Parents Roster cuts?

[MuggleMom]

I feel like I might be able to guess what gym you are at and if I am right--they wont kick her off team.

My Daughters scores were all over the place the first year. Some gyms move kids up maybe a little before they are ready to get them the experience of competing with the thought that they will have all the skills and do better by the end of the season, then their second season at that level they do much better. This was the case with my daughter she had a meet with mostly 7's one 8 and maybe a high 6 or low 7 on beam. Beam is always rough the first year they aren't confident they don't stand tall and therefore they wobble all over the place. Plus they cant always turn the dismount so you don't get credit.

 

[BadgerGirl]

She's doing great for having just started out. Really. I bet she fell on beam, possibly more than once? She'll figure it out. Please stick around -- I'm excited to hear how she progresses this year. Encourage her to relax and trust the process. I think it can take some kids and parents some time to get used to competing. The kids on the bottom at the first meet aren't always on the bottom by the last meet, and even if they are, as you'll hear repeatedly, gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint. In a way, it's a little easier down the road for the kids who aren't winning everything right at the beginning, because they learn much earlier to set intrinsic goals for making skills/routines rather than chasing particular placements or scores. Intrinsic goals will get them much further in this sport.

That was so kind and encouraging, thank you. She did fall twice on the beam, you're good! Lol. I have zero expectations from her performance as long as she tries her best. She loves the sport so I just want to know what to expect and what is expected from her and from the parents. Thanks again!

 

[BadgerGirl]

I feel like I might be able to guess what gym you are at and if I am right--they wont kick her off team.

My Daughters scores were all over the place the first year. Some gyms move kids up maybe a little before they are ready to get them the experience of competing with the thought that they will have all the skills and do better by the end of the season, then their second season at that level they do much better. This was the case with my daughter she had a meet with mostly 7's one 8 and maybe a high 6 or low 7 on beam. Beam is always rough the first year they aren't confident they don't stand tall and therefore they wobble all over the place. Plus they cant always turn the dismount so you don't get credit.

Thanks for sharing, that's very helpful. I'm ok with not knowing everything that's going on with scoring right now because I thought she looked great and was happy to see her out there and was proud of her hard work. Gymnastics must be a smaller world than I imagined for you to guess the gym! Lol! They seem like a great gym and I'm glad you don't think they make cuts. Thanks!

 

[jillc]

She said she's worried that her teammates will be upset, she thinks they're frustrated that she's behind. I don't know, the dynamics between 8 year old girls there. I'm sure part of it is her joining a group that has been together before her arrival.

Hopefully her new teammates are being supportive of her. I talk to my DD about this with new girls—about how it is hard to be new and that she needs to be extra nice to new kids. Each kid is really at a different point on each event.. so there really isn’t a reason for them to be frustrated or upset with her.

Would you be comfortable sharing your DDs concerns with her coach? I think my DDs coach would just want to be aware that she is feeling that way. I wouldn’t want to make it sound like they are doing anything wrong or that you want them to change, but just to make them aware in case she starts acting differently at practice.

Maybe others here can share if they think this is a good or bad idea — since I am pretty new at this too.

 

[profmom]

I'd only follow up with the coaches if she still seems to be anxious. In my experience, gymnasts tend to put bad meets in the rear view mirror pretty quickly when they are starting out. No matter what happens at a meet, I'd encourage the only backward looks to be about what went well, and don't get into detailed dissections unless your child is leading the way. Look ahead to what they want to accomplish next time!

(Spoken as a parent who can now laugh with her daughter about her epic vault fail at L6 states -- though I'm guessing it will still be a little while before last year's rings routine at regionals is a subject of hilarity.)