Parents Mixed bag of feedback? Thoughts please!

[Amusibus]

Coordination improves dramatically between age 6 and 7 or 8. I didn't believe mine would ever catch on. At 6, she was so awkward, never had straight legs or pointy toes, and if for example she was told to lift her leg higher like in an arabesque, she would think she was doing it, but really wasn't. Now her knees and toes look great (usually), and her body awareness has improved, though she still struggles with this at times (she's 9 now).

 

[Busymum]

Our gym owner has been known to say that he'd rather have a hard-working gymnast that has to fight for things over the gymnast that everything comes easy to. He knows that hard-working gymnast will be able to weather the tough times....because there WILL be tough times for EVERY gymnast at some point. Whereas sometimes the ones that everything comes easy to just don't know how to handle it when they finally hit that wall.

This is true ... They will all have different strengths and weaknesses. Thank you.

 

[Busymum]

I read something fantastic the other day. A man and her daughter were out jogging. After some time it was getting tougher and the daughter asked her dad to remind her why they were doing this. He said, "We're practising not quitting."

As for "not being the most co-ordinated", Lauren Mitchell, an Australian gymnast who has been world champion on floor, has said this of herself, ""Nikolai [her coach] has told me I'm not naturally co-ordinated for a gymnast so I have to work harder to learn a new skill."

Don't let your daughter's coach's pronouncement limit your daughter - if anything, let it inspire you and her on to even better things.

Thank you. A very inspiring quote! The story of Lauren Mitchell is interesting. I wonder if that's the same for many gymnasts? Young clumsy and awkward gymmies developing in to great little gymnasts through hard work and determination.

 

[Faith]

Honestly? Don't give it another thought.

It's all out of your control. She might get the co-ordination for elite gymnastics. If so, great. If not, she'll still have a lot of fun, learn a lot, and improve her co-ordination immeasurably doing club level.

The coaches will pace her where she's best off. They are very unlikely to kick her out completely, but they may move them between paths, which is what the coach means by not being sure where she could go. Which actually, is encouraging, as they're not restricting her options just yet (many clubs decide age 5/6 which kids will do club, and which elite).

 

[Busymum]

Honestly? Don't give it another thought.

It's all out of your control. She might get the co-ordination for elite gymnastics. If so, great. If not, she'll still have a lot of fun, learn a lot, and improve her co-ordination immeasurably doing club level.

The coaches will pace her where she's best off. They are very unlikely to kick her out completely, but they may move them between paths, which is what the coach means by not being sure where she could go. Which actually, is encouraging, as they're not restricting her options just yet (many clubs decide age 5/6 which kids will do club, and which elite).

Thank you Faith. That makes a lot of sense. I'd thought that he meant he wasn't sure how long she'd be allowed to do team route gymnastics. Hoping what you say is more likely

 

[emorymom]

Well just head's up, he certainly might be saying they might cut her from the team. But there will be other teams for her at other gyms. If she is a hard worker and loves it, she will go further than their shiny stars who quit at 8 for dance or a ball sport.

 

[Busymum]

Well just head's up, he certainly might be saying they might cut her from the team. But there will be other teams for her at other gyms. If she is a hard worker and loves it, she will go further than their shiny stars who quit at 8 for dance or a ball sport.

Oh gosh I hope not .... she would be crushed! She is a hard worker and she does love it! Its good to know not all gyms would take the same view and be happy to have her! I'm hoping it's just me reading too much into the comment about her coordination- he is a fab coach and Millie loves him and the girls she is with so hope we don't have to leave!

 

[skschlag]

Over the years, my ds has been told that he has too much arch in his back, arms are too short, legs are too long, doesn't have enough body awareness, etc. He is competing level 9 this year. He has just learned to work hard at things. YOur dd will learn that as well. And regardless of what happens with the coach/team, the lessons she learns will last a lifetime!

 

[Busymum]

Over the years, my ds has been told that he has too much arch in his back, arms are too short, legs are too long, doesn't have enough body awareness, etc. He is competing level 9 this year. He has just learned to work hard at things. YOur dd will learn that as well. And regardless of what happens with the coach/team, the lessons she learns will last a lifetime!

Thank you. The body awareness sounds like my DD. Well done to your DS. His hard work really paid off!

 

[duyetanh]

My daughter is not exceptional by any sense of the word. Trust me on this one, I am Rita Realistic. But this said, when she started, she was the worst. And the weakest. And the youngest. And the then HC told me in front of her that maybe this season she would be on team, just not compete (yeah, that was a fun car ride home). She did end up competing, surprised everyone, and did fairly well, not much to write home about as our state is not very competitive...but she was happy. And then that summer she worked harder than I thought possible. So hard in fact that she left her group behind and jumped a level just before the season started, which made for a challenging season, but none of us cared. Moral of story: Hard work can prevail over talent. She is definitely not the most talented gymnast out there, but she got hardest worker award. To me that is the best award an athlete can get. Good luck to your dd!!!

 

[Busymum]

My daughter is not exceptional by any sense of the word. Trust me on this one, I am Rita Realistic. But this said, when she started, she was the worst. And the weakest. And the youngest. And the then HC told me in front of her that maybe this season she would be on team, just not compete (yeah, that was a fun car ride home). She did end up competing, surprised everyone, and did fairly well, not much to write home about as our state is not very competitive...but she was happy. And then that summer she worked harder than I thought possible. So hard in fact that she left her group behind and jumped a level just before the season started, which made for a challenging season, but none of us cared. Moral of story: Hard work can prevail over talent. She is definitely not the most talented gymnast out there, but she got hardest worker award. To me that is the best award an athlete can get. Good luck to your dd!!!

What a determined young lady you must have! Thank you for sharing that story - very inspiring!

 

[xrachx]

I wouldn't worry
DD was told at age 9 that she was too old for competitive gymnastics. She was then told again at 11 that she wasn't good enough for just recreational competitive gymnastics.

She is now on the club/regional competitive route with a coach who motivates her to to achieve the best she can.

My point is, that is one coach's opinion. It does not make them necessarily right, as no one can see the future. All you can do is enjoy the ride and make decisions as and when they come along

 

[mariposa]

Totally this, congrats on her getting placed with the team. Also, it's often the most hard working gymnast that sticks with it and makes it really far.

Yes! My daughter stuck out like a sore thumb in her developmental group as a 5 year old. I wasn't quite sure why she was there, lol, she wasn't flexible and her form was awful compared to the other girls who had beautiful form, flexibility, etc. Mine did have strength. Later, the coach told me it was how much she loved gymnastics and how hard she tried/worked.

She's now a 13 year old, 2nd year level 8 and none of the girls in her group or her original level 4 team are still doing gymnastics. So sometimes, the hardworking ones end up going far!

 

[Faolmor]

Another one here whose DD is the youngest, weakest, least physically intuitive kid in the group. She's probably also the least confident - definitely not the kid who races to climb up the tallest rope, or tries to swing high on the bar. But she is one stubborn little worker, and she is learning valuable lessons in patience, hard-work and determination every single time she can't do something the other kids can do. And she has steadily worked her way up through her development levels, despite all the above.

Will she go far in gymnastics? Frankly, I'll be amazed if she even makes it to level 3. All I know is that every time she hasn't been able to do something, she has worked at it until she can. And that's pretty amazing, for a just-turned-6 year old. I'm sure her coaches appreciate her efforts too, even if she's often overlooked because she's not the group "phenom."