Women Phasing out compulsories?

[3rd_time_around]

So is the motivation for this new rule to make it harder for someone to return to DP after moving to Xcel? Is it to encourage girls to stick it out and repeat a level instead moving to Xcel for a season with the plan of moving back to DP? Are these sorts of petitions ever denied?

well its a new rule, so there's no answer to if they've ever been denied.

 

[3rd_time_around]

"prior competitive experience in the Development Program" does this mean any level or only level 4 since that is the first required level? Also this won't work for those that were always xcel and trying to transition over.

It seems like that wouldn't matter until they want to move to level 5, then they would need a petition. And I think it means "any level."

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

If this is the interpretation, it even makes less sense…many gymnasts transition from DP to xcel was because of the burnout, not getting the skills, loss of love, injury…with no clear prediction of going back into DP or when, and they are even deprived of the pride of competing xcel state? That seems depressing…

I think the issues you describe are more linked to gym culture and expectations vs the level/division an athlete competes in. Those same issues exist in Xcel programs too.

There was a member here years ago who's gym competed athletes in Xcel/other program states then did a DP season afterwards year after year- I see this rule addressing that nationally.

 

[Chocolate_Chip]

I think the issues you describe are more linked to gym culture and expectations vs the level/division an athlete competes in. Those same issues exist in Xcel programs too.

There was a member here years ago who's gym competed athletes in Xcel/other program states then did a DP season afterwards year after year- I see this rule addressing that nationally.

So this is in theory supposed to prevent "double dipping" within the same season between AAU, DP, XCEL, ect? In my daughter's region states are in the spring for both XCEL and DP at all levels, so this has never been possible. I'm not sure of the AAU, YMCA, or any other orgs seasons though.

 

[BusyMomof2]

I can see trying to prevent double dipping in the same season but in our state that would be tricky too.

But lots of girls in region 8 move back and forth as xcel is so popular here...so I am still wondering how this will be operationalized. Swaths of girls will need petitions and it seems like an unnecessary burden on multiple entities. And I still wonder if girls who petition into L6 or L7 after age 12 will need two petitions if they had previously competed, or even just scored out of L4/L5? There are TONS of girls and gyms this will impact. What on earth would constitute a denial?

A common path here is silver, gold, score out of L4, platinum or L6 and then L7 on.

 

[GymDadWA]

If you take out "require" and replace it with "allow" then it seems like a very helpful motion that would help out many gymnasts who did not want to focus on DP early on.

RULES & POLICIES: Recommendation to allow (replace require) any athlete who has prior competitive experience in the Development Program and then competes in a State meet under an alternative program (e.g., Xcel or another gymnastics organization) to submit a petition in order to re-enter the Development Program at Level 5 or higher.
● Levels 5–8: Petitions must be submitted to the State Administrative Committee (SAC).
● Levels 9–10: Petitions must be submitted to the Regional Administrative Committee (RAC).

Like I said earlier having a compulsory routine as the gate for upper levels is an antiquated idea, it's ridiculous to pretend their aren't other ways of teaching fundamentals besides compulsory routines.

 

[3rd_time_around]

If you take out "require" and replace it with "allow" then it seems like a very helpful motion that would help out many gymnasts who did not want to focus on DP early on.



Like I said earlier having a compulsory routine as the gate for upper levels is an antiquated idea, it's ridiculous to pretend their aren't other ways of teaching fundamentals besides compulsory routines.

Compulsory routines are designed to build on skills each year, increasing in difficulty until level 5. They are pretty well designed and thought out, and a great building block for harder gymnastics. I will always promote compulsories.

 

[4theLoveofGymnastics]

A few months ago 3 gyms in our area announced they were doing away with compulsory and everyone would go to xcel if not yet ready for optionals. I saw several of those gym’s parents at our gym trying out. They complained and were frustrated by this move as they didn’t want to move to xcel. Not to give xcel a bad reputation, but in our area it’s generally older girls who started late in that program with no college gymnastics ambitions. I heard a mom complaining that her 7 year old would have to be on team with girls almost twice her age in Gold if she didn’t find a new gym. Our gym kept compulsory and my daughter is starting level 6 thankfully. It seems the compulsory meets won’t have many competitors next season unless they travel out of state. Those same 3 gyms in our area also started phasing out level 5 a few years back making gymnasts repeat level 4 if they weren’t ready for 6.

 

[3rd_time_around]

A few months ago 3 gyms in our area announced they were doing away with compulsory and everyone would go to xcel if not yet ready for optionals. I saw several of those gym’s parents at our gym trying out. They complained and were frustrated by this move as they didn’t want to move to xcel. Not to give xcel a bad reputation, but in our area it’s generally older girls who started late in that program with no college gymnastics ambitions. I heard a mom complaining that her 7 year old would have to be on team with girls almost twice her age in Gold if she didn’t find a new gym. Our gym kept compulsory and my daughter is starting level 6 thankfully. It seems the compulsory meets won’t have many competitors next season unless they travel out of state. Those same 3 gyms in our area also started phasing out level 5 a few years back making gymnasts repeat level 4 if they weren’t ready for 6.

Level 5 is hard, but it is such a great level for getting ready for optionals. It's a shame that coaches/owners are skipping it because the scores tend to be lower. Because clear hips aren't required in Xcel lower levels, many gyms don't bother training it (the ones that keep girls on Xcel levels for multiple years so they can dominate). I know gyms that focus on prepping for optionals that use Xcel are going to train the skills anyway, its the ones that are focused on scoring perfect 40s so they hold girls back that I'm talking about (I can name at least 5 gyms in my region that do this).

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Like I said earlier having a compulsory routine as the gate for upper levels is an antiquated idea, it's ridiculous to pretend their aren't other ways of teaching fundamentals besides compulsory routines.

I mean, yes and no.

It is, without a doubt, possible to get kids to optionals without using the compulsory routines.

But the current level 3-5 compulsory routines are (a few minor nitpicks aside) pretty dang well-designed as a progression emphasizing the skills and connections that need to be emphasized for good, well-rounded optional athletes.

Any program that effectively prepares kids for upper-level bars will have to emphasize kip-cast connections, an in-bar of some sort, and giant prep, which the compulsory routines do quite well. Any program that effectively prepares kids for upper-level floor will have to heavily emphasize front and back handspring development, which the compulsory routines do reasonably well. Etc.

Can you emphasize all these same skills and progressions in an xcel program? Yes, without a doubt. But why reinvent the wheel if you're just going to be focusing on the same skills anyway?

 

[RTT2]

My daughter repeated a couple compulsory levels, which didn’t feel great at the time but absolutely gave her a very strong foundation for upper levels. Her take on this is “you don’t want a lot of variety when building a strong foundation,”. Allowing a variety of skills right from the start is the whole point of Xcel, but that doesn’t seem as effective for establishing the key building blocks.

 

[TheXcelMom]

Xcel is GREAT for kids who are are uninterested in or unlikely to reach those upper-levels, because they don't face these skill bottlenecks; there are always workarounds. And there is nothing whatsoever wrong with doing gymnastics without the expectation of reaching those high levels. It's still provides a huge number of benefits, not the least of which is that it's a ton of fun!

But if the goal is to reach the upper-levels, the narrow path provided by compulsories is the most reliable way to get there.

My daughter is 14 and going into XD.
At the gym we are currently at, the difference between the DP girls and the Xcel girls is night and day. The DP girls' technique is razor sharp. There's very little chitchat in the line. The coach is on them for every little thing and the results are incredible.
Which is great! It's just not interesting to my daughter.
Our goal was for her to feel good about her body, good about herself, and give her a relief from whatever the social scene at school was stressing her out (she's always been different, ya know?)

The goal was never to get a college scholarship. Honestly, if we'd just invested all the money we spent on gymnastics, we could afford to send her to any college in the country.

So, to me, that's what Xcel is for. If someone else wants to use it to bypass DP levels, well either it's going to work or it isn't. In the end, the proof is going to be in that girl's talent, desire to improve, and grit.