WAG How long in gymnastics before a team invite

[notthatmom]

Dd... Not dad. Silly autocorrect.

I'm laughing way too hard at "my dad"

 

[notthatmom]

Dd... Not dad. Silly autocorrect.

I'm laughing way too hard at "my dad"

 

[M2Abi]

DD was 6 1/2 and in a beginner girls class for 3 months before she was asked to be on pre-team. She was on pre-team for a year and then moved up to Level 3.

DS did a few months of preschool gymnastics at age 3 and didn't like it so we quit. About a year later at age 4, he was at open gym and the boys team coach was watching him and asked him to be on the developmental team. He did that for a year and was then asked to be on the Level 4 boys team.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

We started gym when she was 2 with Mommy and me, then a toddler class. Next a year of rec. Team at 5 Level 1, 2 meets the first year.

 

[l.c.o]

Started 1x/wk tot class at age 4. Invited to an extra strength and flexibility class at age 5. Moved to preteam system at 5.5-6ish. Gym started competing at old level 4. Competed first season old 4 at age 8.

 

[ladybird]

Started 1x/wk tot class at age 4. Invited to an extra strength and flexibility class at age 5. Moved to preteam system at 5.5-6ish. Gym started competing at old level 4. Competed first season old 4 at age 8.

Ditto, except our extra conditioning class started at age 7.

 

[RTT2]

Never.

She's a little engine that could. We're at a very competitive gym- I didn't realize this when I signed her up for rec classes, it just happens to be 10 mins away. DD started the one hour rec class at 7. She loved it but wasn't picked out by the coaches for pre-team or anything. They had tryouts for Xcel, which I almost didn't let her do because I was afraid she didn't know enough. Made the Bronze team but definitely wasn't a stand out her first season. Kids usually do two seasons of Bronze at our gym and it was only last summer I noticed she was suddenly looking like a different kid- but jump in skills and form. All along she told me her goal was JO, but I knew they never move them from Xcel to JO at our gym, so I assumed she was out of luck on that front.

She kept working, listens to everything, takes corrections, and kept improving and had a really good season. She'd set up extra conditioning stations for herself, never missed practice, and kept telling me her goal was JO. Still, the JO coaches don't really look at the Xcel girls after they are tracked in a different direction so I thought there was no chance. Then she started asking if I could find a second gym for her so she could train more hours by doing two teams. At that point I figured I might as well ask the JO coaches if they'd consider moving her so I sent them an email. Didn't hear back for 6 weeks. They kept watching her and finally said they'd move her over and see how it went for a week.
It went well. She's been training L4 all summer and loves every second.

 

[gymmom11]

My DD took classes at age 5 for 6 months before being invited to an "in house" team. She did that for a year and was invited to JO, but we switched gyms and she tried out at the new gym and was placed preteam (l2) for a year and moved on to a successful l3 season. However, we had girls on her l3 team hat were invited after 6 months-1 yr in classes... and then one girl tried out during open try outs and made the team. She came from a different gym and had been in classes for 3 years at her old gym and 1 term at our gym before open team tryouts

 

[thefellowsmom]

At three she was evaluated at the gym for class placement (had been doing mommyme/preschool classes at rec only type program since 18 months so they wanted to see her before she started classes there). She was immediately placed in team development classes, invited to pre-team (tracked to JO) right before kindergarten. At that gym that was a two year program. She competed level 4 at age 7.

 

[Nikki4]

She did a mom and he class just after turning three. It was obvious after day 1 she needed something more. I know that sounds nuts but she had every person in the class, coach included asking if she had been in gym before. We left that gym a couple weeks later, she started Rec in a little more intense gym. Was moved up to the 4-5 year old class st 3.5, then invited to preteam at 4.
We moved across the country, one gym wanted to put her in there (old) level 3 training group, I thought that was crazy so we picked a different gym(1st mistake). She turned 5 a few months later and was invited to level 3. Competed one meet and we moved across country again.
Tried out a few places. One wanted to put her in there new level 3 group, but the commute was an hour.( should've done it, 2nd mistake) Another place wanted to drop her back to their advanced rec group to clean up some things, and that's we she went. Almost 8 months later, age 6.5she was invited back to team for new level 3
Year later and we move again! Lol
New gym puts her in level 4 at 8, and she's been happy ever since. Getting reading to compete 7 at 10
Drives me crazy looking back sometimes! Man if we had just made a couple different gym decisions or if she could've been where she is now from the get go!! But everything happens for a reason and I am good with that!

 

[dancingimmie]

My dd is considered a late starter at her gym. She started in Rec at age 6, then broke her arm (not at gym) and was out for the rest of the year. Went back in the summer and flew through the Rec levels. She went from level 1 beginners to level 4 Rec in 9 months. She was put on team at age 7 and competed level 3 at age 8. She is now about to turn 10 and is training level 7/8. If she can get her bars she'll do both. She is blessed with being both naturally strong and flexible.

 

[GYM0M]

DD started rec gym rt after her 3rd birthday & cried the whole time, scared to death so we started going to mommy n me until the schedule changed for summer classes. Her abilities were immediately noticed, turning straight leg cartwheels within 6 weeks.....BUT if I wasn't out there with her, she'd shut down. Once summer arrived, she was moved into a regular 3-4 yr rec class with the mommy n me instructor. She stayed with this instructor for 2 years, not just the same gym, had to be the same instructor. The gym we were at did not have a competitive team and the closest one was a 30 min drive (unthinkable) at the time so we attended summer camps at gyms across the state. We went to one when she was 5.5 and they asked how many hours she was in the gym, at the time it was about 3 hours. They were blown away and offered her a spot on their competitive team. This gym was 3.5 hours from home! By this time a new gym had opened in town & we took her for a tryout and she was immediately placed on the (old) L4 team. They didn't have preteam, just competing and non-competing L4. They also started a TOPS team that year that she was offered a spot on. She's been there ever since! 6 years and counting!! She's hoping to qualify Jr. Elite next year.

 

[mgegirl]

I did rec for 1 hour every other week for 1 year, and then another year of rec for 1 hour every week. After that, I got an invite to join the pre-team (which has 2 "levels"). I finished both in 2 years (some girls have to repeat a level) and then moved onto team where I have been for 2 years (first year I did not compete), this will be my third.

 

[mommeeluv]

My oldest DD was asked to join the same day we started her in rec classes..kind of shocking lol she started on level 2 and moved up to level 3 a few months later

 

[CuriousCate]

both of my DDs did a preschool class for about 6 months at age 3 1/2 and by age 4 were put into a pre-pre-team program (1 hr twice/week). ODD did that for a year and then moved to pre-team for about 5 months and then to competitive team when she was just about 5 1/2. YDD did the pre-pre-team for about 9 months, then moved to pre-team also for about 9 months and then to competitive team this summer also at about 5 1/2.

 

[Aussiegymdad]

DD got invited to pre team development at 5 after going in for an assessment (did a few months of rec elsewhere)
IL3 around 8 to 9 months later.

 

[Jaks]

Pre school gymnastics since the age of 3 1/2 then rec gymnastics until a few weeks after her 7th birthday and then got invited to moved up, I did get asked when my daughter had just turned 6 if she would be interested in anything more than rec and I said no, so there may have been a move out of rec sooner on the cards, who knows what would have happened if I said yes a year earlier .. But al least she is a squad gymnast know and she might have burnt out and quit if she started squad training younger.

 

[GymSnax]

My DD was 6 when she started in rec and was asked to join developmental class at age 7. After a few months moved directly to the pre-team. Finally competed Bronze this year. I think if we could have stayed in one place and not had to move where the navy sends us she might have been farther along, but who knows?

 

[LesleysMom]

Did 1 year of rec/lessons then was invited to pre-team. Did pre-team 2 years then moved to competition team (Level 3) when she was 8. She is now 11 and Level 7 (USA gymnastics).

 

[e'smum]

my gymmie (then 6) went straight to lvl 3. she had learned her BHS and got her ROBHS during a handful of summer rec classes. i thought she was going to go to an advanced class and then maybe lvl 2. they decided the last day to put her right to lvl 3 but non-compete b/c she had that skill. she ended up competing the last 2 meets of the season (had just turned 7) and going to states with her teammates as she picked up the skills rather quickly. she did repeat lvl 3 the next year, as was the plan all along.
it was not expected at all. lol . i think, in part, the fact that the gym was brand new and didn't have a lot of JO kids yet led to that decision but the gym now has a lvl 3D (developmental). my kid started that! lol they go one less day a week and don't compete (3 3/hour days/wk). compared to lvl 2 which only goes a couple of short days a week (and also doesn't compete)