Parents Is it possible to take time off from competition for a while?

[anothergymmom]

I'd be grateful for advice from experienced parents and coaches. Please bear with me, I know this is too long a post! I am already getting a bit anxious about my dd's gymnastics situation for the coming season; I know its a bit early but here goes. My dd had a tough level 4 season. I think a huge growth spurt during the fall sure didn't help. And she really lost a lot of confidence and felt very anxious and stressed at every meet this fall. Now she is uptraining and feeling much more excited and happy about the gym again. She knows she is getting stronger, improving, and getting new skills. Level testing, however, is in about a month. She may have all her level 5 skills, but she may lack one important one--its too early to tell. I don't think she would mind repeating level 4 EXCEPT if all her friends move up. On top of that, she would be the oldest kid.

And, here's the other part of the equation: this fall will be more than usually stressful academically because my dd will be applying to very competitive private schools. She will be taking several placement exams (on weekends!) and doing lots of school open houses, etc. The school business is very important to her as is her gymnastics. So here I was worrying about this perfect storm when I saw a silver lining. Would any of you think that it would be possible for her to train with her regular groups (assuming all or most would be 5s) during the summer and fall, but not compete in the fall? What she really loves is the work in the gym anyway--she doesn't like meets. This way, she would not have to pull out of meets at the last minute for possible testing (since we won't know the dates until the last minute) and it would give her more time to work on her skills and just lower the stress level. Does this sound like a plausible plan to bring to a coach?
Any suggestions welcome.

 

[Committed]

I guess it depends on the gym. It would not be allowed at DDs gym. Team practices are only for kids who are competing.
It doesn't hurt to ask, though

 

[beachgirl]

We had a girl that did that but she eventually quit as she fell behind her teammates and was placed with a lower group.

 

[GymRays]

I could see pulling out of meets for a specific school reason and continuing practice with the intent of competing again after the school issue was over. School before gym. However, if our girls aren't going to meets and just doing practices with no intention of doing meets, they would be put into a non competitive class. Depends on your gym.

 

[anothergymmom]

Oh, I am afraid I wasn't clear. I meant to ask if people thought it would be possible to miss the fall meets and start competing around January when the whole school business finishes.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I am just not understanding how not competing for a short time means you can't train at the level you are. How do you fall behind if you are training but just not doing a few meets.

 

[Committed]

Oh, I am afraid I wasn't clear. I meant to ask if people thought it would be possible to miss the fall meets and start competing around January when the whole school business finishes.

Compulsory only competes in the fall, here. So, that would be the entire season. Winter/spring is for Optionals.

 

[sce]

I guess it depends on the gym. It would not be allowed at DDs gym. Team practices are only for kids who are competing.
It doesn't hurt to ask, though

I thought your dd worked out with the team and was not competing?

 

[sce]

Oh, I am afraid I wasn't clear. I meant to ask if people thought it would be possible to miss the fall meets and start competing around January when the whole school business finishes.

Depends on the area. Here the compulsory season is in the fall (states in Nov.) Any spring compulsory meets are extras.

 

[Committed]

I thought your dd worked out with the team and was not competing?

She's on medical leave right now. Anyway, injuries are the exception. You can't be on team with the intent of not competing. I will still get billed (& will pay for) the upcoming season.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Depends on the team. I would actually go with what someone else said and maybe skip a meet or two rather than the whole season. I have to ask...if just applying to these competitive schools will be this stressful, is she going to be able to do gymnastics and all her school work starting the following year?

 

[MeetDirector]

I would not stop competing; it also would not be allowed at our gym. If you workout with the team, you compete.

My dd is now a HS senior about to graduate from one of the most intense private college prep schools in the country and she is a level 10 that has never missed a meet in her gymnastics career (old level 5 to now). She has been in private school since kindergarten. Has school been stressful? You bet; admission tests, interviews, visits - and that was just to get into 6th grade. The constant homework, college prep, ACT/SAT, AP, college applications, college visits - it has not stopped. Gym has always been her outlet for the stress of the academic world in which she has excelled. Gymnastics is her passion and she wouldn't have changed a thing. It will pay dividends in the end; in fact, it already has paid off as evidenced by the college acceptance letters.

Hang in there; if gymnastics is truly her passion, let her guide you.

 

[raenndrops]

Oh, I am afraid I wasn't clear. I meant to ask if people thought it would be possible to miss the fall meets and start competing around January when the whole school business finishes.

It does depend on your gym. We go against a team that had a girl actually do something similar... She was preparing for her placement tests, etc and didn't compete the early season meets, but she still practiced with her team.
I say that it is something to at least bring to the coaches at your gym. See if they will allow it without bumping her down to a lower or rec group (with the intent of competing in January, bumping down seems less likely). Good luck with EVERYTHING!

 

[GYM0M]

I guess our gym is not the norm. Our coaches would be fine with sitting out a season (or part of one) to train, but would expect the gymnast to work just as hard & if she didn't, she would be asked to move down. I recently pulled my DD from her remaining meets and she's just training now.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I guess our gym is not the norm. Our coaches would be fine with sitting out a season (or part of one) to train, but would expect the gymnast to work just as hard & if she didn't, she would be asked to move down. I recently pulled my DD from her remaining meets and she's just training now.

Yes, I still don't understand why you shouldn't/can't take time off from meets and still train at your level?

There could be any number of reasons why I think a gymnast could need to take time away from meets but still want to train and continue to work hard. And as long as some one is willing to write the check how does it matter?

Everyone is saying they can't or it's not allowed or not done. But why?

 

[skschlag]

Yes, I still don't understand why you shouldn't/can't take time off from meets and still train at your level?

There could be any number of reasons why I think a gymnast could need to take time away from meets but still want to train and continue to work hard. And as long as some one is willing to write the check how does it matter?

Everyone is saying they can't or it's not allowed or not done. But why?

In experience at our gym, the kiddos just don't have teh same focus and drive if they are not competing. If the team is preparing for a meet, that gymnast has no reason to push for something. And, on the boys side, it leads to lots of goofing off, distracting others, etc. Our coach allowed a boy to do that this year, but will not any more. It just has not worked out well.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

In experience at our gym, the kiddos just don't have teh same focus and drive if they are not competing. If the team is preparing for a meet, that gymnast has no reason to push for something. And, on the boys side, it leads to lots of goofing off, distracting others, etc. Our coach allowed a boy to do that this year, but will not any more. It just has not worked out well.

I guess I could see that with some kids. I would imagine it would be an individual thing and I imagine expectations could be firmly set to deal with that.

I have a kid who is just a hard worker and doesn't attend every meet. She doesn't slack off at practice if there is no meet. The gym doesn't have another meet for a month, no slacking though.

 

[LMV]

At our gym this would be decided on a case by case basis. Our HC would likely consider the rationale behind the competition break, their perspective on whether it was likely to be beneficial to the child (both overall and in a gymnastics progression sense) along with any other extenuating circumstances (which likely play into the rationale behind the break) and then decide whether it would be allowed or not. There would be a decent chance it would be allowed. I know when our DD15 was getting ready for her first year of L10 there were a lot of things going on outside of gymnastics and our HC specifically offered her the option of training through the season, competing bars only, and even competing everything but floor. Ultimately, she competed and even competed all around. However, I think she was more able to do that because she knew that she had options even if she couldn't pull it all together. Her HC also repeatedly stressed that her entire life would not be defined by a single competition season of gymnastics when she was 11/12. We will always appreciate the care and compassion her coach showed for her that year (and beyond that in her gymnastics journey---but she needed it most at that point in her life).

I will also say that L7 is competed very lightly (2-3 meets plus the state meet) by all gymnasts at our gym. The big focus is on training for L8 with some competition to maintain focus and sharpness. This was the approach before the level change because our coaches felt that the jump from L7 to L8 was significant and that a light competition season with more time for conditioning and progressive drills were better for the girls in the long run. Now with the new levels there is a bit more allowed at L7 but also more allowed now at L8 and our coaching staff still feels the big jump is there. Other gyms may consider different levels their "training years" and may approach this in different ways either by not competing at all (and then possibly scoring out at season's end), competing minimally, competing down a level and then scoring out, or some other option.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

LMV sounds like I would like your gym.

 

[gracyomalley]

DD has been training but not competing this year - and has a couple of team mates (L8+) who did the same at various times. It is the exception, however, and it is problematic. DD was specifically allowed to do so because the of multiple situations with her old gym closing, her new gym getting 40 new girls after she'd been there 3 months, them losing the building and having to move, etc...and a coaching turn around beyond belief this year - so its really been a building year for all the kids - DD had also done 2 years of L7 with multiple high placements at state in both multiple events and all around both years (at age 10/11), and was set for L8 other than one skill...then fell apart emotionally - left gym for 2 months completely and came back "to see if I still like it"....etc. VERY understanding HC!!! Only ONE kid from the "old gym" in the optional levels actually moved up with all the changes - so DD not competing a level she'd mastered (and that she couldn't do much better at or harder skills at...so self esteem was a big factor in the decision) was seen as reasonable (versus the other girls who repeated but weren't as strong the previous year).

Its been very hard for DD - but I can't really separate out all the emotional stuff that's not directly gym related. She only just got back to trying stuff that wasn't "easy" for her this month - and she spent much of the last couple of months "on her own" with a list of skills to work on....very little coaching (although they would help her if she spoke up - but what 12 year old in a group of 60 girls does that often)....and she has "fallen further behind" the group of L8s she "belonged" with....as the things she was lacking she can't do on her own (flipping vaults, bars stuff because we don't have our pit bar back yet, and some skills she simply wasn't taught at the old gym that are expected here). Her HC still wants her to do L8 next year and feels she is in a "good place" to do so - but the other coaches have no idea what to do with her - they don't know her from past years like HC does so have no idea what she was previously capable of....she'll have to go above and beyond to really step it up this spring/summer if she wants it...

So long story short, I would not do it unless the coaches think its a good idea - and I suspect the coaches will have a plan to allow more time for school for this season of her life....