Please help! I don't know what is best!

[gymcoach34]

I do not think L4 is a waste of time. She will learn form, technique, how to train, how to compete, etc. She will also be able to start her "bank" of fun memories of gymnastics to draw on when she gets older & times are tough. Let her enjoy the big scores & goody bags now. She has plenty of time for serious training later. If kids rush through the lower levels, it always "catches up" later- whether its fears, injuries, etc.

The part that concerns me the most is you say your gym "sucks" and does not ever uptrain. That is the biggest concern to me rather than L4 or L5. Do you have ANY other options? Finding a program where your YOUNG daughter could compete successfully, but train up & develop an excellent foundation of basics is KEY if she is to be successful.

 

[BlairBob]

1. Competing back to back seasons is foolhardy, IMO. Too much. Burned out by the end of Spring. A lot of it is just too many routines or in season for far too long.

2. 2 years of L4 may be necessary since it's a big step to L5. They may be lacking skills or not strong enough yet to get those critical skills in L5.

 

[cathiann]

Coming in late to say that given what you have said about lack of uptraining at your gym, your daughter's own desire to stay with her team, your husband's belief that she shouldn't compete now anyway, and your daughter's lack of caring about competing at this time, I say move her up, if she does well at her meets! It doesn't sound like repeating a year of level 4 would be beneficial at all for her if the coaches will be ignoring her and not letting her uptrain anyway. Move her up and let her stay with her friends. Gymnastics is about fun at this age, right? So keep her with friends

 

[NGL780309]

Coming in late to say that given what you have said about lack of uptraining at your gym, your daughter's own desire to stay with her team, your husband's belief that she shouldn't compete now anyway, and your daughter's lack of caring about competing at this time, I say move her up, if she does well at her meets! It doesn't sound like repeating a year of level 4 would be beneficial at all for her if the coaches will be ignoring her and not letting her uptrain anyway. Move her up and let her stay with her friends. Gymnastics is about fun at this age, right? So keep her with friends

I like the way you made it sound so simple. Let her do what makes her happy. I do have to say it's me wanting her to stay in Level 4 to compete because it looks fun to me.

 

[NGL780309]

1. Competing back to back seasons is foolhardy, IMO. Too much. Burned out by the end of Spring. A lot of it is just too many routines or in season for far too long.

2. 2 years of L4 may be necessary since it's a big step to L5. They may be lacking skills or not strong enough yet to get those critical skills in L5.

She wouldn't be doing 2 seasons back to back either way. The L4 team has an oppurtunity to do just 2 meets in January. Other than that they don't compete in the Spring.

I completely agree with number 2, if in Level 4 they would continue to work towards being ready for L5. Unfortunately they don't do that.

 

[NGL780309]

I do not think L4 is a waste of time. She will learn form, technique, how to train, how to compete, etc. She will also be able to start her "bank" of fun memories of gymnastics to draw on when she gets older & times are tough. Let her enjoy the big scores & goody bags now. She has plenty of time for serious training later. If kids rush through the lower levels, it always "catches up" later- whether its fears, injuries, etc.

The part that concerns me the most is you say your gym "sucks" and does not ever uptrain. That is the biggest concern to me rather than L4 or L5. Do you have ANY other options? Finding a program where your YOUNG daughter could compete successfully, but train up & develop an excellent foundation of basics is KEY if she is to be successful.

Your first paragraph is exactly why I want her to stay in Level 4.

I'm just not in a position to move gyms right now. I would love to go the a gym that one of her teammates moved to. They have a huge Level 4 team and they are divided into 1st year and 2nd year level 4's. The second year L4's train mostly on new skills while perfecting there old skills. It's just too far to drive and I won't drive anywhere for a child as young as mine who could quit tomorrow. Our gym is 4 miles from our house. Maybe in another year or two.

Her current gym is very successful at the upper levels. They have 6 Level 10's and 6 Level 9's this year. They always qualify girls to regionals at Level 8, Westerns at 9 and Nationals at Level 10. So the program isn't all bad. They just don't do well at the lower levels. I think it's because they do typically have the girls only do 1 year at each level. Somehow it works for them. I think they don't do much uptraining in Level 4 because they have it set up as a introduction to doing routines and competing.

 

[NGL780309]

I did a little "data analysis" to help me. I looked at the scores of the few girls who repeated Level 4 this year. It wasn't encouraging to me. 3 girls repeated. One went from scoring 30's to 37's this year. The other 2 have roughly the same scores. One is even scoring a bit less on average. The one girl who had the huge jump isn't that encouraging because this year she does L4 practice with us and then works out in the morning 3 days a week with the optional coaches. We certainly aren't going to do that.

I think that is what is frustrating to me. I really want her to stay in level 4 and get better overall, get stronger, get polished, but I know that she isn't going to do that. A perfect example is practice on Monday. She did her floor routine and I could have found 20 things to fix ( and I'm not a gym coach!). Just little things that could easily be fixed like one leg slightly bent on her kickover, her front leg higher than her back on her leap, forgeting to really finish everything, a little leg seperation in her back pike roll. I could go on. The coach said not one word about any of it. She just moved on to the next person. These are all things DD can do, she just needs to be reminded. And these little things are why our girls score mid 8's on their floor routines. So what's the point in doing another year of level 4 if the attention to detail isn't there?

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[gymcoach34]

hmmm, thats interesting the gym has such a great optional program. I totally GET the idea of moving kids through compulsories into optionals, but how do they do it if the kids arent being corrected on form, basics, etc when they are young?????? Do the 8,9 & 10's have good form & polish? Are they just going to Regionals/ Nationals or doing well?? Are the kids getting into college w/ scholarships?

I also get you dont want to drive, but it is going to be REALLY hard to be a clean, polished, gymnast in the optional levels if they arent correcting form & polish in compulsories. IMHO, I still think that L4 or 5 is not the issue (based on your info), but rather is this the gym for your daughter? Bc YES, what happens now in her training is a factor for the future.

It just seems to me from your posts that you are not satisfied with the training right now(for whatever reason), so do you think you'll have fewer frustrations in L5? Are there different coaches? It also keeps popping into my mind that your daughter is only 5-correct? You have a lot to think about and I dont envy you!!

 

[NGL780309]

hmmm, thats interesting the gym has such a great optional program. I totally GET the idea of moving kids through compulsories into optionals, but how do they do it if the kids arent being corrected on form, basics, etc when they are young?????? Do the 8,9 & 10's have good form & polish? Are they just going to Regionals/ Nationals or doing well?? Are the kids getting into college w/ scholarships?

I also get you dont want to drive, but it is going to be REALLY hard to be a clean, polished, gymnast in the optional levels if they arent correcting form & polish in compulsories. IMHO, I still think that L4 or 5 is not the issue (based on your info), but rather is this the gym for your daughter? Bc YES, what happens now in her training is a factor for the future.

It just seems to me from your posts that you are not satisfied with the training right now(for whatever reason), so do you think you'll have fewer frustrations in L5? Are there different coaches? It also keeps popping into my mind that your daughter is only 5-correct? You have a lot to think about and I dont envy you!!

I think this is the gym's 3rd year competing L4 so there just isn't much emphasis placed on it. The coach for L4 only coaches L4. There is a different coach for L5 and L6. Then there are 2 optional coaches who also help with the 5/6 group a bit. Some of those 5/6 go in the morning with along with one L4. The L5/6 girls are doing pretty well at competition for the most part. A few had some low scores, but overall they are doing better. The 6's have won the team award at the last few competitions. So there's a definite upswing after L4.

As far as how good the optional team is, it tends to go in shifts. The gym does have girls making Nationals, Westerns and some college scholarships. Sometimes there might only be 1 girl going to Nationals and there might be a year where no one goes. There also isn't always that many L9 and L10 girls. Right now the gym is kind of backwards compared to most girls. We actually have more L9/10 than L7/8.

You are right in the fact that I'm just kind of unhappy in general with how things have been lately.

I've decided for the moment to just chill and think positive. DD is having fun and she loves her friends. That's what's important right?

 

[Deleted member D3987]

right...............

 

[gymcoach26]

Did the upper level girls begin with this gym?

 

[NGL780309]

There's a combination. There are a lot that did, or came when they were L5's. One L10 moved in last year as a L10 from another gym. Like any gym, I'd say it's a mix.

 

[tough gymnast]

well do you think that she could do half and half? as in do half the year competing level 4 then the other half working level 5? OR you could do half the practices level 4 and half the practices level 5 each week OR do one week work level 4 and the next week work on level 5 all of those would be complicated but they are just ideas i hope you figure out what you are going to choose!!

 

[NGL780309]

I've decided to let her do L5 starting in January. I planned on letting her do a few spring meets and then deciding, but some new developments have changed that. No level 4's will be doing the spring meets because most of them are leaving or thinking of leaving. The parents don't want to pay for any meets right now ( and you have to pay now) when they aren't sure they are sticking around. The last meet is early November and then decisions will be made. Several have already called other gyms and arranged try-outs after the last meet. I'm really sad DD's friends are most likely leaving, but it's also good to know that I'm not the only one who is so unhappy with the coaching. Sometimes you wonder if you are being too picky or expecting too much. I vent here, not usually to other moms. It was surprising to me that everyone is so unhappy. Nobody had said anything. It was like we were all keeping it to ourselves and once one mom spoke up it opened a floodgate. I've mostly kept quiet because I really don't plan on leaving. It's just not a great time and driving would be hard for me. Plus DD is so young that I figure we have lots of time.

So I will let her move to L5 or we will try L4 at another gym. I'm going to let the dust settle though before I make any more decisions.

 

[gymnut1]

sounds a very sensibly decision. Sorry to hear there are lots of changes going on.

 

[NGL780309]

Just when you think you know what you are doing something comes along to mess up your plans.

Yesterday I had made my decision. I go to the gym to pick DD and the head coach comes upstairs and asks me to come to the office. Uh oh. I'm in trouble. No, she just asked me if DD would like to work out with her in the morning. I haven't had time to process it really. On one hand I'm happy because she's an excellent coach. She said I didn't need to decide right now. She wanted me to wait until summer to start bringing her. Just one more decision to make. I have a headache.

 

[gymdog]

Does this gym have a homeschool program as an elite path? Or are the morning workouts only in the summer? Just wondering because for a JO or mostly JO team it seems a little strange to have a morning workout group?

Edit: I think you are right to wait on making any final decisions, maybe finish out this season (I know she isn't competing yet, but you know, as a time frame) and see what happens. It sounds like the HC maybe has some inkling that people are unhappy and things need to change so her proposal could be an indication that things might be restructured or changed.

 

[cathiann]

I've decided to let her do L5 starting in January. I planned on letting her do a few spring meets and then deciding, but some new developments have changed that. No level 4's will be doing the spring meets because most of them are leaving or thinking of leaving. The parents don't want to pay for any meets right now ( and you have to pay now) when they aren't sure they are sticking around. The last meet is early November and then decisions will be made. Several have already called other gyms and arranged try-outs after the last meet. I'm really sad DD's friends are most likely leaving, but it's also good to know that I'm not the only one who is so unhappy with the coaching. Sometimes you wonder if you are being too picky or expecting too much. I vent here, not usually to other moms. It was surprising to me that everyone is so unhappy. Nobody had said anything. It was like we were all keeping it to ourselves and once one mom spoke up it opened a floodgate. I've mostly kept quiet because I really don't plan on leaving. It's just not a great time and driving would be hard for me. Plus DD is so young that I figure we have lots of time.

So I will let her move to L5 or we will try L4 at another gym. I'm going to let the dust settle though before I make any more decisions.

Just wondering-have you watched the L5 team all? Do they do more uptraining or do better at meets than the L4 team does? I guess I can see why families want to move--they've been going to meets this season and their girls haven't been doing well--even those repeating L4, from what you've said. I'd be wondering about the coaching myself too.

 

[NGL780309]

Does this gym have a homeschool program as an elite path? Or are the morning workouts only in the summer? Just wondering because for a JO or mostly JO team it seems a little strange to have a morning workout group?

Edit: I think you are right to wait on making any final decisions, maybe finish out this season (I know she isn't competing yet, but you know, as a time frame) and see what happens. It sounds like the HC maybe has some inkling that people are unhappy and things need to change so her proposal could be an indication that things might be restructured or changed.

I wouldn't say the homeschool program is just for those pursuring the elite path. There are some girls who do it that I can't imagine they would think they were on an elite path (ex. an 11 year old Lv 4). But yes there are gymnasts that are attempting to go the elite path. At one point there were 4 girls. Now there is just one. 3 of them made Hopes and one made junior international. The junior and 2 of the hopes left for a gym nearby that has a sizable elite program. So there is one Hopes girls left.

The remainder of the morning group is made up of a few girls from each level.

In DD's case, we homeschool already. I'm thinking about it because it would be less hours than if she went in the evening. I would love to have free evenings. There are 2 coaches with about 10 girls. One of DD's teammates is already on board, so there would be at least 2 other girls at her level. I wouldn't even consider it if there weren't girls at her ability level. The best part is that she could uptrain and do level 4 next fall season. I really want her to compete level 4. I have plenty of time to think about it so I'm just not going to worry about it right now.

 

[NGL780309]

Just wondering-have you watched the L5 team all? Do they do more uptraining or do better at meets than the L4 team does? I guess I can see why families want to move--they've been going to meets this season and their girls haven't been doing well--even those repeating L4, from what you've said. I'd be wondering about the coaching myself too.

I don't watch them very much because they work out on different days mostly. The L5 girls do better than the 4's and the 6's do better than the 5's. It's like they keep getting better as they go up the levels. The 5's are middle of the pack and then the 6's have won as a team the last few meets. The 5's have a different coach than the 4's and then the 6's are with the Lv 5 coach some days and the optional coaches other days. So I feel like the program itself isn't bad, just Lv 4. And if you look at results the gyms that are doing really well at Lv4 don't continue to do so well. The other gyms do okay, but DD's gym is doing as well at those levels. Do despite being pretty awful at Lv4 we catch up.

This is the Lv4 coaches first year at this gym. She's really young and she only coached rec before she moved here. So either she'll learn or she'll get fired.