Parents ?? Moving to Level 5

[ValleyGymMom]

I agree with everyone else, I would do L5. As long as your dd knows that it will be harder and won't mind lower scores until she gets the hang of it. How close is she to a kip? That's usually the hardest thing to get as a 5. Good luck!

 

[Emma's mom]

My daughter started level five as a seven year old. She did half the season at 7 and turned eight the end of December so she is finishing up as an 8 year old. In Illinois, she usually competes with girls who are just under 9 1/2. She did well as a 6/7 year old level 4. I would reather repeat level 5 then level 4. Especially with the coaching issues that your DD has. I will say that the scoring in level five is much lower then what we were used to in level 4. At the beginning of the season my DD had the same thought on placement as she did when a level 4....it didn't matter to her what place she got, she just wanted some bling. Fifth or 1st didn't really matter as long as she had somthing shinny around her neck. However, as she is getting older, she is much more aware of her placement. She doesn't get upset, but it is starting to matter to her. You will be surprised at how much they learn in the summer. Level 5 is fun. The routines are longer....it was difficult at first cognitively for DD to remember all the routines. A lot of direction changes in the floor routine. In the end, you and your coach know your daughter. Do what your gut says! Good luck!

 

[margymmom]

That is tough! We had a very similar situation last year. My daughter scored 36s at level 4, the gym owners wanted her to move to 5, her coach wanted her to stay in 4. I did feel she would be bored at 4, she wanted to move up..and ultimately she went to 5.

Her best events are always beam and floor. She struggled A LOT with fear on bars and vault. The kip took forever.. she was afraid to jump to the high bar, afraid to vault. It was painful for me, but DD showed incredible perseverance and strength of character as she continued to work hard and still loved gymnastics (even though she didn't place one time in the meets she did).

For your daughter, I think the coaching issue is a big one. I wouldn't want her to stay with a coach who felt negatively toward her. That said, I would consider her strengths and her personality. If she is good with vault and bars, move her up for sure. Does she have her kip or other 5 skills? Will she train up as a second year level 4? Will she get frustrated if she can't master skills? Is she more likely to quit from frustration or conflicts with a coach who doesn't care about her progress?

I lived thru it but still don't know whether our decision was the best one. Good luck to you and your daughter.

 

[Megley]

I haven't posted here in a long time but wanted to add another vote for moving to Level 5. My dd competed last year as a young 6yo Level 4. In fact, she did not turn 7 until this past Fall. She did reasonably well at Level 4, but the coaches were on the fence about her competing Level 5 due to her age and her small size. Like you, I asked her what she wanted to do and I explained to her that she might not score very well at Level 5. Like your dd, she told me she wanted to do Level 5. She was adamant about not repeating Level 4. We are now mid-way through her Level 5 season and she is struggling on bars and vault, but she has all her skills. The kip is still not perfect and she is just now consistently getting over the vault, but it's starting to come together and her scores are coming up. She has, in actuality, gotten a couple of medals this year, though certainly not anything approaching first! More important, the lack of medals does not bother her. She's happy training Level 5 and even getting to learn some Level 6 skills. We started this year assuming she would repeat Level 5 and that may still happen, but she will train Level 6 over the summer and if she gets her skills she will move up.

All this is to say that your dd may struggle a bit in Level 5, but if she really wants it and she understands that she may not score well, then I would let her move on. I am happy I did, but I also knew that my dd is not a child to worry about how she places. She wants to score higher for herself and she wants to qualify to State, but what place she gets isn't a big deal. If your dd is the same, she will be fine in Level 5. I also totally agree that Level 5 is the level to repeat, not 4. She will be working on skills like the vault, kip, squat on and jump to high bar, that she will need for many more levels to come. And just think - you'll never have to worry about that mill circle again!

Meg

 

[cathiann]

I'd definitely vote for moving to level 5--especially if she does better when challenged. My girls always do better if they have to work harder to keep up! And I think repeating a year of level 5 (if necessary) is better than repeating level 4. We had a similar situation when Beth moved from level 5 to 6. We had the meeting with her HC who asked Beth what she wanted to do--move up or stay at level 5. Beth's immediate response "move up!" The HC said another coach wanted to keep Beth at level 5 so she'd have a great year and really do well--guess what? She moved up and STILL had a really great year and did well. Sometimes they just need to challenge themselves.

 

[kristilyn73]

Here is another vote for L5.... I think I come at it from a different point of view since our gym doesn't compete L4 and our state doesnt compete anything before L4. In my mind L4 is more of a 'learning level'. The competions are fun and care free, State meet is an invitational (no qualifying score). I dont think they show scores at some competitions. It is mainly for the purpose of getting girls to see what competion is all about. How to preform under pressure, how to smile at the judges, how to get up if you fall and continue and how to salute! Not to say that there are not amazing L4's in our state or L4's that compete for 2 years..

It sounds like she has the desire and drive to take it to L5.. I think she will shine there!

Good luck with whatever you decide....