Does anyone do USAIGC or a program like it? We are considering this route for my dd. I don't know much about it but it seems like it may be a good fit. Not as strict as USAG but still get to compete. Any info would be great. I did go to the website and they said the requirements for routines include elements described with letters A,B,C and so on. Does anyone know what that means?
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- Thread starter Carmansunshine
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Just like USAG, all skills are given a difficulty rating. On beam, for example, a back walkover is an A skill, while a back handspring is a B and a back tuck is a C. All skills are similarly rated in a Code of Points. This is how the difficulty of a routine is determined. For example, USAG Level 7 requires 5 A level skills and 2 B level skills on beam. Level 8 requires 4 and 4, Level 9 requires 3 A's, 4 B's, and 1 C, plus some connections, and Level 10 requires 3, 3, and 2, plus connections. At the Olympic levels, they're getting into D and E skills, and I believe the code's been recalibrated with an F and G, also.
If you want to see how complex this can get given all the new skills attempted these days, check out http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/publications/technique/1998/3/women-code.html
If you want to see how complex this can get given all the new skills attempted these days, check out http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/publications/technique/1998/3/women-code.html
Hey CarmSun,
We don't do the USAIG at our gym so I am not too familiar with that, but we do JOGA. Is your daughter not liking the level 4? JOGA is a Jersey thing and it is still means they get to compete but it is less hours to train & the skills involved are not as strict with form as the USAG. You may want to explore this option as well. Our gym has alot of girls that switch over from USAG and are quite happy there. Good luck!
We don't do the USAIG at our gym so I am not too familiar with that, but we do JOGA. Is your daughter not liking the level 4? JOGA is a Jersey thing and it is still means they get to compete but it is less hours to train & the skills involved are not as strict with form as the USAG. You may want to explore this option as well. Our gym has alot of girls that switch over from USAG and are quite happy there. Good luck!
Out here we have a program called Eagles. It is really growing in popularity at many gyms. Sounds similar to JOGA. They do the USAG L4 and L5 routines and then go to optional A, B, C. We have had a few girls from club team switch to this if they just feel trying the big skills isn't for them. Optional A is basically a L6 type level. They have less practice and the meets are much less intense---judging is not anywhere near as strict as USAG. These girls have their own season(April-June), have a state meet etc.
This seems to be a perfect fit for kids that have other activities, but also want the gymnastics experience, can't or don't want to pay for the higher priced club stuff or maybe just want to get skills to compete in high school. They also take the summer off.
This seems to be a perfect fit for kids that have other activities, but also want the gymnastics experience, can't or don't want to pay for the higher priced club stuff or maybe just want to get skills to compete in high school. They also take the summer off.
We are loking at the USAIGC and JOGA becasue I don't know if my dd will ever make a level 4 team. She has alot of the skills but her coach told me she wont ever make the team at her gym. And then actually called back the next day and asked us to not come back to her gym. 
I thought if the program was less intense the criteria for making the team may be a little easier. Also she just turned 9, and has already had a rough time with the coaches in this sport. To be honest if it were me I would have quit many times. But she wants to give it one more try so she has 3 evaluations this week.
I thought if the program was less intense the criteria for making the team may be a little easier. Also she just turned 9, and has already had a rough time with the coaches in this sport. To be honest if it were me I would have quit many times. But she wants to give it one more try so she has 3 evaluations this week.
I am just amazed at a gym telling a little girl she won't ever make a level 4 team!! We had a girl in our gym that could not even do a cartwheel before she turned 9 yrs old & our coaches took her from pre-team to level 10 in 6 yrs... she just recently got a full ride scholarship to college.
Perhaps some gyms are just more competetive then others, but it seems so silly in the lower levels to exclude children from being given a chance... you are better off looking somewhere else. Good luck to you & your dd's
Perhaps some gyms are just more competetive then others, but it seems so silly in the lower levels to exclude children from being given a chance... you are better off looking somewhere else. Good luck to you & your dd's
OMG! That is horrible! I thought you were liking this new gym & coaches. Your poor daughter. What sort of coach would do/say something like that to a child? I think you should check into some other gyms. I have never switched gyms before, it must be very frustrating, but seems to me you have yet to find the right fit. There are some great gyms down there, I am sure you will find one soon. Good Luck & (((HUGS))) to you & your DD.
H
hammy
Personally, I would never tell a gymnast they couldn't make the level 4 team or anything they try. Everyone deserves a chance, and the difficulty will weed some people out. I always say that I'll take a hard working gymnast over one with natural talent anyday (of course the ideal situation would be hard worker with natural talent), because the hard workers tend to be more determined (in my perspective). It sounds like your daugther is a hard worker who is not will to give up, even when the coaches tell her to--I admire your daugther for not wanting to give up!
Hey,
I started gymnastics late (13) and could not even do a cartwheel. I joined the preteam and I was hoping to compete Level 4, but I did not have some of the skills. I went to a USAIGC practice once in the lowest Level, Copper, just to try it out, because most girls from my preteam were doing it, and I LOVED it! It was so much fun! There was a lot less pressure, more original routines, and more flexible with the specific skill requirement. I didn't think I would ever get to compete but I decided to give it a shot, and I won first place on floor at all of my meets and even got to go to nationals! I think it would be perfect for your daughter. Copper has skills like Level 4 but it's much more relaxed and you don't have to get certain scores to qualify for State, Regionals, and Nationals. I have learned so much and now I'm doing to next Level, Bronze (with Level 5 Skills) and I have already qualified for State for all three events except Vault (I'm hoping to qualify for Vault at my meet tomorrow! If not I'll just compete as an event specialist - 2 Events). I think you should definately give USAIGC a shot! It's a great place for people who want to compete but have little or no experience in gymnastics! I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed my 2 competing seasons so far!
I started gymnastics late (13) and could not even do a cartwheel. I joined the preteam and I was hoping to compete Level 4, but I did not have some of the skills. I went to a USAIGC practice once in the lowest Level, Copper, just to try it out, because most girls from my preteam were doing it, and I LOVED it! It was so much fun! There was a lot less pressure, more original routines, and more flexible with the specific skill requirement. I didn't think I would ever get to compete but I decided to give it a shot, and I won first place on floor at all of my meets and even got to go to nationals! I think it would be perfect for your daughter. Copper has skills like Level 4 but it's much more relaxed and you don't have to get certain scores to qualify for State, Regionals, and Nationals. I have learned so much and now I'm doing to next Level, Bronze (with Level 5 Skills) and I have already qualified for State for all three events except Vault (I'm hoping to qualify for Vault at my meet tomorrow! If not I'll just compete as an event specialist - 2 Events). I think you should definately give USAIGC a shot! It's a great place for people who want to compete but have little or no experience in gymnastics! I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed my 2 competing seasons so far!
I would go to another gym, I know alot of gyms pick and choose who they want on their team but to tell your daughter that instead of encouraging her when she wants to try is just wrong. I know there are older girls who do not fit into what they are looking for to start in USAG levels at our gym (either they are to old or do not have the skills ) so instead they put them on the prep team where it is less competitive and the can do the own routines, and probally if a girl had some skills and was around your daughters age they would put her in the devo class for a year then if she got her skills move her up to level 5. I would look around at other gyms before deciding you never know another place might see her interest and determination and give her a chance.
My dd's gym is also in NJ and they do have a USAIGC program in addition to USAG. At our gym you can not do both, you do either IGC or USAG. From what I have been told about the IGC program it basically has the same scoring as NCAA, even the vault values (Gold & up) are the same as NCAA. I think that the IGC program is a step up from JOGA and if you have the opportunity to try IGC you should. I do know that there are some gyms in the state that also compete both.
The girls in IGC are learning similiar skills as the USAG girls, but they learn them on their terms. If they are deathly afraid of giants, they don't have to do them or any other skill that scares them - they work around them. They can also take their time to get these skills. Where as in our gym, you have to have giants to compete 7 and there are numerous other skills at different levels that are required in order to compete and you are expected to get them in a timely fashion for USAG.
They also travel. IGC does have States/Regionals and if you are in NJ your States & Regionals are in Wildwood during Memorial Weekend. I'm also pretty sure that Nationals is in Florida this yr. If you were to do JOGA you would never get the experience of Regionals or Nationals.
The girls in IGC are learning similiar skills as the USAG girls, but they learn them on their terms. If they are deathly afraid of giants, they don't have to do them or any other skill that scares them - they work around them. They can also take their time to get these skills. Where as in our gym, you have to have giants to compete 7 and there are numerous other skills at different levels that are required in order to compete and you are expected to get them in a timely fashion for USAG.
They also travel. IGC does have States/Regionals and if you are in NJ your States & Regionals are in Wildwood during Memorial Weekend. I'm also pretty sure that Nationals is in Florida this yr. If you were to do JOGA you would never get the experience of Regionals or Nationals.
I compete USAIGC silver, and love it! I only train 12 hours a week, where my equivalent usag team (level seven) are doing around 20. I'm a freshman in HS, so the hours work perfectly for me. It's still a great league, but less and hours and can be more relaxed. I also feel your judged a little easier than USAG, and are capable of nines, where a nine is amazing in the other leagues. I highly recomment usaigc! It's such a fun league and fun meets. Also, just to comment on what Granny Smith said, it is true, if you are afraid of a skill, there is an equivalent. If you can't do giants, you can compete two free hips. And if you cant do a backhandspring on beam, you can do a roundoff. usag you cannot do that in! And we do travel outside the state, but that is my coaches choice. He chooses which meets to go to, and you if you don't want to go that meet, you can choose not to. It's a great league, and college bound.
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