WAG Level 7...or 8

[Tay's Mom]

My dd just finished Level 5. Her coach has put her in the group who has just completed Level 7 for summer training (the only one to move from her Level 5 team - and unusual for this coach to advance anyone quickly/skip levels...well except Level 6). We suspect that means she will either be at least a Level 7, or test out to Level 8 in the fall when the gymnasts get placed. I keep reading there is a big difference between 7 and 8 and I'm looking for opinions on whether it makes more sense for her to compete Level 7, or to go to 8 with the possibility of repeating it again the following year. Thanks for your input!

 

[Muddlethru]

It really all depends on the gymnast. Some will say, the jump is huge and some will say it is not a big deal. There are gateway skills or difficult skills for the majority to get through for each level. It makes sense to go to the level you’ve acquired skills. If she has the skills for Level 8, I see no reason to compete level 7. If she goes to Level 8, and was wisely placed there by the coaches, the only reason she should repeat Level 8 is because she does not have Level 9 skills and not because she skipped Level 7.

 

[Seeker]

Honestly- do not worry about it at all. Just support her and hopefully she will have a great summer training and the right decision will reveal itself when the time comes.

 

[Tay's Mom]

LOL - I'm trying not to worry - in fact it's pretty exciting and she is thrilled with it. She is a flier and loves new challenges so the opportunity to work up to Level 8 skills has her pretty pumped. But its a mom's job to worry, right??

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Don’t stress it. The coach will decide

 

[mom2newgymnast]

I agree that you have to leave it to the coaches to decide. I am sure they wouldn't have her training with that group if they didn't think she could succeed there.

Does she seem to be at the same place as her teammates that already competed 7 and are training 8?

Personally, I think vault is one of the biggest differences between 7 and 8. How is your daughter on a level 8 vault? Is she close to having a flipping vault yet? My daughter just finished level 7 and is training for level 8. She has just started flipping her vault. I definitely think the time spent at level 7 with the yurchenko timer has helped her with her actual vault. At least half of her team are already flipping their yurchenko only a couple of months after the end of level 7 thanks to all the drills and timers they have done.

Also, fwiw, my dd's coaches told me after the season that they had debated trying to get her to 8 instead of 7 this past season, but decided to keep her with her teammates instead. I'm happy with their decision. She didn't want to separate from her group and she was able to have a successful season and uptrain a lot and is looking good for level 8. Even at her current pace, my dd is on track for 4+ years as a level 10 which seems like plenty to me!

 

[profmom]

Unless floor is markedly weaker than other events, it's not likely to pose a barrier to moving up to L8. The barriers for many are being able to flip a vault, getting a solid pirouette on bars, and getting an acceptable flight series on beam (some gyms require more than the minimum).

 

[Tay's Mom]

"Does she seem to be at the same place as her teammates that already competed 7 and are training 8?

Personally, I think vault is one of the biggest differences between 7 and 8. How is your daughter on a level 8 vault? Is she close to having a flipping vault yet? My daughter just finished level 7 and is training for level 8. She has just started flipping her vault. I definitely think the time spent at level 7 with the yurchenko timer has helped her with her actual vault. At least half of her team are already flipping their yurchenko only a couple of months after the end of level 7 thanks to all the drills and timers they have done."

She has a good yurchenko timer, and has flipped it into the pit...I suspect if she were to be in group 5/training 6-7, the bulk of vault work-ups for them would be getting the timer...but the 7's/training 8 group will spend more time on flipping. She also has her backward giants, and ROBHS layout and twist - solid on tumbletrack, twist needs a little work landing on floor...again skills that her previous teammates are just learning. So is she where th 7's are? No - not yet...I mean she hasn't competed those skills...but close. So, I guess yes - I need to rely on the coach's decision as to where she is at the end of the summer - no disappointments, no expectations. Thanks for all the input!

 

[lovofu]

My dd just finished Level 5. Her coach has put her in the group who has just completed Level 7 for summer training (the only one to move from her Level 5 team - and unusual for this coach to advance anyone quickly/skip levels...well except Level 6). We suspect that means she will either be at least a Level 7, or test out to Level 8 in the fall when the gymnasts get placed. I keep reading there is a big difference between 7 and 8 and I'm looking for opinions on whether it makes more sense for her to compete Level 7, or to go to 8 with the possibility of repeating it again the following year. Thanks for your input!

I must be getting cynical in my old age...no matter what you think, no matter what you want, no matter what your daughter wants in MOST gyms those decisions are made by the coach and your input (if you give any) will not make one little difference. Sit back and enjoy the excitement!!!

 

[moogacat]

I must be getting cynical in my old age...no matter what you think, no matter what you want, no matter what your daughter wants in MOST gyms those decisions are made by the coach and your input (if you give any) will not make one little difference. Sit back and enjoy the excitement!!!

One place your input may be relevant is if at the end of the summer the coach does want to recommend scoring out of L7 and moving to L8. My daughter competes Xcel, so a little different, but she was moving from Silver to Gold last year, and the coach wanted to test her out of Gold and move her to Platinum at the end of the summer. The coach did not want to mover her, though, if either my daughter or I were uncomfortable with it from a skill and safety perspective. So, if the coach's decision is L7 I don't think they will care too much about your thoughts, but the coach MAY want to gauge how you feel about skipping a level from a parent perspective.

 

[Tay's Mom]

I agree with moogacat. And with all the recent headlines, I really believe that a parent should not sit back and give all control to the coach - but be involved. Maybe I'm lucky, but our gym has great open communication with the parents. I definitely can't (and wouldn't) insist on a coach advancing my child -- if I don't trust their ability for that than I'm at the wrong gym! - but if they recommend a move that I don't feel she's ready for, say mentally for example, I would definitely meet with him - and feel he would listen and consider my opinion. The days of turning your kid blindly over to a coach or a teacher or a doctor are done for me...if I don't understand it, I'm investigating it and discussing it. I'll always be the final decision maker (at least until she's 18!)

 

[LJL07]

I agree with this to a point about letting the coach make the decision. I would like to believe most coaches at well established gyms have good intentions. At our previous gym, the coach was pushing to move my daughter from level 4 to 7. She was pretty young, and the coach was racing her through skills without having uptrained her much during the level 4 season. Meanwhile she was also rushing her through level 5 to do a quick score out. She was getting very stressed trying to learn three circling skills on bars at once, and we stepped in and asked them to aim for 6. I don’t know your daughter’s age, but I do think that factors in as far as how much you should intervene. Level 5 does provide more prep for optionals on the bars than going from 4 to 7 or 8 though. In my opinion, it’s really the vault that is no joke on 8. I don’t think it’s a great idea to skip both 6&7 since the new vault helps a lot with prep for a tsuk or yurchenko as well as the experience of competing giants, but if your child is in a homeschool or fast track type program and can put in the hours and work, it is doable for some children.

 

[LJL07]

I must be getting cynical in my old age...no matter what you think, no matter what you want, no matter what your daughter wants in MOST gyms those decisions are made by the coach and your input (if you give any) will not make one little difference. Sit back and enjoy the excitement!!!

That’s true. We stepped in, but they didn’t listen to our input, so we took our daughter elsewhere to a place that had her best interests in mind. If you trust the gym and coaches (and we generally do at our current place), I find we haven’t needed to intervene but we still keep an eye out.

 

[Tay's Mom]

I agree with this to a point about letting the coach make the decision. I would like to believe most coaches at well established gyms have good intentions. At our previous gym, the coach was pushing to move my daughter from level 4 to 7. She was pretty young, and the coach was racing her through skills without having uptrained her much during the level 4 season. Meanwhile she was also rushing her through level 5 to do a quick score out. She was getting very stressed trying to learn three circling skills on bars at once, and we stepped in and asked them to aim for 6. I don’t know your daughter’s age, but I do think that factors in as far as how much you should intervene. Level 5 does provide more prep for optionals on the bars than going from 4 to 7 or 8 though. In my opinion, it’s really the vault that is no joke on 8. I don’t think it’s a great idea to skip both 6&7 since the new vault helps a lot with prep for a tsuk or yurchenko as well as the experience of competing giants, but if your child is in a homeschool or fast track type program and can put in the hours and work, it is doable for some children.

Thank you - good thoughts to consider...!

 

[John]

I like to think it's just a number. DD did level 8 last year but some events the difficulty matched what her teammates in level 9 we're doing. As long as practice is fun and proceeding as she wants it to try not to worry about the level thing. If they stay in the sport and progress ultimately they all end up in the same level.

 

[skschlag]

I like to think it's just a number. DD did level 8 last year but some events the difficulty matched what her teammates in level 9 we're doing. As long as practice is fun and proceeding as she wants it to try not to worry about the level thing. If they stay in the sport and progress ultimately they all end up in the same level.

This! Totally. This is one thing our coach and our owner repeatedly say. LEvels are just numbers. As long as kids are progressing and having fun and doing what they want, THAT is the important part