How far for me?

[lavinmeg]

I am 14 years old and I have been doing gymnastics for about a year and a half. I am a prep - opt intermediate (USA level 5 with some 6 skills) and was wondering if it is possible to make it to college level 9/10 ?

My hardest skills on each event are
Bars: pike flyaway
Beam: cartwheel cartwheel + front tuck dismount
floor: front tuck and back tuck (standing and rbh)
Vault: handspring

This is like a bonus question but what are some of the next skills I should be working on?

Thanks

 

[cher062]

Any thing is possible if you want it bad enough and work at it hard enough. Ask your coach these same questions. Many of the coaches know exactly what colleges are looking for and what you would need to do. Does your High School have a team? that is a good place to start too as many of the colleges go to the HS to see who is doing what and maybe offer a spot at different events on the College team when you hit SR year. I do know that colleges tend to look for specialists at events at least the ones around here do. So when they look at a gymnast they may be looking for a good vaulter, or a good bars person etc.

Just remember that you should be more concerned with picking the right college for your major BEFORE you even think of being a gymnast on a college team. When you are 18 you may be more interested in the curriculum for your major than you are with getting a gymnastic program and you should.

 

[GetaGrip]

From what you have said it seems like it could definitely be possible. However, if you were to reach level 9/10 you would probably have to compete a level a year, which is a very difficult path. Most gyms have their gymnasts repeat levels until they are in the 36 range or higher.

I'm not sure if you need to compete the compulsory levels before the optional ones if you are in prep op, but if so, it sounds like you already have all of the skills for levels 4/5 and almost all for six.

The level 6 routines are:
Vault- front handspring vault

Bars- kip, cast, clear hip, swing down, kip, tuck on, jump to the high bar, kip, cast, long hang pullover, under swing, tapswing, tapswing, flyaway
All casts and the clear hip must be at 30˚ above horizontal minimum. For the flyaway you can do a tuck, pike, or layout flyaway. All have the same scoring.

Beam- heel snap turn, leap jump, back walkover, two pivot turns, full turn, tuck jump, split jump. dismount: cross handstand, 1/4 turn into side handstand, dismount

Floor- 180˚ straddle jump, back handspring stepout, front tuck, front handspring step out front handspring to two feet, leap jump, side leap, 180˚ splits on floor, full turn, back walkover, roundoff back handspring back tuck

Level seven is a much different story than level 6. While you have your own routines, you do have requirements to fulfill. In level seven you need 4 A's and 2 B's on every event . A skills are worth .1 from your start value while B's are worth .3. Each routine requirement is worth .5.

On vault, all vaults are still worth a 10.0, so most people do front handsprings, but front handsprings with a full twist and other twisting handsprings are allowed. Personally, with front handsprings worth the same, I don't think its really worth it.

Bars:
-Two circling skills (clear hip, or giant)
-Casts and clear hip to 45˚ from handstand
-Salto dismount

Beam:
-Two or more skill connection. May or may not have flight.
-One flight skill (round off, back handspring, front handspring)
-Split leap or jump showing a 180˚ split
-Two jump connection
-Salto dismount

Floor:
-One tumbling pass (three or more skills)
-Back layout with no twisting
-Two forward skills, one a salto (front handspring front tuck)
-Two skill leap pass
-A turn (1/1 or 3/2)
-An acrobatic skill and dance skill connected (round off straddle jump)

Those are the main skills for the next two levels. You'll need to work hard to reach level 9/10 by college, but it is a definite possibility. Best of luck to you!