WAG DD is interested in following Elite path...

[cbifoja]

So were you looking for more validation rather than honest opinions/advice?

It can be very hard to try to talk to someone when they snap back at posters and dismiss the wealth of experience that so many of these coaches and parents have because it doesn't jive with what they want to hear. It kind of feels like trying to help a wolf trapped in a snap trap. You want to help the creature but you might get hurt for your efforts.

Believe it or not, and even though you might dismiss this as unbelievable, but I am on your side because I feel like I am close to your same situation. I have a 9YO who also wants to be elite and when I first came on here, I was guns a'blazing too. I believed (and still believe) in my kid. I AM her biggest fan and no one will ever convince me that she isn't the most amazing child in the world. That's being a mom! LOL

However one of the things that I learned from coaches and parents is that desire simply isn't enough. Talent isn't enough. There are a LOT of kids who have talent and desire but doesn't change how many elite gymnasts there are in this country. There are people who consider Excel a "dead end" and that's why you are getting so many opinions about that program. I understand there is a reason but just try to remember that a lot of people are coming from a different place where Excel isn't a desirable path to elite.

And I know you keep saying your daughter isn't new to gymnastics but if she's only competed this year or just a couple of years, then yeah.....she is still new to gymnastics. At least to competitive gymnastics. I think I told you in one post or another that my DD is new to comp gym too because she is just getting her third season underway. So even though she is an optional gymnast, I still feel new to the sport.

I think you are in a good spot to have the luxury to just sit back and see if it happens. You have advantages I could only dream of being from a state that has elite gymnasts and at a gym that has produced elites. My daughter doesn't have that. In the end, it is looking more and more like elite gymnastics probably isn't a path I will be able to send her down, but that door will always be cracked open until it is shut for good.

Just don't lose these parents as a resource because I've learned so much from them and especially from the ones that I initially didn't agree with. When I first came here, Bookworm hurt my feelings over some nonsense of another and it made it easy to ignore her advice. But as I spent more time here, I realized that she was an amazing resource because her daughter lived the dream and she came the viewpoint where she could talk about how extracting elite gymnastics is. She is very open and up front about how rigorous it is.

 

[MaryA]

Who are you racing, sorry Mary A has already beat you to that target, why don't you aim for 2 likes to every post?

Ha! Very funny to see my name come up in a thread I have been trying very pointedly to stay out of. Sorry, IWC, but I'll think of you when I'm riding around on my Limited Edition Chalk Bucket Jet Ski.

 

[cbifoja]

Hey!!! I have more likes than posts so will mine by shipped to me or do I have to go and pick it up!

 

[AmandaLynn]

And where we're at is great, to me and dd at least. But only time will tell if it's good enough. Thanks though!

And there it is. The bold word is the vibe that a lot of the posters on this thread were feeling for your previous posts, and that is that part that is going to cause trouble for your daughter in this sport. I am not trying to reprimand or anything, but this truly needs to be her journey. There really is no "we". She needs to drive the bus.

You may not have meant it to come across that way. But, as a coach, I see this very often, and felt the need to point out the way it seems to those reading along on this thread.

As an aside, about the XCEL program, the OP is in region 8. Many gyms in R8 use the xcel program in please of the lower level compulsories. The gym may not even compete levels 1-3. I am not saying that this is the case, as I am not familiar with this gym, but simply that it is not unheard of for gyms that produce great gymnasts to use xcel at lower levels in this region.

Depending on when this child joined team, the staff may not have felt that they could polish the compulsory skills/routines to their standards in time for meet season, and put her in XCEL for the season. I will reserve judgement on upper level potential until I see videos of this kid in a year or so.

 

[iwannacoach]

Ha! Very funny to see my name come up in a thread I have been trying very pointedly to stay out of. Sorry, IWC, but I'll think of you when I'm riding around on my Limited Edition Chalk Bucket Jet Ski.

Hey!!! I have more likes than posts so will mine by shipped to me or do I have to go and pick it up!

Does't thou mocketh me?

 

[cbifoja]

mock mock

 

[MaryA]

Does't thou mocketh me?

Without a doubt.

 

[cbifoja]

Here Mary....have a "like" :=)

 

[MaryA]

Here Mary....have a "like" :=)

Right back atcha!

 

[cbifoja]

And there it is. The bold word is the vibe that a lot of the posters on this thread were feeling for your previous posts, and that is that part that is going to cause trouble for your daughter in this sport. I am not trying to reprimand or anything, but this truly needs to be her journey. There really is no "we". She needs to drive the bus.

You may not have meant it to come across that way. But, as a coach, I see this very often, and felt the need to point out the way it seems to those reading along on this thread.

As an aside, about the XCEL program, the OP is in region 8. Many gyms in R8 use the xcel program in please of the lower level compulsories. The gym may not even compete levels 1-3. I am not saying that this is the case, as I am not familiar with this gym, but simply that it is not unheard of for gyms that produce great gymnasts to use xcel at lower levels in this region.

Depending on when this child joined team, the staff may not have felt that they could polish the compulsory skills/routines to their standards in time for meet season, and put her in XCEL for the season. I will reserve judgement on upper level potential until I see videos of this kid in a year or so.

To be fair, that's just the way some people talk. I use "we" all the time....both with my daughter and with "my kids" at school. I say "we're going to take a test on Friday" knowing damn well that I'm not taking anything! LOL

I do say "we have gym" or "we have a meet that weekend" or stuff like that with my daughter but I also say "we are going to ride horses" when my fat arse isn't getting on any horse!

But I did appreciate the XCEL aspect of your post so thank you for thatl.

 

[iwannacoach]

Sort of the Chalkbucket version of SNL'S Its Pat!

eeeyyyyywwwwwwww!

 

[iwannacoach]

Here Mary....have a "like" :=)

Right back atcha!

Geez, Now it's two against one. Just the kind of odds IWC prefers, as there's no fight like a good fight. Oh, so now you're likely gonna bring in another ringer in a vain attempt to oppress me. Be very careful with that because it may backfire when done on Martin Luther King day. IWC humming we shall overcome and reciting the I have a dream speech.....

Oh BTW, I just tried to like these two posts but it seems my like button is broken!

 

[bogwoppit]

Hey enough of the gratuitous "liking" going on. This ain't a love fest you know.

The only thing anyone will ever get for free here is a like or a ban or maybe some of these .

Seriously though, in the end only time will tell and in the end those that have been there and done that can only share their knowledge. That really is all we've got.

 

[Gymsanity]

And just like people took the time to respond, I can do the same. I didn't disrespect anyone. I can express myself like everyone else has. It's easy to pop off behind the keyboard. You can also be tactful w/ your response. So don't get so bent out of shape when my response is not what you expect. No one got cursed out. I can choose to make note of some comments, and choose to NOT make note of some. Just like it was their right to respond, w/ conclusions and/or speculation of what may or may not be, it's my right which feedback I'd like to take heed too. Simple.

And if I didn't want the comments and/or reviews on my dd's vids, it wouldn't have been in my signature. I'd have been just as discreet or anonymous as the rest of you. I never said she was the best. She has talent and I acknowledge that.

Lastly, this is HER aspiration, not mine. I'm the one who's constantly asking her if she's sure this is the path she wants to take. If she changes her mind later, she changes her mind.

First post on a topic I swore I was never going to get involved with, but when I heard there was a chance for 'likes' and jet skis, what was I to do??
Seriously, to the OP I would say I'm glad you and your daughter are excited about gymnastics, and I'm glad you have set goals. Without goals, we have no direction or purpose. In fact, I highly recommend them and just had my girls give me their new year goal list. That gives me an inside into what it is they really want to learn and where they want to go, and then as their coach, it is up to me to draw out a road map to help get them there. We can then look back at a later date and see if we are getting closer or not and adjust accordingly.
My real reason for posting is to let you know of an old proverb that says 'be careful that you don't bite the hand that feeds you.' The amount of knowledge here from coaches, parents, gymnasts, etc. is extensive, and the price is right. So yes, you have received many replies and much good information from this thread, but if you want that flow to keep coming, I would try and refrain from using words such as 'ruthless, pop off, bent out of shape, tactful', etc. No one here is looking to be combative, even if their input isn't exactly what you were expecting or hoping for. Everything I have read so far has been nothing but positive, encouraging and meant to be helpful and supportive of you and your daughters dreams. We wish you nothing but good luck and good times in your pursuits.

 

[iwannacoach]

To be fair, that's just the way some people talk. I use "we" all the time....both with my daughter and with "my kids" at school. I say "we're going to take a test on Friday" knowing damn well that I'm not taking anything! LOL

I do say "we have gym" or "we have a meet that weekend" or stuff like that with my daughter but I also say "we are going to ride horses" when my fat arse isn't getting on any horse!

But I did appreciate the XCEL aspect of your post so thank you for thatl.

IWC and I both feel we're on the same page as you. We always use we when referring to our children, and it takes a conscious effort to use her instead of we. At least that's how I think of it because many of us are here because of an interest in our kids. In that context how can you not get to "we." I think many of these posts raising valid concerns for all of us have resulted from sensitivity to the issue of CGM's who would squeeze their darling daughter through the eye of a needle to match her with a better coach. In that context the OP may be feeling unfairly judged when many of us point out pitfalls rather than pointedly suggesting she's a CGM.

An excited parent who waxes on about her child can't be blamed for doing so while providing information relevant to her question. Her original post presented the question, in approximate terms, "Am I providing for my child's long term dream and the needs surrounding them." That's a question many of us wished we knew the answer to a few years ahead of realizing the question should be asked.

The thread seemed to weave a bit to add many other issues that we've all become aware of as long term gymnastics sufferers. This dear mother will come to understand over time, the concerns we all have, and will come out the other end of the process as a healthy contribution to the chalkbucket world.... or so I hope.

 

[iwannacoach]

I wanted to edit my last post because I wasn't comfortable of the wording surrounding a concern. I wrote "pointedly suggesting" in the context that many of us are anxious about how others may view us, and oft times sift through someones words looking for affirmation only to wonder what's the underlying message is. No matter what the intended message, we all risk being heard or read the wrong way.

 

[bogwoppit]

That's what these are for.

I think you suck

I think you suck

I think you suck

I think you suck

See what I mean?

Though we will always read into things what we expect to see. Social media is really a difficult thing at times.

 

[myeyeson_u]

@cbifoja I wasn't looking for validation, not at all. Not trying to be smart, but why would I want validation on a question I'm inquiring about? I was asking some questions. And honestly seeking input. As I stated previously, I felt that this would be a good place to inquire. And as I read some post after yours, initially, I wanted it more so from the coaches, yes. Because I felt as they were the ones who would know where to go or how to go about it. But I read a post or two after yours, and understood. Where my dd was at before, she enjoyed the sport, but wasn't as dedicated & as committed she is now. She's more driven now and says this is what she wants.

It can be very hard to try to talk to someone when they snap back at posters and dismiss the wealth of experience that so many of these coaches and parents have because it doesn't jive with what they want to hear. It kind of feels like trying to help a wolf trapped in a snap trap. You want to help the creature but you might get hurt for your efforts.

I understand. But it's also in the way it's coming across to me. The intent may not to come across as such. But I'm perceiving it as such. It's very hard to read ones intent on these things. At least for me it is. A work in progress

There are people who consider Excel a "dead end" and that's why you are getting so many opinions about that program. I understand there is a reason but just try to remember that a lot of people are coming from a different place where Excel isn't a desirable path to elite.

Ya, I wouldn't doubt it. I'd never heard of Xcel until the coach mentioned it to me on the phone a few days before we moved out here. And even when we arrived, I still didn't understand it. And I do know it's not where my dd belongs. But unfortunately, she's stuck there until after State.

Just don't lose these parents as a resource because I've learned so much from them and especially from the ones that I initially didn't agree with. When I first came here, Bookworm hurt my feelings over some nonsense of another and it made it easy to ignore her advice. But as I spent more time here, I realized that she was an amazing resource because her daughter lived the dream and she came the viewpoint where she could talk about how extracting elite gymnastics is. She is very open and up front about how rigorous it is.

I will keep this in mind. I'm a lioness and I'm on the defense when I perceive things the way the may not mean to come across as such. Thank you though!

 

[myeyeson_u]

@AmandaLynn, as @cbifoja stated, it's just the way some people talk. I definitely talk like this, quite often. It's a habit. But it is her journey.

Many gyms in R8 use the xcel program in place of the lower level compulsories. The gym may not even compete levels 1-3.

First sentence could be true. Second one, right on the money.

Depending on when this child joined team, the staff may not have felt that they could polish the compulsory skills/routines to their standards in time for meet season, and put her in XCEL for the season.

She joined team in July. L4 competes in Aug. So definitely not enough time to train for the season. But also, they didn't know of my dd's capabilities. So yes, I agree.

I will reserve judgement on upper level potential until I see videos of this kid in a year or so.

Haha! No problem. I will be sure to personally show you dd's vids next season, not in a year or so

 

[myeyeson_u]

@Gymsanity I too am familiar w/ that old proverb. But I got it. A work in progress. And taking baby steps. And thanks for the well wishes