Coaches Criteria for moving up in level (XCEL)

[Coach.HayHay]

Hi Coaches!

TLDR;
What is your criteria for moving kids up a level? Do you get any pushback from parents and if so, how do you deal with it?

I just wanted to get some input on how you decide who moves up to the next level and who repeats. This is mostly in regards to XCEL, but I am happy to hear from DP as well.

This will be my first year having to make these decisions and facing the parents afterwards, so I feel I really need to have firm, clear criteria for moving up to avoid angry parents and upset kids. I know both of those come with the territory, but I just wanted to hear from some fellow coaches how you run your progressions, tips for dealing with parents, etc.

Specific questions I have

If the requirements are based off scores, are the required scores the same for each level? Is making States a requirement to move up? If basing on scores, do you look at the highest AA of the season, the average AA of the season, the AA of States, or do you have a required score for each event?

Do you require that they had a 10SV on all four events at every single meet, regardless of AA score?

Do you require that they already have SOME of the requirements for the next level?

Do you consider age, attendance, attitude, whether its their 1st, 2nd, 3rd year on this level, etc?

Do you have specific skill requirements? Strength and flexibility requirements?

Do you just move the top 3/top 5/top 10 regardless of score?

Do you only have a certain amount of spots available for the next level?

Anything you are willing to share with me is greatly appreciated. Right now I'm looking at my criteria being a combo of "Yes" to the above questions. I'm just struggling to decide if its universal across the board for each level or if it varies level to level.

 

[Dahlialover]

As a parent, I feel like the only criteria that matters is the best interest of the individual athlete. The goal should be to place the athlete in a level that provides a just-right challenge. For some kids, the choice is obvious. But some kids are more complicated. A kid may have the minimum skills necessary to move up but they are easily discouraged if they don’t medal and it’s better to have them repeat in order to build their confidence. Another kid may not have all the skills for the next level but they are progressing quickly and it’s a safe bet that they’ll be where they need to be in time for competition season. Sometimes the level decision has nothing to do with ability, for instance, some of our boys with Autism or ADHD repeat levels in order to stay with a coach who understands their needs. At our gym, training groups are rearranged based on predicted levels at the start of summer but the competition levels are not finalized until we start the fall schedule in September. This gives kids who are in-between levels plenty of time to up-train and see if they can reach their goals. Parents and athletes are included in the decision-making when the decision is not clear cut. It’s a little bit messy to do it this way but it works.

 

[raenndrops]

We go with best interest of the athlete. We also hold off on level decisions until closer to time to register for meets.
During the "off season," nobody is a level. They have clubs. Any gymnasts working on kips are in a kip club. We have back handspring club, full turn on beam club, beam acro club, squat on club, cast handstand club, clear hip circle club ... you get the picture. If a gymnast has a skill, but it is not solid, they can still be in the club. For the rest of the gymnasts, it's a one step up kinda thing for the clubs - if you did a handstand flatback this year, you do a handspring over the mat turned sideways before you get to go over the vault table. If you have a solid ROBHS, you can work RO2BHS or ROBHSBT or ROBT. If you have a front tuck, you can work front pike or FHSFT or FTFT.

We do have MINIMUM scores they have to achieve to move up past Gold. Since Gold is considered an entry-level again, there is no minimum score to move up to Gold ... just need to be able to put together 10.0 SV routines on 3/4 events. To move up from Gold, they need to be at least 11 years old (USAG says 8 years old) and have a 32.0 AA in any meet or 8.5 on each event (even if in different meets). To date, our Platinums either stay Platinum or go to Level 6 if they want to move up ... or compete on the HS team (and Platinum or just HS) when eligible.
We also look at what is best for the gymnast's mental health. If competing Gold for 7 years until you graduate high school is what's best for you, then you compete Gold for 7 years.
If it would be better for you to move up to Platinum even though your bars were at an 8.7 SV on a good day, then you move up to Platinum.