Parents Did she move up levels too quick ?

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Gymmom82773

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My daughter is going to be 11 next week and I'm just wondering if her progression is typical in gymnastics . At our gym , they don't compete until old level 5 . So, she did one year 5, one year 6, scored out of 7 by attending one meet and then did level 8 last year, and now is doing 9. Her coaches philosophy is move them up as quick as possible at a young age , no matter what the scores are . She is in a group of 4 girls between 11-12 who she's moving to level 10 as quick as possible . The one girl who is left who she started with in the beginning on preteam is still at level 7 ... The new group she is training with are amazingly talented all were 9s last year and are 12 years old so she is the new kid on the block .
I just hear about alot of kids here that do numerous years at same levels and I am a little concerned about her burning out at a young age .
 
I wouldn't worry about it unless she starts to show signs of stress and burnout. Is she still excited to go to gymnastics every day? Does she worry and fret about skills? (and just curious--but how is she scoring at meets? Is she barely making the move-up score or is she doing fairly well?)

Different gyms have different philosophies--as do different parents here! If your coaches' philosophy on moving up quickly (and our gym holds the same philosophy--moving up quickly as long as they have the skills for the next level) works for your daughter, then relax and enjoy her success!
 
How does she feel about it? From our experience if this is what she wants and the coaches seem to have a plan then enjoy :) ( lol I know its easier said than done but try). Best wishes for a terrific competition season!
 
Is she the type that gets the most from gaining new skills, or does competing and winning drive her more?
Does she wish she could stay at a level long enough to experience being on the top of the podium, or does she not even know what she is missing?

As long as the gym philosophy seems to fit her, enjoy.

Holding back girls in a lvl to get better scores for the club would be a philosophy that I would appreciate less than the opposite.
 
She is stressed out right now about tumbling cause her twisting is "off" he is constantly pushing herself to keep up with the other 3 girls in her group . We had lots of tears in level 8 , she was only placing sometimes on beam and vault , went to states and placed 21 I think out of 30 "jr A " ,she fell on bars and her coach was proud of her cause she went for the perfect handstand .

She is feeling pressure right now but had a great summer where she was excited to move to 9. She will definitely score at the bottom of 9 this year...

I guess we will wait and see how the next couple month go ...
 
Depends on the hours, coaching talent etc.. but I see a red flag when someone says "no matter what the scores are". meaning they are cutting through basics.
 
I am not sure I understand the rush to get to L10. I guess the red flag for me is the the tears and stress with it only being her 3rd year of competing last year. If she didn't do well at 8, you are right, she is likely not going to place at L9 and at some point she is going to need to catch up to the competition- either staying at L9 or doing L10 and not being "competitive" for a couple of years. I think one of the biggest dangers with this is the increased frustration and discouragement that can lead to burnout and quitting. She sounds amazingly talented, but instead of being able to recognize it (be competing at L8 and being successful) she is being pushed to go to L9 where she feels like she has to try to keep up with the older girls who all competed L9 already.
 
This is such a mental sport. Confidence is critical - especially as they are doing higher level skills. A gymnast's coach should know best, but the tears and frustation are not a good way to start.

Placement (and scores) alone are not determinative. My DD is always telling me that it's about skills not scores (her coaches must say that a lot :)). Your DD may have been in a very competitive age group and although her overall placement may not seem good, she's most likely very talented. The question is whether she needs to win in order to feel good and have the necessary confidence. Talk to the coaches about your concerns.
 
while I understand getting skills before they get older (fear) but if a gym is successfully uptraining a gymnast they should be able to gain those skills while competing at a level that they can be successful at while being pushed at the same time. I feel like why pay good money to travel and compete at a meet if your child is only going to become frustrated and feel less confident by doing so?
 
while I understand getting skills before they get older (fear) but if a gym is successfully uptraining a gymnast they should be able to gain those skills while competing at a level that they can be successful at while being pushed at the same time. I feel like why pay good money to travel and compete at a meet if your child is only going to become frustrated and feel less confident by doing so?
I agree. If the coaches want to push them as quickly as possible in training, that's fine but compete them where they can succeed. Or don't compete them at all and then dont compete them at all until they are ready for 10. Then score out of the lower levels. Boy, that would really free up time and money for extra training! Think of the hours and cost spent in perfecting routines, travel, meet fees, comp leos, etc...
 
I agree. If the coaches want to push them as quickly as possible in training, that's fine but compete them where they can succeed. Or don't compete them at all and then dont compete them at all until they are ready for 10. Then score out of the lower levels. Boy, that would really free up time and money for extra training! Think of the hours and cost spent in perfecting routines, travel, meet fees, comp leos, etc...

Your my kind of (gym) gal.

I think some of the issue is there are two extreme ends of the training/competition spectrum, those that train for competition and those that train for a long term destination. My preference is to be at the extreme edge of the middle leaning toward long term destination, but I know that's just my preference. I also realize it doesn't work for kids that need the reassurance of favorable comp results, nor for kids who feel duty bound to be a resounding success each and every day.

You can try and frame your child's experience for her by letting her know there's at least one coach at chalkbucket who sees her results at level 9 as a great success. The thing is that most kids could not move upward as quickly as your child, and the mere fact that she posted a higher score than nearly a third of her group at state is in itself a witness to her ability and accomplishments.

My only concern, shared with coachp, is that her coach knows when to reverse course and clean up the basics because sooner or later you have to pay the piper if you want to keep dancing.
 
Thanks so much to everyone for your advice and comments !! My daughter had a good practice today and feels a little better , she's trying to fix her twisting into the pit and she did a "toe up" on bars ? I think that's what it's called . She's doing fine and needs to gain some confidence . She's in a small gym and one of the "fab 4" as her coach calls her. They have many upper levels graduating so these 4 are the "future" of the gym which is lots of pressure !! She's overly stressed now too cause she is about to start a new school Monday .. Lots going on !!
 

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