Anon Lowest number of qualifying level 9s for States in So Cal in over decade.

[Anonymous (a1ab)]

Could be an anomaly, but it's somewhat concerning for the sport in So Cal that only 103 level 9s qualified for states which is well below the pre-pandemic average of 140-150 gymnasts. A steep drop of 25%-30%. It's also the first year I could find there were less Level 9s competing at states than Level 10s.. a rarity.

 

[Milomom]

In Michigan it has been about a 20% drop in both compared to 2019. The last 2-3 years have been pretty stable though. Probably related to some girls never coming back after gym closures during the pandemic and financial with the sport getting more expensive.

 

[Anonymous (e258)]

We’ve been at 2 gyms. I have thoughts! Here’s what I observe by us:

There is a big gap starting this year with the 2026s until you get down to the level 4s who are younger and 2032s or 2031s and weren’t yet in Kindergarten for the beginning of the pandemic or for that year of closures. Those littlest girls are fine and didn’t miss any gymnastics.

For us, closures lasted a long time and gyms got pretty competitive because of closures that had girls fighting for spots. Then there was a bit of a weeding-out effect for the girls who stayed in since there wasn’t quite enough room with each years’ move-ups. This has lasted for years. Classes of 2026 to 2033 are thin in many levels or “old for level” with clumping at level 8.

When girls ended up “old” for their level and got negative feedback from coaches for it or just didn’t have same-age peers in their groups, they left for other sports. It wasn’t fun to have worked out at home for months and months or lost a gym entirely, struggle through a second season with minimal meets, acquire injuries along the way, and then be training alongside girls who zoomed through and who are too little to remember the shutdown.

Proud of the girls who stuck with it and frustrated for the girls who didn’t quite get a fair chance along the way.