WAG Random observation

[billise]

I was watching DD (young 6 year old/lvl 3 pre-team) at practice a few days ago. They were working on beam and I saw her complete several beautiful handstands on high beam as well as several beautiful handstand side dismounts, all without a spot. I thought, "Wow, that's so cool!". Then this morning I watched as DD crawled out of her bedroom rolling a Fisher Price "little people" school bus all around the house. That's when it hit me... She's only in kindergarten but she's doing HANDSTANDS ON HIGH BEAM!!!

 

[cbifoja]

That's pretty impressive to me! I know my DD wasn't doing handstands on beam in kindergarten! Good for your little one!

 

[aerialriver]

I know. My ah ha moment came when I coached and put too much pressure on the kids and one hands me a drawing of an easter egg with her name written all wrong on it and I realized geez she is just a little kid!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[GymBeeMom]

I am reminded of the same thing often. My DD is 8 years old and is expected to do remarkable things in the gym. Then, we come home, and play barbies. Then I laugh because she likes the barbies with knees that bend because they can do ring kicks

 

[tooootsie]

I forget this a lot about my 6 year old too. She's same level as yours but in 1st grade. I think coaches forget a lot too.

 

[MyBoysFlip]

I still have my son's journal entry where he wrote " I did a bak Han sing all by me sef". And picture half of the b's & d's backwards. He had just turned 6. I think they are all amazing!

 

[CreateMagic]

I was working with my team on bars, one little girls raises her hand and says, "Today, at preschool, my teacher gave me a sticker." That's when it really hit me how young they really were! You sometimes forget that while they can do 10 chin-ups, spin around the bar and fly through the air, they are still LITTLE!

 

[iwannacoach]

I was working with my team on bars, one little girls raises her hand and says, "Today, at preschool, my teacher gave me a sticker." That's when it really hit me how young they really were! You sometimes forget that while they can do 10 chin-ups, spin around the bar and fly through the air, they are still LITTLE!

No, no, no......What'll really hit you is the binky she spits out right before she says.........

"Today, at preschool, my teacher gave me a sticker."

 

[CreateMagic]

Lol . They're fun, they work hard, and I love to coach them.

We use prep bronze as our intro to competing level...they do a year or two, then they're either put into the prep track, or JO level 4 or 5. Seems to work for us so far!

 

[Amusibus]

What a great thread. I think sometimes coaches do forget how little they really are.

 

[Committed]

We have that issue, too. DD is also in kinder, and super tall. She is taller than the 7yo girls on her team, and about the size of the 8-9yo. Shes always writing notes and drawing pictures for her coaches. I think this has kept her age into perspective, for them at least. I always see her as a big kid. Well, except for competitions when she is bouncing along between events, with her little blonde curls boinging behind her!

 

[Aussie_coach]

The height thing is a big one for coaches. You can't always tell how old a child is and even if show know,it's easy to forget if they look older than they are. We have kids who look 7 or 8 but are really 5 and you wonder why they are so distracted and not able to learn fast enough, yet the same behaviour in a 5 year old who looks 5 seems normal.

the same works vice versa when you have those 11 years o.ds who look about 8 and you think "wow, this kids is amazing", and then you realise they are a normal 11 year old.

 

[iwannacoach]

I think the age/height thing is pretty funny, but there's more. When I'd been coaching a few years I realized I was surrounded by a bunch of 11 year olds with bodies typical of nine year olds. The funniest part was when they'd speak up to tell me about a problem or worry.

It really hit me when I'd notice a typical kid in my group. you know the kind...... An 11 year old who looked 9, with a 7 year old's munchkin voice, who would use vocabulary, diction, and sentence structure more typical of a 14 year old honors student........

 

[flipflopsalto]

The first time as a coach I really noticed was when I had a little one cast to near handstand on bars by herself and then when she left the gym I saw her climb into her car seat! She was level 4 training for 5.