Coaches needing thoughts on meet readiness

[marathonmom]

my daughter, just had her first level 8 meet. Prior to this she had some lower
leg issues and for several weeks, didn't tumble on the floor (just did the dance part of her routine) and tumbled on the tumble track.

There was a question as to if she would compete floor. On the monday before the Sat. meet, she did her routine including tumbling on the floor just fine. The coaches and my daughter decided to have her do the floor event at the meet.

Also... my daughter "got" her bar routine about 3 weeks before competition.

At the meet, she competed floor first and during her first tumbling run, landed on the back of her neck leaving her dazed and wobbly as she completed her routine. Her coach & I both commented that we were surprised she didn't fall over. She did a nice front handspring vault as she doesn't have her tsouk(sp?) yet. With bars she did not make her pirouette the first time, then did not make her squat on, then did not make her free hip or 2 giants, but then did the 2 giants. She finished up with beam. That routine she has had since late summer and she did great.

I'm wondering if she has not had the number of repetitions of the routines in practice that she needed to have in order to have a better chance of safety and success with floor and bars. Is the beginning of the season like this? are things learned and competed that close to a meet? I'd appreciate any thoughts/experience on this. Thanks!

 

[jasmine196]

The first meet of the year is usually not the best. I've noticed that with my optionals that the first meet is more of a practice meet. Trying to put things together. That being said, last year was our first year at Level 7. The head coach insisted on going to meets early in the season (November), even though most gyms don't start until closer to the end of December or January. The girls were missing skills on every event. As the seson went on they did better, and they got their skills. My thought is why compete them early when they weren't ready. I would rather them have all their skills, have time to perfect them and then compete them.

As for your DD, if she just got all her skills it will take time for her to get used to them in her routines. I'm sure that by the end of the season you are going to look back and you won't believe that that was the same gymnast. It takes time, and hopefully your Dd knows that and understands that. Maybe try to set a goal for each meet. Don't set goals for scores, but more for individual skills. So if she had a hard time on floor this past meet, set the goal for the next meet as landing her first tumbling pass. Same for bars, etc. I've used it before and it works Best of luck with the rest of the season, I'm sure she'll do great.