Level 5 AAU vs USA?

[gymmom42]

My DD is level 4 AAU and in our state AAU routines are more difficult than USA (level 4 has cartwheel on beam, vault off table, jump to high bar, front limber). Level 5 the routines are the same and I notice that at the meets, our level 5 AAU girls do not have much competition (i.e., there are not many girls in each meet). I'm wondering if anyone knows of any reason to stay in AAU level 5 rather than just make the swith to USA now instead of waiting for level 6/7? My gym currently does not have USA level 5, so I need to discuss with coaches, but thought I would seek other opinions as well.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

okay, i'm confused. the routines are from USA Gymnastics. the AAU does not construct their own routines. are you saying they have modified the level 4 routines?

 

[aerialriver]

AAU does change some things. I have seen the USAG routines and girls in our state doing AAU do have some changes such as level 3's do a handspring flat back just like the 4's instead of a forward roll that is in the USAG book. And the level 2's do not do a headstand in their floor routines. Also some skills are optional like for level 3 floor you can do a bridge up then kickover, or you can do a backbend kickover, a back walkover or a back handspring and they are all worth the same.

 

[dmytv]

I don't think aau is very organized. It can differ from state to state and region to region. In my dd's 1st gym they did mostly aau. In level 4 bars aau, she had to do a kip or the start value was a 9. In usag if she did the kip it would be a 2.0 deduction. There were other differences all layed out in a handbook for all the levels of aau. Some were harder some easier but all changes only applied to our local region. If they did aau regionals or aau nationals then they had to follow other routines and rules. I thought it to be very confusing for a 7yr old. There was not much competition as other gyms decided to only do usag since that was what was recognized as the governing body of gymnastics.AAU should organize under a natioal system like USAG.

 

[jsfofec]

We were at a meet in Florida in January and they some AAU sessions. I've never been to a meet that had AAU. I know that USAG leads you through the levels and maybe end up with a chance for college or elite. What's the goal of AAU? Is it more like Xcel (or prep op)? I never understood it

 

[Deleted member D3987]

USA Gymnastics is the way to go.

 

[wallinbl]

We were at a meet in Florida in January and they some AAU sessions. I've never been to a meet that had AAU. I know that USAG leads you through the levels and maybe end up with a chance for college or elite. What's the goal of AAU? Is it more like Xcel (or prep op)? I never understood it

I don't know about elsewhere, but all the AAU gyms around here switch to USAG for optionals. Some of them do quite well at USAG optionals and have excellent records with regards to competitions as well as college scholarships. Don't know much else about it, as DD's gym is USAG.

 

[kimskids]

At our gym the girls compete some AAU meets in the Spring and USAG meets in the fall. The routines are the same for both....?????

 

[clrmom]

Our gym does AAU for levels 2-5. At level 5, the girls also do some USAG meets, but just a couple (my guess is so they can score out?) Our gym states that they do this due to the amount of competition and how many girls are in each group/placements. Their theory is that in USAG there are more girls in each session/age group at awards and less girls actually place (receive a medal) and in AAU they keep the award groups smaller. They feel that this keeps the girls more interested. I don't feel that it is hurting my dd to be in AAU (and I have experience in both from when my ds competed at a different gym). She still learns all the same skills, she just may sometimes do it at a different level. (for example the handstand flat back vault at level 3 vs. the forward roll vault). Our girls do very well once they transition into the USAG system (at level 6).

 

[jsfofec]

Our gym does AAU for levels 2-5. At level 5, the girls also do some USAG meets, but just a couple (my guess is so they can score out?).

Do they have to get a USAG membership and an AAU membership?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i would say yes.

 

[clrmom]

Do they have to get a USAG membership and an AAU membership?

Yes, they do.

 

[emorymom]

Yes, each state sets its own AAU routines, is my understanding. In my area most gyms do AAU in the lower levels. I think it's cheaper. I think AAU is harder here than USAG. For example, we start with a handstand-flatback vault on L2, onto a higher mat on L3. They compete a bridge kickover in L2 and a back walkover in L3.

But for AAU "nationals," girls from GA learn a downward-modified routine.

"Nationals" in AAU is not very discriminating.