WAG Level 3

[iwannacoach]

Never though of it like that.
But don't you get more progress with the team kid who is there more times a week? And more motivation from the kids after they compete (my DD wanted to be first AA at one of the "big trophy" meets last year. I think we lived in the gym a month before the meet (extra practices and privates).

You have to figure out what means the most to your child. A trophy, or a trip through optional gymnastics..... which can include a trophy anyway. There's nothing but good things to be said about either choice, as each can provide challenges and rewards to the child who's interests and dreams are being served. If on the other hand, the child dreams of the other side of the coin, it's a pity to see them get pigeon holed in a program that is the polar opposite of what they feel they need. The worst of it is many kids haven't the tools needed to figure out which program has the right stuff for them.

 

[Clover]

You really need to talk to the coach and find out why they think this is best for your DD. Until you do that you can't make an informed decision.

 

[mouey77]

Well the hardware is fine but I would like to see her move Instead of being held back to make the gym look good. now if she doesn't do we'll I'm okay with her repeating but I want her to at the very least get that chance..

I'm with you. I don't like spending all this time and money just so the gym can win first place. We are in the same boat but at level one! I was just told they only move one level per year, so at best my 7 yr old will compete level 2 next year. The coach even conceded that her skills are above, but that's just "what the gym does." Since mine is committed to compete for this year, we are just going to power through. If I were you, I would talk to the coach and see what the rationale for repeating 3 again next year is. It's only October now. Doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I would talk to the coach as well.
Trying to play devils advocate.... Is it possible that your dd doesn't have the skills as well as you believe? Perhaps the coaches sees things you don't and they feel she needs more work on perfecting skills before competing them? I don't know how tough your gym is on being confident in skills before competing, at our gym the girls all have to "clear" their events before competing them, every meet. If they do not consistently do the routines with confidence without mess ups during the week before competing, they scratch that event. For our first mock meet, most of the girls only competed one or two events! My dd can do ROBHSBHS but she wasn't doing them with great form during warmup at the mock meet, and therefore the coach scratched her rather than letting her compete. Harsh, but fair, and a good lesson for dd!
Hopefully the girls will be ready and compete all events by the time season rolls around, they are making lots of progress (several of the girls are brand new to competing this year).
So in short, is you gym perhaps thinking that these girls won't be ready to compete the skills well and don't want to waste your money and time this year, but wait until next year when your dd will be confident and have better success?

I don't know your dd so of course it could very well be that she has all the skills and is very good at them, completely ready to compete them. If that's the case I have no clue why the gym wouldn't let her compete, and only they can really tell you why. If their answer is that it's just policy or whatever, then I would look around for a different gym but if their answer is that they simply don't think she is ready, they will keep working on things and it's possible for her to start competing in the middle of the season if she catches up, well that's a different scenario and shows that they care about your dd and don't want to set her up to fail, you know..?

Good luck in whatever you decide, I hope a chat with the coach brings some clarity!

 

[berrisweetness]

Yes my dd is only 7 and the big deal is what if there was an aspiration for an Olympic track. We all know that the life span of a gymnast is short. You have to be at least 16 (by the end of the Olympic year) to go to the Olympics and they start considering you too old after 18-20 years old, they are looking for fresh young girls to train then. Everyone starts retiring and just doing appearances and performances. I don't want her doing level 3 for 2-3 years like they have did some gymnasts in the past. Another big deal is she has been training a lot of these same skills since November of 2012. She should have been ready. They have had a new level 6 leave who went to 7 at her new gym, two L8's who went to 9 at their new gym and a new L5 who is gonna be bumped up to the new L6. If I stay she will be 8 1/2 when she competes level 3 she just turned 7 this past July.

 

[iwannacoach]

The plot thickens.......

What are the numbers of level 7, 8, 9, and 10 in the current program?

 

[berrisweetness]

The plot thickens.......

What are the numbers of level 7, 8, 9, and 10 in the current program?

One level 8, four 6's, four 5's, seven 4's ( 3 repeats) ten 3's (4 repeats).

 

[iwannacoach]

One level 8, four 6's, four 5's, seven 4's ( 3 repeats) ten 3's (4 repeats).

If I can assume the L6 kids are in the new L6 program and will be doing basic optional optional work, and add those 4 to the remaining L8 and the three other optional kids who've left the program (2- L8's that went to L9, and 1- L6 that went L7), I come up with 3 L8's and 5 L6's being backed up by a compulsory program of 21 kids. That's just a bit under a 25/75 percent distribution, and that's not all that shabby. I'd feel better if one of the following conditions existed:

First would bet that the abilities of the kid's, at their respective optional levels, was above average and proven in competition, and the training they're doing to "pay it forward" was advanced enough that their first step into the next two levels was an easy one. It sounds like that could be what's is taken place, considering all 3 girls who've left have instantly moved up a level.

The next condition is that the gym is still developing and is making progress toward filling up their optional program. Evidence of that might be apparent if they first opened their doors 4-7 years ago. Sorry for the broad range, but a gym takes longer to develop if the team program consists primarily of kids who've come up within the gyms program, as opposed to the other side of the coin that has gyms taking other program's best kids who don't have the patience to wait out the (your present gym) gym's sense of how to progress their athletes.

What that means is a gym can open it's doors and have optional kids in a very short span, and never have lifted a finger to teach them the skills they have as they walked through the door. The gym that prefers to raise up their team from within will need more time because about the best I've seen is 5 levels in a span of 3-4 years, so that's L2, L3, L4, L5, and L6 or 7.
The team development time is extended even further when a nearby club looks like it's a better program and kids leave the home based program for the take what comes program.

Sometime the take what comes program is a great place, but I think that more often it's a place where kids go and receive Candy Land coaching where everything a kid does her first two years is.... wow really great.... and the staff glows about the team's progress.... until the solid base the switching kids brought with them runs out of gas. Then the story changes and the individual kids become "great kids" that just haven't clicked into the next stage, and further down the road "they just don't seem committed the way they used to......

In other words the lack of progress isn't the fault of the receiving gym because all their best kids lose their drive to become great. How, you may ask, can they continue the pattern without people wising up to them. Quite simply they continue to take kids in from other programs that they left...... carrying sufficient quality fundamentals to last a couple of years. So the receiving gym has proof they can coach because they have such an amazing success rate with the younger kids (who've switched to them) and have no control over a child's loss of motivation..... It's total B.S.

I doubt I cleared anything up for you, but perhaps you're better prepared to get to the bottom of what's taking place.

 

[berrisweetness]

There's been quite a few changes in the gym like owners. That's when most of the girls started leaving. Their in their rebuilding stage but I don't think the girls should suffer because of that. I know my daughters potential and she can do the skills. I have two others who did the sport as well and one coaches. She wants me to move her but I was waiting because they told me they were conducting another tryout to see if there are more girls ready to compete. I really want to give them a chance. But that's a long time from now they are talking about her competing(2014-2015 season) and at the same level. I could see if they were going to let her do 4 at that time but they won't. They'll say quote: because she didn't compete last year we want to start her at three and see how she does (which is BS). As I have mentioned before they just did 2 girls that way and all they level 4 skills they learned they don't practice them. And yes I do sit and watch what's going on and I hear other parents with the same concerns.

 

[txgymfan]

Sounds like its time to look at your options for other gyms. Choose carefully.

 

[berrisweetness]

So I have decided to leave and go to a new gym. She is excited because she gets to work with the coach that coached my two older girls (now 20, 15). She was so happy to meet her. She had never seen this daughter, she wasn't born yet. And to her surprise there is one more under her. I believe this will be a great move for us right now. On the other hand I really liked the people at the old gym even with all that I have posted. I have nothing bad to say about them. Now how do I tell them I'm leaving?

 

[gymmomtoo]

I'd call them and tell them you are moving gyms as your daughter has the opportunity to work with the coach that coached your older two daughters. Thank them for all their hard work and mention when you'd like her last day to be (our gym has a policy that when you move to another gym--the day you let the gym know, is the last day there. I don't know if they actually follow the policy as we haven't had anyone leave recently, but I think a lot of gyms do that). Good luck!

 

[berrisweetness]

Thanks gymmomtoo.

 

[berrisweetness]

Update on DD: well we've moved to the new gym and she is able to work with the coach that had my older two. Just found out the first coach that my little dd had is working there as well and she was glad to see her and both think with some fine tuning she is ready to compete. They said they want her to get use to it and the large crowds. First meet is home meet Nov 9. I hope she does well. We will do a couple of privates right before the meet . I think she will have fun. She doesn't really know anything about scoring so she can just focus on having fun and doing her best. I know I'm rambling I'm just so excited for her. Also they have been doing a lot of up training while working on current skills and routines.