WAG Scoring help

[cbifoja]

So many fine details and techniques that coaches can't possibly be expected to explain each of them to every parent in the gym. Imagine if a coach has 10 girls, explaining to each of the 10 parents the minute details of all 4 of their routines and what every deduction was? Why isn't it enough that they explain to the child, the one who has the ability to actually do something about it?

Absolutely this! And then we parents can come to CB and ask for tutoring! LOL

 

[B.Gold]

I do get the idea of perspective. DD is an L8 but she still smiles thinking about being a state vault champion and winning all-around at various meets, even as a compulsory. I guess it's how you define "meaningful". Was getting a 9.8 on old L3 vault indicative of future success? No, not really given how it was just that dive roll vault, but my DD has always considered vault to be her thing even way back then. Yeah, it's probably all just psychological but so what...much of this crazy sport is mental! LOL

Please know that I have all the respect in the world for Dunno even with his sometime abrupt, no nonsense posting style. He has been willing to give me and so many other CBers access to his brain and experience and that is invaluable. I also don't consider him one of the "anti-parent" CB coaches. My point is just that it only becomes "small stuff" after the fact. But no matter how much I know that, I still care very much about how she does at L8 because that is our "present". It's a big deal to her, so I'm going to care even if these L8 scores will mean nothing to anyone else in the future....because they mean something to her right now.

Absolutely!! a 9.8 is very meaningful no matter what the level, or event. But on the flip-side of this we all know the gymnasts who scored 37s and 38s in L3, 4 and 5 who never made it out of compulsories because they couldn't get the skills, and those gymnasts who never scored above a 34 or 35 in compulsories and are very successful L9-10s. Scores in compulsories aren't a great indication of future success. So while they are very meaningful on "game-day", and its fun to try to understand a score, they become forgotten (except for those elusive 9.8s). I have to believe it would get really tiresome having to educate a perpetual stream of parents, when what your true passion is coaching.

 

[sce]

I think there needs to be an understanding and a balance, we should not be CGMs but we are spectators of a sport. It is much more enjoyable to watch a sport when you understand what you are watching. I have to say I much more enjoy watching men's gymnastics now that my son is a gymnast. Watching him learn the basics on those events and him learning how it is scored helps make the higher levels make more sense too.

 

[OzZee]

It's just a sport so really none of it matters no matter the level.

But I don't agree with the it's only level 4 etc it didn't matter stance. Most kids aren't going to get to level 10 (we don't have any college gymnastics or anything here so guess we have a different overall opinion, it's just seen as a kids sport to most)
So if your kid isn't fully enjoying whatever level they are at at that time (be it level 1, 3, 4, 6, 8) then it is a problem.

And if the reason they aren't enjoying it is because they are wondering (for instance in this case) what they were deducted in a bar routine and how they can understand that to do better next time, and for whatever reason can't get that information from their coach then why not find out to tell them.

And I totally agree with understanding the sport making it more interesting to watch.
I'm not someone who actually enjoys watching gymnastics. But around level 4/5 (we compete from level 1 here) I started to understand and could watch floor and give a very good estimate of each routines scores . This gave me something to do during long and to me very boring competitions. (Better than eating and I can't do the reading thing some parents do as I just know I would end up missing one of my kids routines - and as my kids all wanted routines videoed I couldn't even lie if I missed them. )

It comes across as condescending when people's concerns or questions are met with oh she is only 6 or only level 4 etc it doesn't matter. To the person posting it does matter of they wouldn't have posted!
Ok often you think 'really?!!' But if all you have to add to the thread is 'it doesn't matter' maybe better to not post at all.

 

[OzZee]

When my middle dd was 8 or 9 she had a gymnastics party. I can remember a parent asking me if she was going to be a gymnastics coach (my response was I hope not, sorry coaches) she couldn't understand why my dd would spend so much time (and money) doing something that wasn't going to be her career.
This parent was from a culture that places a very high value on academic excellence and the kids are tutored from a young age to get into selective schooling.
Did she think we were mad (I'm pretty certain yes) , do I agree with there way (no way) . Are either of us wrong? No, just different pathways and priorities.

Is that child still doing gymnastics , no. Do either of us regret all those years and hours. No . It was a great journey that produced many great memories (and a lot of not so great ones) and a level of fitness that made transitioning to new sports much easier.

And I still think whether she stayed on that beam at level 1 is just as important to her as I did back then.

The most important thing is no matter how long or short that the journey is enjoyable. Parents shouldn't be made to feel they aren't to be a part of such a large part of their child's youth. It goes too quickly and with such a high hours sport like gymnastics so much of the parents time with their child is sacrificed anyway.

 

[GymDad9.9]

I think it comes from perspective. The coaches who come across as "dismissive" of parents who are "learning" rules and deductions on this board tend to be optional coaches. And, this sounds harsh, but they don't care what your kid is scoring in compulsories. My observation is they want your child to master the basics, get competition experience, and most importantly GET TO OPTIONALS. So all they are saying is, "if we don't 'care'.... Why should you?"

As a parent, I get it, I cared very much, and learned the rules, but looking back from this spot at L9 to those Old-L4 scores, they are meaningless. It was more meaningful, to my dd goals of today, that she continued to progress, gained the necessary skills and learned how to compete. And I take to heart what Dunno has stated on this forum before... Scores don't matter until L10.

I'll never forget what an awesome, well-meaning coach kindly said to me after my dd's first (old)level 4 meet 5 years ago. One of my dd's teammates did phenomenal and I was marveling about that with this coach. The coach said matter of factly, "Nobody cares about L4.... Nobody". I have giggled about the harshness of this line over the years, but now, from my L9 perspective, the meaning has become more clear. She wasn't saying, "we don't care about your kids competing L4". She was saying, "don't sweat the small stuff."

I found this post very instructive in how to manage expectations (mine & daughter) going forward as the parent of a young gymnast. I will definitely keep it in my mind. At the same time, however, I don't see how you can separate "the journey" of going through the earlier levels to the point of "when it matters" without concerning yourself with a myriad of questions about performances, training, everything for that matter. As a parent, you are making a huge investment of time, money and compassion, which pales in comparison to just being a parent to a child who is actually providing the blood, sweat and tears of their hard work of gymnastics. The parent/child are a part of this journey, certainly not the same as coach/child or team/child, but it is real, it is always there during good and bad times, but mostly bad where we are left to pick up the pieces of a bad performance, a miserable practice or a devastating untimely injury. So, for some of us, asking for some clarity on how something is scored is really a small price for all of us to pay as "all of us" go forward in our respective children's (and their parents) journeys.