For level 4 and 5 states (new level 3 and 4) everyone from DD's team who qualified for States competed together. She was "level 4 AA state champion" but that was just in her age group at that particular session. If her team had been assigned to a session with "better" teams, her score might not have gotten her on the podium at all. I don't remember how team awards worked. It's been a long time. Starting in level 6, States were divided by age. So if you are the 10-year-old level 6 state champion, it means you competed with ALL of the other 10-year-old level 6's in your state who qualified, not just the ones who happened to be assigned to the same session as you. Ever since level 6, DD has competed at States alone. Of course, she would rather be with her friends/teammates, but she has gotten used to it. She has the full attention of her coach (sometimes two coaches) and she often makes friends with someone else in her rotation group so she has someone to cheer for and chat with. Team awards are not awarded till the last session. But every state does it differently, and obviously your state starts dividing them by age at a lower level than my state does. If I had to guess, I'd say that team awards will not be awarded till the last session, but your coach or your states USAG website would probably have more information. If your DD ends up in a session by herself, there is nothing you can do about it, and unless someone else very close to her age joins your gym at her level, she may end up by herself every year, the way my DD has. Talk up the good stuff... getting to have her coach all to herself, getting to make new friends, getting to go watch her teammates compete during their session (we generally try to do this)... because the fact that it's just not very fun to compete without your teammates doesn't change the fact that it will probably happen this way every year.
