Parents Cutting down hours

[Em09]

The website I saw had a whole list of requirements...

 

[Deleted member 18037]

@Deleted member 18037 There are just far too many variables to state something like this. What is your experience to be stating this?

Many kids being able to maintain/keep their skills with lower hours.

 

[JBS]

Many kids being able to maintain/keep their skills with lower hours.

Ok… so no experience… thanks.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Ok… so no experience… thanks.

Knowing and seeing kids getting it done doesn’t qualify?

Exactly what experience would qualify?

 

[LucyRobinson]

Yay! I remember reading about the possibility of another Xcel division a few years ago...and now here we are! I think it will be great for Level 9/10s who want to drop hours now but continue later. Or just Xcel girls that are ready to move past diamond. From what I've heard you can compete Diamond with barely L7 skills. That and L10 is a pretty big difference.

 

[JBS]

Knowing and seeing kids getting it done doesn’t qualify?

Exactly what experience would qualify?

Absolutely not... coaching them would qualify. I would want to hear from the coach.

This will be my last reply to you unless you have any sort of real data.

Since you know and see the athletes getting it done at 6.5 hours per week at Level 10... can you let me know what clubs are they training at? I will be at Nationals next weekend. I would love to meet up with the coaches and hear the exact training plan. After all... ChalkBucket is for all to learn.

 

[LJL07]

I may be in the minority here, and as always, my disclaimer, everyone is unique, every situation is unique, You know better than any of us posting on a message board about your child and your situation. While I support the idea that its important to have a diversity of experience with different sports/outlets. I do also believe that at some point you make a choice and commitment, especially when you are at level 10. I subscribe to the general philosophy that if you try to do everything at the highest level, then you are going to be mediocre in everything. My discussions with her would be, what do you see yourself doing with each sport or activity? What is the cost/benefit? In other words, one of these things has to be primary. Sure you can participate rock climbing as an outlet and break from gym, but your commitment is to gymnastics (if that is her decision) and you need to take that seriously.

Again, there are nuances in there that you know better than any of us, just providing a different perspective. Good luck, and whatever you choose to do/say is going to be the right thing.

I think it depends on her goals. I think the above is a great response. Level 10 is such a big deal, so I think you have to be prepared to fully commit. But it does depend on the kid. My daughter has JRA and has a unique training schedule. She has to weave rest days in with strength training and stretching in and less reps on equipment to prevent injury. She is usually pretty quick with skill acquisition though so less hours has been ok for her, but that being said, I am not sure how competitive of a level 10 she will be as far as making it to nationals and being a clean level 10 on less hours. So I will just echo the above about being okay with being mediocre with less hours and other activities.

 

[LJL07]

I guess I just want to add after now reading the whole thread that I do not see how it would be possible to maintain level 10 on 6.5 hours at all. But I am not a coach. I meant that my daughter is doing closer to 15-ish hours. But we have also had to supplement with outside strengthening and conditioning to address imbalances from the JRA. And like I said, she isn't the cleanest skill wise.

 

[rlm's mom]

Absolutely not... coaching them would qualify. I would want to hear from the coach.

This will be my last reply to you unless you have any sort of real data.

Since you know and see the athletes getting it done at 6.5 hours per week at Level 10... can you let me know what clubs are they training at? I will be at Nationals next weekend. I would love to meet up with the coaches and hear the exact training plan. After all... ChalkBucket is for all to learn.

OP was just trying to be helpful! 6.5 hours mentioned is for maintaining skills but doesn’t mean the kid will be at nationals. Nationals is a huge milestone only the best level 10’s make.
Not saying I would put mine on 6.5 hours a week and expect her to fully retain her skills, but it could work for a very talented kid.

 

[LJL07]

OP was just trying to be helpful! 6.5 hours mentioned is for maintaining skills but doesn’t mean the kid will be at nationals. Nationals is a huge milestone only the best level 10’s make.
Not saying I would put mine on 6.5 hours a week and expect her to fully retain her skills, but it could work for a very talented kid.

The risk of injury would be really high maintaining level 10 on 6.5 hours... I have no hard data to back this up, but maybe it would work for Simone Biles only.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

I asked my level 10 daughter (Not anywhere near elite level) what she thought about maintaining at that many hours and she said no way. Maybe there are exceptions, but add me to the skeptical camp.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I will be at Nationals next weekend. I would love to meet up with the coaches and hear the exact training plan. After all... ChalkBucket is for all to learn.

Did I say they were going to Nationals? Did I say they were ALL L10s?
And maintaining skills does not equal Nationals. Not every L10, L9 goes to National. Not every L7/8 goes to regionals. The are still gymnasts, who show up,and do the work.

My statement was 2 practices a week, approx 6 plus hours and you can maintain SOLID skills. No matter the level. Quite honestly a multi year
L10 with solid skills could do better at maintaining skills then a shaky L7. heck I’ve seen kids out of club gym maintaining skills with only
4 months of practice a year, that would be a L9. And a few lower optionals.

And it’s quite arrogant to think only a coach could be “the expert”. And only National qualifiers are worth talking about. That kind of stinks and I’m being kind.

Its that kind of arrogance that insists kids can’t do optionals at low hours. And yet our gym does.

Sorry, no names, not my privacy to violate. I don’t have to “prove” it to you for it to be so.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

OP

Circling back. JMO.

Yes your clearly talented multi year L10. Could very likely maintain her skills on less hours. especially given she will not be a slug during her gym downtime.

And no there is no predictability regarding puberty or mental issues. But solid skills yes.

And clearly you can see coaches are the most insistent it can’t be done.
They also have a personal stake in keeping kids in gym.

My view is skewed as well. People (“experts”) have been telling me for years it can’t be done. My kid simply can’t. Not at L4, L5, L6, 7, 8/9 Yet she does. And I have seen many others besides just mine at all levels boggle on.

I hope you all work it out.

 

[JBS]

My statement was 2 practices a week, approx 6 plus hours and you can maintain SOLID skills. No matter the level.

I am calling you out as I am an experienced coach. As far as I know... you are not a coach. I believe you work in a laboratory.

I have athletes that this has not held true for... so I am calling you out as wrong... that's all. Your statements are simply not true for most athletes as you state.

This is a Level 10 thread... not a Level 7 thread.

It would be much easier for me personally to maintain a Level 7 at 6.5 hours per week than a Level 10 at our club.

Also... I am a professional coach... so I am not being arrogant... I don't believe I am being arrogant.

 

[JBS]

@Deleted member 18037 I don't appreciate the "arrogant" comment just because I have had experiences that don't line up with yours.

This thread is closed.

 

[JBS]

I am unlocking this thread.

 

[Tigtimes]

Well my 2 cents here as a level 10 parent. Guessing perhaps those super talented multi year level 10 could maintain skills, not sure about competing successfully though. But for my somewhat average level 10 kid absolutely no way, just no way would it be possible. This is from a parent who is all supportive of lesser hours by the way. Now that she has arrived at level 10 sorry it is a whole different animal once you are in it. The view from the outside is just not the reality to actually being there.

 

[LJL07]

Well my 2 cents here as a level 10 parent. Guessing perhaps those super talented multi year level 10 could maintain skills, not sure about competing successfully though. But for my somewhat average level 10 kid absolutely no way, just no way would it be possible. This is from a parent who is all supportive of lesser hours by the way. Now that she has arrived at level 10 sorry it is a whole different animal once you are in it. The view from the outside is just not the reality to actually being there.

I’m not sure if this is a good point of reference, but we have an amazing three sport athlete graduating over here. She got a full ride to a big D1 school (not gymnastics). She actually retired a few years ago from gym but continued on the high school team (level 8) and did well. She is exceptional and probably could have been an outstanding 10. The level 8 bars were still a bit of a struggle with very, very minimal training hours.

 

[JBS]

I am a parent of a multi year Level 10. She is a Junior in high school and this is her 6th year as a Level 10. My daughter currently would not be able to maintain at 6.5 hours per week. This is easy for me to say as I have coached her for her entire life.

She has worked out anywhere from 30 hours per week (during her Hopes times) to zero hours per week to let her body heal. Any time we get down to the lower side of the hours we start to slide and our skills no longer cut like a knife. This puts us at a high risk for injury and we have to come up with a plan to get back up to speed. We have to have a plan to move the skills from soft surfaces and trampolines back to live surfaces. For my daughter... this always takes time.

This is the perspective of a parent who's daughter is trying to maintain the skills for 10.0 to 10.1 start value routines on all events.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Well my 2 cents here as a level 10 parent. Guessing perhaps those super talented multi year level 10 could maintain skills, not sure about competing successfully though. But for my somewhat average level 10 kid absolutely no way, just no way would it be possible. This is from a parent who is all supportive of lesser hours by the way. Now that she has arrived at level 10 sorry it is a whole different animal once you are in it. The view from the outside is just not the reality to actually being there.

Yep. That’s what I was trying to say too. We aren’t a high hours kind of gym and my daughter was shocked at the idea of that few hours. Sure there are the uber talented ones that might be able to keep their skills up, but I think it’s pretty rare. When you are talking about level 10 skills like release moves and double saltos and flipping/twisting vaults, I just don't see 1 1/2 hours of practice a week per event as being nearly enough.

Now if you don't plan on competing in the near future and just want to stay somewhat in gymnastics shape so that in the future you can come back and not have to start from scratch, I can see that. But I don't think you'd be performing most of your level 10 skills during those 6 hours.. maybe more the basics?

And I know that some have mentioned how people come back from injuries quickly as proof that it is possible. And some do. But in general it's a whole heck of a lot easier for a compulsory or lower optional level gymnast to come back and be able to compete quickly after recovering because the level of skills is not nearly as difficult or physically challenging. The same would make sense to me for maintaining level 7/8ish skills on 6 1/2 hours a week.

My daughter hurt her ankle in October of last year and was in a boot/brace and then had PT until January. She didn't compete floor all season and still doesn't have her level 10 floor completely back. She broke the same ankle right before her level 8 season and literally competed on it 2 weeks after getting out of the brace. Level 10 skills are just a lot harder to get and to keep and to perform safely in my opinion. That doesn't mean it's impossible, but it does seem like more the exception than the rule.

Hopefully OP will keep up updated on how the arrangement is working out for her daughter. I think it sounds like a great compromise and her coaches were very accommodating!