Anon How much to read into scores in early levels

[Anonymous (694e)]

Hey everyone I’m a relatively new gym parent with this being my daughter’s first competitive season. Her gym competes xcel bronze-gold to bypass compulsories.

My dd started gymnastics at 3.5 and has received a fair amount of attention from parents and coaches from pretty early on. She is built like a tiny body builder and is exceptionally strong and pretty coordinated for her age. This led to her being moved up and put in special classes etc until she officially started team at 5. I’ve always thought she has the makings of a good athlete with her strength and general athletic ability- when she jumps, she jumps high, etc and noticed an aptitude for gymnastics although she has never been astoundingly ahead of the curve with gaining skills. She gets them on the early side but not amazingly early; for instance she just turned six and is likely still a few months from her ROBHS etc.

We are now a few meets into the season and my eyes were a little opened and I’m wondering if maybe a lot of the attention she has received is from LOOKING like a gymnast and not actually due to ability. She has yet to break the 36 AA mark- first meet was very rough (which I expected) and since it’s been mid-high 35s with event medals but no podium as of yet.

I’ve realized it’s the details that are causing such deductions. I’d never noticed her legs not together on bars or vault and not sticking dismounts etc until watching her in this new competition setting. Now I realize that’s her norm. I told myself it’s just her age and having to concentrate on the skills makes it hard to remember the finer points but there are girls in her age division making high 36s-high 37s so we can’t just chalk it up to age.

Her coaches haven’t seemed concerned in the slightest with her scores and continue to allude to their lofty predictions for her future in this sport and are even offering her special opportunities for higher level skills practice etc. I’m confused by all this since she’s emerging as a pretty middle of the pack bronze gymnast. Are scores pretty insignificant for evaluating a gymnast’s long term potential as it turns out? Do I need to just not read anything into them? I’m finding this competitive gymnastics world way more complicated than I would have anticipated! I’d love insight into early levels scoring. Thanks everyone.

 

[gym_dad32608]

At that age, scores mean nothing. Just enjoy the time in the sport, her happiness, and that shared journey.

Do you trust her coaches? Meaning 1st, they care for her and have a safe environment, and 2nd, do they have some track record of college or elite or even successful L10 gymnasts? If you do, then really, dont clutter your head with "is she good enough", "if she doesnt score this well then..." If you make it 10 years from now you can start concerning yourself with scores and such. Right now, at this level, and age, scores dont mean squat.

 

[gymgal]

scoring in the low levels do not predict how a gymnast will do long term in the sport. I would not worry about it at this point. If you are happy with the coaching and the gym as a whole seems to be doing well - has an optional program that competes well - then the coaches likely know what they are talking about with your dd. How are the other girls on her team doing?

 

[Anonymous (694e)]

I love the coaches and the whole environment. It’s a small gym with a very small optionals program but the upper level girls in particular compete quite well. Our area is not highly competitive with few (if any) elites coming from here but our gym has produced a few D1 gymnasts with the same current HC.
We are very happy with the gym. I have no interest in changing gyms and I have no real aspirations for my kid’s gymnastics journey beyond her loving it and not getting injured severely. I just couldn’t help but wonder if everyone was misjudging her skill/talent/potential based off of how the first comps have gone. It’s good to know the scores aren’t super important in this stage

 

[Chocolate_Chip]

Hey everyone I’m a relatively new gym parent with this being my daughter’s first competitive season. Her gym competes xcel bronze-gold to bypass compulsories.

My dd started gymnastics at 3.5 and has received a fair amount of attention from parents and coaches from pretty early on. She is built like a tiny body builder and is exceptionally strong and pretty coordinated for her age. This led to her being moved up and put in special classes etc until she officially started team at 5. I’ve always thought she has the makings of a good athlete with her strength and general athletic ability- when she jumps, she jumps high, etc and noticed an aptitude for gymnastics although she has never been astoundingly ahead of the curve with gaining skills. She gets them on the early side but not amazingly early; for instance she just turned six and is likely still a few months from her ROBHS etc.

We are now a few meets into the season and my eyes were a little opened and I’m wondering if maybe a lot of the attention she has received is from LOOKING like a gymnast and not actually due to ability. She has yet to break the 36 AA mark- first meet was very rough (which I expected) and since it’s been mid-high 35s with event medals but no podium as of yet.

I’ve realized it’s the details that are causing such deductions. I’d never noticed her legs not together on bars or vault and not sticking dismounts etc until watching her in this new competition setting. Now I realize that’s her norm. I told myself it’s just her age and having to concentrate on the skills makes it hard to remember the finer points but there are girls in her age division making high 36s-high 37s so we can’t just chalk it up to age.

Her coaches haven’t seemed concerned in the slightest with her scores and continue to allude to their lofty predictions for her future in this sport and are even offering her special opportunities for higher level skills practice etc. I’m confused by all this since she’s emerging as a pretty middle of the pack bronze gymnast. Are scores pretty insignificant for evaluating a gymnast’s long term potential as it turns out? Do I need to just not read anything into them? I’m finding this competitive gymnastics world way more complicated than I would have anticipated! I’d love insight into early levels scoring. Thanks everyone.

My fourth grader is in a similar situation. She had her ROBHS by age 6, and has always had advanced tumbling skills. However, her bars were so messy last season, they decided to have her repeat level 4. Even with her strong tumbling, she would rack up a bunch of text errors on beam/floor.

At first we were worried about stalling her development by repeating level 4, but now that we're close to being halfway through her second level 4 season she is thrilled with her progress and results. She's already scoring 2 points higher than where she was at this time last season, and her bars look SO much cleaner. Her gym brought in a new coach this season and the focus on shaping and strong technique has made a huge difference. If she moved on to level 5 she would have continued to chuck skills with unrefined movement, lack of hollowness, ect. would have gotten hammered in her scores and killed her confidence.

Her coaches have been uptraining her for level 6 or 7 next season, so she would have ended up on the same level she would have been whether or not she repeated level 4.

Long winded way of saying hang in there! It can be a little frustrating when there's a season or two of scores that don't always reflect the level of talent, but that will help your daughter and her coaches focus on things that sometime come with age, maturity, and repetition. It really wasn't until this past year that my daughter developed the body awareness and muscle memory for that more refined and hollow look.

 

[Anonymous (88c6)]

Trying to win low level compulsories isn't fun for the gymnast or coaches. Mega gyms like it because trophies help bring more girls in the door and parents like to see their kids win things, but in the long term scoring at low levels really doesn't correlate to any kind of future success in gymnastics. Might make them better at cheer or other activities that require strict following of routines.

 

[Anonymous (573a)]

Compulsory success means very little in the long term. As long as her gymnastics is safe and her basics are solid, the precise details that lead to higher compulsory scores can be refined as she progresses. Sometimes that body awareness takes longer to develop. It's not uncommon for a 6 year old to lack the maturity and focus to really get the small details and perfect form that leads to high 9s. If she were scoring 5s and 6s I'd be worried, but high 35's are fine.

 

[Anonymous (694e)]

My fourth grader is in a similar situation. She had her ROBHS by age 6, and has always had advanced tumbling skills. However, her bars were so messy last season, they decided to have her repeat level 4. Even with her strong tumbling, she would rack up a bunch of text errors on beam/floor.

At first we were worried about stalling her development by repeating level 4, but now that we're close to being halfway through her second level 4 season she is thrilled with her progress and results. She's already scoring 2 points higher than where she was at this time last season, and her bars look SO much cleaner. Her gym brought in a new coach this season and the focus on shaping and strong technique has made a huge difference. If she moved on to level 5 she would have continued to chuck skills with unrefined movement, lack of hollowness, ect. would have gotten hammered in her scores and killed her confidence.

Her coaches have been uptraining her for level 6 or 7 next season, so she would have ended up on the same level she would have been whether or not she repeated level 4.

Long winded way of saying hang in there! It can be a little frustrating when there's a season or two of scores that don't always reflect the level of talent, but that will help your daughter and her coaches focus on things that sometime come with age, maturity, and repetition. It really wasn't until this past year that my daughter developed the body awareness and muscle memory for that more refined and hollow look.

(OP) That’s so helpful and good to hear.
Your daughter sounds a lot like mine and I’m so glad to hear sitting back and allowing the coaches to do their job has been working out well for her. I keep thinking it’s just body awareness that will kick in eventually so your post is very reassuring.

 

[Anonymous (694e)]

Trying to win low level compulsories isn't fun for the gymnast or coaches. Mega gyms like it because trophies help bring more girls in the door and parents like to see their kids win things, but in the long term scoring at low levels really doesn't correlate to any kind of future success in gymnastics. Might make them better at cheer or other activities that require strict following of routines.

That makes so much sense; thank you

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

In higher level gymnastics, it is advantageous to be fast twitch and strong.
Many young children who are fast twitch struggle with control and often look capable but uncoordinated and messy (form)- just way to much potential for a young brain and body to harness.
On the flip side those slower twitch kids often have enough ability to look great in compulsories/low levels and generally look neater/more controlled.

I don't think scoring in the mid-high 35's as a six year old is anything to be concerned about. Some extra help on attention to detail would benefit her, but it's not the be all-end all, so long as her confidence isn't taking a hit.

Everyone has different goals for competitions - from the sounds of it, your child has the potential to go far - so the plan is long term. For other athletes the coaches are likely aware that they are going to hit their ceiling in a few years of what they will be able to achieve - so why not focus on polishing and perfecting and doing well in competition - while they can.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Mid-35s is pretty dang good for a young kid new to competition.

I wouldn't worry about it; scores really don't mean much at that age and level, and are not an accurate predictor of future success. At this age and level, the only things that really matter are safety (for obvious reasons) and fun (because that's what motivates kids to stick with it for the long haul). As kids mature (which happens at different rates for everybody), they tend to develop stronger body awareness, and thus stronger form over time.

 

[Anonymous (694e)]

In higher level gymnastics, it is advantageous to be fast twitch and strong.
Many young children who are fast twitch struggle with control and often look capable but uncoordinated and messy (form)- just way to much potential for a young brain and body to harness.
On the flip side those slower twitch kids often have enough ability to look great in compulsories/low levels and generally look neater/more controlled.

I don't think scoring in the mid-high 35's as a six year old is anything to be concerned about. Some extra help on attention to detail would benefit her, but it's not the be all-end all, so long as her confidence isn't taking a hit.

Everyone has different goals for competitions - from the sounds of it, your child has the potential to go far - so the plan is long term. For other athletes the coaches are likely aware that they are going to hit their ceiling in a few years of what they will be able to achieve - so why not focus on polishing and perfecting and doing well in competition - while they can.

Thanks for the perspective. That makes so much sense. The kids in her division on podium are typically elegant with nice clean lines and controlled tumbling but not necessarily those ones you can see are little powerhouses. My daughter has nice form as far as handstand position and body tension etc but bringing all the little details together (especially dance sequences) in a competition setting seems very challenging at this point for her. I’ll sit back and trust the process.
Her confidence isn’t taking a hit really as she’s too young really to understand AA scoring etc and she’s had a meet where she came home dripping with medals so she’s good. A little frustrated when she makes a personal best on an event and doesn’t medal but working through it.
I’ll keep an eye on the long term goals instead.

 

[Tigtimes]

I post this every time this question comes up ….. the lowest scoring compulsory gymnast in my daughter’s group as in barely got scores to move up in levels 3-5 …..now competes in NCAA div 1 top 15 team scoring in 9.8-9.9 range

 

[Anonymous (2d77)]

When my daughter started competing she was a young level 2 and barely 6 years old. Sometimes in competitions she was in the same age category as nearly 8yos due to there not being many that young at her level. There is a HUGE difference in maturity and body control from 6 to 7 let alone 6 to 8. Keep in mind that just because girls are in the same age division, it doesn't necessarily mean the are the same age or even close in age. Also, children mature and develop at their own rate and that is fine. As her brain develops she'll be able to better remember and implement all the little details.

My daughter earned 32s and 33s all around her first year competing. She's currently a platinum that consistently scores 36. 5 or higher and is almost ready to compete diamond. Low scores as a thing competitor do not predict future success.

 

[Anonymous (694e)]

I post this every time this question comes up ….. the lowest scoring compulsory gymnast in my daughter’s group as in barely got scores to move up in levels 3-5 …..now competes in NCAA div 1 top 15 team scoring in 9.8-9.9 range

(OP) Wow! Good to know! That’s very cool and a great example of trusting the process

 

[Anonymous (01e6)]

My daughter was barely 6 and competing level 3 her scores were all over the place due to her young age. Her first meet competed she got a 36... then next meet crashed to a 33 because of falls on beam. Then she was back to 35s next meet. By spring she was getting high 37s. It's developmental and if they are literally falling on beam or wobbling all over....that will kill the AA scores for young kids. She went on to a be a compulsory state champ and is now a very competitive optional gymnast. Those early years you can't really compare a 6 year old to an 8 year old that they may be competing against at small meets in their age level.

 

[Anonymous (cb8e)]

Judging a gymnast’s potential based on their competition scores at age 6 is similar to judging a child’s academic potential based on their handwriting in kindergarten.

Competition used to start at level 5 (similar to current level 4) and the youngest kids were around 8-years-old. Aside from the economic benefits to clubs, I don’t see the point of having very young gymnasts compete what used to be considered rec level skills. Competition is a big distraction from training and the results confuse parents and athletes. It’s just a big money grab for gyms in my opinion.

 

[Anonymous (694e)]

Judging a gymnast’s potential based on their competition scores at age 6 is similar to judging a child’s academic potential based on their handwriting in kindergarten.

Competition used to start at level 5 (similar to current level 4) and the youngest kids were around 8-years-old. Aside from the economic benefits to clubs, I don’t see the point of having very young gymnasts compete what used to be considered rec level skills. Competition is a big distraction from training and the results confuse parents and athletes. It’s just a big money grab for gyms in my opinion.

(OP)I think that’s an interesting perspective and probably true in a lot of cases. I’d say I enjoy that we have low level teams because it has allowed for the 9-10 year olds who haven’t been doing gymnastics for long to be able to have the competitive experience that they likely would not have time to get to if competition didn’t start until level 5 ish skills. My DD’s team has a wide age range and it has been such a cool, one room school house type experience.

In our case rec classes often don’t work on skills harder than ROBHS even at the highest level. So when a kid gets past the fairly basic skills of rec then it’s either team or risking boredom staying in rec.
For what it’s worth- for the silver and bronze girls our gym keeps expenses very low. Tank leos, no expensive warm ups or required hair accessories or shoes, no fly away meets, etc. Hours in the gym are relatively low as well so tuition is very reasonable (lower than many other area gyms with similar practice schedules).