Sorry, this is so long.
Last winter, at the end of our compulsory season, dd was put in a group of mixed level 4's and 5's. Dd competed L4, and did fine on everything but bars, where she struggled. The idea of the mixed group is that the girls get a chance to see if they could get their L5 skills and move up, but there are no promises. The coach of this group really encouraged dd to go for her level 5 skills and dd seemed to be making good progress. The coach had just recently told dd to start learning the l5 routines. DD asked if this meant there was a chance she would compete L5 in the fall and the coach said she believed so - according to her, dd was very close to getting all her L5 skills and if she got them she could compete.
Monday, we found out Wednesday would be the coach's last day. We were told her father was ill and she was moving back to the other city to he
Tonight, the head coach had a parent meeting, and told us the girls are being put into new groups. DD is being put into a mixed L3/L4 group to "work" on her L4 skills. When I said that old coach thought dd would be ready for L5 in the fall, the head coach basically started saying how bad my dd's skills were on bars and floor and that there was no chance she would be ready to compete those events in the fall. He also implied that she had only recently gotten an acceptable L4 beam routine. I was really taken aback. It was a dramatically different picture than old coach had been giving dd. And I don't want to sound like a CGM, but my dd has never scored below a 9 on floor. She got 2nd or 3rd at several meets last fall. She has had all her L5 floor skills for over a month, including a consistent robhsbt. I find it hard to believe that she would not be ready to compete L5 floor by fall. And beam has always been her best skill -- she placed 2nd at states last year. Again, she has all her L5 beam skills.
To make matters worse, dd's new group consists entirely of girls who are several years younger than dd, and she will now be training on a different night than the girls in her old group who are her age.
DD is really upset, as I am. She said to me, "I like doing gymnastics but it is a messed-up sport." She feels like she is being punished but she has no idea why .
I really don't know what to think or do at this point. I am having a hard time trusting the gym.
I would appreciate any advice or thoughts anyone has.
Last winter, at the end of our compulsory season, dd was put in a group of mixed level 4's and 5's. Dd competed L4, and did fine on everything but bars, where she struggled. The idea of the mixed group is that the girls get a chance to see if they could get their L5 skills and move up, but there are no promises. The coach of this group really encouraged dd to go for her level 5 skills and dd seemed to be making good progress. The coach had just recently told dd to start learning the l5 routines. DD asked if this meant there was a chance she would compete L5 in the fall and the coach said she believed so - according to her, dd was very close to getting all her L5 skills and if she got them she could compete.
Monday, we found out Wednesday would be the coach's last day. We were told her father was ill and she was moving back to the other city to he
Tonight, the head coach had a parent meeting, and told us the girls are being put into new groups. DD is being put into a mixed L3/L4 group to "work" on her L4 skills. When I said that old coach thought dd would be ready for L5 in the fall, the head coach basically started saying how bad my dd's skills were on bars and floor and that there was no chance she would be ready to compete those events in the fall. He also implied that she had only recently gotten an acceptable L4 beam routine. I was really taken aback. It was a dramatically different picture than old coach had been giving dd. And I don't want to sound like a CGM, but my dd has never scored below a 9 on floor. She got 2nd or 3rd at several meets last fall. She has had all her L5 floor skills for over a month, including a consistent robhsbt. I find it hard to believe that she would not be ready to compete L5 floor by fall. And beam has always been her best skill -- she placed 2nd at states last year. Again, she has all her L5 beam skills.
To make matters worse, dd's new group consists entirely of girls who are several years younger than dd, and she will now be training on a different night than the girls in her old group who are her age.
DD is really upset, as I am. She said to me, "I like doing gymnastics but it is a messed-up sport." She feels like she is being punished but she has no idea why .
I really don't know what to think or do at this point. I am having a hard time trusting the gym.
I would appreciate any advice or thoughts anyone has.