Anyone know the UK competition system?

[Faith]

As I'm clueless

Back when I did gym there were 6 club grades, which you passed, then went to regional 3-1, then national. No age restrictions or groupings.

Now, it appears there are club grades, national grades, compulsory grades, espoir, junior, senior , and you have to be a certain age to compete a certain grade. That's about as far as I get

In London, it also appears you can't compete outside your own club until after your 7th birthday- my DD is 7 at the end of oct, so while she won her 7 year age class at club champs, the girls she beat who turned 7 earlier in the year have now been moved up to competition squads. I know the compulsory grades at least have in age/out of age, does that apply to the club grades also? WHat happens if you don't get to compulsory level 2, for example, until you're 14- can you still compete out of age, or is there an equivalent club grade? Obviously I'd be surprised if my DD makes in age, as effectively she's a year behind to start.

My main question is at what point are does it become not possible to transition to elite? Do you need to start on compulsory grades, or can you start at club and transition whenever. And where do national grades come into it....

With my DD I am entirely unable to predict how good she might be. She's strong, and will try anything. Her vault and bars are as good as anyone her age, but her flexibility is lagging so she's finding basics like kickovers difficult. I get the feeling she may continue as a club gymnast, or she may suddenly shine when it gets to the powerful tumbling and more difficult skills, and is up to the increased hours that will make a difference to her flexibility. If she shows talent and desire age 9/10 ish, I'll move her to a bigger club with more training hours, but will that be too late if she's started on the club path?

Out of interest, if you have a gymnast who develops later, or doesn't compete earlier for whatever reason, can you still get into senior/elite without doing the grades thing? I knew a girl in acro who didn't start gym until she was 14, and seriously she was the most uncoordinated, least flexible, last girl in the team you'd expect to improve, but within a year she was national standard. Because it was acro, as her other partners had competed through the grades she was allowed to go straight to IFSA code competition. Can that happen in WAG?

I've heard it's a good system, but it isn't half complicated!

Thank you!

 

[rd7]

Hi Faith, have just registered instead of lurking for months.

UK system is outrageously complicated but does allow for all sorts of gymnastics levels and switching in between.

Leaving out the artistic county/regional levels and general gymnastics competitions this is how I understand the UK grades system.

Grades 14-7 are club grades, they are competed to regional level, there is no national competition. The first grade is 14 and is competed "In Age" in the year the gymnast turns 8 - so your daughter will be in age next year, 2012.

Grades 8-5 are National, competed regionally and the top 4 in each region (once the range score is taken out) go to nationals. They allow for non-elite to compete at a fairly high level.

Grade 5 is the last non-elite grade.

Elite track girls no longer compete grades at all. They start at Compulsory 5 "In age" in the year they turn 8.

Elite levels are compulsory/voluntary 5,4,3,2, Espoir, Junior, Senior.

Compulsory/voluntary can be competed out of age but do not qualify for National awards, just passed to move to the next level. (I think, would need to check). Elite track girls generally compete in age.

For girls that haven't gone the elite track they can compete in the British Challenge cup at Espoir, Junior, Senior level. If they meet the required score (it's currently 44 for juniors) they are eligible to compete in next years full British National competition. Only a handful of girls ever make these scores but it can be done. I think there's a current junior british team member that came via this route who is doing very well.

Hope I haven't made it even more complicated and have helped a bit. Hopefully someone else will be along later to help properly and knows more.

Is your DD at an "elite track" club at the moment and has been put at club level? Or is she at a non-elite track club?

 

[Faith]

Is your DD at an "elite track" club at the moment and has been put at club level? Or is she at a non-elite track club?

I have no idea . It's a really small club with only a few doing full on artistic- I think they only have two at full FIG/elite level- one level 4, the other is older (14- ish?) I don't even know whether they do club grades. The Head coach took me to one side at christmas and said she had the upper body strength to make a 4-piece gymnast, and they wanted to take her out of recreational and put her on a squad with more hours (3 hrs/once a week currently). As far as I can tell she's on a squad which mainly works conditioning and flexibility.

Anyway, thank you so much for your reply, I think I get the basics. I get the feeling that DD may be a bit of a late developer, and it's nice to know if she starts of at lower levels for fun, it's not ruling out elite *if*, later on she decided to go down that route....

 

[rd7]

"As far as I can tell she's on a squad which mainly works conditioning and flexibility"

Sounds like a really good start and she'll be fine where she is as long as she's enjoying it. Elite track girls do mostly conditioning when aged 5-7 from what I've been told.

I wouldn't leave it as late as age 9/10 to move to a bigger club though if you really think she could make the higher levels. In some clubs they wouldn't even look at her for squad by that age unless she's really talented. Don't agree with it but that's the way it is when waiting lists are long and coaches are short ..... (unlike the US our gymnastics isn't business based and most coaches are volunteers)

Wouldn't hurt to do some internet research ......

And am sending good luck fairies for the kick over.

 

[Faith]

Thank you!

I'm happy with the club she's at- they're very much focussed on enjoyment, and keeping the kids in the sport, but they do have a high performance coach and they are capable of setting talented gymnasts on the elite path. I think they've put a few later developers through the espoir challenge route too. I think it's the best place for her at the minute, she's quite stubborn and can resist being pushed. Plus as a parent I think it's too early for her to be taking it too seriously. I'm going down the route of a variety of activities to build all round skills, so she does dance, swimming (which should help shoulder flexibility as well as strength), and she wants to start diving, so I might let her join a fun class. That's still only 5.5 hours a week in total over 4 days so shouldn't put too much stress on her body.

I've done the internet research already . Problem being I'm in London, so while there's 3 or 4 clubs relatively near, traffic means it would take over an hour on a good day. Not something I can do age 6! In reality I'm hoping she enjoys gym, gets to a reasonable level, but in one way I'd be quite happy for her to keep it on a fun, club level. But, should she turn out talented, and have the drive and desire for elite, I'm pleased to know it's still possible later on if she should want it badly enough. Round here though it all seems to be business- the only volunteer coaches I know are the young ex-gymnasts who get a bursary for coaching quals if they pay it back in volunteer hours.

Can you tell I over think things Thanks for letting me vent a bit

Do you know if there's anywhere that lists the skills needed for grades/compulsories? I can't find anything and I'd at least like to know what we're aiming at...

ETA: one last question- do they have to do compulsory 5,4,3,2 one per year? Or can they skip, or start at 3 or 2? Can they start on club grades at switch to compulsories if they progress rapidly at age 10, for example?

 

[rd7]

If you've got a HPC qualified coach then she's definitely fine where she is, probably for the duration and her club sounds great. There's only IPC coach higher than that and they are the ones working with the current UK junior/senior team contenders.

Grade 14 is really basic stuff, much lower than the skills the girls are working in the gym. Eg they'll be doing at least Handspring flat backs on vault and probably working full handspring at that age. The vault for grade 14 is a straight jump up on to a coaching block. Your DD will have no problems with the skills, maybe only with the range and conditioning (splits, bridge etc)

Here's a link to the current UK elite level 4 champ (age 9 in the year)

Talented gymnast Becky Bell - YouTube

Tolworth also have some more really good gymnasts at other elite levels and they're great to watch. They're called Team Sparkle on youtube.

I know that club and national grades can be skipped, eg Grade 14, Grade 12, Grade 8 by age 9/10. Not sure about elite levels, I think you have to pass level 2 to compete espoir but not sure about the others.

Tell you what, we really do have a complicated system don't we?

 

[Faith]

If you've got a HPC qualified coach then she's definitely fine where she is, probably for the duration and her club sounds great.

Thanks, that's really reassuring. I do like the "own pace" attitude of the coaches, but then I worry she needs pushing to reach her potential :boggled:. I was burned badly as a gymnast myself though when I was moved at 10 to one of the few clubs in the country at that time with elite gymnasts, but the coach was a big bully and I couldn't take the pressure. So I don't want to move her and have her give up because it's too intense.

Becky Bell is a really lovely gymnast isn't she- DD was watching with me, she so wants to compete 4 piece, which doesn't help me and my overthinking- If she wasn't so bothered, I could relax a bit .

I was reading the London competition rules, and it appears there is also London Novice, club and advanced, and if they get over a certain mark they have to move up a level or to a compulsory level, so I think they can move across. I have a feeling that's the track our club might take rather than the club grades...I think with espoir you can do the espoir challenge without compulsory 2 and go in that way?