose she may have ended up in the same place without it. Like I said, it was just the expected path at our gym. She did training group, levels 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 and is currently training for level 10. No skipping levels/scoring out of levels and no repeating levels (so far).


Yea it seems like it might be a common thing here but I'm not sure as most of the parents I know from our gym started in the covid times.

Thank you for your input. It makes me feel better for sure!
 
My daughter competed level 2 after preteam. It is (or at least was.. it may be changing) pretty popular in our state and region when she was that age. No regrets here, although I suppose she may have ended up in the same place without it. Like I said, it was just the expected path at our gym. She did training group, levels 2,3,4,5,7,8,9 and is currently training for level 10. No skipping levels/scoring out of levels and no repeating levels (so far).
What age was yours when she started? Just out of curiosity.... Mine is 7 but it seems like allot of the 3s are 8/9.
 
We live in an area that in past years competed compulsory levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. Here is our experience with level 2: my oldest daughter (training level 10 now) competed level 2 after level 1. She had a round off BHS, the mill circle, and the front hip circle, so in hindsight, it was probably a waste of money and time to do level 2 rather than 3. She then went from level 2 to level 4 and did just fine. My youngest daughter went from level 1 to level 3. She then went to level 4 and also did great. Levels 2 and 3 (before the new upcoming level change which I know very little about) were pretty similar honestly. My thought is that if a kid has the skills to do 3 (and usually the biggies are the RO BHS and the bars), I think it makes sense to go ahead and do 3. If your daughter is lacking those skills, I would probably do level 2. If it is any consolation, neither level (2 or 3) seemed to have much bearing on their future progress in gymnastics. I hope that helps.
Ok that's helpful. Mine has her ROBHS and most other skills. She doesn't quite have her squat on or front hip circle but could easily be trained for both before comp season starts. It seems like their main reason was that she had never competed before but I feel like that's a little weird considering there are other girls who have never competed and put up to 3.

My hope is that she ends up skipping 3 come next season since they are forcing her to do a season as a 2.
 
We did L2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and now 8. They were all the right level for where she was at the time…… it took me various amounts of time to make peace with where she was at at the time. But I did make peace (and in the scheme of things relatively soon). And to me level 2 is excellent for learning how competitions go… dealing with their bags and stuff, hair, saluting the judges, dealing with nerves, learning to be a good winner and or loser, being a supportive teammate. All of those things are just as important as a specific skill
These are the things I keep trying to remind myself of. And that since she really is more than a level 2 skill wise she'll get allot of confidence from this season cos she will do so well. I hope that happens. The coaches seem to think it will and I guess I have to trust them. It's just hard like you said coming to terms with things the way they are.
 
My older daughter competed level 2, then 2 years of level 3, then 4,6,7,8. My younger daughter went right from pre-team to level 4, skipped last season due to covid, and will compete 7 or 8 next season. (We moved cross country and had a gym switch a couple years ago) Even with a totally different path she’s only a year “ahead” age-wise from my older daughter. Every kid and every gym is different. Trust the coaches and enjoy the ride :)
 
My older daughter competed level 2, then 2 years of level 3, then 4,6,7,8. My younger daughter went right from pre-team to level 4, skipped last season due to covid, and will compete 7 or 8 next season. (We moved cross country and had a gym switch a couple years ago) Even with a totally different path she’s only a year “ahead” age-wise from my older daughter. Every kid and every gym is different. Trust the coaches and enjoy the ride :)
I know that's what I need to do but it's not easy lol but thank you for the feedback I really appreciate it
 
My daughter did a light competition year Level 2 in 2019/2020. 3 real meets and for us it was worth it. We saw some progression in her scores and she got to go to 2 smaller meets and 1 huge one to get a real sense of what was happening.

Depending on what the coach actually said, competing a year at L2 can really help get your daughter into a stronger position for the next level especially if she is missing some skills. Things like a front hip circle take some time to learn and even more time to perfect. Perhaps the coach is thinking this year can be solidifying skills so L3 can be a year to get higher scores and more confidence?
 
Ok that's helpful. Mine has her ROBHS and most other skills. She doesn't quite have her squat on or front hip circle but could easily be trained for both before comp season starts. It seems like their main reason was that she had never competed before but I feel like that's a little weird considering there are other girls who have never competed and put up to 3.

My hope is that she ends up skipping 3 come next season since they are forcing her to do a season as a 2.
I will say that both of my girls competed level 1. One was 6 years old and the other was 5 years old as a level 1. I guess getting the competition experience helped, but level 1 was so boring. That's tough because you really can't dictate to the coach what level she should compete and have to kind of tread lightly. It is early July though, and I would imagine there is plenty of time to get the rest of her skills. For instance, my youngest was 6 on level 3, and they initially didn't plan to compete her at all due to "TOPS" (long and crazy story), but they decided around early October to do level 3 with her. She was competing by mid-December. She struggled a bit on beam initially because they did rush her a bit. I think it depends on the goals and what type of scoring your gym expects. I don't think it would be unreasonable to ask them about level 2 versus 3.
 
IMO, girls are better off doing anther year of whatever the preteam program is instead of competing level 2. That gives more time to train actual skills (like the KIP, jump to high bar, etc.) rather than spending time perfecting routines. If girls have the skills and confidence they could go straight to 4 the following year or 3 if not.
 
My DD did JO2 at 6 years old and it was one of her happiest years in gym. No stress, cute meets, won some medals, and really got hooked on gymnastics. She then skipped ahead to 4 which was a lot more stress and not nearly as much fun.

I wouldn't get too caught up in what level they are competing at early on, a good gym is constantly up training and helping girls build new skills so whether they are competing those skills or not they should be progressing all the time. When/if they are ready the gym can skip them through levels as well (3, 5, 6, etc.) to get them "caught up". I know early on it feels like a race but there really is no reason to rush.
 
Mine did L2 at 8. She was super successful and worked a lot on form and basics which carried over. They were going to have her skip 3 and go to 4 but we went away for 2 months so she did 3 and I’m so glad. Those 2 years really built confidence and she had a great L4 year and is training 5/6 now at age 10 almost 11. Many girls who didn’t do L2 ended up repeating 3. Our gym is super careful about having the basics down well so to avoid mental blocks and injuries much later. I see posts about no L2 and L3, but for us, it was great! Got both the up training and the meet fun to hook her on gymnastics.
 
My kid did level 1, 2, 3 then scored out of 4 and 5. Everyone in our area does 1 and 2 and yes, they’re a waste of time and money unless your kid loves to compete and is too young for other levels. But my kid also needed more time to mature in body awareness.
I’m gonna be honest and tell you that it is NOT likely she’s going to go from level 2 to level 4. Level 4 has a double back handspring, two kips, jump to high bar, a handstand and cartwheel on beam and most importantly: table vault. That flat back onto a mat stack does not in any way transition to a front hand spring off the table. At least they finally changed the routines so level 3 is a front hand spring over a mat stack and prepares kids. But level 2 literally has nothing that would prepare her for level 4 at all, so don’t get your hopes up that she would skip 3. 3 at least starts introducing elements from level 4 and 5.
 
I'm confused regarding the notion of L2 or L3 being "a waste of time and money." What are your goals for your kid? To have fun, remain fit/build strength and skills, and gain valuable life lessons? They can do that at any level, and the time and money cost just increases the higher up you go. I really would not overthink this. If you're happy with the gym overall, and your child is thriving, second-guessing a level 2 vs a level 3 placement is not something to waste bandwidth on especially since your child is only 7.
 

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