Parents Age factoring into long term goals

[Chocolate_Chip]

So, based on what i've read on these forums, and discussions with other parents, coaches, gymnasts, ect. a gymnast typically needs to be a level 10 by grade 9/10 at the latest to have a decent shot at a D1 school.

I'm curious in regards to how much of that is simply the time needed to get visibility from recruiters and the college application process vs actual skills gained by a certain age?

My almost 12 year old got placed in Level 6 for the upcoming season, and her coaches are saying she has plenty of time to get on the path for recruitment, if that's something she wants to pursue. She is in 5th grade, and the oldest kid her her grade, so based on her actual grade level, her coaches could be correct that she might actually have enough to maybe get there if all of the stars align. Her gym has a very "slow and steady wins the race" approach from what I have seen.

Given that she will be 12 years old at level 6, should I be concerned about developing certain skills at this age? Would she be putting herself at a higher risk of injury? While I know that there are many gymnasts that compete into there 20's, I'm assuming many of those athletes had high level skills at a young age vs slowly developing over time.

We're at a bit of a crossroads, since she is coming off a very successful season, but also having a high amount of success at the two other club sports she plays. The level 6 schedule would require a higher time commitment than her current schedule, which means she wouldn't be able to participate in her other sports at the club level. She could still play them at the town/rec level given the much lighter commitment/schedule. At this point, I just want to find a way where she can continue to play in the sports that she loves for as long as possible, without having the pressure of college athletics while still in middle school. Realistically, gymnastics has contributed to her success at the other sports she plays, so I'm wondering if any other parents have been in a similar situation?

 

[margoko]

She could indeed do it as one level a year would get her to level 10 at sophomore year, but I think ideally L10 by freshman year would be good (maybe unlikely to happen if she’s not in a position to skip L6, which is commonly skipped, and/or your gym takes the “slow and steady” approach all the way through). She could definitely have a lights-out first season of L10, but hitting it a year before lets a kid gain experience competing at that level, get all the kinks out and upgrade/continue polishing their L10 skills, and then get better scores sophomore year when it matters for recruiters. My cousin did D1 gymnastics—not a top team by any means but middle-of-the-road—and she was L10 in eighth grade. She probably could’ve walked onto a somewhat better team but prioritized academics when choosing where to go. So even if there’s a college that’s recruiting your kid, it might not be the school that’s best for her overall.

Someone aggregated data on the makeup of college teams (D1 to D3): https://chalkbucket.com/threads/whos-getting-onto-college-teams.69484/#post-629923. You can see that in the top 20 schools, vast majority are girls with at least 4 years of L10. And even among several-year L10s, there’s a ton of competition for a D1 spot, let alone a scholarship, so I wouldn’t hang my hopes on it if that’s the driving force for continuing her gymnastics career. Especially if she excels at her other sports and might have better recruiting chances there. If she wants to do gymnastics in college, she can also compete club or go into Acro&Tumbling.

And it isn’t an injury risk to learn a skill later, provided the training is proper. Younger kids can have an easier time picking up skills because they’re more flexible, bodies are more moldable, less fear component, etc, and hitting puberty and having your body change rapidly while working on suddenly-way-harder skills can throw a wrench in the works (and potentially cause injury), but it’s not any sort of long-term health detriment. For example, Ludivine Furnon didn’t even start gymnastics until age 11.5, and she was very successful (and had a career in the circus post-retirement). If she’s passionate about gymnastics and getting to L10, she could certainly continue on that path; it just depends on whether giving up the other sports teams is worth it to her. If she cares more about continuing her other sports, Xcel would be a good option where she could continue to train gymnastics and learn new skills, but at a lower time commitment.

 

[raenndrops]

If she’s passionate about gymnastics and getting to L10, she could certainly continue on that path; it just depends on whether giving up the other sports teams is worth it to her. If she cares more about continuing her other sports, Xcel would be a good option where she could continue to train gymnastics and learn new skills, but at a lower time commitment.

That is basically what I was gong to say!