WAG Level 3

[berrisweetness]

My DD is a new level three but now I'm being told she will just work out for a year and compete next year. This gym does not have a pre team. They don't start competing until December. Which means she won't compete until almost a year and a half. I did not like the sound of that. I'm tho king of moving her to another gym. Any thoughts?

 

[alsmom]

This happened to several girls at my daughter's gym. They were moved to level 3, and the plan was to have them compete, but it was decided by the coaches that they are not ready. They are training level 3 skills, but not routines. They have really come a long way. How old is your dd?

 

[berrisweetness]

My dd is 7(birthday is July) and they are learning everything. It doesn't sit we'll with me, everyone tells me she is good and she can do it the gym was suppose to have another tryout to see who else is ready but no one is saying anything.

 

[berrisweetness]

If she doesn't compete she will have to do the same level next year and by then she'll be 8 1/2. I know that's still young but I think it's absurd if she is ready now. If she has to repeat the level next year thy is done but you won't know how she will do if she is not given the chance.

 

[alsmom]

Have you talked to the coach about it? What is their reason for having her hold off on competing? Also, you do not have to compete level 3, so she could skip it and start next year at level 4.

 

[berrisweetness]

I will talk to them about it but they won't do level 4 next year, they will make her do 3. They did the same thing to a couple of girls last year. They worked out with level 3 all year and this summer worked out for 4 and mastered the 4 skills but put them back to compete level3 due to not competing 3 last year.

 

[alsmom]

Well, the levels did change this year, so if they were training level 3 last year this years level three is actually a higher level...that could be why.

 

[berrisweetness]

Well, the levels did change this year, so if they were training level 3 last year this years level three is actually a higher level...that could be why.

 

[berrisweetness]

They were working out level 4 all year and trained 5 this summer ( got all their skills) but have to compete level 3 (old 4) due to not competing 4 the year before. I was jus t using the new levels too keep from doing all the typing (LOL).

 

[GymMom67]

I would definitely talk to the coach. If she has the skills she needs, I don't really see the point in not letting her compete, even if she possibly struggles a little more than some of the others. I'm not sure if this is a national thing, but here in Texas, they only count the top 5 scores on each event toward the team score, so if that is the case where you live, it isn't like any one girl is going to drag the team score down. It makes me wonder if they're holding girls back a year to pump up the team score the following year, using the excuse that they have to do that level before they move on. As alsmom mentioned, the first required level for USAG is Level 4.

 

[berrisweetness]

Thanks and I believe they are using that excuse they just did it to two girls already. They have to do 3 because they didn't compete at all last year. As I said she just turned 7. There are six more girls in the same boat my dd is in. They range from 7-9 and one 12 and they're talking about them competing 1 1/2 year from now because they don't compete until January. I'm really considering leaving.

 

[Ekat]

Sounds like its not something against you DD, but just gym philosophy. Try talking to them, but likely you will have to move gym if you want a different approach.
We have one gym in the area that is notorious for having girls spend 2-3 years on the same level. They usually take many top places in the competitions at the lower levels, which makes their gym look good and makes some of the parents happy because there is a lot of hardware around the necks after every meet, but they do lose gymnasts too because they wont progress them.

 

[berrisweetness]

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..

 

[txgymfan]

Talk to the coach and if you don't get answers talk to the head coach. In the meantime search on CB for "Looking for a New Gym" or a related topic. You will find a lot of good information here.

 

[berrisweetness]

Thanks I'll do that.

 

[Ekat]

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 am on the same page, Its too much money and time commitment for just hardware.

 

[iwannacoach]

We have one gym in the area that is notorious for having girls spend 2-3 years on the same level. They usually take many top places in the competitions at the lower levels, which makes their gym look good and makes some of the parents happy because there is a lot of hardware around the necks after every meet, but they do lose gymnasts too because they wont progress them.

Ekat, you may be right, and that would be my first thought as well. Mainly because the op isn't talking about her dd learning skills that are good preps for optional work.

It's possible the gym is a good progressive gym that prefers, as I do, to skip as much compulsory work as possible, and have them compete just enough to give the kids an experience base for future levels. The time carved away from the compulsory system can then be used to train progressions and skills that are fundamental to optional development.

I think the best thing to do is watch a couple of practices from beginning to end to see if the kids are training toward punch fronts and roundoff back handsprings, or tumbling into back tucks on floor. Watch each event for skillwork that goes beyond new level 4 and 5. Look for the kids who do optional work. Do they look. at least your untrained eye, as if they'redoing substantial skills on each event? If you don't see it, it's possible it won't be there next year either.

Why????

I knew a coach who's team was very lopsided with compulsory kids, as the coach preferred to move kids into a team track as early as possible. That may sound good, and it would be if the majority of kids wanted to be on a gym team from level 2 to level 5 for a span of 4-6 years, and then begin training optional work in earnest. Sadly, there just isn't enough meat on the bone to keep a kid excited about the sport while working almost exclusively on compulsory routines and skills.

It made financial sense, but not necessarily gymnastics sense. My feeling is it was a choice made to help with the bottom line, because you can collect more money from a three or four day a week kid than you can a one day a week recreational gymnast. To the coach's credit, the kids on team are pretty happy and excited, but I sincerely wonder how they feel when arriving at level 7 or 8 with no time left to realize a mere semblance of their original dreams.

So yeah, really look it over and believe what you see, because the proof really is in the number and quality of their optional kids.

 

[Ekat]

It's possible the gym is a good progressive gym that prefers, as I do, to skip as much compulsory work as possible, and have them compete just enough to give the kids an experience base for future levels. The time carved away from the compulsory system can then be used to train progressions and skills that are fundamental to optional development.
.

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).

 

[Deleted member 14190]

7 is pretty young,,,, whats the big deal with waiting another year?

 

[iwannacoach]

7 is pretty young,,,, whats the big deal with waiting another year?

I was thinking that too, but reading a little further I'm getting a feeling the real problem is will it always be like this. I think it reasonable to worry long term based on short term things that are happening now. I mean the kid has all her new 3 skills, then learns all her new 4 skills, and then moved down to work new L3 from now until December 2014..... just to get ready for new L3.

I'd love to do the same thing and have the kids wait, but there'd be almost nothing but up training going on, and that's something parents usually notice. In fact it seems when I'd back burner the compulsories in favor of up training, the parents would get pretty upset that their kids weren't getting prepared for competition. One of the most notable exclamations was "How can you get thm ready for optionals if you can't get them ready for compulsories?"

So I'm supposing this woman would have some awareness of what, if any up training was taking place. If there's some going on now, it'll likely continue, but if it's not happening..... with a 12 month open window available, it may be something to worry about.

That's a face value supposition, but if the op can't represent the facts truthfully, there's no advice, warning, or process that will help.

I think the most effective thing for her to do is to look at what the optional kids are doing. If this is an established gym with intentions of training kids to get into the optional levels, it should be easy to spot, because it's pretty hard to kid a bhs series on beam, or a front lay out series on floor.