Parents Becoming a top gymnast after getting a late start

[Halfon]

My kid was also a 9yo level 4, but started competing a few years earlier. She began with a big group who naturally all wanted to go to college, the very same college, live together forever. She is one of very very few who will be starting upper optionals. Life changed, girls have boyfriends, like a different sport, need to work on grades, each has gone thru their own evolution. Tho my kid is still in it and has been one of the best in our state each year she’s been in the game, I still feel like it’s 50/50 if she’ll be able to do 4 events next season. It just gets so much harder. I would advise against parent talks with coaches. My kid and every teammate she has had have done very well without any parental input. We don’t watch practice. We just drive. Do hair. Be in the background at meets. Don’t put videos on social media. It was hard at first, but now I know my kid is still in it bc she’s in it. And coaches typically shy away from ‘those parents’. If your kid goes to practice, cheers her team, takes feedback, they know what she wants. I feel your post deeply and I also wondered in the beginning if she started to late or at a gym that used lower compulsory for too long. But… she probably wouldn’t be as healthy physically or want it as much as she does if she found gymnastics sooner.