Parents Catching Up success stories?

[Yuenling]

Hi, I am new here, and excited to join this forum!

My daughter is just finished competing level 5 last November. She had a slow start to the season since she didn't join level 5 till middle of July last year, but was able to catch up by States and win her age group.

From December to March, she had a personal set-back that caused her to miss a lot of practices. Her level 5 group was divided into two groups, the one moving to level 7 and the other who will be repeating level 5. Because of her inconsistency at practice, she was placed in the group slated to repeat level 5 and that group never practiced the level 7 skills : cast to handstand, giants, layout on floor, switch leaps on floor.

In April, she was able to start coming consistently to gym, but by then, it was "too late". She was set to repeat level 5, and was too far beind the "training level 7 " girls, so the only time she could practice cast-to-handstand, and giants (on strap) was occasionally at open gym.

This July, we moved my daughter to a new gym. She tried out for the level 6 team. At tryouts, the coach saw her not-quite-to-vertical cast-to-handstand and her 10 giants-on-strap in a row, and and said she was good enough to train for competing level 7.

She is thrilled to be in level 7! After 2 weeks at practice, she was able to do a straddle cast-to-handstand to vertical + giant on the pit bar. She also started working on switch leaps (which are still not 180 degrees), and layouts on floor, though I don't see much height.

My question is, since she is now at least 7 months behind the girls who were training level 7 from the get-go, is it possible for her to "catch up"? How reasonable is it for her to be a very successful level 7 gymnast by December, February, and April if she is just starting to get her skills now? Any stories of similar experiences is very welcome!

 

[Dka]

Yes my dd went from old level 6 from September 2012- February 2013 in April of 2013 she began working giants, cast handstands etc. she ended up competing level 8 in December So yes it's possible...

 

[raenndrops]

Honestly, it doesn't matter that she is "7 months behind" the other girls in training. She still has more than 4 months before December. In our gym, training for the next level usually happens in 4-5 months. There are some uptraining opportunities during the season, when we have more than 2 weeks between meets. Then, after Championships (mid-March), they have 2 weeks of picking their skills to work on. April is complete uptraining - no routines. May and June are both uptraining AND old routines (once a week in May and 2-3 times a week in June) for those going to YMCA Nationals. Unless they want to work out or be junior camp counselors at 2 weeks of rec gymnastics camp, they have the entire month of July off. August is when levels are decided... but L6 versus L7 and Xcel Gold versus Xcel Platinum can change as late as the end of September. Meets start in late October/ early November.

 

[gymgal]

If you are comfortable with the coach and gym you are at and their gymnasts are competitive, I would trust the coach to know where your dd will be successful. I think the next couple months will give you a better idea of how quickly she will pick up the skills she needs. There are many gyms whose girls go into a level without all the necessary skills. It isn't ideal but it happens. By the end of the season, they usually have their skills down.

 

[gracyomalley]

DD placed on 3 of 4 events and AA her first season L7 and didn't have all her skills until late fall. It all depends upon the girls form, coaching and how flexible the team is (for DD it was giants but she had 10.0 starting value on bars without them as she had great cast hand stands and B level free hips - so did great on bars anyway).

Some kids take 3 months to learn L7 skills, some 3 years - some depends upon how the did at L5 (suspect your DD had strong bars and good form based upon her placement - so really lots of L7 grows directly form L5....). In the "old days" (pre=new 6) most girls did a couple years at L7...so very few came into it "perfect"...now with L6, some of those girls do L6 then L7...but it sounds like your DD is at a good spot! Enjoy...

(on the side, DD just changed gyms from one that only up-trained in the summer EVEN with girls who repeated to one that up-trains a level OR 2 all year round and has the girls compete whatever level they are totally confident at. On the one hand this has put more pressure on her to have all the L8 skills rock solid by September, on the other hand she's training a bigger variety of skills with more forward progression than ever before...Wish I'd moved her before she wasted a year repeating L7, winning lots and feeling like a failure!)

 

[momto8in10]

My daughter competed L3 last season. After State (Dec), she started training L4. Our old L4 girls started training L6 (we don't compete L5). In June, they took a few of the girls training 4 and moved them to the 6 team. We are months behind the other girls, who have been training harder skills much longer. This summer, working together, it is amazing how fast the gap is closing. You can still see the difference, but I imagine that in a few months, it will be hard to tell the girls apart.

 

[Yuenling]

Well, it's been 5 months that she has been working on level 7 skills and she had her intrasquad 2 weeks ago. Her AA score was 37.2. She hit all 3 handstands in bars (2 kip casts, 1 free hip), can do 3 giants in a row, and went past 180 in her jumps on the floor and beam. So i guess with great coaches and hard work, it is possible to catch up.

 

[auswi]

Thank you so much for filling us in on how she went - well done !!
Always read old threads and wonder how things went, great to have the catch up - I know it's often not possible

 

[auswi]

I meant well done to your gymmy

 

[iwannacoach]

...... My question is, since she is now at least 7 months behind the girls who were training level 7 from the get-go, is it possible for her to "catch up"? How reasonable is it for her to be a very successful level 7 gymnast by December, February, and April if she is just starting to get her skills now? Any stories of similar experiences is very welcome!

Catching up is a matter of heart and soul. The reality is the more she listens to reality the less she will accomplish. If she chooses to listen to her heart?????

Total world domination!!!!!

 

[sce]

Great update. sounds like she's set to have a great season.