Does your gym require a move up score?

[nevertooold]

We are reconsidering our move up policies and are curious what is working/ not working for others. If your gym requires a particular score to move to the next level please answer the following questions.
1. What is the minimum move up score?
2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? How many times?
3. Which levels does it apply to?
4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well?
5. How would you rate your gym:
Very competitive=winning is very important and usually place in the top
Competitive=place well but not in the very top
Middle=Self explanatory
Low=places in bottom 1/2 and/or doesn't care where they place
6. Is your current system working well for you as a parent, your daughter, or you as a coach?

Thanks!!

 

[gymmom-n-coach]

Good question! We don't require a move up score, although I wish we did - or rather, have it available as a guideline. I would like to be able to say "Our ideal move up score is an AA average of 33 (or whatever the number may be). Although so-and-so is at 32.9, she is having a lot of problems with xxx - those two things combined make us feel that another year of 4 (or whatever level) would be the best course for her now."

 

[gymdog]

the problem with having a set score is that you inevitably will have a kid who doesn't meet it for one reason or another, that you want to move up. Then that creates problems. I think at minimum, the kids should make it to states (or be able to, if injury came into play at a critical time or something). That's barely saying anything, so in reality they should be well beyond that. I think it's better to set the criteria of being able to do the next level routines to a reasonable standard (some standards will be different than others, based on the gym).

 

[gymnastbeth]

We are reconsidering our move up policies and are curious what is working/ not working for others. If your gym requires a particular score to move to the next level please answer the following questions.
1. What is the minimum move up score?
32.00
2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? How many times?
Once, level 4 and up. However, there are a lot of other things that apply to moving up besides that
3. Which levels does it apply to?
Level 4 and up
4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well?
Like I said, there are others
5. How would you rate your gym:
Very competitive=winning is very important and usually place in the top
Competitive=place well but not in the very top
Middle=Self explanatory
Low=places in bottom 1/2 and/or doesn't care where they place
Middle, some meets my gym does great, and sometimes nobody places. Also depends on the level. Low compulsories at my gym do great at meets
6. Is your current system working well?
Works for me!

My gym doesn't really focus on scores. At meets until level 8, I wasn't allowed to look at my scores until after the meet was over, so they didn't distract me if I thought I did well, and scored low. We were never allowed to set goals as getting a certain score, because the gymnast has no control over the score. My gym's philosophy has really helped me keep gymnastics in perspective through the years. I like it.

 

[lilgymmie7]

At DD's gym the move up score is 36.5 at least twice in one season. I know the optional "Team" girls do very well. But compulsories is yet a different story. The move up score is one thing, but it isn't fairing very well with the compulsory levels. Thus far, all girls at level 5/6 have made it to state though. DD as inexperienced as she is made it after her second meet, and she needed a 33.
The owner/HC is a very good coach, but he is more focused on the upper level team girls. In my opinion, the compulsories are in deep need of a revamp, but who am I to say?

 

[10.0]

1. a 35 no exceptions

2. Just one time

3. levels 2-5

4. Right now it is a new system and it is pretty much the only factor, you get your 35 and move up.

5. Middle to slightly above average.

6. I don't see it working too well, as this is the only requirment a lot of the kids that get a 35 have none of the next levels skills which puts them at a huge disadvantage when they move up, they move right away sometimes with only a few weeks to get new skills and learn new routines. I see a lot of kids gettting stuck in the near future. I would perfer they uptrained more and had to have the critical skills to move up for example a kip from 4 to 5.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

My daughters gym does not use a move up score. It is basically decided upon individually by the head coach. They do not focus on scores as much as improving individually. The girls do well in competition some better than others really depending on the gymnast, some place in the top 3 some at the bottom. They also will move up girls quicker who are placing consistently placing high above 36 and who show better than average talent. They do this despite of having few girls on each level so if they move up somebody they might not have enough girls to place as a team in a meet( they have done this a several time leaving only 2 girls at a level so they do not even qualify as a team. I think it works well for my daughter and the rest of the team because it really focuses on the individual gymnast improving and most of the families are not obssessed with what level their kid is doing and it seems to elminate jealousy. My daughter was stressed about getting a score to qualify for states I can not image if she had to worry about obtaining a certain moveup score. I think focusing to much about the scores takes alot of the fun out of meets and in this sport scores seem so subjective. I think it is better to look at the gymnasts ability overall does she have certain skills to move up, is she a hard worker ect... Although my daughter is still a compulsary gymnast so I am not sure this will apply when she becomes an optional, I do not know if scores and placement will become a bigger deal I know the coaching is alot tougher for the optionals.

 

[Bajanswife]

Moving up is assessed individually for each gymnast, and is not related to scores in any way. Mostly it has to do with the HC's assessment of whether a gymnast is likely to be able to get the skills of the new level in time for the next meet. And if they don't, they can always drop back a level to compete - our girls aren't so great that this presents an unfair advantage. We perform somewhere in the middle, though we have won and placed in team because we happened to be strong compared to our competitors in a particular session. There are sometimes anomalies - like the 11 year old on our team who was a brilliant level 3, who was in a L4 training group but couldn't compete it because she couldn't get her FHS or ROBHS - in a November meet she won overall in her L3 group and got the highest AA in the whole session! We honestly didn't expect her to do quite that well when we went to the meet, and after that success our HC told her she was done with L3 forever, so she'd better get her L4 skills quickly! This is the only time that this has happened to us with a second-year - usually our HC is pretty good about the girls being in the best group for them.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Our gym does not have a set move up score. The criteria for moving up is having the next level skills. Unfortunatley there are girls that should move up but cannot because they are struggling with 1 requirement for the next level. We have one girl who has not moved up because of a fear of the flyaway. She is going on her 3rd Level 5 season.
She is very solid on all other skills but cannot overcome this one thing. It is hard to watch. My DD has developed the same fear as well as a fear of the BWO on beam so hopefully she will overcome this over the summer and can move up.

 

[cher062]

We are reconsidering our move up policies and are curious what is working/ not working for others. If your gym requires a particular score to move to the next level please answer the following questions.Thanks!!

1. What is the minimum move up score?
they require what USAG would require but have other criteria that go with it.
2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? How many times?
they actually do an average of the seasons score and require that minimum at a sectional and at states.

3. Which levels does it apply to?
to all levels

4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well?
other factors are taken in. they have to go to sectionals and states (L7 and below) ( L8 and above to regionals) and get the move up score to be considered for move up. Over the summer they would be listed as a multi level for example if they competed L7 and the move was to L8 they would be clasified as a L7/8 for the summer. Then at the end of the summer their L8 skills would need to be in place or almost in place so they would have them by Dec if not they they will compete L7 and practice L8 and hope to move up to L8 before sectionals. So they have to have the mobility score, have made it to states

5. How would you rate your gym:

Our gym I would not classify as Very Competitive as their philosophy is more along the lines of the goal is to have gymnasts improve, be confident, and have fun when they compete and the medals will come. If they place that is gravy. with that said usually the teams and gymnasts do place in the top 5 as a team and top 10 as individuals at any meet. From what I've seen so far we do give other gyms a good competition.

Very competitive=winning is very important and usually place in the top
Competitive=place well but not in the very top
Middle=Self explanatory
Low=places in bottom 1/2 and/or doesn't care where they place
6. Is your current system working well for you as a parent, your daughter, or you as a coach?
Well we haven't even been at this new gym for a year yet but the system they use and the confidence they have given my DD is nothing short of tremendous!!!! I would recommend them to anyone.

 

[Billy]

We don’t have any minimum score required to move up. It’s all about the skills. Our HC/O is very focused on the individual gymnast and what that gymnast needs to advance in the sport, always keeping the gymnast’s long-term goals in mind. For example, she is having DD compete a new series on beam, not because she has to have it for this level but because she needs it for next season and HC wants her to have plenty of experience with it. On the other hand, DD did not move up to the next level this season because she wasn’t ready on two events. HC does not like to have girls advance only to compete the bare minimum of their level. She prefers them to be doing more but she is flexible, too. We absolutely LOVE the fact that the HC/O knows what DD needs, keeps her goals in mind and is actively trying to help her reach them.

As for the gym as a whole, I would say we are competitive. We don’t always win but our girls usually do pretty well, especially the lower levels where our teams are bigger.

 

[shelovestoflip]

1. What is the minimum move up score?

Generally 35-36 but they take other things into consideration.

2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? How many times?
Generally 2x/season

3. Which levels does it apply to?
to all levels

4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well?
They should have all the next level skills, though exceptions can be made. Bottom line is the move up to the next level is at the discretion of the coaches. I think this is key. Because there are times that a girl might be missing one skill but to keep them a 2nd or even 3rd year at the same level just wouldn't work, in my opinion!

5. How would you rate your gym:

Our gym is competitive. Some meets they place at the top, some close to top. We go to meets with very competitive gyms and generally our girls hold their own!

6. Is your current system working well for you as a parent, your daughter, or you as a coach?
We love our gym. The coaches definitely take the girls where they are at and work with them to get them to where they need to be. I like that it's not 'just a score' to move but they look at the whole picture.

 

[gymjoy]

1. What is the minimum move up score?
My dd might be at one of the few gyms that does not have a stated move up policy. The coaches pay careful attention to each gymnast and squad to make decision on who moves up, who need to repeat , and who might be able to skip a level (that does not happen often). Coaches do like to see good solid, consistent scores, continuing hard work, and solid skills for the next level.
2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? How many times? n/a
3. Which levels does it apply to? All Levels
4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well? See Above
5. How would you rate your gym:
Dd's gym would be rated in the following:
Very competitive=winning is very important and usually place in the top

6. Is your current system working well for you as a parent, your daughter, or you as a coach?
Yes, mostly. Sometimes I'm not sure what is going on, but dd is doing very well and is as happy as a moody 13yo can be

 

[UnoMas]

1. What is the minimum move up score? 36AA
2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? yes How many times? twice but this is not set in stone
3. Which levels does it apply to? levels 1-7. 8 is 35AA and 9 is 34AA.
4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well? that's pretty much it.
5. How would you rate your gym: very competitive
6. Is your current system working well for you as a parent, your daughter, or you as a coach? no comment...I plead the 5th.

 

[Megley]

1. What is the minimum move up score? No minimum move up score, but if a gymnast does not qualify to State, she likely will repeat. Who repeats is determined on an individual basis and it's based on more than scores. In addition, certain skills are required to move up at the optional levels - for example, our gym will not allow Level 7s to compete without giants.

2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? yes How many times? N/A

3. Which levels does it apply to? All levels

4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well? See above. Desires of the gymnast, parent, team composition and next level skills are all taken into consideration.

5. How would you rate your gym: Competitive - usually near the top team-wise, particularly at optionals.

6. Is your current system working well for you as a parent, your daughter, or you as a coach? So far, it seems to be working okay. My dd did repeat Level 5 due largely to the fact that we had no Level 6 team and she wasn't ready for Level 7. That was somewhat frustrating, but she is now a Level 7 and seems to be making progress. No clue what the future will hold, but I know that the coaches will not let her compete the next level until she has all her skills pretty solidly.

 

[NGL780309]

I don't know about the other levels, but for level 4 DD's team competes Achievement and Placement. Every girl that is on her first year of level 4 competes achievement until they score a 35. At that point they may move to placement. Many girls get that at the first few meets. I believe this is a guideline and not a set in stone thing. For example last year they moved up a girl who was scoring 34's AA, but was scoring extremely high on vault and they could use her score on that event.

As far as moving to the next level, I'm not really sure. The girls that are repeating scored 34 and below. Most that moved up were scoring in the 35 and above range. They also look at how your skills are progressing for the next level, maturity, behavior etc.

 

[LMV]

1. What is the minimum move up score?
As far as I know there isn't a specific minimum score. I believe that usually there is an end of the year gymnast/parents/level coach/HC conference and the plan for the new year is discussed there [and then modified over time if needed].

2. Does it have to be achieved more than once? How many times?
As above there isn't a specific score, however, coaches like to see what they call consistent mastery at one level before moving on.

3. Which levels does it apply to?
Our gym doesn't compete prior to L5. I believe that they need to have all of their L5 skills to make team.

4. Is it the only factor involved in move up or are other factors taken into consideration as well?
According to our HC before moving to the new level a gymnast must have:
-The physical abilities and emotional readiness to train more advanced skills [and by this he actually means training the skills 1-2 levels above the level they are really moving to]
-No major strength, conditioning, or form deficiencies that will need an alternative track [and to his credit he seems to be quite good at developing alternative tracks and helping fix these issues]
-Demonstration of the skills required for the level with "consistent mastery"

5. How would you rate your gym:
Very competitive=winning is very important and usually place in the top
Competitive=place well but not in the very top
Middle=Self explanatory
Low=places in bottom 1/2 and/or doesn't care where they place
Using the above, I guess they are probably competitive [although they aren't actually competitive in attitude if that makes sense]

6. Is your current system working well for you as a parent, your daughter, or you as a coach?
On paper this all sounds good. Unfortunately, we had some issues with our daughter moving from L8 to L9 mid-season and some difficulty getting HC onto our page as far as what was right for our child. I'm not sure that minimum move up scores would have helped us as she scored quite well at the one L8 meet she did and I can't imagine anyone would set a minimum move up score that high.

 

[flipper's fan]

Our gym has published a move up score of 34 but has never adhered to it. There are several factors that work into it. In order to establish a solid team at all levels some kids who are good at gaining upper level skills move when they acquire the USAG qualifying scores. Other times, girls who are getting 6s on bars but 9s on floor are not moving up, for obvious reasons, even if they get a qualifying score. Also, you must acquire the skills to compete the next level, so even if the gym says you can train with the level 7s, and you have the USAG mobility score, you can't compete level 7 until you have the skills. they should just scrap that 34 thing if they are not going to adhere to it. Their real practice seems to work well for the team and the gymnast.

 

[All Chalked Up]

Our gym doesn't have "scores" for moving up. If all the coaches feel they are ready to move up, they will. For an example, kids that moving up from intermediate to competitive have to have sufficent skills so that they can keep up, endurance, an ability to learn and listen, be able to win/lose gracefully and be able to get along in a group. It's great for everyone!

Placing varies between gymnasts; we have had 4 girls in the same age group once. 3 came top 3 overall, the other girl placed last. Sometimes a girl isn't quite ready for a meet, sometimes there's an injury, sometimes it's just not a good day fo a meet. That's alright.

Our gym STRESSES that it is all about having fun, and doing the best when can do. If I went home from a meet last overall, but had fun, that is a sucessful meet in my coach's eyes. I can honestly say that with that sort of coaching/philoshophy, I now place better in competitions and have a lot more fun with the sport.

 

[nevertooold]

Good question! We don't require a move up score, although I wish we did - or rather, have it available as a guideline. "

We have unstated minimums that the coaches agree are in most cases indicative of potential success at the next level. I'm wondering though if having stated minimums would help ease parents into the future more smoothly if they can predict mid-season what is likely for the coming year. For instance it's pretty unlikely that we would move up compulsories who are not consistently 35+ (other factors apply too) but maybe publishing this info for parents would help those below that to prepare mentally for a repeat?