confused about daughters progress

[starmaker]

that is great that she is competing L2! i so wish that we competed the lower levels here. i think it helps their confidence so much when they get that opportunity. i hope you guys both have fun! (is is AAU?)

i hope you keep posting here starmaker. i was thinking we had scared you off, which wasn't anyone's intent i am sure. you sounded concerned when you posted, which is what i was definitely addressing. but we all know our kids better than anyone else and i am sure you are watching to make sure everything is safe for her.

Our Gym is hosting the Universal Invite this weekend. It's an international competition so there will be gymnasts from south america there too. DD is becoming more and more excited as the day gets closer. She has been learning the L2 rountine for the last 3 weeks or so. Personally I think she could of used more time to learn it but we will see how she does. I do plan to post her video on you tube and put a link here. I believe it is a USAG event but maybe the level 2 and 3 could be AAU- don't know.
Thank you, mariposamama for your concern. DD seems to be motivated and excited with gym again. And on off days I do not bring up gym unless she does. (just trying to keep the pressure off and making sure she has time to just be a kid)

 

[mariposa]

how exciting for her to see all the other girls. we have gone to 2 college meets and DD loves it. she has a poster with their autographs and we made a shirt and she got that signed. she even made signs to hold up for them. we are going to our gym's L4 meet tomorrow so she can see what L4 competitions look like. she is really excited.

i bet your DD will have a blast competing and watching the older girls. watch out for her wanting to do lots of new tricks. LOL. they get ideas from watching them.

 

[Aussie_coach]

It really would be fabulous for more gyms to introduce the lower level competitions. Here in Australia competitions begin at Level 1. And level 1, 2 and 3 competitions are hugely popular. Gymnasts are not required to compete until level 4 (then they must get the minimum score to move up a level) so most gyms offer the option of competitions or just classes for level 1-3 athletes. The kids love it and it is a great way to promote longevity in the sport.

Many young gymnasts when they start out don't believe they will ever be good enough to compete as level 4's so having the lower levels helps them to set more immediate goals.

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

My dd competes L3 right now and I think it has been really good for her and her teammates to kind of get their feet wet.

they don't do as many meets as the L4 & up, but it is a good introduction into competitive gymnastics.

Let us know how she does at the meet this weekend, and when the video's are posted. I have to figure out how to post the video's on youtube so I can put dd's there.

I did see in another thread somewhere that there is a site called gymnasttube and it is like youtube but only gymnastics. it was pretty neat.

 

[gymrunner]

Too much

In my opinion this is way too much too soon. After 15 years in this sport with our daugher who started at age 3, the one thing I can tell you is that the sport is a marathon and not a sprint. Believe it or not, the factors that will keep your daughter in the sport and successful at it have very little to do with anything she is doing or exhibiting right now. Many young girls exhibit natural ability only to fail for a variety of other reasons, including burn-out. Now is the time for her to have fun and gain a love for the sport that will carry her through the rough times that will surely come later. She doesn't need them at 4. If she is truly talented, and motivated, she will excel at her own speed. I also believe the other posters are correct about the competing age guidelines. I'm suprised her coach was not on top of this.

 

[starmaker]

Too much for the typical 4 year old

In my opinion this is way too much too soon. After 15 years in this sport with our daugher who started at age 3, the one thing I can tell you is that the sport is a marathon and not a sprint. Believe it or not, the factors that will keep your daughter in the sport and successful at it have very little to do with anything she is doing or exhibiting right now. Many young girls exhibit natural ability only to fail for a variety of other reasons, including burn-out. Now is the time for her to have fun and gain a love for the sport that will carry her through the rough times that will surely come later. She doesn't need them at 4. If she is truly talented, and motivated, she will excel at her own speed. I also believe the other posters are correct about the competing age guidelines. I'm suprised her coach was not on top of this.

My dd is having tons of fun in her gym class. Her main coach is a 21 year old ex gymnast. She is GREAT with her. She is firm but at the same time gentle. ALthough she is the yougest in the class, she does not baby her but at the same time understands that SHE IS four and has her moments. Her patience and her ability to encourage and praise my dd are very commendable. This is our second gym so I have some point of reference. My dd has not encountered "rough" times at gym. (atleast not at her new gym) Because she is so naturally talented, smart, and mature for her age she IS working at her own pace(it just happens to be faster than most 4 year olds). No one is really pushing her. She is working to her ability. Out of the group of girls they are training for L4 next season my dd is the most physically ready. (the other girls according to the coach need some arm strength. My dd is the only one with a pullover, split, etc. My dd could not be in any other class at this gym without being completely and utterly bored....hence her old gym.
By the way dd turns five next months. Don't know maybe in other people eyes five is better than four and half.

Have you guys ever seen a four year old do straddle presses??
Her strength and flexibility is very uncanny. People reaction seeing her warmup and condition are of complete awe.

Other than my circumstance I would agree with everyone else about 9 hours being too much too soon for a 4 year old. dd wouldn't have it any other way though. And my gut tells me that the look on her face while at gym is reassurance enough!!!

 

[Bay Valley]

In Michigan we have "Fun Meets" for girls levels 2-5 that are not old enough to compete. They have to follow normal meet rules, they give ribbons for all events to all kids, and even medals. My daughter was to young to compete for level 4 and did this, next season she went rite to level 5. With the FUN MEETS they have actual judges there so the girls can get use too competeing in a more relaxed way, and they love it. We have 1, 4yr old and 2, 5 yr olds in our gym doing this and they love it.

 

[gymrunner]

We have several kids in our gym your daughter's age that are not only doing straddle presses (not all that tough to teach to a motivated young one), but also kips on bars. In fact, my own daughter could do both skills at 5 years old 13 years ago. We have a 7 year old doing giants already. You will be amazed at what some of these young kids can do, especially if your daughter ever competes in the TOPS program - that will be an eye-opener for you! None of it really means anything right now or is any kind of indication whether they will have what it takes to suceed as a competitive gymnast. The cheer schools are filled with girls who were full of talent at an early age. Its all about loving the sport and dedication more so than raw talent or strength. My own daughter trained level 5 for two years because she was too young to compete and in retrospect it was too much, even though she "loved it" at the time - until the injuries started. I speak not only as a parent, but as a coach. There is plenty of time. Keep a close eye on her. Her coach is pretty young and doesn't have alot of experience yet, even if she was a gymnast. We were all gymnasts!

 

[starmaker]

We have several kids in our gym your daughter's age that are not only doing straddle presses (not all that tough to teach to a motivated young one), but also kips on bars. In fact, my own daughter could do both skills at 5 years old 13 years ago. We have a 7 year old doing giants already. You will be amazed at what some of these young kids can do, especially if your daughter ever competes in the TOPS program - that will be an eye-opener for you! None of it really means anything right now or is any kind of indication whether they will have what it takes to suceed as a competitive gymnast. The cheer schools are filled with girls who were full of talent at an early age. Its all about loving the sport and dedication more so than raw talent or strength. My own daughter trained level 5 for two years because she was too young to compete and in retrospect it was too much, even though she "loved it" at the time - until the injuries started. I speak not only as a parent, but as a coach. There is plenty of time. Keep a close eye on her. Her coach is pretty young and doesn't have alot of experience yet, even if she was a gymnast. We were all gymnasts!

I had no idea there were so many 4 year olds doing straddle presses and kips. The coaches and especially the higher level gymnasts in out gym are genuinely impressed by her strength. The straddle press was not never taught to her. She saw someone do it, gave it a try and did it. As far as a kip, she has had a few practises on them and looks very good. Assuming dd continues with gymnastics she will definently participate in the TOPS program. Why would the TOPS program be an eye opener for me?? I know what the test consist of. My dd is very motivated, hard-working, extremely competitive, detail oriented little girl. She loves being challanged. She tells me her favorite part of gym is conditioning. She is super strong!! And super flexible!! So far as I see it, and her gym sees it she has a great shot at going very far in the sport. I am aware that she is young and that there is plenty of time but no one is rushing her. Holding her back simply because of chronological age makes little sense to me. If you evaluate EVERY characteristic a gymnast needs to train L4 and later find out the gymnast is actually 4 or 5 years old will you hold them back??
DD actually has 3 coaches. On any given day she can have any given coach. One is the owner and head coach. Who has taken gymnasts to elite, collegiate, worlds, and own son is one the national team and an olympic hopeful for 08 olympics. The other is a man who has been to Worlds and trains gymnasts to elite. He tends to be more strick and impatient. The young one I spoke about earlier is actually an extremely good coach. She knows what everyone is doing at all times.

 

[starmaker]

We have several kids in our gym your daughter's age that are not only doing straddle presses (not all that tough to teach to a motivated young one), but also kips on bars. In fact, my own daughter could do both skills at 5 years old 13 years ago. We have a 7 year old doing giants already. You will be amazed at what some of these young kids can do, especially if your daughter ever competes in the TOPS program - that will be an eye-opener for you! None of it really means anything right now or is any kind of indication whether they will have what it takes to suceed as a competitive gymnast. The cheer schools are filled with girls who were full of talent at an early age. Its all about loving the sport and dedication more so than raw talent or strength. My own daughter trained level 5 for two years because she was too young to compete and in retrospect it was too much, even though she "loved it" at the time - until the injuries started. I speak not only as a parent, but as a coach. There is plenty of time. Keep a close eye on her. Her coach is pretty young and doesn't have alot of experience yet, even if she was a gymnast. We were all gymnasts!

I had no idea there were so many 4 year olds doing straddle presses and kips. The coaches and especially the higher level gymnasts in out gym are genuinely impressed by her strength. The straddle press was not never taught to her. She saw someone do it, gave it a try and did it. As far as a kip, she has had a few practises on them and looks very good. Assuming dd continues with gymnastics she will definently participate in the TOPS program. Why would the TOPS program be an eye opener for me?? I know what the test consist of. My dd is very motivated, hard-working, extremely competitive, detail oriented little girl. She loves being challanged. She tells me her favorite part of gym is conditioning. She is super strong!! And super flexible!! So far as I see it, and her gym sees it she has a great shot at going very far in the sport. I am aware that she is young and that there is plenty of time but no one is rushing her. Holding her back simply because of chronological age makes little sense to me. If you evaluate EVERY characteristic a gymnast needs to train L4 and later find out the gymnast is actually 4 or 5 years old will you hold them back??
DD actually has 3 coaches. On any given day she can have any given coach. One is the owner and head coach. Who has taken gymnasts to elite, collegiate, worlds, and own son is one the national team and an olympic hopeful for 08 olympics. The other is a man who has been to Worlds and trains gymnasts to elite. He tends to be more strick and impatient. The young one I spoke about earlier is actually an extremely good coach. She knows what everyone is doing at all times.

 

[gymrunner]

Its not a question of holding them back as much as it is wear and tear if they seek to have long-term success in the sport. The coaches will move them as fast as possible because it helps them promote their gym and they want to win meets. You are the parent and must monitor your dd's health. Only you can decide if she can handle it or not. Some can, most can't. I've seen it on both sides as a parent and a coach. Coaches push, push and push. Too much too young will show up later when it actually matters. Nothing your daughter is doing at level 4 or 5 has any bearing whatsoever on her long-term success, and the meets and their results mean nothing in the long run if level 10 or elite is the goal. Real gymnastics does not start until level 10. Everything else is just preparation and confidence building. Staying healthy and loving the sport are without question the two most important factors in reaching that level - more important than strength and talent, as strength can be gained and talent means nothing in this sport without motivation and hard work. Out of hundreds of kids that started out with my daughter 13 years ago in our state, many of whom were very strong and talented, only her and one other girl have made it to a college scholarship. The odds against your daughter making it all the way are staggering, and the reason is usually because the girls lose their motivation from over-training, they find another interest or they get injured. Keeping your daughter happy and healthy improve her odds tremendously! As for TOPS, it is basically a physical strength and flexibility challenge competition for the younger ones with skills added for the older girls. The parents really get into it and you will see 7 year olds doing 100 push-ups and 30 pull-ups and everyone will be very excited about it. There are 2 thoughts about TOPS. Some coaches find it a waste of time because it takes away from gymnastics training. Other coaches are really into it - again because success by a kid brings more attention to the gym. We do not participate in TOPS at our gym because of the additional wear and tear on the kids to prepare and the time away from learning skills, and we have seen no correlation between success at TOPS and success as a gymnast in the long run. I cannot stress to you the importance of happy and healthy if your daughter has the potential to do well in the sport. The cheer squads of America are full of talented strong kids who either broke down physically or lacked the motivation and work ethic to suceed in gymnastics. I wish your dd the best.

 

[catesmom]

Starmaker- Hope things are going well for your dd, I just revisited this post from a while back, and I was wondering how your dd enjoyed her first competition? I read that you were putting videos up on youtube, but I didn't see a link. Anyway I was just wondering.

 

[mariposa]

Starmaker- Hope things are going well for your dd, I just revisited this post from a while back, and I was wondering how your dd enjoyed her first competition? I read that you were putting videos up on youtube, but I didn't see a link. Anyway I was just wondering.

here is her little cutie's youtube link. http://www.youtube.com/user/OliviasClub

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

This is a tough topic for a lot of people. When a young one has natural ability, it is hard to even think of holding them back. My dd's coach was an elite gymnast and started very young. Her daughter is now 4 and amazing to watch. She is able to do all the level 5 routines easily. She was able to do bhs's last summer. She has her kips, bwo on beam with a sopt, etc. It really is incredible to watch. The amazing thing is she only practices 4 hours a week. Granted she spends more time than that in the gym because her mom is there coaching the other girls, but her mom is afraid if she has her practice too much too soon she will burn out. Next year she will be old enough to compete level 3 - which is totally unfair to all the other level 3's out there since she is so good already.

 

[Gymnasticsgirl521]

I have to say as long as your DD is having fun and her coaches are supporting her being so young then I say you know your child best. I too have an almost 5 year old that is working on simular things. She will not be able to compete next year but will be training her L4 and beginning to work on L5 for her first year of competing. That being said I say as long as DD is having fun and is growing that is all that matters. When ever she gets upset about things I always ask her is she wants to contine in the sport.

I so wish we had L3 meets here. DD would so LOVE to get to actually compete. I know it is going to kill her next year when her peers are going to meets and she will just be training.

We are starting private lessons next week and going to try two a month to help DD. DD is such a perfectionist about how she does things we feel this would really help her get things just perfect and help eliminate some of her frustration. I personally feel this will help her too with her confidence on her skills. The Easter Bunny will be giving her a certificate for her first private this weekend. I know she is going to be thrilled.

 

[Cuemommy]

Can do multiple levels in one year

Hi---wow Olivia sure sounds talented. Granted, if she was my child..here's what I would do:

Feed her as much as I can (they burn calories very fast)
Give her juice plus capsules (to help aid her rapidly growing body)
Keep training her skills for level 4, 5, and even 6... get the dvd from usa gymnastics website for only $35.00. Have her memorize all the routines from 4 to 7...she can practice at home while watching the dvd.

When it comes time to compete, she can do level 4, 5, and even 6 in one meet. Heck, I would keep her back from competitions till she could do level 7 and then just do them all at once...and get right to level 7.

Make sure it is USAG training and not AAU.

If she truly loves the sport and wants to do more and more, let her, but like all the others said, just keep a close eye on her. Especially make her do wrist excerises and ankle excerises as those are usually the weakest spots.

Much to my regret, I didn't have my daughter in ballet early enough. I wish I put her in ballet at 3 or 4 years old. Ballet, once or twice a week, will really help with gracefulness and leaps with the floor routine.

This is all of what I've learned, and all too late. My daughter is 7, going on 8 in September and she competes as level 4. If I knew back then of what I know now, I would have had her do gymnastics years ago. I foolishly let her just do gymnastics at home. She just started training seriously Oct. 2007. Not even a year.

I also have learned that it is not necc. to compete as level 4. You can go right to 5 and maybe even 6 with a certified evaluator.

Your gym sounds great. I wish they did that here. I have been having a hard time finding a gym that is more progressive. Metro Gymnastics is very anal about one year per level and it is hardly appealing to my daughter who wants to move on quickly.

 

[ellabella]

I think you are selling your daughter short if you think 7 or 8 is too late to be a great gymnast. I know of many gymnasts that started really late and have reached great heights in this sport. I also know of many who started at age 2 and never made it past level 5. Corey Hartung came to the sport rather late and is beautiful. Ludivine Furnon won a World Championship medal on FX in the 90's and started gymnastics at around age 12. I could go on and on, but you get the point.

 

[bogwoppit]

Feed her as much as I can (they burn calories very fast)
Give her juice plus capsules (to help aid her rapidly growing body)
Keep training her skills for level 4, 5, and even 6... get the dvd from usa gymnastics website for only $35.00. Have her memorize all the routines from 4 to 7...she can practice at home while watching the dvd.

When it comes time to compete, she can do level 4, 5, and even 6 in one meet. Heck, I would keep her back from competitions till she could do level 7 and then just do them all at once...and get right to level 7.

Welcome to the Chalkbucket and wow what a controversial first post.


Ooh, I could never agree with that. Little ones who are talented should never be rushed through the levels, they have lots of time, even if they, and Mom think they want to be Elites. Too many hours in the gym, too much pressure can take all the fun out of the sport and injure growing bodies.

As for learning routines at home, I don't think so, that is the coaches job and not for a night on the sofa with popcorn!

How about you enjoy your time at home, all you Mom's with little ones, Stop worrying about their future and let them be kids. If they want to practice gym at home, make sure they are safe, don't let them do stuff they haven't mastered in the gym with a coach and DO NOT spot skills they haven't got.

Keep Mom and kid time about you and not about gym, you will be their safe place to come when gym doesn't work out, getting too emotionally involved will give a child the feeling that gym is really important to you and that she can't not like it, even for a day!

Just a small rant, we have so many tinies here, they should be having a blast with gym, not feeling the pressure.

I think Olivia's Mom has it in hand, she's a happy little girl, having fun with gym and Mom is letting her move along nicely. She really doesn't need to push her self motivated little girl to do more, she's lovely just the way she is.

 

[gymdog]

Just a note - you can only complete levels 1-4 using the certified skill evaluator. Progressing to L6 requires a mobility score, unless you are on the TOPs national team. However, USAG L4 competition is pretty par for the course at this point in time. I'm seeing increasing examples of L3 competition. I think competition at these levels should be considered introductory and for fun and experience, but this can be a positive thing. Most girls aren't elite tracked, and in the grand scheme of competitive gymnastics where the majority won't make it past compulsories, most of the super talents at the lower levels will ultimately progress through the L10 and NCAA track. If you started with L4 at age 7, you would have about 11 years to progress through 7 levels, which is plenty of time if you have the physical ability and the determination. I know multiple girls who started L4 at age 11 or above and progressed to L10 and NCAA competition. I do not really believe this is the "ideal" age to begin girls' competitive, but it happens because that's the reality and it's can be very workable. Certainly age 7, 8 at L4 is extremely common. I would estimate that our biggest age group in my state for L4 is about age 9. 6 year olds are downright rare when you look at the numbers, and they should be, because that is a logical consequence of how USAG standards and progressions are set up.

 

[Cuemommy]

Great thoughts/suggestions here from you guys

Oops..didn't mean to post something so controversial. When I meant by holding a child back till level 6 or even 7, I meant by training until the child is of age or even a little bit over the "age limit". For level 6, I think you have to be at least 7 years old. I was thinking train for level 6 while young and then compete at age 8 or 9 years old finish up the levels in one year. There are some elites that never bothered with the compulsories.

I wasn't also clear about practicing at home. I meant the "movements" like which arm goes where, leg goes where... (not the BIG skills). Big or difficult skills should always be supervised, of course. I was a gymnast for a long time when I was younger, so I actually know how to correct my daughter or tell her she is doing something incorrectly. I can see how bad habits can develop at home!

I definitely keep my daughter well balanced. We go swimming, we go to the movies, she is taking acro at a dance school and in the fall she will be taking ballet once a week. She also LOVES to cook and read books. I read that it is important to have a child who is well balanced and not to focus so much on gymnastics or else they would get burned out early. We try to talk about other things as well, and that helps a lot!

I definitely agree about just having fun with our children and letting them experience a terrific childhood.

Julie Ann