Gymnasts Moving Up

[colette]

Hi everybody! I've been in xcel gold for over 2 years and I am really far ahead everyone else. Currently my coach has me set to move to platinum starting in the summer. But even though I've been working platinum skills for the past year and I know I am capable of it, I'm still a little bit worried I'm going to fall behind everybody else. I'll also be the youngest in the group (by 1 year but still...). Does anybody have tips for my confidence? Or anything they think might help with this situation? Thanks!

 

[HopefulGymnast]

Idk if this helps, but for me... I always like to think "if everything's easy or I'm always the best, I'm in the wrong place."
With that I mean... Say that your worries are right and you are gonna be behind your teammates, that just means you're exactly where you need to be: a place where you've still got something to learn. Idk if this helps, but that's a mindset that I think can really help with life in general.
Not (yet) being the best isn't something bad. It isn't something to worry about, it just shows you're courageous and wise enough to challenge yourself so you can grow.

And asking older teammates for tips might just be a good way to break the ice and start making friends. Generally people really like being asked for tips if you ask kindly, it shows that you respect their skill level. (E.g. hey your kip is so powerful, any tips on mine?)

I get that it's scary, but you've got this. This is how you learn and grow.

 

[Dream]

I think trust your coaches. If they think you are ready then believe that you are. Of course there will be challenges but isn't that the point to learn and eventually master new skills?

 

[HurricaneLR]

Focus on yourself - are you learning new skills, are you getting your platinum skills to where they need to be for competition? If so, then it doesn't matter if the others are ahead of you. In fact, they SHOULD be ahead of you, if they have already competed platinum before. So don't worry about them at all. It doesn't matter what they do. Use their experience to guide you. Ask for tips. The older gymnasts almost always want to help, and they have been through this already.

My daughter was a first year platinum this year, and almost the entire team was second year, and most were older. So she didn't worry when they were practicing cast handstands and she was perfecting her kip-cast-clear hip to the right angle. It was exactly where she was supposed to be, and exactly where the coaches expected her to be. She was nervous the first meet, and it was her worst one, because she was afraid she didn't belong. But then she settled in, had a great season, and competes regionals this weekend. And next year, if she happens to repeat platinum (we don't know levels yet) she will welcome the first years with open arms and help them to settle in and believe in themselves.

Always remember, the coaches wouldn't move you up if they didn't think you could do it! So just focus on yourself, try to improve on your skills each week, and don't worry about anyone else. As long as you can do your own routines well, you will have a great season.