Parents Back handspring on the beam!

[bookworm]

But I think before she could train TOPS with all the skill testing, she'd need a kip...

 

[Mrs. Puma]

An hour and a half.....but believe me, I've thought about it! Yes RGA does.

 

[Committed]

No, TOPS is not for super elite kids. DD tested for the first time as a 7yo last year, which is just strength and flexibility. 8 year olds need to do the skills, too, which include multiple kips and front tumbling.

And.......DD thinks whips are easier especially if you get a lot of momentum going. Of course, she probably has terrible form ... I don't know a thing about them to know whether they look good or bad.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

And yes I think you're right...that darn kip! LOL!!! She's close....

 

[gymnastca25]

Yes the kip would be very important along with casting to handstand multiple times. You also need back tucks off beam, front and back walkovers on beam, toe circle on bar, etc...

 

[Mrs. Puma]

Thanks! I'll have to ask her about the bars stuff. I know she can do Giants on strap bar so she could probably cast to handstand, right? (Is it obvious I never did gymnastics! Lol) walkovers on beam are no problem and she can do front tuck dismount but not sure about back. At least we have 8 months or so, right?! Thanks for the info

 

[bookworm]

Thanks! I'll have to ask her about the bars stuff. I know she can do Giants on strap bar so she could probably cast to handstand, right? (Is it obvious I never did gymnastics! Lol) walkovers on beam are no problem and she can do front tuck dismount but not sure about back. At least we have 8 months or so, right?! Thanks for the info

I think it's odd that they're letting her do giants on strap bar, walkovers and back handspring on beam and front tuck dismount off beam but no kip?! To me , that's is the gatekeeper skill for level 5 ( or is it 6 now?) ....is there something i'm missing where she doesn't have one of the very basic and fundamental skills, and is working skills above her level?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

The kip is necessary for new Level 4. I too find it very odd that they would have a kid training giants w/o her kip, but perhaps that gym just does things differently.
TOPs is a great program for younger kids and a kid with the skills listed (plus definitely a kip, at the minimum) sounds like she would be a great candidate to do well in it. It's very intense, and certainly not for the faint of heart (neither kid nor parent, lol!)...

 

[GYM0M]

For 8 year old TOPS skills, she would need (as of right now because it changes year to year) on Bars: 2 consecutive kip casts to above 45 degrees (about half way up), clear hip, kip, toe circle, jump to high bar, kip cast, swing 1/2 turn dismount; on Beam: BWO, 180 split leap, cartwheel, back tuck dismount to stick, & FWO; on Floor: 2 FHS step outs to FHS two feet, ROBHSBHSBT to stick, front limber, forward roll to pike HS w/ 1/2 turn, & back extension roll. These are ROUTINES. They must be performed in a fluid motion (they don't show individual skills except for in physical abilities.). For physical abilities, they need to be able to climb a rope to 12ft (arms only, legs in a pike), 5 press HS in a row, 20 L to V leg lifts, 30 sec HS hold, 5 cast HS, high kicks and holds. The scoring is different too. These skills are scored 0, 2, 4, or 6. Each physical ability is worth 10 points, except kicks and holds which are worth 12. And the judges are not shy about giving zeros!! These skills should be CONSISTENT and with very good form.

Anything can happen in 8 months, but, IMO, with all due respect, if she is struggling with her kip rt now, it's gonna be a stretch to get the bar routine ready before she tests. My dd bday is in Feb too! (She will be 9). She got her kip at 5 1/2 ish and at this time last year (L4 District Championships) and through state in Dec., she took lots of deductions on her kip......

 

[mobeans]

For 8 year old TOPS skills, she would need (as of right now because it changes year to year) on Bars: 2 consecutive kip casts to above 45 degrees (about half way up), clear hip, kip, toe circle, jump to high bar, kip cast, swing 1/2 turn dismount; on Beam: BWO, 180 split leap, cartwheel, back tuck dismount to stick, & FWO; on Floor: 2 FHS step outs to FHS two feet, ROBHSBHSBT to stick, front limber, forward roll to pike HS w/ 1/2 turn, & back extension roll. These are ROUTINES. They must be performed in a fluid motion (they don't show individual skills except for in physical abilities.). For physical abilities, they need to be able to climb a rope to 12ft (arms only, legs in a pike), 5 press HS in a row, 20 L to V leg lifts, 30 sec HS hold, 5 cast HS, high kicks and holds. The scoring is different too. These skills are scored 0, 2, 4, or 6. Each physical ability is worth 10 points, except kicks and holds which are worth 12. And the judges are not shy about giving zeros!! These skills should be CONSISTENT and with very good form.

Anything can happen in 8 months, but, IMO, with all due respect, if she is struggling with her kip rt now, it's gonna be a stretch to get the bar routine ready before she tests. My dd bday is in Feb too! (She will be 9). She got her kip at 5 1/2 ish and at this time last year (L4 District Championships) and through state in Dec., she took lots of deductions on her kip......

Thanks for sharing all this! My daughters gym just started a TOPS program so no testing for is this yr. not sure if they will be ready nxt year even! She has a lot of these skills but there are a lot she has never worked yet either. Very interesting to see all layed out like this. Good luck to your dd!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I think it's odd that they're letting her do giants on strap bar, walkovers and back handspring on beam and front tuck dismount off beam but no kip?! To me , that's is the gatekeeper skill for level 5 ( or is it 6 now?) ....is there something i'm missing where she doesn't have one of the very basic and fundamental skills, and is working skills above her level?

No I think you're right that this is not typical...I guess I have to trust them? As long as she's not getting hurt, right? Or should I say something? Still a new world to me!

 

[NoDramaMama]

I wouldn't say anything. They must know what they're doing and know that she will be kipping very soon. I guess they don't want to let one (difficult) skill to hold her back. Her other skills are awesome for her age/level.

 

[Quadqueen]

Kind of confused about all the TOPs talk - didn't OP say her gym doesn't do TOPs?

 

[NoDramaMama]

I thought she said that her gym was looking into doing TOPS, but aren't currently.

 

[gymnastca25]

I mentioned in a post that a back whip is a TOPs skill. Then OP asked about TOPs.

 

[Quadqueen]

Thanks! I'll have to ask her about the bars stuff. I know she can do Giants on strap bar so she could probably cast to handstand, right? (Is it obvious I never did gymnastics! Lol) walkovers on beam are no problem and she can do front tuck dismount but not sure about back. At least we have 8 months or so, right?! Thanks for the info

I wouldn't assume she has a cast to handstand if she doesn't have a kip. I too think it's odd to have her doing some of these skills without the more basic stuff like kips.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

For 8 year old TOPS skills, she would need (as of right now because it changes year to year) on Bars: 2 consecutive kip casts to above 45 degrees (about half way up), clear hip, kip, toe circle, jump to high bar, kip cast, swing 1/2 turn dismount; on Beam: BWO, 180 split leap, cartwheel, back tuck dismount to stick, & FWO; on Floor: 2 FHS step outs to FHS two feet, ROBHSBHSBT to stick, front limber, forward roll to pike HS w/ 1/2 turn, & back extension roll. These are ROUTINES. They must be performed in a fluid motion (they don't show individual skills except for in physical abilities.). For physical abilities, they need to be able to climb a rope to 12ft (arms only, legs in a pike), 5 press HS in a row, 20 L to V leg lifts, 30 sec HS hold, 5 cast HS, high kicks and holds. The scoring is different too. These skills are scored 0, 2, 4, or 6. Each physical ability is worth 10 points, except kicks and holds which are worth 12. And the judges are not shy about giving zeros!! These skills should be CONSISTENT and with very good form.

Anything can happen in 8 months, but, IMO, with all due respect, if she is struggling with her kip rt now, it's gonna be a stretch to get the bar routine ready before she tests. My dd bday is in Feb too! (She will be 9). She got her kip at 5 1/2 ish and at this time last year (L4 District Championships) and through state in Dec., she took lots of deductions on her kip......

Thank you! This is exactly the info I need. And I appreciate the honesty. Long before I had kids I realized by just being a casual gymnastics fan that only a tiny fraction of kids actually have a chance at become elite, but in the last few months I'm really understanding how extremely competative it is...At this point she's doing great and wants to be there all the time, so I just want to makes the right decisions to give her the chance to live up to her full potential, whatever that means!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I wouldn't assume she has a cast to handstand if she doesn't have a kip. I too think it's odd to have her doing some of these skills without the more basic stuff like kips.

Yes, you're right. I asked her today about the cast to hand stand and she said she cannot do that yet without help. That's what I need you guys for, thanks!