Parents Feel my daughter is being overlooked

[Determined one]

My daughter has been taking gymnastics since she was almost 4. She was invited to try out for pre-team at age 4 but we had vacation planned, and I was naive about its importance.
Since then she has enjoyed rec gym and is moving to advanced this week at age 7.
She is a quick learner and got bored easily when being held in intermediate for too long (IMO).
I feel she should be on at least a level 3 as she can do all the skills - plus many level 4. I have talked to a couple of coaches at the gym but they say she's "not ready for team" - my daughter can do all basic skills plus can perform a cartwheel on the beam, can do a ROBHS (still rough but improving fast), back hip circle, FHS, and other advanced skills. At 7, is it too late for her hopes to join a team? Should we look at other gyms? This kid is a fast learner but has not been given the opportunity to fly. Her private coach hardly speaks to her outside of the lessons she's getting paid good money for. I feel she is being overlooked and I do see some favoritism at times. One of the coaches for level 7/8 saw her at an open house and seemed shocked she wasn't on a team. He said he'd "talk to someone", but I haven't heard anything. Who should I talk to next? Or should I leave it alone and hope she is noticed??

 

[Sasha]

At 7, many girls are still on a 'pre-team' that polishes form and improves strength and technique, even if they 'have' the many/most skills for L3/L4. They move to team from there.

Is there a pre-team option at your gym?

If the coaches are saying "she's not ready for team", have you yet asked them how they can prepare her to be ready?

Staying in Advanced Rec is probably not going to get her there. If the head coach at your gym denies her the opportunity to train for team (which would be crazy, but I've heard crazier), it is time to look at other options. And soon.

Best of luck!

Edited: I just re-read and saw you mentioned an earlier invitation to pre-team. What is the reason they are giving for not inviting her to pre-team now?

 

[Determined one]

At 7, many girls are still on a 'pre-team' that polishes form and improves strength and technique, even if they 'have' the many/most skills for L3/L4. They move to team from there.

Is there a pre-team option at your gym?

If the coaches are saying "she's not ready for team", have you yet asked them how they can prepare her to be ready?

Staying in Advanced Rec is probably not going to get her there. If the head coach at your gym denies her the opportunity to train for team (which would be crazy, but I've heard crazier), it is time to look at other options. And soon.

Best of luck!

Edited: I just re-read and saw you mentioned an earlier invitation to pre-team. What is the reason they are giving for not inviting her to pre-team now?

 

[Determined one]

I'm somewhat confused on how things work at this gym. I think you get a tryout and/or invite for preteam at age 4-5. Then you can move onto a level from there. You can't compete until age 7, I believe. I need to sit down and talk to the owner or another coach. Maybe I don't understand what pre-team is?? Are they the girls in the levels? Do all girls in the levels compete? I feel clueless, but I'm beginning to blame it on this one coach my daughter has for private lesson. I don't feel she wants my daughter to advance. Once I saw her watching football scores on the big Tv while she was supposed to be working with my daughter. And like I said, she rarely gives my daughter the time of day outside of these (expensive) private lessons.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

If several coaches have told you they don't think she's ready for team, I would ask what she could do to get ready (as Sasha suggested). Is it a lack of skills? Lack of focus? Lack of effort? I'd want to know why they feel she isn't ready, and then (no matter how difficult it may be to hear whatever the reason is) work on that.
With just what skills you mention, she would be a candidate for pre-team at our gym but not competing L3 (preteam works out together w L3).

Our gym regularly "scouts" the advanced rec classes both for our TOPs program and our pre-team program. The team coaches will then discuss the kid with their regular coach before approaching a parent. If the rec coach doesn't feel the kid is ready, we wait. Some get ready, some don't.

It sounds as if you have made it clear to some coaches that you are interested in team. Beyond a "what can she do to get ready?" I wouldn't ask again for a while. In most places it's NOT too late for her at all.

Good luck!

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Out of curiosity... Why the privates?? Rec kids never do privates at our gym, and only very rarely do team kids do them. I know other gyms do things differently but I have a bit of a hard time understanding why a recreational gymnast would need privates...

 

[Determined one]

Out of curiosity... Why the privates?? Rec kids never do privates at our gym, and only very rarely do team kids do them. I know other gyms do things differently but I have a bit of a hard time understanding why a recreational gymnast would need privates...

 

[Determined one]

To move her up quicker. Private lessons are 1:1 and she learns new skills faster. It's common at her gym.

 

[Determined one]

To move her up quicker. Private lessons are 1:1 and she learns new skills faster. It's common at her gym.

 

[Determined one]

Thank you gym mom - the most important thing is that this is what my daughter wants. She is the hardest working kid I know. She practices all the time, she watches videos on skills and has the Gabby Douglas Story memorized. She is all muscle and is very powerful. Yes. I'm hoping the team coaches will be watching her. She wants more than anything to make team. She has memorized the level 3 floor routine...

 

[Sasha]

The privates for rec kids is unusual. Were privates suggested to you as a way to ready for team consideration? Or you and your daughter just wanted the extra learning experience?

Here, being in Advanced Rec will never lead to team directly. One must express an interest in team and then be invited to pre-team to learn form, technique, and conditioning (along with skills). Pre-team girls advance to team. The first level of team differs anywhere from L1-L4, but commonly Level 3. Our pre-team is ages 6-8 currently. Before pre-team, we do have developmental classes for younger kids (4-6) that focus on the same form/technique, and those kids will then advance to pre-team.

There is some degree of 'scouting' (as aforementioned) in the Intermediate/Advanced Rec levels here as well, in the form of mentioning to a parent, "Susie is doing really well. Have you thought about team for her?" but you can't count on that, and some girls who may be good candidates may be overlooked, or it may be assumed a girl is happy in Rec.

If your daughter really wants to compete, you need to make that known (sounds like you have?) and pursue a plan with the coaches. Unless your gym has a different philosophy than the norm, just hanging out in Rec acquiring skills and hoping a coach will invite her directly to team is a risky approach. May not happen without your advocacy and persistence. 7 is the perfect age to start a pre-team style class to build off her strength and skill acquisition she already has and possibly compete within the coming year.

 

[iwannacoach]

......She was invited to try out for pre-team at age 4 but we had vacation planned, and I was naive about its importance......

.......At 7, is it too late for her hopes to join a team? Should we look at other gym.....

If the gym is pretty hardcore...... well, you know.

 

[veganmami]

That is so sad, IMO. I feel everyone who wants to participate on a gymnastics team should be given a chance (unless the child is so crazy and has no focus.) This girl obviously wants to do team. What justification do they have not giving her a chance? My DD started team at 5 years old. She was not very good. She would not have made the team at other hardcore gyms. She started in old L3. She was a focused and determined little girl. She is now competeing L6 this season and is right in the middle/top of the pack. I can't even think about where we would be if the coach didn't give her that chance…..

 

[MeetDirector]

Simply put, Determined, you need to figure out who the person is that makes the team decisions and talk to that person, not a rec coach or the front desk people or anyone else.

Is 7 yo too old for team? Not at most gyms, but maybe it is at your gym. If so, time to look around for alternatives.

 

[IreneKa]

I think you need to schedule a meeting with the owner\head coach, and try to find out what your daughter's chances are of making a team at this gym. It could very possibly be that they only invite 4-5 year-olds to pre-team, and anyone older than that are considered "too old". That's how it was at our old gym, where they told me my DD was too old at 8, and the only option they could offer her was XCel. She was accepted to level 2 team right away at another gym.
If that's the case in your gym, have your daughter evaluated at some other gyms. It's very possible that she can make pre-team\team pretty quickly somewhere else. Sounds like she has the skills and abilities. Good luck!

 

[Firefly]

In our gym they like to keep the preteam to a certain age. There are two levels of preteam, one for 4-5 year-olds and one for 5-6 year-olds. Kids get invited to try out for these teams and then selected for them. They are very small with a high coach/gymnast ratio (currently 6-7 girls with 2 coaches). They might pull another exceptionally strong 5 year old out of rec during the year, but they wouldn't take a 7 year old (even one they had invited to try out when she was younger). They just wouldn't. In fact you are told, when you are invited to join preteam, that it is a one time only deal and that you need to either take it or leave it. You can't wait a year and then come back. For whatever reason they like the ages to be the same so that they're working with little kids who at the same emotional and developmental level. A 7-year-old would be directed to Xcel. I'd be clear with them that your daughter wants to compete, and find out what their reasons are for not taking her. If it is something cut and dried, like at our gym, you'll need to find somewhere else to train. Lots of gyms will take "older" kids.

 

[profmom]

What is the coach's understanding of the purpose of the privates your daughter is taking? And how often are the privates? I am going to echo other posters here and say that this is quite unusual for a young rec participant.

 

[Determined one]

She is determined to get on a competitive team, and at 7 I know she is getting "old", therefore she is doing private lessons to speed up her skill level. She goes about 2-3 times a month for an hour at each lesson.

 

[GYM0M]

If she was invited to try out at 4ish and you declined, sounds like you missed your opportunity with this gym for whatever reason. It really is sad that they overlook 1st graders, but this is how some gyms operate. I usually don't advocate for switching gyms, but if you've asked for team repeatedly and have gotten no where, the longer you stay and question, the harder it may be to get her in a program elsewhere. AND I want to say that I am from a highly competitive stkt

 

[gymdog]

Get an evaluation at another gym. It may be flexibility or upper body strength or age or something else your current gym looks for. All gyms are different and some select a certain type more than others.