Parents Did we make a mistake?

[beamer]

Will your DD scratch bars at these early meets until she gets both kips?

I will tell you, my kid had the kips for three months before her first (old) L5 meet, but they were performed with bent arms.

She was killed, score-wise, for the whole season. Bars scores did not improve until the bent arms became straight ones. So, like mimi says, prepare your DD for some ruinous scores.

If your DD gets upset about tough scoring she should stay at L3. If she shrugs and moves on when a tough score is flashed, the move to L4 will probably work out fine.

My DD (now L6) did two years at this level, but she had more issues than just the bars (can anyone say handspring vault?)

 

[3LittleGymmies]

I have been asking myself the same thing. My just turned 6 year old was put into L3 when we made a gym switch and her hours went from 3 to 14. She was way too far ahead to continue pre-team, but did not have all of her L3 skills... but most of the girls did not. I felt confident in July that she would have them by the time we compete in December... but I'm starting to worry a little as others get skills and she does not. What's a little frustrating is that she has several L4 and L5 skills, but she can't vault at all and doesn't have her Level 3 bar skills without a spot. Worst case scenario, she repeats 3 or does 4 next year without competing 3 this year. Neither would really be "bad" and at our gym, pre-team tuition is so high that you're way better off being on 3 anyway. I would say that you did not make a mistake.. she is young enough to repeat 4 and still be on the young side of competition the second season. Some Level 4 skills, IMO, are way more important in the long run than many of the L3 skills (shoot through mill circle...). The kip will come and go even when she does get it, so I wouldn't worry too much about that. If she's not complaining about the group being too challenging/crying/not wanting to go/having bad behavior there, then I would just let her be. *Side note, my older daughter did new 4 last season (and old 4 the year before) and she started the season with kips with very bent arms and not connecting casts, but ended the season with beautiful kips/casts. She is now going to score out of 5 and do 6.

 

[Ginger]

There is a girl in our gym who struggled with her kip all last (her L4) season. From what I saw in the practices, she got it just before her 1st meet, but it was very inconsistent all season. When she missed it (most times during the practices, I never saw her in meets), she just did pullover. Her bar scores were in 7s or worse all season, and so was her vault score so she never placed in AA, but her beam and floor were beautiful and she never scored under 32 AA either, so she easily scored out of L4 and qualified to the States where she won beam. She is L5 now and it may be the same scenario this year, but her kip improved a lot (still slightly bent arms, but consistent). She wouldn't be where she is now if she had to do L3 last year, just because of an inconsistent kip and not-so-pretty vault.

What I noticed with my daughters - they embrace challenge, especially my older one (the one I described in my previous post is her little sister). They always get new skills during or just after our mock meets or tryout practices. That was the case with front hip circle last year or kip this year. So I am so glad they bot got a chance to do L4, and I believe they would stall at L3.

 

[IreneKa]

I asked myself this question last year. DD was put in level 2, because she was missing a few L3 bars skills. I pushed really hard to have her moved up to L3 mid-season, and they finally did move her. She rocked her L2 meets, but barely got any medals at L3 (she had all the skills by then, but was behind, since everyone else was polishing the routines since September, and she only joined them in January). Was she disappointed being at the bottom? Of course. But because she ended the season as L3, she was allowed to up-train for L4 during the summer, and is now a pretty confidant L4 with all her skills in time for the first meet. If she stayed at L2 last year, she would only be L3 now, and wouldn't even start training L4 skills until after states next Spring (not much uptraining during the season at our gym). I can't even imaging how bored she would be now as a L3. So, does she regret moving forward and being a level 4 now? Of course not!
Good luck! She still has time, and might yet surprise you.

 

[Ali'sMom]

I will also add that my DD who had the elusive kip (I PRAYED last weekend at her first meet that she got them - Where three girls in her session scratched bars, so it is done, and nobody blinked an eye at them).
Not so great placement for bars, but she medaled on floor and vault (and without her fall on beam, she would have been 3rd). If I had kept her L3, sure, she'd have been on podium for 4 events, but, how bored would she have been? (and she says the same thing). She now gets it (after a meet, and seeing scores), that she may lag a little in bars scores, but that she's doing all right. And she's happy with it.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

N's mom. The fact that she doesn't have her kips tells me that she is inexperienced and ill prepared. Add in the danger factor for falling off an event that has nasty falls and the result could be an injury. This can also end up hurting the coach who is trying to catch her. Its added risk with no reward. I could see if she were making the kips half the time, which means she is getting plenty of practice executing the entire routine, but no kips in a meet atmosphere = danger. Plenty of broken arm stories out there about L4 bars....

 

[Gymdad2]

IMHO it probably doesn't really matter that much which way you go. Remember, this is a marathon and where she finishes in the long run is what matters, more than which level she is now. Just relax and enjoy. Good luck to your dd.

 

[Ali'sMom]

N's mom. The fact that she doesn't have her kips tells me that she is inexperienced and ill prepared. Add in the danger factor for falling off an event that has nasty falls and the result could be an injury. This can also end up hurting the coach who is trying to catch her. Its added risk with no reward. I could see if she were making the kips half the time, which means she is getting plenty of practice executing the entire routine, but no kips in a meet atmosphere = danger. Plenty of broken arm stories out there about L4 bars....

My opinion was based on our own experience, that DD was moved up, but would scratch bars if she wasn't ready to do the kips in a meet atmosphere.
I assumed any good coach would have their gymmie do that.

N's mom - Have they said what she will do come meet time if she's not really ready for bars?

 

[OrangeArt]

I'm not sure, my plan is to ask this week. I'm guessing she will scratch. I will add this, I wouldn't t let her do anything that is unsafe, however I'm not sure that is the case here. She is in a weird situation, in that she was practicing with the l4 group all summer, and had been working a lot of the skills (CoB, fhs vault, robhsbhs , squat on). However, for some reason, she never worked on kips until the offer was presented. And she started learning l3 routines at first, but easily switched her beam and floor to l4. I think she only learned the bar dismount at the end, but tells me she "passes" it regularly now, and she squats on/jumps with confidence, and hasn't fallen ever (not that it can't happen later, but it could happen to anyone). I feel bad thinking anyone would think I would let her do something unsafe :/

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Just insist that she not attempt bars during warmups or competition at a meet until she is succeeding in the gym. Or go 3

 

[munchkin3]

We have a couple of L4 that were moved up because of age, (they were going to quit if kept at L3) and to keep them in gymnastics. They work out with the L4 group and all is the same. If they can't complete a clean routine on bars, they do not compete that meet. Period.

The older girls got their kips a few times the other day and all the little L4 screamed and cheered!!!! they understand how hard it is to get the kip when you are bigger. .......warm fuzzies....

 

[Ginger]

@N's mom, just wanted to give you an update.

1) in my first post in this thread, I mentioned that my daughter didn't have her high bar kip. After last night practice, it is not true anymore.
2) in my second post, I described one of our gymnasts who did L4 last year with an inconsistent kip. Last time I saw her on bars was like 4 or 5 weeks ago and from what I saw last night, her L5 bars improved so much in such a short time that I believe she will rock not only beam and floor, but also AA this year .

So, what I am trying to say... They progress much faster than we expect if their coach believes in them.

Keep us posted.

 

[OrangeArt]

Thank you Ginger, that is great to hear! Congrats to your daughter

 

[gracyomalley]

DD did 3 meets of old L5 with out a kip - scratched bars. Old 5 was the first comp level at her old gym, so this was her chance to learn to compete, and scores were not even noticed. By the end of the season she had consistent kips with straight arms, but still not always fully connected, and did a half season of repeat L5 the next year before breezing through L6 with connected bars (Old L6).

It was a good decision at the time and at that gym, as unless a kid "moved up" they didn't train any new skills/drills at all. Scores and placement were not emphasized, and she was not allowed to compete until she was clearly safe to do so (nor were other kids at said gym).

In retrospect, I really liked this approach with my 7-8 year old compulsory kiddo, but I wish that we could have had the best of both worlds and had the opportunity to work/drill/train up toward optional and higher skills, while also enjoying competing at whatever level the kids could be successful. DD was middle of the pack until she hit L7, where she was very successful but still didn't uptrain, and hit an emotional wall with L8 skills at new gym with much higher expectations.

Each kid is very different about how they respond emotionally to these issues - and really, an approach that include safety, a long term coaching strategy (ie uptraining/drills, etc) and looks at each kid as an individual seems best - it really is a marathon and the later legs of it are much more challenging, both physically and emotionally. I remember watching each new skill and my eager little one pushing herself to be with the "big girls" - it was fun for her and for me, without a worry of scores, etc (I just worried about her getting over the vault table, not falling on beam, etc...) That's really what the compulsory levels should be about - fun...hard work, dreams, etc, but mostly fun....