Women Level 5 vs 6 vs 7

[BarCoach]

Talking with our program director tonight, I think we're going to have most of our 4s score out of 5 and compete level 6 next year. Now that we've been through almost a whole season with the new levels I'm interested to hear what your gym did with these three levels. Score out of 5 and compete 6? Skip 6 and go 5 to 7? What were the major skill differences in 6 and 7? I'd love some examples of what the major skills were for each level. Just trying to figure out what they'll need to be competitive.
Also, as far as bars goes, did most level 6s cast to handstand? We're the deductions significant for not having one, assuming the rest of the routine is clean?
Thanks!

 

[GymSurvivor]

In our gym, giants were make it or break it.
We started the season with no level 6's. Then two girls were supposed to compete 7 and couldn't get their giants so they ended up competing level 6 and did very well!
That's the artistic team.

The Recreational team is a little weaker on bars, only practicing 4 hours a week. We have on level 8 who came from the artistic team just this year. Other than that we had 3 girls compete level 6 for the first part of the year. Then they ended up switching to xcel gold.

 

[Quadqueen]

Prior to the current season, our old level 5s moved to current level 4 or current level 6. Our L6s do not compete giants, although some cast to handstand. They are mostly scoring mid 8s to low 9s. Our gym did not have 5s this year. I'll be curious to see if they will do the same thing next year.

 

[Seeker]

Our gym did not compete L6. Scoring at L7 is pretty tough, especially on bars so I would say if they don't have solid giants and strong tumbling, go for L6.

 

[gymnasthadesty]

I am new here so still finding my way around this site. At a few Invitationals this year it seems that it depends on the State and gym. Our gym had 1 L6 who did free hips to handstands and giants and layout dismount qualified for states at first competition but stayed at L6. L7 will require same but 2 giants not sure if there is any more requirements then that. All above are required and deductions add up quick for any form break.

 

[seoulmama]

Our gym didn't compete 6 this year-HC doesn't think there was enough difference between 5 and 6 to make 6 worthwhile. Our 7s struggled at the beginning of the season but are doing great now, so I am wondering if the decision to not compete 6 will hold for next year? A lot can change over the summer, and the HC waits until the fall befor making decisions about competition levels, so only time will tell.

 

[BarCoach]

Seoulmama, our PD also said 5 and 6 were too similar to do both, but said we'd probably opt to do 6 so we don't have to spend the time working on little details and can focus on upgrading and strengths. Funny, same opinion, different decision.

 

[seoulmama]

@BarCoach, having had my dd compete 5 this year, and seeing how picky it is, I like your gym's stance! That said-her team is on the younger side so another level of details will only help when they hit Optional, I hope!

 

[Seeker]

I am new here so still finding my way around this site. At a few Invitationals this year it seems that it depends on the State and gym. Our gym had 1 L6 who did free hips to handstands and giants and layout dismount qualified for states at first competition but stayed at L6. L7 will require same but 2 giants not sure if there is any more requirements then that. All above are required and deductions add up quick for any form break.

Giants are not actually a "required skill" for L7. You need two circling elements and yes, many teams do use giants to satisfy that requirement, but there are other ways to achieve it. The routine you described above seems meets the L7 requirements as well, so I'm surprised they had that athlete compete L6. Was there a deficiency with another event?

 

[BarCoach]

Age is a part of it definitely. They are all going to be 11 either before the season starts or not long after so they are wanting to push them toward optionals as quickly as possible.

 

[gymmutti]

Our gym chose to do L6 over L5. Of our L6 team, over half have their chs on the low bar but only a few have it on high bar. They do both tuck and layout flyaway depending on girl and clear hip but not to handstand. Scores range from low 8s to mid 9s depending on how clean with those having chs getting the 9s. Beam is the other differentiator in our L7 and L6 with not all of the L6 girls competing bhs although all do a series even though it is not required in L6. Same dismount used for both levels. Floor - tumbling varies by child with some L6 having same or more difficult tumbling than some L7. Other L6 have the basics - FHSFT and ROBHSBT. I've noticed the skill set for the L6 is very broad. I don't know what the coaches will do this year. They may choose to do L5. Most of our current L6 group are also 11-13 years old - that may have something to with the push for L6.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

I am new here so still finding my way around this site. At a few Invitationals this year it seems that it depends on the State and gym. Our gym had 1 L6 who did free hips to handstands and giants and layout dismount qualified for states at first competition but stayed at L6. L7 will require same but 2 giants not sure if there is any more requirements then that. All above are required and deductions add up quick for any form break.

I'm pretty sure you don't need 2 giants in L7. My DD is L7 and only has 1 in her routine although she can do 2 there is no need for an additional deduction opportunity!

 

[Seeker]

Yes, 2 are not required.

 

[raenndrops]

I can tell you that the deduction for not hitting handstand (or close to it) is killer at L6 and L7. We have no L5... there are 4 that COULD have been L5 this season... 2 scored out (barely) before the changeover and the other two CHOSE to compete L4 this season.
The ones that scored out can cast to above horizontal, but don't even make it to 45º from vertical... Personal bests for both girls came in one meet (and 25/43 of our gymnasts got personal bests on bars that meet - if that tells you anything... and 15 of the 43 haven't scored higher since) they scored a 7.90 and an 8.30 at that meet. We have one L6 that can get closer to HS on her casts (regularly about 30º away) and her high score at a different meet was 8.70.

 

[sleeping judy]

I love hearing all of these different opinions!

My dd's group all trained for 7 this year. I will add, our gym is pretty picky about who gets to be a 7 and they have to have a cast handstand and giant to compete, plus a back walker/back handspring series on beam. There are really very few exceptions and most of the girls who went to 7 are scoring very high. I would say bars was the one area that held the girls back. My dd and a couple of the girls who stayed 6s had injuries that they were overcoming and one has developed a tumbling fear.

The skills in level 6 are very similar to five, but they allow for some variation. The girl who has fear issues has a roundoff BHS BHS and scores very well on floor. My dd does a RO BHS BT and other girls do layouts. All but my dd were doing FHS FT as another pass. My dd just got it two weeks ago and was able to throw it in a routine at the next meet.

None of the girls are casting to handstand. I would say most are 3/4. My dd doesn't always hit 3/4, but has scored high 8s and low 9s on bars. Her injury was to her hand so bars has taken the longest to come back for her and was never really a strength.

I like the options of 6 in that the girls can still train the 7 skills and if they get them they can try them in a routine. It has actually been a really fun year and the girls have been having a blast and scoring very well!

I overheard one of our coaches saying that the girls competing 5 will be more ready for 7 than the 6s are. She said that next year they won't compete 6, but have the girls who don't get the requirements for 7 repeat 5 instead. That kind of bummed me out because none of the girls who are 6s this year have parents who pushed or demanded it. Plus, I could have saved all the money I paid for choreography and music. We would have all been fine with competing 5. I'm hoping that she is incorrect as all of our sixes have a majority of the 7 skills already.

That being said, my dd has had a blast competing 6. Also the girl with the tumbling fear most likely would have quit, but instead is rocking it at 6.

 

[raenndrops]

My dd and a couple of the girls who stayed 6s had injuries that they were overcoming and one has developed a tumbling fear.
Also the girl with the tumbling fear most likely would have quit, but instead is rocking it at 6.

My OG had quit for a few months in 2012 after developing fears in old L6. Landed on her head on a BT and almost face-planted on a flyaway within 3 weeks of each other. She waited until almost the start of the new season and bowed to outside forces to quit...
Realized less than 3 months later that it was "the biggest mistake of my life." I told her she could come back and that i was sure HC would let her drop down to old L5. She said no... she would do L6 - and she WOULD just have to get her skills back and substitute until she did! I told her there was one other option she could talk to HC about... Xcel Gold. With the changes to Xcel that season in our region, our League decided that they could do it at a younger age and OG was just the right age and had the right skills.
She has gotten the BT back and it only took 18 months from the fall to start trying it on trampolines and she was competing it 3 months later. She still doesn't have the flyaway back, but will start working on that in a few weeks, when the season is over.

Hopefully the gymmie with fears can overcome them or the coach will keep L6 (or move her to Xcel Platinum if that's an option).

 

[LizzieLac]

Our gym does all 3 levels. The standards for each are pretty tough. You have to be solid on all skills required in level 5 to compete it. The old 6s all moved to new 6 and one to 7.

At new 6, girls must do BWO-BWO and single BHS on beam, front or back tuck dismount (coaches prefer cartwheel-BT). On bars, the all are trying to get to handstand in all casts and clear hip, but only a couple are truly vertical. And then they do one giant and layout flyaway dismount.

At level 7, girls must do BWO-BHS on beam and same dismount. FWO or tick-tock, is also desired but not a dividing skill. On bars, same as level 6 but must do 2 giants. So, you can see the differentiators...

I "assume" this is how we will do things next year as well. We have 4 very strong level 5s who have almost all of the skills for 6 right now. They will most likely do 7 next year, as their season just ended and they have a lot of training time available to them. Not sure what will happen to the rest of the current level 5s. They are very solid at their current level but only time will tell if they will be able to do 6 next year.

For the most part, we scored pretty well at all 3 of these levels this year.

 

[gracyomalley]

This year HC did 5 and 7 - girls in old 6 either stayed back or went to 7. The 2 who went to 7 had everything except top notch bars (one has giants but no cast handstand and one has the required circling elements met with gorgeous free hips, but not quite CHS and not even trying giants this year - they both score in the high 8s by the way....).

DD and I watched an invitational level 5 this weekend - and remembered why we were glad she only spent 4 meets at old 6 - the scoring was brutal! However, I do think that as our team consistently has girls go straight to 7 and all score 34 + I'm not sure that 6 makes sense for our team....and 2 years of L7 is the usual route.....I know many teams are splitting it up and that may give the girls with BWOBWO and no giants OR big free hips a chance to still hit the podium at L6, but it does add a level (or at least something to train for and score out of if you do that with L5)....and not everyone will need that. There are a couple slightly older L5 girls on our team (12-14) who would love the option of their own music but really seem at this point like they'll struggle at L7...so I do wonder what HC will do...

Mostly glad DD avoided all this! And just a reminder, DD is working her giants in practice, but not trying them in meets, because she is consistently in the top 3 on bars without them...so doesn't want to chance it - where I see MANY girls out there with poorly executed giants scoring much lower - they may not have the free hips to meet the circling elements and HAVE to giant, but for L7 a clean routine without giants BEATS them any day - so I wonder about gyms holding hard and fast to that rule...although DD will have to bite the bullet for L8....

 

[Krystan]

Our gym will more likely, I think, use both, but use 6 as the "optional optional" level. All those who competed 5 will be aiming to get to L7. If they fall short by September, they'll compete L6. I imagine we'll have all three next year, as we did this year.

 

[iwannacoach]

Talking with our program director tonight, I think we're going to have most of our 4s score out of 5 and compete level 6 next year. Now that we've been through almost a whole season with the new levels I'm interested to hear what your gym did with these three levels. Score out of 5 and compete 6? Skip 6 and go 5 to 7? What were the major skill differences in 6 and 7? I'd love some examples of what the major skills were for each level. Just trying to figure out what they'll need to be competitive.
Also, as far as bars goes, did most level 6s cast to handstand? We're the deductions significant for not having one, assuming the rest of the routine is clean?
Thanks!

I'd say have them compete L5 while training for L7 for the following year. Two things will work well for you, the first is you get a ton of time to concentrate on many key skills that require extended training intervals, and those are best done without interruption. The other is the kids will rise to the occasion for their L5 meets with little preparation because a kid who's making fine progress on a bhs on beam, layouts on floor, handstands and giants on bar, just seem to have the sense they can do anything you throw at them.

If I could gt away with it I'd wait until two weeks prior to their first L5 meet to train floor routines, and a week prior for bars and beam. During the week.... one day only for compulsory work because they'll give 100% effort and their full attention when they realize they have no time to mess around.

I doubt I'll ever get to do it that way, but it sure would give em a boost into optional work.