WAG Bar width

[Pbo6]

I have a question: my young and short gymnast was told she wasn't going to be able to move up levels if on bars she wasn't able to make the jump from low bar to high bar with the bars pushed the farthest apart. Is this correct? I mean if this is the standard, not skill, or training, then how do any other short gymnast make it to upper levels? Please inform this dad. Thank you.

 

[GymmieMom2011]

That is not a USAG requirement, that is a gym specific requirement

 

[raenndrops]

This sounds like a lazy gym thing to me. The bars DO move in and out as well as up and down.
We have girls that use the bars set at FIG and another group uses wide. We also have 2 groups that use something in between.

However, we do have a smaller gymnast who prefers the wide setting so she can get a big jump to help her swing.

 

[Pbo6]

So can anyone answer why? Is this away to keep gymnasts down?

 

[estamey21]

I want to offer a different perspective of why a gym might have this policy.

Yes, there are lazy coaches who don’t want to move the bar. Yes, some gyms make up arbitrary rules to hold gymnasts back. But there are plenty of other good-faith reasons for having this policy.

I think the primary reason why gyms have this policy is due to the logistics of changing bar settings:

• Moving the bars can be time consuming. Not all coaches want to use up class time to move the bars.
• Moving the bars can be physically strenuous. Not all coaches are physically fit enough to move the bars.
• Moving the bars requires cognitive overhead. There are a lot of ways to configure the uneven bars. If a training group has a mix of bar settings, it can be hard to remember which gymnast has which setting.
• Moving the bars slows down gymnastics competitions. Due to all of the above factors, the more you move the bars, the slower the competition will move. Some coaches believe it is good etiquette to minimize equipment adjustments in a competition.

I think when coaches or gyms make policies about bar settings, they are motivated by “economies of scale.” Changing the bar settings for any one gymnast is trivial. Managing bar settings for a large group of gymnasts with varying needs can be excessively time consuming.

In my opinion, a good gym will balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the larger training group. Somewhere in between “one size fits all” and “one size fits one.”

 

[AlexandraU16]

Our gym prefers the golds to use the same setting as our optionals because we often only have the one coach for the optional girls and the golds (we are a small gym) and it cuts into training time/is a hassle for him to have to keep changing the bars setting. I feel you though. My just turned 7 year old can’t make that jump yet either and it will likely be one of the things keeping her from moving up.