WAG Interesting situation level4/level7

[txgymfan]

I would try to stay out of the situation as much as possible. Clearly most of us don't agree with how it is being handled but leave it to the state officials and let them deal it.

 

[happychaos]

From what I understand you are not held to a level until you compete at state. That being said, to bounce back and forth from level 7 to 4 is kind of weird and pointless and unethical.
Now lets talk about the level 4-7 jump. If a gym has a track record of getting kids into optionals quickly and at a young age (9 or 10) then the 4.7 jump is part of a very successful progression plan. If a gym camps out in compulsories and takes forever to get into optionals and then does a 4-7 jump, then that is called a business plan... Fast track vs sand bagging. fair vs unfair

I'm curious what you think of gyms doing two years of 3, two years of 4, then waiting a year and doing 7. Legit??? This seems to be the route that a couple of gyms we compete with plan to take, possibly even our gym.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I'm curious what you think of gyms doing two years of 3, two years of 4, then waiting a year and doing 7. Legit??? This seems to be the route that a couple of gyms we compete with plan to take, possibly even our gym.

--
PMed you

 

[Lynn]

I would try to stay out of the situation as much as possible. Clearly most of us don't agree with how it is being handled but leave it to the state officials and let them deal it.

I could not agree with you more. I have no plans of getting involved in any way outside of me gathering opinions here. I didn't understand how this could be possible , at first, but now reading responses here as well as some other posts, I guess people and places are capable of this. From what I heard the mom say last night, her daughter is more about the medals and trophies and "bragging rights" than anything. Sad to me when my dd is out there building confidence and working hard for herself ( and teammates of course) and is a huge cheerleader for everyone not just herself.

I may have left this out, this child attends a different gym and our gym rarely competes against hers. Thanks for all of the insight ya'll have provided.

 

[Coach2400]

Rules and Policies state you cant drop back a level in the same season once you compete a level but I think there's an exception in there somewhere. We wanted to do level 6 but try just one meet as a level 7 to see how big of a difference it made in their scores this season, but the rules stated (USAG) that this was not allowed. If we competed level 7 there was no going back for the remainder of the current season.

 

[raenndrops]

Rules and Policies state you cant drop back a level in the same season once you compete a level but I think there's an exception in there somewhere. We wanted to do level 6 but try just one meet as a level 7 to see how big of a difference it made in their scores this season, but the rules stated (USAG) that this was not allowed. If we competed level 7 there was no going back for the remainder of the current season.

Once a gymnast has competed in a Sectional meet, she may NOT drop back to a lower level in the same competitive season.

• If no Sectional meet is held, then the State Administrative Committee must determine prior to the beginning of the competitive year, a designated "declaration" date for each level for such purpose.

This means that as long as it isn't a Sectional meet or AFTER the drop back date, your L6 gymnast could try a L7 meet and see how it goes.

 

[Aussie_coach]

There may be so,e situations where this can be done. I don't know as I am from Australia. But in Australia this can actually be done in one situation.

The kids can compete in their usual level in individual competitions but can compete at a higher level in team competitions to help clubs make up teams. Its a good way for talented kids to test their readiness for a higher level. As they don't have to compete all apparatus anyway and only the top 3 scores count.

 

[dna3262]

Seems a little unethical to me. If competing level 7 that's where she should stay. It's not fair to the other gymnasts. I could understand competing level 4 and working towards upper level skills but not to flip flop. But I'm no coach or judge so maybe this happens often.

 

[Deleted member 15064]

Funny, they let the gymnast choose...

Our coaches decide what level the gymnasts compete - imagine that - and thankfully, they don't choose based on medals/placements. They make decisions based on fostering a love of gymnastics and taking it as far as possible (skill & level-wise) with each gymnast, in a timely fashion.

Thanks for reminding of probably one of the best aspects of our gym.

 

[Lynn]

Well, this story has ended badly for not 1 but 2 gymnasts. As mentioned in the OP, some were competing both level 4 and level 7. One gymnast was given a choice which state meet she wanted to compete and she chose level 4. They were both notified by USAG that they were not able to compete any level but 7 and neither qualified for level 7 state meet. So because of poor decision making by the gym, these girls meet season ends with 3 to go. Sad situation. I'm not sure how I as a parent would react or how my DD would take this.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Glad USAG caught it. Clearly someone reported them. Heck maybe someone here did it. I blame the coaches who should have known this wasn't right

 

[iwannacoach]

.....They were both notified by USAG that they were not able to compete any level but 7 and neither qualified for level 7 state meet. So because of poor decision making by the gym, these girls meet season ends........

WHOOPS!!!

I really feel sorry for the kids

..her dd started the season as a level 4. Began up training end of summer. Competed one level 4 meet and a level 5 to score out....... following week level 7 scored "just" a 34 ( moms words). Gymnast was asked where SHE wanted to compete......They said to her " with your scores as a level 4 you will compete against the best of the best or with your level 7 scores you will probably compete in the lower bracket for state". So the gymnast chose to compete level 4 state......

In the context you described, it seems at least one of these kids worked her butt off to learn her L7 skills. Learning skills shouldn't be counted against the kid, but that seems to be the case because she competed with those skills as a L7. I see no difference between a kid who starts the season as a level 4 and bounces from level to level to see where she stacks up, and the kid who trains non stop for the L4 world championships. Well wait...... the kid who spent all her time uptraining may have been doing the L4's, she would have faced at state, a big favor by taking precious training time away from her mission of L4 world domination.

I didn't read anywhere that this child was repeating L4 after a great season the year prior with a constant stream of 37.00+aa scores. Not knowing leaves me wondering if this is a simple and honest effort to let a child have her day in the sun she worked so hard to have before she realized she had the star power to be a L7. Should she be asked to pay for L4, pay for L5, and even L7, and have nothing to show for it.

Sandbagging??? That seems like a pretty contrary term if any other kid would have just stayed at L4 after a ho hum season the prior year.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Well, this story has ended badly for not 1 but 2 gymnasts. As mentioned in the OP, some were competing both level 4 and level 7. One gymnast was given a choice which state meet she wanted to compete and she chose level 4. They were both notified by USAG that they were not able to compete any level but 7 and neither qualified for level 7 state meet. So because of poor decision making by the gym, these girls meet season ends with 3 to go. Sad situation. I'm not sure how I as a parent would react or how my DD would take this.

==
oops..... Can you say coach of the year???

 

[Lynn]

iwannacoach...one of the 2 gymnast is "technically" a third year level 5 if we were talking under the old system. With a very successful year last yr.

 

[Lynn]

WHOOPS!!!

I really feel sorry for the kids


In the context you described, it seems at least one of these kids worked her butt off to learn her L7 skills. Learning skills shouldn't be counted against the kid, but that seems to be the case because she competed with those skills as a L7. I see no difference between a kid who starts the season as a level 4 and bounces from level to level to see where she stacks up, and the kid who trains non stop for the L4 world championships. Well wait...... the kid who spent all her time uptraining may have been doing the L4's, she would have faced at state, a big favor by taking precious training time away from her mission of L4 world domination.

I didn't read anywhere that this child was repeating L4 after a great season the year prior with a constant stream of 37.00+aa scores. Not knowing leaves me wondering if this is a simple and honest effort to let a child have her day in the sun she worked so hard to have before she realized she had the star power to be a L7. Should she be asked to pay for L4, pay for L5, and even L7, and have nothing to show for it.

Sandbagging??? That seems like a pretty contrary term if any other kid would have just stayed at L4 after a ho hum season the prior year.

Phone glitch...this is the post I was referring too. Sorry about that

 

[iwannacoach]

iwannacoach...one of the 2 gymnast is "technically" a third year level 5 if we were talking under the old system. With a very successful year last yr.

I'll comment on that as soon as I'm done filling my last sandbag to fend off the horde of 2nd year L4 olympic hopefuls.

 

[gracyomalley]

I....just....don't....get....it.....I get up-training and competing a bit "down" from top skills to improve confidence. I get moving quickly through the levels to optionals (of course a 34 is well past the USAG move-up score)...I get staying back/repeating if a kid doesn't have the skills or confidence to move on. I don't get wanting to "win" at introductory levels....and I don't get coaches playing around with kids this way!

 

[3LittleGymmies]

My daughter is (new) L4. In old 4, she was getting 36-38 AA's. She hasn't gotten past 35 AA this season because of her vault. Anyway.. she is "training" Level 6/7. All of the girls in her group have front tucks, back tucks, RBHSBT, front layouts, BWO and BHS on beam and working on series... they have all been able to do the L5 bar routine for months and most of them can cast to hand stand and they are all working giants. But her gym does not skip or move girls up mid-season, ever. So I've yet to figure out what their goal is unless it's just to have stronger optionals once they get there... but their optionals really aren't phenomenal, either. Hmm.

 

[Midwestmommy]

I could be wrong, but around here it seems if you are in a medium or smaller gym that is striving for a strong optional team (or have one), you compete the level you are ready for at the end of the summer for compulsory. I don't know of any gyms around here that compete levels 1 or 2, so that is all development/preteam. Some of them also don't compete 3 (start competing at new level 4). And they may do a spring score out meet for some kids who competed three this fall, but are ready for five next fall.


Bigger gyms seem to accelerate through only a very small number of "high potential" kids. Smaller gyms seem to do it for kids with solid skills, but who maybe aren't "future elites" but very possibly 9s or 10s eventually. And even level 4 girls are training/drilling for some harder skills when they are ready. So it just seems that some gyms to pass them through compulsory at 1 level per year, but more if they are ready (say compete 3 in fall, score out of 4 in spring/summer, compete 5 fall, then possibly 6 in the winter/spring or even 7 in some cases). Then once they hit 6/7 seems like they tend to do a level a year.

In the huge gyms there may be more space constraint issues (and lots of kids coming from other gyms level 8+), so it might be harder to get noticed and get on a faster track through compulsories unless they have "elite potential." And it seems like the bigger gyms around here aren't competing the new level 6-- if you are not ready to compete 7 you compete as a 5 while you train for 7.

Kind of seems like it all levels out around Level 7, and however fast you came up, if you don't have solid basics it shows....

 

[Midwestmommy]

I will also add that at some of the bigger gyms here, 8 year olds wanting to get on the team track are considered elderly.... So very possibly smaller/medium sized gyms may be a nice fit for talented or maybe just hard working and strong 7, 8, or 9 year old.