WAG Shameless thread time. Optional on the horizon- TMA!

[reillysmom2]

I am having some recent experience with my dd coming back from injury; cbone, it seems like your daughter is moving pretty quickly and mine did the same. My dd is older than yours though, she just turned 12 but she started gymnastics at the ripe old age of 10 in Oct 2011 and competed level 4 that fall. In the fall of 2012 she competed level 5, did one level 6 meet and scored out and now she is training level 7. She is a hard worker, works hard on her own conditioning wise and has been blessed to be able to pick up skills fairly quickly. She had one setback when she first started, broke her hand, was in a hard cast for 4 weeks and splinted for two more but never missed a beat and the first practice back, basically had all her skills although not as pretty as before. This was level 4, tho, and its a lot different skill wise for her now. As I posted a week or so ago, she sprained her wrist at camp and missed the whole rest of the week and has had to do modified practices this week. Before the injury, skills were falling into place like crazy;since, she hasn't been able to tumble full force or vault, and certain things on bars aggravate it, namely working giants which is the one skill she was really hoping to have so she could compete 7 instead of the new 6. The wrist is ten times better, but its hard to make them ease back into full fledged training when they are so determined to "get" this skill or that skill when the injury starts to feel better. Its hard on them for them to have to condition, work turns and leaps when everyone else is working on other things they want to do. So I guess my whole point is that they have to be mature enough not to get frustrated by injuries and use that to motivate them to catch up when they are completely healed; and trusting them to tell you the truth about an injury ( like when somethings been hurting for weeks!)

 

[Granny Smith]

What's the toughest part about coming back from injury?

Sometimes an injury will hold you back & you end up repeating a level because of it. My dd did a 2nd yr of 9 because she was coming off of elbow surgery.

Another thing... I'm all for trusting your coaches, but having lived this journey & am coming into my last year before she is done USAG - you should trust your coaches but trust your gut even more! I have regrets and some of my regrets have come from trusting her coaches when deep down I was internally questioning choices they made.

 

[sleeping judy]

It's a marathon not a sprint is my advice.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

What's the toughest part about coming back from injury?

==
For most athletes the hardest part is rehab and getting back into to top physical condition, for gymnasts its a bit different. Gymnastics is a sport that I describe to people as being "a bucket of water with a small hole in it". Meaning if you stop putting water in it the bucket it slowly goes empty... (different rates for each kid, but outcome is the same, plus or minus)
In other words, a runner tears a muscle, when it is healed and properly rehab'ed it may take a month to get back to top speed, but they can still run in the mean time. A gymnast needs to do all that, plus a certain degree of relearning.
When skills are not used, the brain and body get a little rusty and needs to be progressed back through the skills. I hear parents all the time, "why can't she do that anymore, she had it before she was injured?" I have had kids flat out get frustrated with this and go through a depression, even had a few quit over the years. We do a much better job now of educating the kids and parents about this so it isn't as much of a problem now. However I almost lost one of my top kids last year because of it... She is fine now.

 

[profmom]

DD was off all weight bearing for three months after breaking her arm. She went to the gym for almost every practice time and conditioned, but the emotional side was very difficult. She was watching all of her friends learning and perfecting their L6 skills while she was doing her 20th wall sit or 100th hollow rock of the day. She was totally fine at school and at practice and a sodden swamp of tears at home. So I'd say that the rehab period was physically hard, but emotionally much harder.

Once she was cleared for reentry, things got a lot better. I think part of the reason that she didn't have all that much difficulty with the psychological part of regaining skills was that her coaches prepared her well for it. She didn't walk into the gym that day expecting to have her kip and pick up her back tuck where she'd left it. But the day she was cleared for weight bearing, they started her on progressions with things at which she could succeed, and before we and she knew it, she was back in the game. Because she was expecting to have to regain skills, she was thrilled every time she could check one off.

 

[GymmieC]

Remember that lots of really talented kids drop out of gym between L4 and L6 too. Despite their apparent talents, they are just not into the harder work, the pressure or once the injuries begin, they cannot deal with them. Kids stop gym for tons of reasons, so do be aware of the pressure you put on her, without realising often, it can back fire. To succeed in gym she needs to have internal drive, not nagging parents.

I also think a parent SHOULD know their child best. With that said, parents should continue however to keep that inner CGM in check at all times. As a mom of a younger optional, I do find it necessary to talk with her about always working hard. I don't necessarily do it all the time, but once a year it still is necessary. As she ages and progresses with her gymnastics, she will undoubtedly learn the same innately.
Key points that I have learned along the way are that:
- Gymnast has to LOVE the sport and/ or find value in the hard work it takes.
- trust in the coaches has to be intact.
- the parents 'dream' for their child can not be part of the equation.
- comparisons between teammates should never be made.
- you can't base anything on scores at a meet.
- there will undoubtedly be set backs while learning new skills, so don't let your frustration at the slow progress be heard by your child.
- Have fun with gymnastics as a parent. It isn't the end all, but it sure is an AWESOME sport.
- Don't look too far down the road. Live in the now. ( not because of what others have said but because it will drive you nuts if you do...

My DD is young but her older sister went through the sport too at an older age. Many of these things I learned because of older DD. She has helped to keep it real for me. Little DD is very driven, but even she needs to be told, " Work hard! This sport is expensive!" Oh yeah, the expense has been a valuable lesson in and of itself! Yikes! But the joy in the child is well worth every penny!

 

[cbone]

bog, I learned that lesson this year. My daughter wasn't competing with the fire I saw last season. In the gym, she was killing it. She was the best girl on bars on her team in the gym. She is the strongest on her team (and maybe the entire gym) pound-for-pound. She was putting in all of the expected work (and more). She was doing everything right until she got to a competition. She was lackadaisical and didn't have "that look". I tried to talk to her about it. I made her cry and felt like a jerk. So I backed off. Just before state, she came to me and said, "Dad, I love (her best friend and teammate), but I'm going to try to beat her at state!" She had her best meet of the year, narrowly missing winning AA (less than 1/10 of a point).

That made me realize that I can't effectively motivate HER. I can get my second oldest son fired-up for a game with ease. My daughter has to do it herself. So I let her. I've learned to ask open ended questions and let her talk about gym. The one thing I'm obsessive about is asking her how her body feels. That allows my wife and I to know if there's anything we need to keep an eye on. Other that that, I'm letting her drive now.

 

[Galadriel]

Great
She needs to 'drive' as you say to progress! Xxx

 

[wallinbl]

That made me realize that I can't effectively motivate HER. I can get my second oldest son fired-up for a game with ease. My daughter has to do it herself. So I let her. I've learned to ask open ended questions and let her talk about gym. The one thing I'm obsessive about is asking her how her body feels. That allows my wife and I to know if there's anything we need to keep an eye on. Other that that, I'm letting her drive now.

I try to make sure she understands cause and effect as it relates to her goals (gym/school/etc, though with school I do a little more of the goal setting). I guess the short version would be "you can't wish something true, you have to do things to make it as likely as it can be" and that pretty much everything is a choice that affects the likelihood of an outcome.

 

[cbifoja]

Cbone, I would also caution you not to get ahead of yourself only because it feels like we have similar DDs. My DD has risen quickly....competed two seasons and is training for L7. I have to remind myself that she is moving towards the "big league" and this fast pace will start to slow now. The skills are getting harder and more dangerous and it takes more time to learn them.

Also, she has yet to have a single injury. She has been very fortunate but I know that it is likely that she will be tested eventually with an injury. I don't have information yet to see how she will handle that. I THINK I know, but until she's in the situation, I don't really. You know what I mean?

Also, both of our DDs are young. Mine is 9 and yours is even younger. So boys, dances, and make up aren't even on her radar. She doesn't give a lot of important things up for gym so she has no resentment....yet. She hasn't come close to puberty so no emotional ups and downs and no body changes to contend with yet.

I just say all of this because I find that I have to force myself not to get too proud or too excited by her success and how quickly she's gotten to optionals. I try to compare it to a mother who is convinced her child will be a track star because her child was an early walker. Lots of stuff to test her resolve is still coming down the pipes.......

 

[cbone]

Anyone have any input as far as routine development?

 

[CoachGoofy]

Anyone have any input as far as routine development?

Trust the coaches =)

 

[cbone]

So don't look to outside choreographers?

 

[gymgal]

So don't look to outside choreographers?

most gyms will have their own policies on this so you will need to talk with the hc.

are you talking moving to level 6 in jan 2014 or 2015? Either way, it is still a lot of time with so many possibilities for things to change. Just enjoy the ride for now and don't look too far ahead.

As for advice - this applies to all gymnasts going up significantly in hours - impress on them early and often that they need to be open with their coaches and parents about injuries. A gymnast that goes only 2-3 days a week may be able to hide a minor injury because of the rest time. But when you are going 15+ hours a week, you need to be realistic and treat those minor injuries before they become big. They don't like to admit weakness because they know it is lost gym time (especially if they are really trying to meet a very high goal, like skipping or condensing levels) but cutting back on heavy training for a few days may help prevent a much more serious injury

 

[reillysmom2]

^^^^This is what I am having the most difficulty with my DD....she has high goals for herself, frantic about missing any gym time, and does not want to disappoint her beloved coach. If I had a dollar for every eye roll I got from DD when inquiring about an injury...but she finally is starting to understand she has to be honest about it, and that when she tries to hide something it results in bigger problems and more loss of gym time ( or not getting to go to Flip Fest!)

 

[Quadqueen]

So don't look to outside choreographers?

she's competing old 5/new 4 this year, right?? you're thinking about routines and choreographers?

 

[cbifoja]

Our coaches handle music/routines and parents have ZERO input. DD starts competing optionals in five months and we still haven't received our approved list of music. So you're WAY ahead yourself! You'll just be wasting energy trying to decide optional stuff this early. All last year DD was SURE that she knew exactly what her optional music would be. Six months later, that song isn't even on her radar anymore.

 

[cbifoja]

So don't look to outside choreographers?

Not sure how your gym is set up but DD's coaches would probably be highly offended if we told them we were looking for an outside choreographer. Three of them have an exceptionally strong background in dance and they make up wonderful, personalized routines for each girl that really captures their personalities and gym strengths. Why go with someone who isn't intimately aware of exactly what brings out your DD's best performance? You want a routine that is right for YOUR daughter.

 

[Natasha]

So don't look to outside choreographers?

As others have said, check the gym policy. But also remember there are no "composition" deductions for L6 or L7. At this level it is really just for gymnasts to explore having their own routines and the judging is mostly focused on the required elements. So, I would not worry about trying to find the "best" choreographers for the early levels.
Also, if the coaches who work with your daughter are the ones that do the choreography they can design a routine around her strengths and then tweak it as needed as time goes on.

 

[my4buffaloes]

We were given a list of choreographers to choose from and did that once dd found out she was moving to L7. Nothing for you to worry about or even think about yet.