My dd moved from “pre-team” (level 2) (non-competing) to Copper 1 at a different gym. I don’t know a ton of the specifics but that’s not going to stop me from trying to help. I hope that someone will correct anything I get wrong. USAIGC is technically optional at all levels. Even though you said that all the girls compete the same routines, if there was a particular skill that your dd was having trouble with, there are a lot more options in IGC than there are in JO. At some gyms, the girls can each have their own floor music/routine. There are no text deductions in IGC so if they forget something mid routine they can stick it in at the end without a deduction.
My dd was struggling with FHC and MC on bars. She was so excited to learn that she never had to deal with these skills again in IGC (though we did see some girls compete with them and if your gym requires these in their bar routine, your dd will have to do them). On beam my dd had finally mastered the level 3 dismount (which I think is different from level 2) but at her IGC gym, they all had the same beam routine and an easier dismount. Therefore, she now dismounts off the end of the beam instead of the handstand dismount from JO3. Again, it’s going to be different for each gym b/c the routines are all optional.
According to the rules, Copper 1 is only for the first level of competing. That means that the scores tend to be lower. The first meet we went to it was so cute, none of the girls knew where to go or what to do. They were all herded around like sheep.
Other than Copper 1 to Copper 2 (the only difference is that copper 2 allows BHS on floor) there’s a bigger gap between the levels (since there are fewer levels in IGC than there are in JO) and therefore I it’s much less common for girl to move up a level per year. (I hear it’s not uncommon to stay at the same level for 3 years). I think that means the girls don’t tend to move together as much as they do in JO.
IGC hours tend to be lower than JO. In my experience, they don’t tend to spend as much time conditioning in IGC than they do in JO. The biggest difference though would be the trajectory. In IGC (for the gyms that follow the rules) there’s a cap on the hours that can be trained at each level. I don’t know what those hour are but it's pretty low. I don’t think JO has any rule like this. IGC is relatively new and I hear that it’s becoming more and more popular and more and more competitive each year. Right now, if you have a super talented kid such as
John, you might realize that there’s not much competition at the top levels. I’m sure John could tell you more about his DDs experience.
Also, JO tends to be much more competitive so the same girl that’s on the of the podium in IGC may not have the same experience in JO. In JO, I hear that the youngest kids tend to be the most talented. In my experience, that’s not the case in IGC.
I’ve seen some talented kids in IGC but there tends to be many, many more of them in JO. What that could mean is that if you don’t have a super talented kid and she is motivated by getting on the podium (or discouraged by not), IGC may be a better fit. If you’re thinking about D1 scholarship, your odds are much better in JO.
I hope that helps and was mostly accurate.
Joke!!!!)
