Women Daughter just turned 11, wants to hit lvl 10

[Flips]

So my girl, just turned 11, will be in Gold this year, she could of been in Gold last year according to her old coach, but we switched gyms and we were fine to roll with Silver. She scores in the 39's, first in state, etc. Our gym goes from Platinum to lvl 6 or some go from Gold to lvl 7. I'm hoping she will go from Gold to lvl 7 but she also loves many of her current teammates so who knows.

Without going into all the skills she can do let's just say that she's probably the equivalent of a lvl 6 gymnast now, with all the lvl 7 floor skills. As of right now she is not interested in college but would like to coach and be able to coach lvl 10's, hence why she wants to be lvl 10. Think she could hit lvl 10 by 12th grade? I hear the jump from 8 to 9 is tough, as well as 9 to 10.

Thanks!

 

[CuriousCate]

I would think that is definitely achievable. I assume that she is in 5th grade? In the past when my ODD was competing at our gym, the goal used to be to get to level 7 by 4th grade, 5th at the absolute latest. They soon realized that all of the girls were getting hurt and repeating levels or burnt out and quitting.

Now their rule is level 7 by 7th grade latest, to give the gymnast a chance to reach level 10 by 10th grade and have a chance at college gym. Currently, the youngest two level 7s are in 5th grade, while most of the group is in 6th grade, and a few 7th graders (who are actually scoring the best of the lot, like #1 in the state). We also do XG to level 6.

While your kiddo might not be thinking college gym now, with a switch to optionals, if she keeps scoring well, that might well become a goal for her, so I would go at it with an open mind and encourage her to push for level 7 after Gold.

 

[Aussie_coach]

If it doesn’t work out, she doesn’t need to be a Level 10 gymnast to be an amazing Level 10 coach. I know many great coaches who never did a cartwheel in their lives.

 

[Flips]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Trying_to_tumble]

If it doesn’t work out, she doesn’t need to be a Level 10 gymnast to be an amazing Level 10 coach. I know many great coaches who never did a cartwheel in their lives.

Does this mean it is not necessary to have done gymnastics to become a gymnastics coach? I always thought you had to reach level 3 to be qualified for coaching.

 

[ProudGymnast]

Does this mean it is not necessary to have done gymnastics to become a gymnastics coach? I always thought you had to reach level 3 to be qualified for coaching.

You would think so, but mostly you need to be willing to learn, good with kids, dedicated and passionate about what you do, and not get frustrated easily.

I am a baby coach but I have went through many, many coaches in my whole career. I had a coach with gymnastics experience and she had been coaching for 20 years, but she wasn't willing to learn or attend clinics or get feedback from more experienced coaches. She wasn't an effective or involved coach. On the other hand, a coach with little experience that is passionate and driven could most definitely be successful, if she/he stayed humble and willing to learn.

 

[GymnastPotterhead]

Does this mean it is not necessary to have done gymnastics to become a gymnastics coach? I always thought you had to reach level 3 to be qualified for coaching.

Well, she's already past level 3 so even if you need to reach level 3 for coaching, she already meets that requirement. Also, there's a lot of male coaches at higher levels who have never done skills on uneven bars... they still coach those skills..

 

[Coach Kate]

Greg Marsden built a dynasty at Utah without having been competitive in the sport! And Val Kondos coached UCLA to numerous titles without having been a gymnast.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Does this mean it is not necessary to have done gymnastics to become a gymnastics coach? I always thought you had to reach level 3 to be qualified for coaching.

Lots of people become coaches without ever having done gymnastics.

Gyms will often recruit parents, to train to be coaches.

Or those who have worked in other sports, and want to switch over to coaching gym.

Being a good gymnast doesn’t make someone a good coach. I find when I train new coaches for my gym, that those with less gymnastics themselves, often teach really well because they are learning to understand the physics behind the skills as an adult, not trying to pass on something they forgot learning as a 5 year old.