Parents How many L10 girls graduate from U.S. high schools every year?

[profmom]

Keep in mind that a partial scholarship may not even bring tuition down to the cost of in-state at your public flagship. I suspect that for many kids, both boys and girls, who make it through competitive gym to senior year, chances of a good academic scholarship are significantly higher than a gym scholarship simply because of the discipline needed to stay on top of everything. And if you're looking for a good academic scholarship, you can cast a broader/different net.

 

[Gymmamabear]

I would be curious of the numbers simply to see how many girls are ABLE To continue in L10 through senior year. It seems so many can get to L10. it's STAYING there for years and years that is hard!! So many are injured out, seem to mentally lose their drive or grow to hate the sport. :-(

If I could figure it out (And there is no way) I wish there was some way to figure out the optimal number of years in 10. More is not always better b/c from what I see those girls seem to get burned or injured out more. If those girls "make it" they are for sure the most spectacular, however I feel like I see a higher level of burnout/injury out with them as well. (More risk of failure but more of a chance of being great too!) However, getting to 10 with only a year or 2 doesn't seem to get the hard enough skills. What is the optimal number of years??? 3 or 4? That is a stat I'd LOVE to see!

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

It is interesting that the numbers in general gym are so low compared to the other gymsports. In Australia there are more gymnasts enrolled in GFA programs than all other gym sports combined. The general gym including recreational gymnasts, pre school gymnasts, team gym, free G, adult gymnastics, over 50’s gymnastics etc.

I saw 4.8 million participating in gymnastics in 2017, but that only included age 6 and up. I fee like preschool is a big demographic to capture, as it's very often a child's first activity - both boys and girls.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

TX USAG posts a picture of their graduating L10s at the state meet each year. Level 10s have to get a 32, or 9.3 as an event specialist to qualify.

2019 - 25 seniors (184 gymnasts)
2018 - 24 seniors (179 gymnasts)
2017 - 30 seniors (169 gymnasts)
2016 - 21 seniors (155 gymnasts)

It looks like, except for 2017, seniors are consistantly 13ish% of the total number of 10s at state.

I wonder if any other states take pictures of their graduating 10s so we could see if the number holds for other states.

 

[Gymmamabear]

TX USAG posts a picture of their graduating L10s at the state meet each year. Level 10s have to get a 32, or 9.3 as an event specialist to qualify.

2019 - 25 seniors (184 gymnasts)
2018 - 24 seniors (179 gymnasts)
2017 - 30 seniors (169 gymnasts)
2016 - 21 seniors (155 gymnasts)

It looks like, except for 2017, seniors are consistantly 13ish% of the total number of 10s at state.

I wonder if any other states take pictures of their graduating 10s so we could see if the number holds for other states.

WOW. That is INSANITY that it is so few graduating girls in TEXAS of all places. Just goes to show how incredibly brutal this sport is. I'd love to (Well not me, someone far less lazy then myself, lol) to look up all those senior and see how long they have been in 10, and then of those how many are doing gym in college. (All divisions, not just D1)

 

[kendo348]

WOW. That is INSANITY that it is so few graduating girls in TEXAS of all places. Just goes to show how incredibly brutal this sport is.

My immediate thought here is that TX seems in general like an especially brutal state for gymnastics. I’ve long said that if we lived in TX my daughter would be doing Xcel not JO (not because she doesn’t have the talent but because I would be unwilling to ride that crazy train. I know not all gyms there are necessarily super intense but it seems like the culture/proportions are higher there...)

My point in bringing that up is this: I wonder to what extent the low percentage of graduating seniors, in a state like TX with vast compulsory numbers, is influenced by the intense culture. I’d be interested in a comparison by region of the percentage of girls that stick it out through senior year. It could be unrelated to how many of those get college offers or how good they end up being - just how many stay in the sport while living at home because it remains a positive option for them/they didn’t get burnt out. Is there a region getting the balance noticeably more right than others?

 

[Gymmamabear]

That would be SUPER interesting to know!

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I've just done a bunch of math, and what's interesting, is that it looks like Texas has a MUCH higher rate of getting girls from level 4 to level 10 than the national average - if that USAG by the numbers thing someone posted upthread is accurate. So the question is, is the attrition rate from level 10 actually higher than elsewhere? I don't actually think it is. But unless someone else has a source for graduating seniors in their states, I have nothing to compare to.

Based on that chart - Texas basically has as high a percentage of graduating level 10s, as other states have of level 10s in total. Which would seem to imply we actually keep *more* of them in the sport.

Texas= *Graduating* level 10s are roughly 2% of the total number of TX level 4/golds in a given year
Nationally= TOTAL number of level 10s are 2.3% of the total number of level 4s in a given year.

I don't think this is a Texas thing. I just think the sport is terribly, terribly hard.

 

[Freddy's Fred]

I've just done a bunch of math, and what's interesting, is that it looks like Texas has a MUCH higher rate of getting girls from level 4 to level 10 than the national average - if that USAG by the numbers thing someone posted upthread is accurate. So the question is, is the attrition rate from level 10 actually higher than elsewhere? I don't actually think it is. But unless someone else has a source for graduating seniors in their states, I have nothing to compare to.

Based on that chart - Texas basically has as high a percentage of graduating level 10s, as other states have of level 10s in total. Which would seem to imply we actually keep *more* of them in the sport.

Texas= *Graduating* level 10s are roughly 2% of the total number of TX level 4/golds in a given year
Nationally= TOTAL number of level 10s are 2.3% of the total number of level 4s in a given year.

I don't think this is a Texas thing. I just think the sport is terribly, terribly hard.

I think that adds up. 2% of level 4 gymnasts make it to level 10. My daughter was on a team of 27 level 4s. She's now in 10th grade, and not one of those girls is a level 10. 1 is a 3rd year level 9, and the rest are done.

 

[MuggleMom]

I do find the journey from compulsory to optional very interesting as well, from the get go I just said it would be nice if my DD makes it to optionals but I have no idea if she will ever make it to level 10 and many parents sort of looked at me funny....like isnt 10 the goal? I would just say theres too many factors to know if she will take it that far. Many were like not us we are all in (whatever that means) and they made big changes and sacrafices in persuit of this goal. I will say most of the "I'm all in" parents don't have a daughter in the sport anymore (injury, burn out, just not into it anymore etc). We had 30+ girls on level 3 one year we have 15 now on level 6 and 3 on level 7 so we have lost a little less than half the girls in 2 years. It will be interesting to see how many make it all the way through High School.

 

[Freddy's Fred]

I would be curious of the numbers simply to see how many girls are ABLE To continue in L10 through senior year. It seems so many can get to L10. it's STAYING there for years and years that is hard!! So many are injured out, seem to mentally lose their drive or grow to hate the sport. :-(

If I could figure it out (And there is no way) I wish there was some way to figure out the optimal number of years in 10. More is not always better b/c from what I see those girls seem to get burned or injured out more. If those girls "make it" they are for sure the most spectacular, however I feel like I see a higher level of burnout/injury out with them as well. (More risk of failure but more of a chance of being great too!) However, getting to 10 with only a year or 2 doesn't seem to get the hard enough skills. What is the optimal number of years??? 3 or 4? That is a stat I'd LOVE to see!

I also wonder if girls are continuously gaining new skills or just maintaining. Georgia's best/most well known gymnast is Elena Arenas and she's been a L10 since 2013 (with a few years as elite). Is she still doing her hardest skills? Or are her current L10 routines "easier" than ones from when she was younger? How do gymnasts at the highest level stay motivated when they keep getting worse?

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Minnesota does a senior announcement at the their state meet every year, I think there were about 20-25 seniors recognized at last year's state meet, however not all of them were level 10s (I remember a few 9s, a few 8s and some xcel gymnasts), I would guess maybe 15 of them were level 10s. And there were 64 level 10s at the state meet. Not sure how much this helps but just what I remember from last year.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I also wonder if girls are continuously gaining new skills or just maintaining. Georgia's best/most well known gymnast is Elena Arenas and she's been a L10 since 2013 (with a few years as elite). Is she still doing her hardest skills? Or are her current L10 routines "easier" than ones from when she was younger? How do gymnasts at the highest level stay motivated when they keep getting worse?

She is still doing her hardest skills.