Parents Guess the scores?

[LMV]

Any coaches here feel this way? Just curious.

I am not a coach [or even a very experienced gym mom] but I know that the gym our daughter started at opted to have her compete L5 and L6 for full seasons and then planned to have her do a score out meet at L7 and compete L8. Her life changed after that score out meet, she came to live with us, and when we let her return to gymnastics it was at another gym where they also usually compete full seasons at L5 and L6. Both of these programs start competing at L5 and require kip mastery to qualify to their USAG competitive team. [Her current gym has a slightly different developmental competitive team track as well. I don't think this existed at her old gym.]

 

[NOG]

The feel that the moves in the L6 bar routine do more harm than good, so they move on as soon as the score is there.
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??? That makes NO sense to me. I know at least one very famous Elite gym who really pushes for their girls to compete level 6 (would rather them skip 7) as it is SO beneficial to form! Maybe you're trying to say that the SCORING on the level 6 bar routine is Brutal and therefore don't want thier girls discouraged (I know a lot gyms feel this way and that's the reason that they opt to score out of 6).

Also - has the new gym evaluated/worked with your dd yet? I would seriously question a gym that makes promises w/o ever having seen/worked with a girl,

Not sure if this is what they are telling you, but that is what I'm hearing from this and your other thread. In our gym, a girl would not even move up to level 5 w/o the kip (unless she were older-had competed 4 for 2yrs already[they don't like them to stay at a level too long] and was so close to getting that kip).

Your dd is only 7 and has SO much potential. Please consider checking out ALL the gym options around you when you move. Don't just take whatever the 1st gym tells you as the best way to go. Training level 5 and perfecting form is NEVER a waste. I know a lot of gyms have a fear of Level 6 (it is scored notoriously low), but it does have many benefits. Make sure that the gym that you're chosing is the right gym for your dd.

 

[Granny Smith]

Fast forward, we are moving. She will probably not get to compete again this fall. Her new gym does not think she needs to spend all year plus next fall working on L5. So she will move onto training L6. They don't do full seasons of 6 as the norm. The feel that the moves in the L6 bar routine do more harm than good, so they move on as soon as the score is there. So she would do maybe 1 more meet as a 5, as many as needed as a 6 and go from there.

A serious red flag is going off here for me! Any coach who would say that they feel that the moves in the L6 bar do more harm, I have to hear the reasoning behind this!

Kip - Clear Hip to HS (if you are really good, I'm saying beyond required degree) - Long hang kip - tap swing in the baby giant. Please tell me where the harm is? These 4 skills alone are essential for any optional routine (tap in the baby giant, creates the correct tap for giants).

When you get to the higher levels, bars is like a sport in itself.

If it were me making the move, I'd take a good, hard look at how this new gym scored in bars especially in the higher levels. Is it possible that the new gym made the comment about L6 bars because they know it seems to be J's struggle. Did you ever ask why they thought that a standard routine that USAG put out to an entire nation caused more harm than good? It just doesn't seem right to me.

I think J is a very good, young gymnast with raw talent. I'm sure any gym would love to have her and would probably say anything to you the parent to get you to bring her to their gym, but think long and hard about where you take her. You want her to reach her fullest potential and you have to be willing to question a coach when they make statements that are sort of out there.

She needs to be somewhere where the staff will focus on basics and form. She is young enough that going through the levels will just happen. If you push too quick what will happen is she will get to L8 and she won't progress, you'll end up taking her to a different gym, a better one, no doubt and the staff will take her back to doing basics because she can't progress with her current basics/form. Basics are a necessity, whether it's at L4, 5 & 6, like they should be or if she has to go back and re-learn at L8 or 9. You will never regret learning the basics while she is in compulsories, you will get frustrated if she has to learn them when she is a L9.

I do wish J the best of luck. I sincerely hope that you were just paraphrasing what the coaches said about the harm L6 bars cause, I simply can't image a USAG coach saying that. If that be the case, please accept my apology.

 

[Jennemmy]

Anyone want to guess my dd's scores? This was one of the easier scoring summer meets. I don't why we didn't get vault or had the weird out of order issue on beam but you get the gist.

YouTube - Nutmegs Day 2 , July 25, 2010

 

[bogwoppit]

Anyone want to guess my dd's scores? This was one of the easier scoring summer meets. I don't why we didn't get vault or had the weird out of order issue on beam but you get the gist.

YouTube - Nutmegs Day 2 , July 25, 2010

Start a new thread for your question, or it will get lost here!

I am sure the mob will join in as soon as they see it.

 

[ZJsMom]

It's easier to score well on bars in level 7 than 6 (assuming the gymnast has giants). I've never heard the idea that the level 6 routine is harmful, but it is hard for most girls to do the baby giant without deductions and if they have a good tap, it may be easier to just teach giants. That would be my best guess as to what the coach meant.

 

[Mariainlv]

Actually he specifically pointed out the release move (flyaway?) and several other things that he said give him nightmares. He said that some skills don't lead to upper level skills, that they actually hinder them. He said other things that were above my head. For the record, he is a very well known and respected coach and his specialty is bars so perhaps I misunderstood him.

 

[10.0]

Hmmmm a flyaway of some sort is how you dismount the bars from level 6 through level elite, it is really an essential skill like a back hand spring, I am really confused as to why he would say that.

 

[Mariainlv]

He said just letting go of the bar and just flipping teaches bad habits? Again, I dont really know what he meant, so I dont want to put words in his mouth.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I think your daughter did very well considering her age and the amount of time she has done gymnastics. I would not say she is ready to move on to the next level why not just give her a solid year at level 5 then move on, I am sure she is not bored yet at her age. I thought level6 bars skills are essential for mastering alot of the optional skills such as giants so what you said makes no sense. Now level 4 bars seems to be a different story.

 

[gymnut1]

Most level 7s compete a flyaway dismount on bars. Most kids compete a flyaway in every level above 6. I do think the level 6 bars is hard compared to the rest of the routines but that should have the oposite effect than skipping them. If you nail them in level 6 then you are set.

Does he feel the same about a kip? I am surprised if he is a well known and respected bars specialist he let a girl compete level 5 without either of them.

Your dd did a great job for only being in gymnastics a year and only training level 5 for 2 months.

BTW I don't know if you know but it is completely normal for a child to have 'higher' skills on some pieces and lower on others. It is usual to compete to the level of her lowest skill piece. My dd has a level 8 beam routine but only a level 5 bar routine. She competes at the level of her bars.

 

[ek2]

He said just letting go of the bar and just flipping teaches bad habits? Again, I dont really know what he meant, so I dont want to put words in his mouth.

Yes, a gymnast would just let go of the bar and flip if she did not have a solid layout/back tuck flyaway. Last year there were several girls at another gym who did not have the dismount correct on bars (level 6) they were quite scary to watch on bars. Their scores were in the low to mid 6's because of that. If that is the type of dismount he thinks level 6's should do then I would really question whether he has a grasp on teaching bars correctly.

Any gym that has a solid program teaches either a back tuck flyaway or layout flyaway (in level 6). Both skills done correctly are essential in the optional levels.

Maybe you should ask him how he teaches a flyaway?

 

[Mariainlv]

Ok, lets take a step back. In he and his wifes defense they have been at our gym less than a month. The old HC team were let go July 1st. A new coach accepted, came and took over. Told the kids what level they will compete etc. then quit a month later. So a little over 6 weeks to meet season and no HC or any coaches with real experience except one but she is a part time coach.

SO in walk New HC (Mrs. E) and Mr. E who will coach and travel doing clinics, etc. Had they been the coaches the whole time, more than likely J would not be competing L5. Were we not moving, she would not be competing yet. We would wait a few meets till she was ready.

I just wanted to add that for transparency. The new HC team are phenominal. I would rather err and say that I must have been confused or misunderstood. I hold Mr. E in the highest regard and know that he gymnastics knowledge in his pinkie than I will ever have in my entire brain. Im going to go out on a limb and say that whatever he meant, he was right. Period.

 

[gym law mom]

That clarifies things alot. I thought(and maybe others did too) that the reference to the bars coach was at the gym you will be moving to in CO.

 

[NOG]

I also thought that the bars coach in question was from the gym that you would be moving to. I still question his remark, but seeing as you won't be there too much longer....

 

[Mom2Brats]

I think that if you are talking about what the coach said at the meeting, he was saying that it is common for L6 bars to be taught incorrectly and that both the baby giant and the flyaway can be harmful to the girls if taught incorrectly because they have to relearn it in the higher levels. But I'm pretty sure that what he was trying to do was emphasize how important it is to get that L6 bars right.

I'm so glad we have these new coaches because Allison said that one of the coaches was trying to teach the flyaway and basically told her to do it wrong. I'm not sure we'd be staying here without the new team.

 

[NOG]

I think that if you are talking about what the coach said at the meeting, he was saying that it is common for L6 bars to be taught incorrectly and that both the baby giant and the flyaway can be harmful to the girls if taught incorrectly because they have to relearn it in the higher levels. But I'm pretty sure that what he was trying to do was emphasize how important it is to get that L6 bars right.

Now THAT makes much more sense! Taught incorrectly, I agree - as with ALL skills, incorrect instruction can be very harmful. I'm glad to know that the coach wasn't really trying to say that training level 6 elements was detrimental to an optional gymnast - those skills are essential to all optional gymnasts. I was trying to picture how a coach thought that they would possibly teach a fly-away from straight out of a giant w/o ever having taught them a tap swing fly-away 1st . That would be harmful and dangerous!

 

[melmonette]

Floor 7.25 fall out of back extension not crisp dance
Beam 7.6 no holding on either handstand forgot routine in dance
Vault 7.85 separated legs arch off of vault