Parents Attending Tryout Clinics

[Shelovesthebars]

My dd's coach today asked me to bring my 4 year old to tryout clinics for the level 4 USAG team in March. She said it was for the higher level coaches to see her and assess her a year ahead and track her over the next year. Obviously, she won't make level 4 team because she is too young. Tryouts are a big deal at our gym but I know my daughter will just have fun. Has anyone ever heard of this before?

 

[gymjourneymom]

Maybe they are considering having her train with the L4's but not compete???

 

[cathiann]

We don't have anything like that--if you are asked to attend a tryout, then they think you have a chance at making the team. As long as your daughter won't be expecting that (and at 4 yr, I can't imagine that "making the team" is really something she's thinking about--for her gymnastics is just fun ), can't hurt to take her.

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

We do not have tryouts. Girl who are identified thru rec classes are asked to join either mini team or pre-team depending on age. I think some of our mini team girls are 3-4 but as old as 6. Most of our preteam now is 6-9 but there have been older girls who skip this and go right to L4. My little one trained on L4 when she was 5 but the next season didn't start until right after her 6th b'day. Ditto for another girl who was on my older DD's L4 team.

 

[Gymnasticsgirl521]

Our DD was 4 when she was on Pre-team and trained Level 4 when she was 5. She was unable to compete that year but now at 6 she is competing and that extra training year has really helped her. I would have her try out and just see what their plan is. Best of luck

 

[gym law mom]

Our gym does do tryouts for the L5 team(they don't compete L4), but only the girls from the top pre-team level try out and they are all age eligible.

Not much harm in letting her go, but I would make it as clear as possible to a 4 yo that this does not mean she will be on the team next year. She'll probably hear other girls at the tryout that are age eligible talking about doing well to make the team and this could be confusing and a little disappointing if your dd doesn't understand ahead of time, this is just for fun.

Honestly, I don't see why the coaches can't just watch her during her own practices and get an idea of what classes they want her in for the next year.

 

[Megley]

We don't have tryouts. Girls are just chosen by the coaches from preteam to move to team and their parents are notified. With the young ones, they just stay on preteam until they are at the point where they will turn 6 in time to compete. My dd was put on team when she was 5 1/2 because she was turning 6 in the fall and we have a winter/spring compulsory season. We had one little girl have to wait until February to compete, but it worked out and she actually was state champ in her age group.

I can't see how it could hurt to have your dd try out as long as she knows that she is going to have to wait a year to actually make the Level 4 team. It will be great for her to get to show off her Level 4 skills to everyone.

Meg

 

[gymnut1]

I would ask the coaches why they want her to try out if they can't compete her yet. If you like the answer go along! Simple!

 

[Shelovesthebars]

I did ask the coach originally when she asked us to come and she said it was for the other coaches to look at her and track her progress over the year. We have a big gym with a lot of coaches. My dd will do level 3 competition team starting in April. Level 3 is just fun at our gym and is very affordable. I think my dd will think the tryouts are for her level 3 team so she won't be disappointed because she knows that she will be doing level 3 team for sure. My understanding is that the coaches from the entire gym will be all together in one place so that is why she is asking us to come. I think it may be for her to compete level 3 but modify her training. We will see but I know she will be the only 4 year old at tryouts and the only 4 year old level 3 but she will turn 5 before competing.

 

[lilgymmie7]

My DD was on the level 4 team at her gym when she was only four. She couldn't compete due to her age, but she did train with the team. They gave me the option to allow her to compete through the GIJO program, but at that point we opted not to have her compete. She was only four. This season she is a level 5 and does compete GIJO as a 5/6 year old. This her coaches feel will prepare her for competition through USA when she is 7 in Jan. 2011. She is consumed by gymnastics, but even while at home she wears a leo and tumbles, vaults, swings ALL over the place. She even told her kindergarten teacher that she has to do all of her weeks homework on Monday because she is busy the rest of the week with gymnastics. I found this out when her teacher approached me to ask if what she said was true. She at 6 is learning to balance her time. As an educator, my thumb went WAY up!! That is an innate and acquired skill that leads to maturation.

 

[Pickle's Mom]

Our gym doesn't do tryouts, but they do evalulations, which I guess are sort of similar.

When Pickle was in developmental she went to evaluations about 2x a year. It was usually run by the three main compulsory coaches. They looked mostly at strength and flexiblity (less on skills).

They always made it fun for the girls (they'd give them an ice pop afterwards or a sticker reward). I don't see any downside to doing it. Even if she's not ready for team, it will give her coach another perspective of what she needs to work on. For example, Pickle always did amazing at flexibility and balance, fine with arm strength, but they always commented that her coach should work on her middle body strenghtening.