Hi again! I have a quick question. DD switched gyms last month, to a group of girls who all just competed L3 in fall. DD's former gym did not compete their 3's, so she has never competed anything, ever.
The entire group of girls is competing in one final L3 meet in a few months. It is a big, national invitational that is held locally. As states have already passed, it doesn't "count" for anything. It's "just" for experience and fun.
DD's coach asked if DD would be interested in competing. She has all of her L3 skills (well, still cleaning up that mil circle!), and her coach even taught her the L3 bar routine the other day just to see if she could pick it up quickly. DD apparently did (I was there but not watching). We'd have to do her registrations and order the leo NOW (thankfully, it's an in-stock GK leo!), so we have to move quickly on it if we choose to let her compete.
Now, the money for all these required items aside, my DD is by nature extremely competitive. I have some reservation about letting her compete a level when all of the girls learned the routine nearly a year ago now, and have already competed in a half-dozen meets. I am scared that if my DD does not do well, that she will be extremely frustrated with herself. I am scared of what that'll mean for her come Level 4. I'm scared about her confidence come level 4 (this is something we're still rebuilding since leaving the "old gym") if, say, she forgets a routine or has a couple of falls. Based on my past experiences with her, I think this is a reasonable concern.
Her coach "is not at all worried about it". She thinks DD will do OK. On the flipside, I think DD having the chance to wear her matching leo and compete with her new teammates would be fun for her, and I think that NOT doing it may hurt as well ("Am I not good enough, mom?"). Also, if she does fairly well, it may be a huge boost to her confidence.
So, I have to decide this week whether to pay the USAG fees (will need to obviously be repaid for L4 in fall), a $60 leo (again, L4's leo is different), and the meet entry fee (rather expensive, but all spectators are free apparently, so in the end I think it'll even itself out).
When I asked DD, she simply asked if she got to wear the leo (one of the girls had it on the other day at practice). I said yes. She then said "awesome, I want to do it!".
So, what would you do? I guess I am leaning toward letting her do it, but am nervous about it. If only I could find my crystal ball, so I knew the outcome!
The entire group of girls is competing in one final L3 meet in a few months. It is a big, national invitational that is held locally. As states have already passed, it doesn't "count" for anything. It's "just" for experience and fun.
DD's coach asked if DD would be interested in competing. She has all of her L3 skills (well, still cleaning up that mil circle!), and her coach even taught her the L3 bar routine the other day just to see if she could pick it up quickly. DD apparently did (I was there but not watching). We'd have to do her registrations and order the leo NOW (thankfully, it's an in-stock GK leo!), so we have to move quickly on it if we choose to let her compete.
Now, the money for all these required items aside, my DD is by nature extremely competitive. I have some reservation about letting her compete a level when all of the girls learned the routine nearly a year ago now, and have already competed in a half-dozen meets. I am scared that if my DD does not do well, that she will be extremely frustrated with herself. I am scared of what that'll mean for her come Level 4. I'm scared about her confidence come level 4 (this is something we're still rebuilding since leaving the "old gym") if, say, she forgets a routine or has a couple of falls. Based on my past experiences with her, I think this is a reasonable concern.
Her coach "is not at all worried about it". She thinks DD will do OK. On the flipside, I think DD having the chance to wear her matching leo and compete with her new teammates would be fun for her, and I think that NOT doing it may hurt as well ("Am I not good enough, mom?"). Also, if she does fairly well, it may be a huge boost to her confidence.
So, I have to decide this week whether to pay the USAG fees (will need to obviously be repaid for L4 in fall), a $60 leo (again, L4's leo is different), and the meet entry fee (rather expensive, but all spectators are free apparently, so in the end I think it'll even itself out).
When I asked DD, she simply asked if she got to wear the leo (one of the girls had it on the other day at practice). I said yes. She then said "awesome, I want to do it!".
So, what would you do? I guess I am leaning toward letting her do it, but am nervous about it. If only I could find my crystal ball, so I knew the outcome!
While anything can certainly happen, I've got no illusions about it, either! After her coach asked us, DD was a little nervous/excited about the idea. Asked a lot of questions: "What if I ... (insert every possible negative experience here)". I explained that many of the other girls have had a lot of practice with the routines, and already did states, and that if we do it, we're doing it for the fun experience - no exceptions. When she prodded, I explained that if she falls, forgets the routine, comes in last place, etc, that we'll still love her and still cheer for her. I explained that the scores don't matter. That the point of it was to have fun, get some experience and hang out with her new teammates. Emphasis is on the fun, not her scores!
