WAG Beginning of summer or end of summer to determine level for following season

[gracyomalley]

Girls and boys who wish to move up are offered the option of training the hours for the next level all summer. Both compete in January, so as long a a child is reasonable about their expectations and works hard they are allowed and encouraged to aim for the next level until mid/late fall....There are certainly kids who will be "rearranged" as training goes on. DD just moved over to her brother's gym - she was already called an 8 at her previous gym, and is training 8 at new gym with the expectation she will be there - but new gym does not compete them at L8 without 2 36s as 7s (DD had more than that) and solid skills (DD is getting there - but her old gym had a "no one does 3 years of L7" policy so it was a "guarentee" there - here she'll have to earn it - which is part of why she moved). There is so much more uptraining at the new gym I'm not concerned long term about the tougher move up standards and I'm pleased that they are there but the kids have plenty of time to work on the skills before their level is set in stone - seems like the best of both worlds to me!

 

[Pickle]

late October/early November for a meet season that starts in either December or January.

 

[cbifoja]

Our girls went into their projected level at the end of the summer. The idea is that, with the exception of a few borderline cases, the kids will compete the level they are assigned to right now.

Last summer, we tried the other way. The girls were put into training groups that weren't called levels. But a few parents were neurotic about what level their kid was going to compete so HC decided to try this way instead.

Of course, some parents are put out because "how does HC know how much they're going to learn this summer!"

Coaches just can't win in this situation!

 

[skschlag]

Boys: when the coaches finish their bickering and tell us.

And sometimes even then...it changes!

 

[vagymmomma]

Compulsory levels have a pretty good idea based on where they are placed for summer training groups. They still could move someone up, but probably not. Optional move ups aren't until end of summer and the levels seem to be a little more fungible even up to the first couple meets.