Parents J Meet update

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mariainlv
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    meet

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

ChalkBucket may earn a commission through product links on the site.
M

Mariainlv

Well, a successful introduction to L5. thats how I would describe J's first L5 meet. She did really well on vault and beam. Her floor, usually really strong, suffered from her being young. She has all the skills well but from my untrained eye, I think she took deductions for her dance not being "polished".
 
Well done. Did she get the score she needed. I remember she needed a certain score before she moved.
 
If you have video of her routines I am sure the judges and coaches can help you with the deductions, or we can play our favourite "guess the scores" game, we are getting pretty good at that.

GLad the first meet is over, hope she got the score she needed.
 
Glad it went well! Sounds like she got the score she needed. I hope she did!
 
Did she not do bars? Hope that went okay too. Will she be able to move to L6 now?
 
Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. She missed the score by .75 She was close but fell on her bar dismount (fell on her butt)

I am working with the gym in Co to see if she can compete at least one more meet this year. While she lacks bar skills, she has all of the L6 and many L7 skills so I'm sure that come next fall she will be more than ready to compete L6. Regardless of whether she makes the score at that meet, she will move onto training as a 6. Her current gym and the gym in Co both think it would be a colossal waste of time to keep working the L5 routines/skills.
 
Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. She missed the score by .75 She was close but fell on her bar dismount (fell on her butt)

I am working with the gym in Co to see if she can compete at least one more meet this year. While she lacks bar skills, she has all of the L6 and many L7 skills so I'm sure that come next fall she will be more than ready to compete L6. Regardless of whether she makes the score at that meet, she will move onto training as a 6. Her current gym and the gym in Co both think it would be a colossal waste of time to keep working the L5 routines/skills.

I would seriously question any gym that felt the lowest score possible to advance was all that is needed to move to the next level (especially going from 5 to 6 which is quite a jump in bar skills). In your original post you said her floor suffered for her being young. This should definitely be strong if she is going to do well at level 6. It is tough for these little ones to stay in the sport if they are always at the bottom of the totem pole. Additionally, I have seen lots of promising gymmies end up quitting because they were pushed to do skills they just were not ready for emotionally or physically. Just my opinion.
 
Ek2, my main goal for J is to have fun and enjoy what she does. I appreciate the thoughts. At the end of the day I have to trust the gym has her best interests at heart, or she should not be there.

After re-reading my posts and the replies, I think it best that things just unfold. Im sorry if it appeared I was asking for advice when really I was seeking support. Not for any gymnastics decision, since Js gymnastics progression or lack thereof is something I leave to her and the coaches, but rather support during this difficult move transition.

I know many of you have YEARS more experience than I do. Hell, a year ago I posted asking about L3..
 
Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. She missed the score by .75 She was close but fell on her bar dismount (fell on her butt)

I am working with the gym in Co to see if she can compete at least one more meet this year. While she lacks bar skills, she has all of the L6 and many L7 skills so I'm sure that come next fall she will be more than ready to compete L6. Regardless of whether she makes the score at that meet, she will move onto training as a 6. Her current gym and the gym in Co both think it would be a colossal waste of time to keep working the L5 routines/skills.

Having watched the videos you have posted I am confused as to why your gym thinks it is a 'colossal' waste of time to keep working the L5 routines.

Your dd is gorgeous, talented and only 7. However she has no kip yet. She has no back extension roll, no decent handspring, no decent handstand on beam. She lacks extension, polish and confidence in all her routines. Her scores were very low. She came last by 2 and a half marks. No way does she look ready to move on yet.

She is only 7. She has the makings of a lovely gymnast. Why the rush to move her on when she has so much to improve in her current level. Levels are not just about skills they are about the whole package, the presentation, the performance, the confidence.
 
Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. She missed the score by .75 She was close but fell on her bar dismount (fell on her butt)

I am working with the gym in Co to see if she can compete at least one more meet this year. While she lacks bar skills, she has all of the L6 and many L7 skills so I'm sure that come next fall she will be more than ready to compete L6. Regardless of whether she makes the score at that meet, she will move onto training as a 6. Her current gym and the gym in Co both think it would be a colossal waste of time to keep working the L5 routines/skills.

so she got her kip for the meet? That's a huge improvement, right?

I do have to disagree that repeating L5 is a colossal waste of time--they learn so much with form at that level and level 6 bars is SO much harder--pays to have 5 skills down really well before moving up.
 
I agree with Cathi about Level 5. The beam and floor routines are very similar to Level 6 routines so it's not a waste of time to spend time learning them and perfecting the various elements. As long as there is uptraining for the next levels going on, spending time perfecting L5 routines isn't a waste of time.
 
I'm wondering if the coaches at the new gym have had a chance to meet & work with J at all yet? Did she do a tryout there? J is adorable:D! I'm just wondering why the push on in levels with a family move going on at the same time??? Our family moved when DD was in 1st grade & it was a big adjustment for her. In fact, DD even requested to drop back her gym hours back then, instead of going right onto a team. Moving is very stressful for kids. I would think letting J have a sense of being "settled" with her skills(owning them & polishing them) may bring her some comfort & confidence during this major life change for her(as she gets used to her new home, school, friends, gym, coaches, etc). Let her own what she has for a while, instead of pushing on for more.

I question the "coloassal" waste of time statement too. Developing proper form & skills required for a level is never a waste of time...it's what this sport is. And sometimes it just takes time. You can't rush a diamond in the making:D! J has plenty of time, she is young. She needs some more time to gain her skills without pressure. The family move will already be stressful for her. Just some humble advice, believe me...stress & pressure & lack of confidence are some of the worst things for a gymnast. It can kill their love of the sport:(.

Wishing you lots of luck with your move. And wishing only the best for J:), which includes a smooth transition to her new home & a life long love of the sport she enjoys so much now.
 
I am not sure why any gym would move a girl up that does not have her kip or does not have solid bar skills. To be honest if the new gym is telling you this I would wonder if it is because they don't want to lose a new customer. I have seen it happen where they put a girl in a level she is truly not ready for and then have to move her back down where she should be in order to be able to compete.
 
I am not sure why any gym would move a girl up that does not have her kip or does not have solid bar skills. To be honest if the new gym is telling you this I would wonder if it is because they don't want to lose a new customer. I have seen it happen where they put a girl in a level she is truly not ready for and then have to move her back down where she should be in order to be able to compete.

ANY gymnast without a consistent kip is not ready to move even to Level 5 never mind 6 and I would seriously question whether the new gym knows what it is doing by saying she would be "wasting her time" in that level when she doesn't have even the basic requirement for the level...I agree with Alexsgymmymom that they probably don't want to lose a new customer.
 
I know you don't want advice, but you posted in a gymnastics forum so you're going to get it.

Your daughter is doing very well, but she does not have all of her level 5 skills and you are considering moving her to Level 6, why?

Many gyms do not let a child compete a level until they have all the skills. Some gyms do, but many don't. If you move to the new gym and she goes on the level 6 team, when do you think she will learn her level 5 skills?

My DD was in a gym that only cared about "IT" kids that would be going to elite in the future. Kids that struggled were just pushed along and not coached. My DD REALLY needed to repeat level 5 (she actually needed to repeat level 4, but the gym would have none of that). Anyway, the coaches for level 5 could be very cruel so I wasn't going to have her repeat it. So she went to level 6 and started having more and more fear in the gym and anxiety issues outside of gym. Anxiety disorders do not run in my family or my husband's family.

So... I got her out of there and she is at another gym nearby and is repeating level 5. She is doing really well and the skills that she just couldn't seem to get (such as FHS vault and FHS on floor and ROBHSBHS on floor, etc.) are all coming together at new gym.

Now when I say she couldn't get them this is what I mean; FHS vault (AWFUL - BALKING), FHS on floor (bent knees - looked identical to your DD's), ROBHSBHS (bent legs & wide legs on second BHS). DD wanted to quit when she got to new gym because the conditioning was so hard and it was so much work. She really wasn't being coached at old gym, so the new work ethic at the new gym was a real shock to her system.

These are the skills your DD does not have just for level 5:

Beam
Handstand - Scale - Dismount, Leaps are so-so.
Vault - coming along.
Bars - Saw no bars, read ppl reporting that DD does not have kip which means she's also missing lots of connections
Floor - Back Ext. Roll, FHS (bent legs means she doesn't "have" it), Leaps are weak, dance is weak.

I also saw lots of wobbles on floor and beam. Didn't see that when she competed level 3. Again, why rush to 6 when she doesn't have 5 down pat? She is only 7, she has PLENTY of time. Level 6 skills are not only harder, but they build on 5 skills. Not only will this make learning 6 skills harder, but it will make it more DANGEROUS. Tucks, fly aways, mean more risk for injury. Especially if the child is not ready.

I would have her only go to 6 next year if she shows she is ready. Better yet, have new gym evaluate her rather than just put her on their level 6 team, cause she competed 5 earlier in the year. FYI, if they are just sticking her on their L6 team, sight unseen; you should RUN not walk away. She should be evaluated and placed where her skills, physical abilities place her.

It was only 6 months ago that you video'd your DD at level 6. She had one level 5 meet where she didn't even score a 31 (which is a very low score, BTW). And now you're talking about her moving to level 6 next year anyway. She needs more time and experience at level 5 before taking on level 6, IMHO. Gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint. Mariposa talked about burnout. What she means is that kids that go too fast in this sport often burnout. They don't have enough time to adjust to the exponentially increasing amount of difficulty and pressure.

You will do what you think is best for your daughter. Just beware of thinking that the gym has her best interest on their agenda. This may not be and often is not the case. Our old gym certainly did not have my DD's best interest on their agenda and they caused emotional damage that we are having to repair. It is not fun and I wouldn't want to see anyone else go through it.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the kind thoughts everyone. She missed the score by .75 She was close but fell on her bar dismount (fell on her butt)

I am working with the gym in Co to see if she can compete at least one more meet this year. While she lacks bar skills, she has all of the L6 and many L7 skills so I'm sure that come next fall she will be more than ready to compete L6. Regardless of whether she makes the score at that meet, she will move onto training as a 6. Her current gym and the gym in Co both think it would be a colossal waste of time to keep working the L5 routines/skills.

Please don't think I'm being mean, but I think someone is misinforming you. How could your daughter possibly have all of her level 6 skills if she doesn't have all of her level 5 skills. :confused:
 
Mbtmom,

No offense taken. I don't think you read my other post where I clarified. We are moving. If we were not moving, J would not have competed. Her coaches would have waited till she was more ready. I agree. Since the move, plus new coaching at her gym came at the same time, it worked out to be the perfect (not) storm. What I meant by moving to 6 is that her old gym and the gym she is moving to both did not think she would be best served by spending the next 18 months at level 5. The hope was that she could receive a score that would allow her to not have to focus on the L5 routine any longer. Didn't happen and thats OK. She will just need to do so next year. I have no illusions regarding her gymnastics and am darn proud of her for doing as well as she has in ~12 months, espcially when you look at how chaotic the summer was for her gym.

I will say that it may have been a poor decision to have her work on L5 instead of 4 (not my decision, I just pay the bills) With the coaches her gym has now, odds are this isn't a discussion we would be having as she would be rocking L4 right now. I don't think either is better or worse. She loves gymnastics and is very proud of herself. I have to agree!
 
Mbtmom,

No offense taken. I don't think you read my other post where I clarified. We are moving. If we were not moving, J would not have competed. Her coaches would have waited till she was more ready. I agree. Since the move, plus new coaching at her gym came at the same time, it worked out to be the perfect (not) storm. What I meant by moving to 6 is that her old gym and the gym she is moving to both did not think she would be best served by spending the next 18 months at level 5. The hope was that she could receive a score that would allow her to not have to focus on the L5 routine any longer. Didn't happen and thats OK. She will just need to do so next year. I have no illusions regarding her gymnastics and am darn proud of her for doing as well as she has in ~12 months, espcially when you look at how chaotic the summer was for her gym.

I will say that it may have been a poor decision to have her work on L5 instead of 4 (not my decision, I just pay the bills) With the coaches her gym has now, odds are this isn't a discussion we would be having as she would be rocking L4 right now. I don't think either is better or worse. She loves gymnastics and is very proud of herself. I have to agree!

I read the other post and understand that you are moving. As others' have said, moving is a reason to SLOW down the progression to give her time to process the move, new friends, new school, new house, etc.

You do have a LOT for you and your daughter to be proud of. I just think you might want to slow down and enjoy it rather than push her when she isn't ready. It was really bad for my daughter to be pushed and it has been so much emotionally to go through.

My DD came to the old gym as a Level 1-2 and went straight to level 4 instead of doing a year of developmental. She is now paying for that year. It is much harder this way.
 
Last edited:
I would just like to wish you a safe and stress free move. Hope you settle in to your new life and all make lots of new friends. I feel you have taken on board comments with a very open mind. Good for you. Please don't forget that we all think J has the potential to be a really lovely gymnast.
 

DON'T LURK... Join The Discussion!

Members see FEWER ads

College Gym News

Back