WAG Going into level 7

[Dka]

Hello everyone, I have read your posts and have finally registered. My dd(10) and in 4 th grade, just completed level 6.She had a great season scoring 36+ for most of the year. Her best event is bars( received 9-9.6 all year. She was never a high scoring gymnast. At level 4 and 5 she got 34's , she only started gymnastics at 7( and went to pre- team) and started competing level 4 right before her 8 th birthday. It is so strange for her to all of a sudden have so much success at level 6, especially bars. She has a clear hip handstand, and giant already, and the form is really nice. She also has her back walkover handspring on beam and scores between 9.1-9.6 on vault( floor this season at level 6 was around 8.7-9.2 and beam without a fall around 8.8-9.2. She has been picking up these skills so quickly, she went from placing on one event each meet to all of a sudden getting firsts a lot on bars and vault especially. There is talk about fast tracking her, I am new to this sport and am thinking that there is a reason for the levels. Should kids skip? is this a recipe for burnout.? My daughter has a lot of time before HS. I think the reason for the talk is the big changes so quickly. Any advice from experienced parents would be great. My other children play team sports.

 

[Seeker]

Having already competed L6, she's breaking into the optional levels now anyway. Skills really dictate the levels at this point, so don't worry too much about it. Let her coaches coach and you support her. If she doesn't have the L8 skills, she'll stay at L7 til she does, etc. I would only worry if you see her doing skills she's not ready to compete just so that she can compete up a level, if the mental side is too tough for her, etc. My daughter is kind of the same....started gym at 7, she's 9 now and is just finishing L6. So far, she's fine and loves it. This sport is tough and it is a long road, so while you'll have periods where things move fast, we will also have periods where things move more slowly. That's okay....just go with what she's capable of at the time. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck!

 

[iwannacoach]

Speaking as a parent and coach........

Don't worry about the pace of her progress through the levels. In my opinion the structure of the levels accommodates the average gymnast with average talent/determination/work ethic/you name it..... and average coach working together for the average amount of hours. If any of those three prime contributors is above the norm, the progress through the levels becomes easier. The same is true if two or all three of the primes go beyond the norm, and the progress can be enough to make coaches giddy, parents puzzled, and kids dizzy with excitement.

Really, it's just a normal result when all elements come together the way we'd hope.

Fast tracking is a phrase that can take on different meanings for different folks. If the coach means to move her through the levels as quickly as she's able, and is willing to consider your child's emotional state along the way so she's able to enjoy the process as it should be, well what do you think.......

 

[mariposa]

Fast tracking means different things at different gyms. It doesn't always mean skipping levels, but sometimes means that they will bypass the "normal" level progression at their gym. This is one of those things where there is no easy answer. Every kid is different. Some kids are fine going fast, flying through the skills/levels, etc. Others need to go slow and steady (I have one of those kinds of kids). If her coaches and parents are able to watch for signs of burn out and coaches pace her well, she will be fine. If they know when to push and when to back off, she should be fine. I think that just taking each day as they come, instead of having a "plan" is best, too. Gymnasts have times when skills come easy and fast and then they will hit plateaus for awhile.

 

[gymgal]

My dd skipped a level in Xcel last year and it was a good move for her. She dealt with some confidence issues at the beginning of competition season but worked through them. She had her skills down but wasn't confident competing them. She's a L7 this year and is still doing well.

What is the coach's thoughts? - skipping the new level 6 and putting her in the new level 7 or skipping 7 to go to 8? I wouldn't consider skipping going to 7 fast tracking because the difference in current 7 and new 7 isn't anticipated to be that large so it's like she is going from 6 to 7, with just slightly more difficulty. I think many gyms will do this with their better gymnasts. If they are talking 6 to 8, that would certainly be a jump because the competition in 8 will likely be more fierce (with the option of doing c-level skills. So I guess it is important to know what they are thinking. And if they are talking true fast tracking, where she is just scoring out of levels to get to 10 asap, that's a different ball game. Are there other girls in the gym who are fast tracked?

Also remember that girls learn skills differently. Some learn several skills very quickly and then have a plateau. Others learn more slowly but steadily throughout the year. Then you have the ones who consistently learn quickly and are able to move on quickly. Knowing what type your dd is will help you decide what is best for her.

 

[Dka]

Thanks for the responses. I think new level 7 possible 8. Personally since success is new to her, the new level 7 would be good. The coaches are excited because her best event is bars. She has better bar skills than the 7's competing now and they all get between 8.5-9 at meets this season. But like the other poster, I want her to be in it for the long haul, and many fast tracked kids do not go to regular school, and almost double the hours( dd goes 18 hours a week) she finally came into her own this year and is loving the new skills, so I am not quite sure what type of gymnast she is as far as acquiring skills. In the lower levels, she lost points on form, but she is really strong, she even can do a press mount on the beam, so I think the higher levels will showcase her strength. Just trying to find the right balance. Thanks for all of your replies