Parents Advice to a 7year old starter?

[ZiguiLady]

Hello all, I am so lucky to find this place as a new gymnast’s mom. My daughter who just turned 7 was recently invited to a level2 pre- team. She was very happy with it because she really likes gymnastics. In the preteam all the other kids are at least 1 year younger than her, there is also a 4 year old girl. Most other kids can not do a cartwheel or even a nice split. My daughter has some skills but she misses bridge kick over if she wants to compete as a Level2 gymnast. Another gym where my daughter went for camp this summer invited her to their xcel silver preteam. Their head coach seemed like her much. I guess their age will be closer to my daughter? So I don know which gym is a better choice for her. My daughter is pretty academical, so if she is not going be an college gymnast, I guess xcel would be her better choice? Another question is how can we know a gym’s injury rate? Thank you for reading my words , any advice will be appreciated!

 

[ZiguiLady]

The reason I ask if she should stay in the current level2 preterm or go to xcel is because of her age. There are girls at her age in her gym who are already level 4 or 5, so I wonder becoming an elite is almost impractical unless she is a genius like Simmon biles? Pardon a mom’s wondering mind!

 

[txgymfan]

I would observe both gyms specifically the level she would be at be also as a whole. Listen to the coaches and the kids, are the interactions positive? Are the girls working while still having fun? Think about the schedule for her level and the next few. Can you commit to that amount of time in the gym. Look at the cost for tuition, meets other fees. Think about the distance you would need to drive and the traffic. Then make an informed decision about where you would like her to be.

 

[ZiguiLady]

txgymfan, thank you very much for the advice. I checked both gyms. They are located similar distance to us. The current gym has a pretty good elite team, the other is very popular in recreational program community but they only run xcel teams. I think both are well managed gyms. So given my daughter’s age and level , what do you recommend for her? JO or xcel? Thanks a lot!

 

[Carly]

The time and cost ramp up quickly in competitive gymnastics. I would get as much info on that as you can if that would factor into your decision.
It's hard to say which would be a better choice. It really depends on your situation. Do you have other kids in activities? In general but not always, Xcel should be lower hours, cost and less travel than a JO program.
Your dd is not too old to start JO team at 7. My dd did not start gymnastics until 7.5 and started level 3 team at 9. If she continued with JO instead of switching to Xcel, she would most likely be a second year level 10 going into her senior year of high school.

 

[JPC13]

txgymfan, thank you very much for the advice. I checked both gyms. They are located similar distance to us. The current gym has a pretty good elite team, the other is very popular in recreational program community but they only run xcel teams. I think both are well managed gyms. So given my daughter’s age and level , what do you recommend for her? JO or xcel? Thanks a lot!

What do you mean by “elite team”? Are you saying that they have multiple gymnasts who qualified elite level and/or have international experience?

If so, that’s a very good gym, and you should be talking to those coaches about your daughter — gyms that develop kids to that level are going to be brutally honest about where your daughter stands.

 

[gymgal]

This really comes down to personal preference and your daughter's goals. If she wants to attain high level skills and get to the more advanced levels, then I would stick with the gym you are in. It is unlikely that they moved her to pre-team without intention of placing her on team. So they see some potential in her, which is good - especially for a high level gym. If your daughter like the thought of competing now and not waiting another year or two, and if she doesn't "live for gymnastics" xcel may be a better option.

Just a side note - my daughter was very academically oriented, knowing from an early age that she wanted to be a DPT. She never really had aspirations of college gymnastics but as she got closer college years, she decided that she did want to continue to compete. So you never know. As a family, we kept the options open, keeping her in a gym that we felt she would thrive long term, including not burning her out.

 

[Ty’s Dad]

The reason I ask if she should stay in the current level2 preterm or go to xcel is because of her age. There are girls at her age in her gym who are already level 4 or 5, so I wonder becoming an elite is almost impractical unless she is a genius like Simmon biles? Pardon a mom’s wondering mind!

My daughter started at 7 1/2 and now is a 13 year old Jr. Elite (having surgery next week so US Classics and Championships are out). But it can happen don’t rule out the elite world yet because she’s 7

 

[JPC13]

My daughter started at 7 1/2 and now is a 13 year old Jr. Elite (having surgery next week so US Classics and Championships are out). But it can happen don’t rule out the elite world yet because she’s 7

I’d be interested to hear her story. Did she start in a super intense day program or at a more normal gym?

 

[Ty’s Dad]

I’d be interested to hear her story. Did she start in a super intense day program or at a more normal gym?

Yeah we started at a very normal “fun” type of gym. They moved her from level 3-6 in one season coming in last place at every meet, then the gym basically told us we should/need to switch gyms. So the wife and I basically said if she still loves this sport, and we have to switch gyms anyway, might as well put her in the best gym in the Bay Area. We moved her to a elite gym and she’s been killing it ever since.

 

[ZiguiLady]

Thanks a lot for each of these valuable advices. I am going to let my dd stay in the current gym right now and talk with her coach about her potentials later. Basically I just want her to be happy and well developed, so either way we are going to support her. Will come back to update our choice. Thanks again! Really love this community!!

 

[IreneKa]

Thanks a lot for each of these valuable advices. I am going to let my dd stay in the current gym right now and talk with her coach about her potentials later. Basically I just want her to be happy and well developed, so either way we are going to support her. Will come back to update our choice. Thanks again! Really love this community!!

I think that's the right decision! 7 year old level 2 is completely normal. She can always switch to Xcel if it proves to be too much for her, but switching from Xcel to JO later on might be tough. Good luck!