Women GB to USAG

[muvva]

Wondering if anyone has moved from the UK to US with their gymnast. Military family here and my daughter started gymnastics while stationed in England so has only ever competed NDP grades and metals. I'm wondering what the biggest differences are in terms of hours and fees. In terms of levels, it looks like Zinc is somewhat similar to level 4? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I feel like I've JUST figured out the GB system and I hate not knowing things lol xx

 

[Dahlialover]

I would not anticipate significant differences with regard to the actual skills. Progressions vary between countries, but the fundamentals are the same. I don’t expect The adjustment to be difficult.

I image that the financial aspects will be the biggest difference. Everything is a business here, so expect to have to pay a lot of money for absolutely everything. Prices for training vary dramatically by region. One thing to know is that the monthly tuition is only a fraction of the overall cost. Gymnasts also have to pay a lot of extra fees: competition fees, coach fees, uniforms, choreography fees, and variety of other arbitrary fees. This can add up to an extra 2-5k annually.

Training practices are not standardized in the US. Each gym is independently run, and the owners get to do things however they want. A lot of coaches are immigrants and they bring diverse approaches to the sport. Where I live, there are American-style gym and there are Eastern European-style gyms, and they are quite different. The variation in gym cultures makes finding a gym that is a good fit for your child very important.

Good luck!

 

[HopefulGymnast]

I don't have experience with UK and US gymnastics, but I have gathered a lot from others over the years.

Prices:
like the previous commenter said, the prices vary across the US a lot. From what I hear, it's WAY more expensive than in most west european countries.

Training type:
The US has two most used systems. DP (also known as JO), which uses levels 1-10, and excel which uses metals/minerals.

---DP is generally the most rigorous with more hours. Compared to many other countries, and compared to GB zinc, DP is a lot more rigid in their skill expectations. Where GB zinc lists things like "Acro elements forwards / sideways &backwards", level 4 specifically lists skills that need to be done, like "front handspring stepout" and "back walkover". In the higher levels (called optionals), this changes and the DP code becomes more free/open.

---Excel is a lot more free in its code from the start, with requirements like e.g. on beam "2 acro elements, of which 1 through upside down vertical". This might be more like what you're used to. However, Excel was also designed to be the lower intensity option originally, for kids that want to spend more time on other hobbies etc. Not all gyms take Excel equally seriously. Sometimes they don't focus as much on good form, it'll really depend on the gym.

Level:
I've had a quick look at the requirements of zinc and the rough requirements of the US levels. I think zinc is a bit higher than level 4 or excel gold. Specifically, zinc requires a higher cast on bars, bigger leg spread in split leaps, and a backwards element on beam. Those aren't required in DP level 4 or excel gold. However, in zinc you don't have to hit all the requirements, so that evens it out a bit? And zinc vault is a bit easier than DP level 4 / excel gold I think.

In the end, it really depends what skills your daughter has, and what the gyms you're moving to are willing to work on / what they require. If she fulfills her back acro requirement on floor with a backwards roll and can't do any other back tumbling, she'd have a harder time going to a DP level perhaps.

If you want to know what level she is, list her skills for yourself honestly, and see what US level fits that best. You can get a general idea of the levels requirements at: https://gymnasticshq.com/gymnastics-levels/ but do keep in mind that its not perfectly accurate perse. And sometimes gyms also have their own (higher) standards/requirements.

Terms
I notice some terms are different. Just so you know
upstart = kip
spin = turn
Straight = layout
Salto = usually just indicated by the body shape (eg. backwards salto tucked = back tuck)