Anon Competitive Gymnastics

[Anonymous Post]

My daughter started doing beginner gymnastics skills on her trampoline during covid, like bridges, backbends, cartwheels, handstands and round offs at age 10. She progressed to doing them on the floor. Now, I've enrolled her in gymnastics classes once a week at age 13 (yes, I know thats like grandma age in gymnastics), which started around August 27th. In her class, she is does pretty well on floor, highest skills being back flips and back handspring back flips. On bars she has all level 2 requirements, other than underswing dismount, which hasn't been attempted. Beam is level 2, other than the dismount . Finally, vault is level 2/3. Our gym offers competitive teams levels 1-10, which I'm pretty sure is different from normal competitive gyms. Before making the competitive team, you have to be in pre-team. Before pre-team, you're supposed to go to beginners. My daughter was immediately accepted into pre-team, not having to go to beginners. Now, she really wants to join competitive. Are there any tips for the skills she doesnt have on the other events, or on how to make the team? There arent any tryouts, you're just invited randomly. Apologies if there isn't enough information.

 

[Anonymous Post]

Most gyms have level 3 and up. Not many have 1. Based on her age, they should take her into L2 no problem. Pre-team seems unnecessary for her age. L2 is a good place to get the skills she's missing. I'm assuming no xcel? An Xcel program would be great for her.

 

[For Flip Sake]

Trying her best at every practice and applying the corrections that her coach gives her are a great start. I‘d also try to increase the number of classes to more than once per week if possible. Talk to your daughter’s coach about her interest in joining team and what steps she would need to take to make that happen. Unfortunately, some gyms are very specific about the age their girls start on team, and others are more inclusive. Find out more details about your specific program, and if they won’t give your daughter a chance seek out another gym (maybe with an XCEL program) that will allow her to compete. Gymnastics is an amazing sport, good luck!

 

[RTT2]

I second the Xcel program idea. Your daughter sounds like an ideal fit for that program, which is generally more welcoming to kids who started a little later and want to compete. If your current gym doesn't offer Xcel I'd look around. She sounds like she'd be ready for Bronze and possibly Silver. Good luck- gymnastics is such a fun sport and I love stories of kids who discover their passion a little later than gymnasts sometimes start and go on to enjoy competing and having the opportunity to grow with it and develop awesome skills.

 

[Coach Kate]

I again echo the Xcel idea. I think it's going to be rare to find a gym that invites a 13 year old into level 2 or 3. I don't know what her training group is like, but most of the 2s and 3s I know are ages 6-10. It might be more fun for her to find a place where she can train with her peers. I know we have several teens, even freshmen in high school, who are competing silver this year, having worked their way through our rec classes (we don't compete bronze).

I will also advise that at this point in the year, most gyms already have their teams set. So she may benefit from preteam or even junior high high/teen classes. Put her in a position where she could be invited to a silver team, maybe even goals, depending on progress, for next summer.

 

[Anonymous Post]

At my daughter's previous NGA gym, a 13 year old level 3 would have been the oldest girl but not by a huge amount. Not all gyms are predicated on fielding a team of 7 year old level 4s. If the gym is willing to let her compete, she should just keep trying her best and having a great attitude.

 

[Anonymous Post]

I'm lucky enough that our gym does train all ages in any level, so my DD did level 2 as a 12 year old competing for the first time, and there was also a thirteen year old in her group as well. She's grown by leaps and bounds (skills-wise) and even though she may be a bit older than many are in her level, she's still enjoying it and wants to keep going. Where she sometimes gets held up is being able to throw big skills but not always having some of the more basic ones for advancement. Thank goodness we are now in optional levels and her routines can be tailored to her strengths!