WAG Curious about gyms that sandbag

[gracyomalley]

I think its totally apples and oranges for some of us - with some gyms in areas where L1-3 are serious competitive levels, and some in areas where most girls don't compete until L3 or L4...so I can't "imagine" holding girls back at L1....but then, honestly, my DD worked on L1 skills from age 3-4 and then spent ages 5-8 working on old L5 skills....probably translates in there somewhere to "holding her back" at some low level for form issues...its just wasn't ever in those terms - and honestly was probably a lot cheaper (although one ages 7 and 8 were team years...with competition at age 8).

I never thought of it carefully - but in this context she did spend a couple of years working up to and perfecting her RO-BHS-BHS and form on her cartwheel and handstand on beam, kips and the dreaded front hip circle, etc....as well as a couple of earlier years doing 3 hours a week working pull overs, hand stands, bridges, kick-overs, etc....I was just lucky enough that it was in rec and pre-team! (and I mean financially lucky! plus I didn't have to do meet hair as young!) When I think of it this way I do feel that many "good" young gymnasts (or even older girls starting in rec here and spending a couple years there before team) may need more time in the pre-new L4 levels to get the form and strength they need to progress - its really just a matter of it your gym competes it and calls it team, or trains it and calls it rec/pre-team, etc...

 

[gymparent22]

There's a gym in our area that is often accused of sandbagging. I don't know anyone there, so I really can't say whether they have some cut-off point for advancing. I just took a look at how the girls have advanced over the past couple of years, and they almost all did advance--most level 4s last year were level 4s this year, but that's really the same as old level 5. Same for the level 3s. And, occasionally someone advanced up--so they were level 3 last year, and they are level 4 this year (which would be last year's level 5). And yes, they tend to do quite well on the podium (not so much sweep, because often they have 1, maybe 2 girls in each age group)--So they've got to be uptraining, whether or not they are sandbagging.

They are definitely not making gymnasts repeat, as much as rumor would suggest.