Women Growing - How do I help dd?

[aerials]

Hi, my dd grew a lot this summer and is now very frustrated with gymnastics. She did very well last year competing and was one of the best on her team. Now because of her growth spurt she is not doing very well and is getting frustrated. She has not lost any of her skills but they are not as good as they were in June. I keep telling her to relax and work hard and that it will all come back but she is beside herself. How do I reassure her?

 

[gracyomalley]

Uggh feel your pain. I guess remembering that it happens to most, even the little ones (DD is only 4'8") now at 12, but has grown those 8 inches in a year - and she is having a hard time believing that when its done she'll get used to her new body!

Are there other girls on the team that she knows/admired who have similarly had a hard year or 2 with growth and "stuck to it"? What about the Kyla Ross example....

Of course when they are growing fast they also have all those hormones to deal with...makes it difficult for them to have any prospective. An understanding coach who is patient with them helps too!

 

[Smartiegirl]

My daughter has grown to 5' 4" in the past two years. Kyla is 5' 5' or more I bet. It's so true the skills are harder as they get taller, but when done correctly, these girls look so elegant. And with optionals the coach can cater the routine to her longer frame. I think the switch leaps and split leaps have suffered the most with my DD. If your DD hasn't lost any skills, that is so great! Remind her we have months before competition starts, she'll clean up the skills and peak at the right time of year.

 

[aerials]

Thanks for your responses. Her best friend, on team, grew a lot last year and had the same difficulty but now is doing great. So I did point that out last night and she does get it but she is still frustrated. Hormones haven't started just yet, soon but not yet. She wears a sports bra but does not need it. lol She also is very tired because of the growing, hopefully that will get better soon. I'll have to point out to her that it's better to grow during the summer than during competition season.

 

[fuzi]

Remind her: this too shall pass. If her coaches haven't acknowledged that she is growing, you might point it out to them. I'd hope that most coaches would recognize that a kid is growing and go easy on them for a while, reminding the kid that they will learn their new body, but this isn't always the case. If she is getting criticized in practice for having "lost" skills, then a talk with the coaches about her growing body is in order.

Of course, there is also the obvious stuff outside of gym too: Make sure she is getting plenty of sleep. If she's been growing, she needs even more. Feed her lots of nutritious food. Expect some little aches and pains and have ice ready.

 

[wheezy]

My 14 yo son is barely 5 foot.....when will he grow???????

 

[htimcj]

Just keep reassuring her that it DOES come back.