Beginner help?

[Uglybetty]

My daughter (born 2004) has just been moved from rec gymnastics to the selection only novice group at an elite gym in the uk. She has just turned 9. I'm worried that she is starting competitive gymnastics too late....I see tiny gymnasts doing some very impressive routines....is 9 too late to move to competitive gymnastics? She has been doing rec for about 1.5 years so its not like she's a total beginner.

I have tried to do some research into the grade structure....it's so confusing....can you skip grades? I guess I'm worried that she may do grades out of age and therefore never really "catch up". She'll be doing 9 hours a week (3x 3).

Also where can you find out what skills you need for each grade? So that I can figure out roughly where she is at the moment.

 

[marie83]

Hi,
The novice structure in the UK varies from region to region, so you are best to ask your daughter's coaches your questions. One I can definitely answer is that 9 is definitely not too old to start.

Novice is a great place to start competitive gym - Slightly more serious than rec, but still lots of fun and not hours and hours in the gym, leaving time for other activities.

Re grades - Have the coaches said anything about working towards grades?
Its best to ask them what your daughter will be competing. Being in or out of age isn't really of any relevance in the grades structure. In fact it is only grade 14 in our region which has in or out of age. 13,12,11 and 10 are all mixed age groups with just a minimum but no maximum age.

Grades 8,7,6 and 5 are from age 10 upwards, so again, mixed ages.

Hope this helps, and good luck to your daughter!

Marie

 

[Ex member]

My 9 year old dd started the competitive track in disability gymnastics around 4 weeks ago - she was in rec trampolining and the coaches invited her into the development group for disability gymnastics after doing some gymnastics stuff with her one day during her trampoline lesson.

Dd is now going to development classes 1.5 hours x 2 a week and 2 hours x 2 a week for comp practice, she absolutely loves it and we didn't know that there was a competitive disability group - we thought it was rec only.

Dd will be competing in a few months and has a floor routine and beam routine already and also a vault or 2, I think she will be competing level 1 with a compulsory routine.

Like you I don't know how it works or what level she is or what she can progress too, I am not really bothered what level she is as long as she is happy and progresses along the way. I guess as the weeks go on some more info will come from the coaches but as this is all new I am just sitting back and enjoying the ride as this is something we had never thought was possible by going down the competitive track at her age.

We are from the Uk as well.

 

[Faith]

If you can bear to read this thread, it veers off into a very useful discussion on UK gymnastics and general structure.

Mainly though, I'd say if she's at an elite gym, producing elite gymnasts (there's only about 5 or 6 in the UK, so if she's at one of those you can't go far wrong), and you and she are generally happy with the hours and coaching she's getting, then chill and just go with the flow. The club should know what they're doing, and if they've moved her to that group that's obviously where they think she'll fit best. If they thought she was too old they wouldn't bother.

If she's 9 it's not too late at all. What level was "rec"? Does she have any skills? In some clubs rec is pretty high level gymnastics, in others it's basically a keep fit fun class to teach co-ordination, and they don't really learn skills past a cartwheel and no apparatus.

Yes you can skip grades, as long as you meet the minimum age requirement. For what skills you need I've never managed to find a list, but try searching youtube for videos, there's usually someone put up little Suzie's grade 14 bar routine

 

[Uglybetty]

Thanks all. I'm going to do my very best to chill and enjoy the ride. We're lucky to attend probably the best gym in the uk (several Olympians if you catch my drift) so I know she is in very safe hands. It's just all a bit scary when you don't really understand the lingo (if I am honest I don't even understand the scoring etc). She had to develop a fair amount before they'd select her....lots of floor stuff (cartwheels, handstands, splits, round offs, bridges) and also vault, beam and some bar work. I'm guessing she has a lot of the basic skills and it will now be all about developing them.

 

[marie83]

Thanks all. I'm going to do my very best to chill and enjoy the ride. We're lucky to attend probably the best gym in the uk (several Olympians if you catch my drift) so I know she is in very safe hands. It's just all a bit scary when you don't really understand the lingo (if I am honest I don't even understand the scoring etc). She had to develop a fair amount before they'd select her....lots of floor stuff (cartwheels, handstands, splits, round offs, bridges) and also vault, beam and some bar work. I'm guessing she has a lot of the basic skills and it will now be all about developing them.

Thought you might be at 'that' gym having seen their recent facebook and twitter posts!

I've just looked at your region's handbook and it looks like novice gymnasts compete floor and vault at 3 levels - pre-novice, novice and intermediate levels

Pre-novice gymnasts can't have done any grades, any county or regional competitions above pre-novice in any previous year and can't have come in top 3 in the pre-novice comp in a previous year.

Novice gymnasts can't have done any grades other than 14 and 13 or finished in the top 3 in the novice comp in a previous year.

Intermediate gymnasts can't have done any grades other than 14, 13 and 12 and can't have done level 4 or come in the top 3 in the intermediate comp in a previous year.

They can also compete in 4 piece competitions at pre-novice and novice levels but with slightly different rules to those above.

pre-novice gymnasts can have done grades 14,13 and 12 but no other county or regional 4 piece competitions.

Novice gymnasts can have competed up to grade 10 and National grade 8 but no compulsories above level 5

Looks to me like Novice is a very decent level in your region looking at some of the skills required/allowed! Looks like she might get to compete some grades as well as the other comps too!

I really hope your daughter enjoys her new class!
*Goes off to bed now wishing her region was as organised as yours!*

 

[Uglybetty]

Thanks Marie83 that's very helpful. One final question, when they talk about being age X in the year of competition - what exactly does that mean? My daughter's bday is june so at any grades taken in spring 2014 she would not yet be 10 but she would 'turn' 10 "in the competition year" (in the June a few months later)...does that mean she is classed as a 9 year old or 10 year old? God, I hope I'm making sense because I'm confusing myself now lol.

 

[marie83]

Yes you are making sense! She would be classed as a 10 year old as she is 10 in year.