Parents For the love of the sport: “Should I stay or should I go”

[Fire Lily]

Hello! Newbie here……. So my daughter is almost done with her first year competing. She is 7 years old in XCEL Bronze. I think she has done wonderful and we are so proud of her, but she has noticed she is the lowest scorer on her team. Everyone else is 1st and 2nd place AA. She just earned her highest ever AA at 5th.
We love our gym, coaches, teammates and staff! They are a blessing, but it’s a very competitive gym and I’m concerned the discouragement may squash the love of the sport. She LOVES it. But now there’s like a dark sadness when we talk about it. It’s like she wants to be happy but can’t get past the scores, medals and trophies. Based on what I can tell this level is very foundational so I think she’s doing great. ‍ But she is VERY hard on herself. She also tends to be the “glass is half empty” type. I know she needs to learn to deal with her emotions. The biggest reason I love this sport for kids are the life skills they acquire but I almost wonder if too much too fast will cause burn out.

My question for you all is would you consider switching to a less competitive gym, or just continue to encourage your child to rise above the disappointment and persevere. I continue to tell her this is her journey and though they make it easy to compare herself, but she must remember she is competing against herself at this level.
I appreciate your thoughts and feedback!

 

[RTT2]

If you love the gym, coaches, teammates and staff at this gym you have hit a goldmine and should absolutely not leave this gym! Early level scores mean very little. I know it's hard for young kids not to feel bad when they aren't getting the awards and being at the top of the podium, but if you focus on her successes and help her understand that it takes time to develop the skills, the form, and the confidence to compete, then hopefully she won't be so hard on herself. It's the kids who truly love the sport and want to continue to work hard who make it up the levels, not necessarily the kids who are the biggest stars early on.

 

[Fire Lily]

If you love the gym, coaches, teammates and staff at this gym you have hit a goldmine and should absolutely not leave this gym! Early level scores mean very little. I know it's hard for young kids not to feel bad when they aren't getting the awards and being at the top of the podium, but if you focus on her successes and help her understand that it takes time to develop the skills, the form, and the confidence to compete, then hopefully she won't be so hard on herself. It's the kids who truly love the sport and want to continue to work hard who make it up the levels, not necessarily the kids who are the biggest stars early on.

Thank you so much! That’s what I was thinking but I’m new at this and know nothing about this sport! :’D

 

[Coach Kate]

I will add to the above by saying that there are kids who only do ok in lower levels and end up killing it later. You just never know.

 

[Whyhellothere]

My daughter never won a meet in level 2-5. She was scoring around 36 for most meets…Once she hit level 7 and 8 she did start winning! And scoring in the 38s…

I agree with others who say lower levels do not indicate future success or failure. My daughter has always always always LOVED the sport. From day 1 to now

 

[WV Gym Mom]

My daughter was pretty much always last as a Bronze, and she was hard on herself. She did a year of Bronze, a year of Silver, then is just finishing a year of Level 3, and it finally is clicking for her to focus on form and fundamentals. She's still solidly in the middle of the pack, but I see her improve every meet. The important thing is she loves her coaches, her gym, and her teammates. They push her hard but not past the point of her loving the sport. If your daughter is happy and being treated well at the gym, I wouldn't switch.

 

[gymgal]

IT's tough to find a good gym that checks all the boxes and if you are happy with the program and the coaches and if your dd feels like she is fitting in well, enjoying her time at practices then I would not consider moving.

You could maybe talk with the coaches and dd about repeating this level. It would give her an extra year to solidify the skills and work on form. Some gymnasts really need the affirmation of the scores/placements and for them, repeating a level may be just what they need to raise those score and help them feel successful. Other gymnasts get their affirmation by the skills they are learning and don't care about the scores/placements

 

[pinkytoes]

Hello! Newbie here……. So my daughter is almost done with her first year competing. She is 7 years old in XCEL Bronze. I think she has done wonderful and we are so proud of her, but she has noticed she is the lowest scorer on her team. Everyone else is 1st and 2nd place AA. She just earned her highest ever AA at 5th.
We love our gym, coaches, teammates and staff! They are a blessing, but it’s a very competitive gym and I’m concerned the discouragement may squash the love of the sport. She LOVES it. But now there’s like a dark sadness when we talk about it. It’s like she wants to be happy but can’t get past the scores, medals and trophies. Based on what I can tell this level is very foundational so I think she’s doing great. ‍ But she is VERY hard on herself. She also tends to be the “glass is half empty” type. I know she needs to learn to deal with her emotions. The biggest reason I love this sport for kids are the life skills they acquire but I almost wonder if too much too fast will cause burn out.

My question for you all is would you consider switching to a less competitive gym, or just continue to encourage your child to rise above the disappointment and persevere. I continue to tell her this is her journey and though they make it easy to compare herself, but she must remember she is competing against herself at this level.
I appreciate your thoughts and feedback!

Sounds like your daughter is respected and valued at her gym, but most of all she sounds happy! Good job mama/dad!