We have it where we live and my daughter is trying it out for the first time this year as a sophomore. She's enjoying it so far. She's a level 10, but high school gym here is around a platinum level, which isn't as easy as it seems to go back to. Vault is a struggle. lol.
But the ones winning are diamond! Our gym has quite a few girls on the team that won state this year and they are all diamonds.
I should have mentioned that I am in central North Carolina.
Oh wow! I'd never even thought about that factor of the difference in competition.
There are some. The norcalgym page has a high school section. There's at least 11 teams. But given how big NorCal is, that isn't many. Club is primarily the thing here - most public schools won't even teach gymnastics in PE because of the equipment and the risk.
FWIW, I'm in a state that does have high school gymnastics, and we definitely don't teach gymnastics in PE at public schools. The vast majority of high school gymnasts in our area are either current or recently retired club gymnasts. Practices and meets are at local gyms. And coaches represent multiple area schools.. my daughter's coach has 5 or 6 schools I believe. Also practices are only like 2 hours a week so they really are assuming the gymnasts are practicing at a club. High school gymnastics here seems to be just a fun chance to compete for your school and be involved. Which is why my daughter is really enjoying it.. because with her 22+ hours of club practice, she really doesn't have much other opportunity to be involved at her school.
In Ohio, you can't compete for your club while competing for your high school ... no exceptions. After your first high school meet (mid December or early January), you don't compete for your club until after your last high school meet (early to mid-March). Because of this, some of the bigger Ohio clubs don't really want their higher level gymnasts to compete for their high schools. [This is actually a bonus for YMCA teams because the Y teams are more accepting of competing for the home schools - some teams are even coached by YMCA team coaches ... and the girls compete for their YMCA in November and until their first HS meet. Then they are back in time for YMCA Districts and Regionals ... PLUS they can compete at Y Nationals no matter what level they are.]
Yes technically this is the same rule in our state. But doubt anyone even checks. Supposedly when you compete both your score can not count to club team at meets. Again it’s a rule but can’t see how anyone could check and we saw quite a few competing both. My daughter had decided not to compete full season of club meets when she decided to do high school As a level 10 senior.
When I was in high school (Hayward High) they had a team my wife was on it. They didn’t compete though, because other school in the area didn’t have a team, and that was back in 2000
Its somewhat the opposite here. We don't have high school gymnastics in my state and the XCEL program is thriving, especially at the middle school ages.
Here a lot of the judges that judge the high school meets also judge club meets. There is at least 1 judge that has turned in girls that tried to get away with doing both. There was a high school team had to forfeit at least 2 meets and the girl wasn't allowed to compete the rest of the high school season. She was a senior and had been dominating bars and vault in HS but she was only a level 8 due to beam and floor not being ready for level 9. The judge had just seen her at a high school meet one day, and a couple days later, saw her in a club meet.
