WAG Not Really Level 4?

[TheGMom]

So DD ids rec level 4, which is NOT level 4... at all. More like level 6/7. Just wondering, they have an "exhibition with mini routines" at the end of the session ( july~ish ) DD already has a special move in beam, a special mount in beam, a special vault, and anything else that coach decides to have work on. everyone has super basic straddle stand up mount with her doing a press handstand. She has a back & front walkover, while most just back. she is doing handspring full off, while everyone else does handspring( some handspring half)


As some of you might know, she is giving me clues she might be moving to team, coach has also told me she might be moving to team. Do you think this is to prepare her for more pressure/ harder skills (i.e team), or am i paranoid?

 

[TheGMom]

*is This whole thing is driving me nuts, making me super excited for her, yet nervous

 

[gymmomtotwo]

II am confused why a kid with the skills you describe isn't already on a team. I don't think even our most advanced rec class goes beyond level 3 skills. If she isn't yet at her gym, wants team and isn't yet, I would explore other gyms.

 

[TheGMom]

There is a rec level 4 class at her gym. I can send you a link private if you need

 

[MeetDirector]

With all due respect, you need to make sure that you are comparing things equally. USAG JO Level 4 is the first level that must be competed; then 5 and so on. If your gym is planning on bringing girls with the skills you describe from "recreational" gymnastics to the JO track, they seem to be way over-preparing them unless their goal is to just score them out of the compulsory levels and get them to optionals as soon as possible. It just seems odd to have rec girls working these harder skills.

 

[sce]

There is a rec level 4 class at her gym. I can send you a link private if you need

But the skills described are way above even level 4. Some gyms do have rec classes for more advanced girls, who usually don't want to do team or the gym deams not for team but they still want to just learn skills. Sounds like a class like that.

How old is she? Does she want to be on team? Have you asked the gym if or when that is an option. I would gather information so you are prepared to make a decision about commiting to team.

 

[Natasha]

How many hours a week does her Rec level 4 class meet?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I think any videos you may have would allow us to give a better indication of level, sound like she is doing really well

 

[gymmomtotwo]

Sorry, I didn't mean that I didn't believe you. It was meant more as an way of saying if she wants team and is doing these kinds of skills, she should have been on it a long time ago. Our gym would have recruited a 10 year old with those skills a long time ago. Anyone with close to Level 3 skills by the age of 8 or 9 is actively recruited by JO or Xcel team, and usually with lesser skills. They usually have to do preteam first, but if they want it it's there.

 

[raenndrops]

There is a YMCA that has four rec levels, the requirements to move to the L4 is having a back tuck on floor, a kip on bars, and a bwo on beam among other things.

Of course, they are having a team for the first time this year. Not sure what levels or Xcel divisions they will be competing.

 

[gymdog]

Wait...can you give more info about what system your gym competes in and how the levels work? This sounds a lot to me like MAGA in the Midwest (Minnesota mostly)....they typically compete a kind of random collection of skills and it's usually higher at the starting level (so presumably kids train somewhat of "team" hours before that). It is very different than most of the other systems. I would assume at this point it's getting smaller with the advent of the nationalized Xcel program. But that's all I can think of.

 

[Faith]

There's an elite gym in the uk where "rec" = not elite track.

Those "rec" kids can be training 20 hours a week with some very high level skills.

Not my idea of a rec gymnast.

O/p how old is your dd and how often does she train?

 

[Aussie_coach]

Our gymnasts are the same, our Advanced level rec gymnasts are usually advancing at a much faster rate than team kids. Many of them are doing level 7 and 8 skills on just a few hours a week. If they were to go to team they might be level 4, but as recreation gymnasts they are doing Giants, fulls and so on. Many people ask how that can be, it is because.

1. Rec kids don't need to learn routines. Because we don't have to spend several hours every lesson learning and perfecting routines we can focus more on skills all the time.
2. Rec kids don't have a competition season. Our competition kids spend months preparing getting ready for comps and learning and perfecting routines, then months competing, where the main focus is their competition skills and routines. Meanwhile our rec kids can uptrain 52 weeks a year.
3. Rec kids don't have to master every skill and every apparatus before they move on. It's common for a team kid to get stuck on a level because of one skill or one apparatus. They might be ready for harder tumbling but can't move onto it because they are stuck on their bars. But our rec kids aren't stuck in a system of skills. If they are ready for more advanced tumbling we can do it, even if they are not ready on other apparatus.
4. Rec kids don't need the same level of perfection before moving on. We still demand a very high level of execution for each skill before moving on to make sure the skill is safe, functional and aesthetic. But no one is judging them, so it does not have to be deduction free.

So people ask, then why don't we put these kids on team if they have this level of skill? That is because team is not for everyone. Some kids can't or don't wish to devote the hours that team requires, some kids don't enjoy competing, some kids want to learn big skills but don't enjoy spending hours perfecting routines and there should be a pathway for those kids too.

 

[TheGMom]

Wait...can you give more info about what system your gym competes in and how the levels work? This sounds a lot to me like MAGA in the Midwest (Minnesota mostly)....they typically compete a kind of random collection of skills and it's usually higher at the starting level (so presumably kids train somewhat of "team" hours before that). It is very different than most of the other systems. I would assume at this point it's getting smaller with the advent of the nationalized Xcel program. But that's all I can think of.

That is pretty much it..... Only twice a week, one 2 hr long and one 1.5 hr long. Just had to ask DD, but they do Xcel and JO, but I have to say, nobody's on the elite track.....or close, highest is lvl8/9 What im trying to say is, Its a wacko system. Girls are invited who don't have a back handspring, and some of tucks and lays, that are not on team.

 

[auswi]

Our gymnasts are the same, our Advanced level rec gymnasts are usually advancing at a much faster rate than team kids. Many of them are doing level 7 and 8 skills on just a few hours a week. If they were to go to team they might be level 4, but as recreation gymnasts they are doing Giants, fulls and so on. Many people ask how that can be, it is because.

1. Rec kids don't need to learn routines. Because we don't have to spend several hours every lesson learning and perfecting routines we can focus more on skills all the time.
2. Rec kids don't have a competition season. Our competition kids spend months preparing getting ready for comps and learning and perfecting routines, then months competing, where the main focus is their competition skills and routines. Meanwhile our rec kids can uptrain 52 weeks a year.
3. Rec kids don't have to master every skill and every apparatus before they move on. It's common for a team kid to get stuck on a level because of one skill or one apparatus. They might be ready for harder tumbling but can't move onto it because they are stuck on their bars. But our rec kids aren't stuck in a system of skills. If they are ready for more advanced tumbling we can do it, even if they are not ready on other apparatus.
4. Rec kids don't need the same level of perfection before moving on. We still demand a very high level of execution for each skill before moving on to make sure the skill is safe, functional and aesthetic. But no one is judging them, so it does not have to be deduction free.

So people ask, then why don't we put these kids on team if they have this level of skill? That is because team is not for everyone. Some kids can't or don't wish to devote the hours that team requires, some kids don't enjoy competing, some kids want to learn big skills but don't enjoy spending hours perfecting routines and there should be a pathway for those kids too.

We have this system at our gym too -not sure if it's just an Aussie thing but works well & allows a number of kids to continue to enjoy their sport when, for different reasons, other gym 'streams' are not a good fit.

 

[txgymfan]

I wish that was an option in our gym. I know several girls who will likely top out of rec skill wise. One family cannot commit to team due to a complicated family situation, for others it's simply more of a commitment than the parents and children are willing to make.

 

[Anna's_Mom]

II am confused why a kid with the skills you describe isn't already on a team. I don't think even our most advanced rec class goes beyond level 3 skills. If she isn't yet at her gym, wants team and isn't yet, I would explore other gyms.

Our gym does rec classes through about about level 7 skills -- mostly for girls that want to do the skills without the time commitment or expense of competing. These girls just want the fun of learning the tricks and not having to have perfect form. They pretty much stop separating rec kids by level at about 4, so rec kids do levels 1 -4 in separate classes, but then there is one class that is "everything above 4". Prior to joining the team my DD was working L6/7 skills, but to be on the team she had to drop back to compete L3. Though as the team had just been formed, this was the case for many girls.