MAG First "Real" meet of the season yesterday

[jenjean70]

We had our competition yesterday and the scoring was SO different! Nate only got a 9.5 on pommel after getting 10-11+ for the last two seasons in the same level. We had the Olympic judge on pommel and the scores were very low....except for a couple of super stars who got 10-11+...Yikes! Last year was the first season ever for him to score in the 60s consistently (other than breaking 60 in his regional meet as a level 6) and they were high 60s at that! Now he was under 60. With that being said he DID get 1st on vault, get a top ten medal in each event and get 4th AA...(in his age group- 8th out of all of the age groups) but again this is now his 3rd year. He looked a bit "off" to me yesterday and wasn't as tight as he could've been. Ever since he was a level 6 and their team won state and regionals he has looked like he competes scared...He doesn't go for things like he used to...I dunno. We'll see how he does this season and in years to come.

 

[sce]

Sounds like a solid start to the season. You really can't compare scoring from last cycle to this one Start values are lower and requirements are different.

Is this his third year at the same level? Also remember as boys grow, they do have to readjust to their bodies and that will effect tightness etc.

 

[skschlag]

Sounds like a great day These scores are going to take some getting used to. (anyone else remember going from 15+ to 10/11?) But he placed well, and will continue to improve! Congrats to him

 

[jenjean70]

Sounds like a solid start to the season. You really can't compare scoring from last cycle to this one Start values are lower and requirements are different.

Is this his third year at the same level? Also remember as boys grow, they do have to readjust to their bodies and that will effect tightness etc.

Yes. It's his third year and I thought he was a little sloppy at the meet- but he's never super tight which is why he doesn't score as high as he could. I'm hoping it will click one day. He just likes learning new skills, not necessarily competing them and having to be "perfect' at them.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

that can be an age thing with boys, lots of boys are a bit slap-dash

 

[Juniper311]

I keep throwing "attention to detail" past the ears of one of mine. I'm hoping one of these days it makes it inside.

For the other one the oft repeated phrases are "no skipping turns" and "be confident".

 

[karenity]

My son has said similar things - he loves learning new skills, he loves doing gymnastics, but hasn't liked the emphasis on things being pefect or being judged. He hasn't always enjoyed the competitions but he loves to perform (although he does pretty well). I wonder if because your son won states/regionals he puts too much pressure on himself? In discussions with my son, he says it isn't his coaches or his parents causing the pressure, but he feels he puts too much pressure on himself and when this happens he loses his love of the sport.

This last season he did well, I think things were starting to click for him. I think it takes awhile for boys to figure some of this stuff out for themselves as they mature. My son is 14 1/2 now.

Oh, I should add this change in maturity impacted his school as well as gymnastics. In both he went through a phase where he struggled with grades and gym (6th grade was when this happened for him). He repeated level 7 that year. I just think it is a phase some kids go through.

Last season, my son had discussed with his coach taking this season off from competition but just learning skills. His coach said fine, but now he has changed his mind and is going to compete this year. I think sometimes they just need the option to take a little of the pressure off. And like I said, he is doing it too himself, but sometimes just discussing alternatives allows him to decide for himself if this is what he really wants to be doing.

I hope this helps, to share some boys do grow out of that phase and go through similar struggles.

 

[jenjean70]

My son has said similar things - he loves learning new skills, he loves doing gymnastics, but hasn't liked the emphasis on things being pefect or being judged. He hasn't always enjoyed the competitions but he loves to perform (although he does pretty well). I wonder if because your son won states/regionals he puts too much pressure on himself? In discussions with my son, he says it isn't his coaches or his parents causing the pressure, but he feels he puts too much pressure on himself and when this happens he loses his love of the sport.

This last season he did well, I think things were starting to click for him. I think it takes awhile for boys to figure some of this stuff out for themselves as they mature. My son is 14 1/2 now.

Oh, I should add this change in maturity impacted his school as well as gymnastics. In both he went through a phase where he struggled with grades and gym (6th grade was when this happened for him). He repeated level 7 that year. I just think it is a phase some kids go through.

Last season, my son had discussed with his coach taking this season off from competition but just learning skills. His coach said fine, but now he has changed his mind and is going to compete this year. I think sometimes they just need the option to take a little of the pressure off. And like I said, he is doing it too himself, but sometimes just discussing alternatives allows him to decide for himself if this is what he really wants to be doing.

I hope this helps, to share some boys do grow out of that phase and go through similar struggles.

He's right there at that age (11)- he was supposed to compete 8 this season but the pressure got to him knowing that the season was coming up so he opted to repeat 7 again. I'm hoping it will be good for him.

 

[jenjean70]

I keep throwing "attention to detail" past the ears of one of mine. I'm hoping one of these days it makes it inside.

For the other one the oft repeated phrases are "no skipping turns" and "be confident".

Lol! Me too....Love it!

 

[profmom]

Growing really has an impact on gymnastics when they get into the tween/teen years. My son had gorgeous form as a compulsory gymnast. Then he started growing and, well, anyone who's seen videos of him from last season can testify that, to put it gently, he wasn't as tight. For him, the biggest impact was on pommel horse -- between some wrist issues and the growth, he lost a bunch of skills and everything else looked ugly. He went from the best pommel worker on the team to the worst. He's still growing (nearly two inches since the summer), but he's adjusting now and starting to get a little of his old form back. His coach is constantly telling him that he just has to be patient and not be so hard on himself when things aren't going well.