Our gym chooses kids prior to their 6th birthday for JO route. My younger daughter was chosen for her upper body strength and lack of fear. She is very lean and has defined muscles in her arms without doing anything. She climbed a net two stories to the top of the gym which is how she gained the coaches attention. My older daughter started at age 7 and at 9 is doing xcel now. My younger daughter was chosen as one of the last members of the JO preteam because she is less emotionally mature. The coach and I discussed this but due to her potential coach was saving a spot for her. Her behavior had improved in rec over the past few months and she seemed to be maturing. She is a very loving kid but doesn't always listen and is a big risk taker. After a month I finally watched a preteam practice and she was goofing off. She is immature but I hadn't seen her act like in her rec class in a very long time. I asked her afterwards if she liked gym and she said no. I could tell she meant it. She is pretty quiet and doesn't complain much. I explained it to the coach and she understood but said she was glad we gave it a try. She said some kids just aren't emotionally ready at 5. After I pulled her out in the spring DD seemed relieved and started soccer this summer. Gradually though I saw her start practicing gymnastics again outside. She loves the bars. I asked her if she would like to do a once a week rec gymnastics class this fall with soccer and she agreed cautiously. She had a big grin on her face when she came out of gym last week. She told me the rec coach was impressed and she was all proud. I am chasing a three year old so I do not very often watch practice. My guess is she and the coaches will figure out where she belongs eventually? If she continues to like it she might have an opportunity someday for Xcel? I know I blew her opportunity for JO but I feel like it has to be something she obviously loves to make that kind of commitment. I think she may have a ways to go emotionally before she is ready for preteam.
WAG Took DD out of JO preteam
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I admit, I get a little sad when I read around here about some gyms having age limits. I just think "too old for what??". But anyway, I'd just see how she goes. If she matures and expresses a desire for JO later on, shop around for another gym. I'm sure there's plenty out there that couldn't give two hoots about age.
age limits=silly.
I am quite sure your daughter will have an opportunity to do team gymnastics when and if she is ready. I have seen many little ones who are "chosen" for JO come and go while my 14 year old keeps plugging along with no intention of quitting until her body makes her quit.
Good luck to her, and to you and your other DD.
I am quite sure your daughter will have an opportunity to do team gymnastics when and if she is ready. I have seen many little ones who are "chosen" for JO come and go while my 14 year old keeps plugging along with no intention of quitting until her body makes her quit.
Good luck to her, and to you and your other DD.
At our gym, older girls start in XCel, but if they are really dedicated and progress quickly, they are invited to switch tracks if they are interested. It's worth asking about how it works at your gym. You might be pleasantly surprised!
i'd like to know the percentage of gyms that have age requirements that also have xcel programs (or aau, or some other competitive pathway). i ask because while age requirements on the surface seem ridiculous, i am now able to understand them a little better.
our head coaches only have so much time in their days to train gymnasts. they simply can't be there for the 800 different kids who come and go each week at our gym. they have to narrow down who they can work with to a manageable number and the criteria for who they select pretty much comes down to who they think has a potential for college gymnastics.
if the potential isn't there (which does usually require an early start- there are exceptions- our gym has moved only 3 girls from xcel to JO) then the JO coaching staff just doesn't have the time to coach those folks and will place you in another program so that you don't have to put in as many hours because, well.....it then lets them fill the gym with more rec kids who are paying the most per hour.
so , from a business profit point-of-view, i'm starting to "get it." on the other hand, if there are gyms out there that do not have an alternate competitive option for those girls who start late, then that doesn't make sense to me.
our head coaches only have so much time in their days to train gymnasts. they simply can't be there for the 800 different kids who come and go each week at our gym. they have to narrow down who they can work with to a manageable number and the criteria for who they select pretty much comes down to who they think has a potential for college gymnastics.
if the potential isn't there (which does usually require an early start- there are exceptions- our gym has moved only 3 girls from xcel to JO) then the JO coaching staff just doesn't have the time to coach those folks and will place you in another program so that you don't have to put in as many hours because, well.....it then lets them fill the gym with more rec kids who are paying the most per hour.
so , from a business profit point-of-view, i'm starting to "get it." on the other hand, if there are gyms out there that do not have an alternate competitive option for those girls who start late, then that doesn't make sense to me.
Yeah They explained it to me as being able to teach more skills and put them into muscle memory before they get fearful. I like our gym and the Xcel team is great and may make more sense for our family anyway. We live between two gyms and the other gym does take older girls into JO but our current gym recently sent out communication that they will now also evaluate older kids for JO. The more I think about it, the less concerned I am. It is more important to me that my kids enjoy sports longterm than push them now. I ended up turning down division one scholarships for cross county because I was so burnt out. Thanks for the kind comments. This website has taught me a lot!
And sorry a hard line rule by 5 or 6 is just ridiculous.
Actually any hard line rule there are always exceptions.
At 5 and 6 they are little kids, just little kids. Focus, work ethic take time and grown ups who want to invest in them.
And they don't need to go a bunch of hours either.
V
Vivianflips
My gym has preteam for 5-6 year olds only, though you don't have to be on preteam to make the JO team. We have team tryouts every December and a good amount of kids come from rec and make team via the tryout rather than moving up through preteam. My gym has no age limits for JO though most older girls go to xcel now as it's a better option time and money wise. It's sad to me to hear about gyms that have age limits for JO! I hope your daughter has the opportunity to join team if she wants to some day.
I agree with the other posters. My dd just did not stand out in the rec class when she was 5, she turned 6 and blossomed mentally and physically. A few months after her sixth birthday, HC begged for me to allow her on her team. She is now 7 and thriving in the gym. Children develop and mature at different levels and for a gym not to get that is so sad to me.
Our gym started something new this year for girls who would like the competitive aspect of gymnastics without the huge time and financial commitment. It isn't Excel exactly but they get to compete the local meets with way fewer practice hours. It will be interesting to see how they do. Obviously they will not have the polish of girls who practice many more hours a week but it allows them to experience team where many of these older girls would otherwise quit to do other things or not be allowed the opportunity to begin with.
This is one of the things I love most about our gym! They give everyone a shot to pursue individual goals. They took a 9 year old, L2, on the TOPS team. She didn't make national testing this year, but, WOW, that kid is determined!
I happened to see on a gyms website training hours. 30 hrs per week for TOPs kids. These are 8,9, 10 year old kids. Blows my mind.
you're actually preaching to the choir. my daughter didn't start gym until she was 8. she was first put in rec because of her age and no prior experience. then, she was swiftly moved to xcel. after competing xcel one season, she was noticed and is now JO and training to compete level 7 in January (very competitively I might add). in our region/state, you really do need more hours than you do in xcel. we've done both and can say that for sure.
ETA: I did note that there are exceptions in my post. Always are!
forgot to mention that dd is now 10. when she competes 7 in january, it will only be 2.5 years from the first time she stepped foot in a gym. so i am all for giving the older girls a shot!
my point was just that even if these gyms are missing out on some girls by ruling out the older ones, its probably not because they don't think these older gymnasts can do it, it is more likely because these gyms have a process by which they grow gymnasts starting from their preteam on up and there's no easy way to catch up those who show up late--just not enough coaches to go around. this is just my opinion based on how systematic our gym is..others' opinions may vary based on their experiences at different gyms.
I think you made a good decision. For now she can enjoy gym without feeling the pressure and if she does want to join team later, I am sure there are options available. I do agree that having to know and commit at 5 or risk being too old is crazy.
I'm a little concerned that my dd's gym seems to be heading down that path. Right now, they are not a gym with any kind of strict age/height/etc requirements. My dd is on level 3 and, at 7 1/2, she's the youngest. Most are 8 and there are even several that are 9. But I know the training group used to be 6-7 year olds and now it's mostly 5 year olds. The level 2 team is smaller and younger too. And we even had someone on the level 2 team from last year that was not offered a spot on the level 3 team and I believe age may have been a factor. She was 10 last year, although there were other circumstances that may have influenced her leaving.
Right now they have the USAG team and a rec team that competes levels 1-4 with other local rec teams. The rec team is very small hours, 2-6 a week I believe, so there really is no path from that to USAG. I've heard they are considering/planning on starting an Xcel Silver/Gold team, but haven't seen it yet. At the placement meeting with her coaches back in June, we were told point blank that the gym's "goal" was to create successful level 10 athletes with college scholarships. Team sizes have actually gotten smaller as they are really only interested in investing in gymnasts they think have long term potential. Rec gymnastics and the rec team are definitely the money makers at the gym (although USAG team is definitely not cheap!). There are tons of other gyms in our area that compete Xcel or have less competitive USAG teams, so I guess that their focus isn't on getting everyone on their USAG team. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it all. I do think they are one of the strongest gyms in our area and they have many successful level 10 gymnasts, so I think it is a good place for my dd to be. But I do think they could be missing out on some talented gymnasts if they choose to be too strict in their criteria and that makes me sad.
I'm a little concerned that my dd's gym seems to be heading down that path. Right now, they are not a gym with any kind of strict age/height/etc requirements. My dd is on level 3 and, at 7 1/2, she's the youngest. Most are 8 and there are even several that are 9. But I know the training group used to be 6-7 year olds and now it's mostly 5 year olds. The level 2 team is smaller and younger too. And we even had someone on the level 2 team from last year that was not offered a spot on the level 3 team and I believe age may have been a factor. She was 10 last year, although there were other circumstances that may have influenced her leaving.
Right now they have the USAG team and a rec team that competes levels 1-4 with other local rec teams. The rec team is very small hours, 2-6 a week I believe, so there really is no path from that to USAG. I've heard they are considering/planning on starting an Xcel Silver/Gold team, but haven't seen it yet. At the placement meeting with her coaches back in June, we were told point blank that the gym's "goal" was to create successful level 10 athletes with college scholarships. Team sizes have actually gotten smaller as they are really only interested in investing in gymnasts they think have long term potential. Rec gymnastics and the rec team are definitely the money makers at the gym (although USAG team is definitely not cheap!). There are tons of other gyms in our area that compete Xcel or have less competitive USAG teams, so I guess that their focus isn't on getting everyone on their USAG team. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it all. I do think they are one of the strongest gyms in our area and they have many successful level 10 gymnasts, so I think it is a good place for my dd to be. But I do think they could be missing out on some talented gymnasts if they choose to be too strict in their criteria and that makes me sad.
Looking at your gym's high optional group, does this philosophy seem to be working for them? Do these fast tracked young gymnasts tend to stick with it and make it to be successful L9/10s?
Actually it does work for them. This gym has many level 10 gymnasts who earn college scholarships. Their gymnasts are known to be very strong (lots of strength work) and earn high scores for being really clean. They did say at a parent meeting that they don't aim to produce Olympic level gymnasts but college level, definitely. They follow the same philosophy with xcel but with much fewer hours. Some of their JO athletes are at 24 hours per week; my older DD does 5 for bronze. They have been losing some xcel athletes to the other gym which may be why they said they would evaluate xcel athletes for JO. I feel like the coaches have been very honest and open so... I think I will just see where the journey takes them. I do think I made the right decision in my gut and I think the coach did too. I noticed the coaches were happy to see my younger DD back this fall. We will just see what happens...
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