WAG Question about when the levels changed.

[AgingHippie]

DD started gymnastics the first year level 3 was a thing. We only did a 12-week rec class before she competed level 3 so I came in knowing nothing about the world of gymnastics.

Our season recently ended and our girls were grouped into their new training levels. DD is training 8, one of the moms turned to look at me and said I can't believe they are going to 8, when you think about it that's the old 9. I don't know why but for some reason I thought the level changes only affected the compulsory levels, is that wrong?

 

[ladybird]

You are correct!

 

[AgingHippie]

You are correct!

Thank you! I can't believe I actually had something right. DD gets so mad when I don't know stuff, lol! She's 11 so she knows everything

 

[kayjaybe]

Are you saying she is going from L3 to L8?

 

[AgingHippie]

Are you saying she is going from L3 to L8?

Oh gosh no, I was just saying she competed L3 the first year it came out so I wasn't around to understand how the level change thing worked.

 

[kayjaybe]

Oh gosh no, I was just saying she competed L3 the first year it came out so I wasn't around to understand how the level change thing worked.

Oh, whew! I didn't want to crush your dreams or anything, but I just couldn't see how that would even be possible!

 

[GymDad9.9]

Oh, whew! I didn't want to crush your dreams or anything, but I just couldn't see how that would even be possible!

Check out Jean Marie Promise on mymeetscores. She went from 3 to 9 in two years.

 

[ladybird]

Check out Jean Marie Promise on mymeetscores. She went from 3 to 9 in two years.

I was curious so I looked to see if she's on YouTube and she is! Sorry if I am taking this off on a tangent

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Check out Jean Marie Promise on mymeetscores. She went from 3 to 9 in two years.

That is the rare exception.

 

[strawberries]

Levels were 4-10 before the great level shift, and they basically squished another level in between 6 and 7, pushing all the lower levels down a notch (6 became 5, 5 became 4, etc), while leaving 7-10 relatively unchanged. I think of new six as being roughly equivalent to 5, except it's optional. It's optional as in "not compulsory," and optional as in, you can skip it entirely. Many gyms do.

 

[3rd_time_around]

Oh gosh no, I was just saying she competed L3 the first year it came out so I wasn't around to understand how the level change thing worked.

Level 3 has always been since they had levels. They just changed the names and level 4 became level 3. Old level 1 and 2 were sort of combined into level 1, level 3 became level 2, level 4 became level 3, level 5 became level 4, level 6 became level 5. Then a new level 6 was developed to have a new optional level before level 7, and levels 7-10 remained unchanged. Levels 1-6 used to be compulsory, but now its 5 compulsory levels and 5 optional levels.

 

[AgingHippie]

Level 3 has always been since they had levels. They just changed the names and level 4 became level 3. Old level 1 and 2 were sort of combined into level 1, level 3 became level 2, level 4 became level 3, level 5 became level 4, level 6 became level 5. Then a new level 6 was developed to have a new optional level before level 7, and levels 7-10 remained unchanged. Levels 1-6 used to be compulsory, but now its 5 compulsory levels and 5 optional levels.

Dang, I didn't know as much as I thought I did......imagine that!

 

[notthatmom]

Level 3 has always been since they had levels. They just changed the names and level 4 became level 3. Old level 1 and 2 were sort of combined into level 1, level 3 became level 2, level 4 became level 3, level 5 became level 4, level 6 became level 5. Then a new level 6 was developed to have a new optional level before level 7, and levels 7-10 remained unchanged. Levels 1-6 used to be compulsory, but now its 5 compulsory levels and 5 optional levels.

This is the best way I have ever seen it explained! And it makes so much sense why 6 kind of just seems like a squishy filler level, which is sometimes skipped for reasons that I now understand.

^i hope that doesn't sound like I'm "bashing" level 6, I just understand now WHY it's able to be skipped.

 

[gymgal]

This is the best way I have ever seen it explained! And it makes so much sense why 6 kind of just seems like a squishy filler level, which is sometimes skipped for reasons that I now understand.

^i hope that doesn't sound like I'm "bashing" level 6, I just understand now WHY it's able to be skipped.

They way it was explained to us is that In many areas of the country, gymnasts who weren't ready for L7 often switched to Xcel/prep op for a year while they trained the L7 skills, instead of competing L6 again. and some gyms just tested out of L6 and had their girls compete platinum for the year to avoid the harsh scoring in 6. The new optional 6 was designed to cut down on this cross over between JO and Xcel, giving gyms an alternative within the JO stream. And this seems to be working, at least in our area, as the numbers for platinum (the level they used to use) have gone way down. The gyms who use Xcel in the lower levels also seem to be crossing to JO at level 6 now instead of L7, before the level changes.

 

[Ali'sMom]

Check out Jean Marie Promise on mymeetscores. She went from 3 to 9 in two years.

I was curious so I looked to see if she's on YouTube and she is! Sorry if I am taking this off on a tangent

She has had a heck of a journey! She's been at a few of the same meets as my DD. Some as lower level than DD, then the same level, then WAY above DD's level - LOL!
(and FYI - her first name is Promise, not Jean Marie )

 

[Gymmommy71]

The jump from old level 6 to level 7 was filled w/ some of the biggest struggles - you would have kids who moved one level per year their whole lives get stuck on either beam or bars and it would drive kids out of the sport or to different programs like XCel.

My opionion is they put 6 in there to combat this and give people options (no pun intended). I think it's working well, w/ the only issue being some gyms having a "we don't do level 6" (or some form of rule around level 5 that has the same result) attitude that perpetuates the issue the change was trying to combat.

 

[gymdog]

Check out Jean Marie Promise on mymeetscores. She went from 3 to 9 in two years.

Gabby Douglas basically did this with the old levels. Maybe three years, but not long considering we only have one season where she grew up.

 

[pinklemonadeliz]

Love the term "Great Level Shift" lol!! Oh, my... I remember it well.... my kiddo repeated old level 4 and then moved to old 5 the year it became 4 so she always jokes that she spent three years in level 4 lol! Our gym does not, as a rule, do new level 6 - but my kiddo was the first (and probably only) one, last season because she was just four months out of elbow surgery & couldn't get the 7 skills back in time - it was the perfect option for her that year as it took the pressure off from her while letting her still compete. I think more gyms should do 6 as it's a good transition to optionals - the girls already basically have those skills from 5, but can fancy things up a bit because it's optional - plus the scoring seems to be a little more "warm & fuzzy" than it is in 7