Parents She got her KIP!!!

[jessifrostR]

Thanks @jessifrostR ! I am definitely holding out hope! And I think you are right. They don't adjust the bars for the taller girls (right now dd is the only one) and I'm pretty sure that makes it tougher. She definitely doesn't get the momentum the little girls do. But she's used to almost everything being tougher. There's a reason most gymnasts are little.

The tallest girl o

I guess I don't know for sure, but am assuming it's kind of an obscenity. D@mn effing kip? But maybe I just have a foul mouth! @Deleted member 18037 ?

that's what I assumed as well lol just wanted to ask to be sure haha

 

[jessifrostR]

Well I saw with it my own eyes today. She missed it at least 10 times and then finally made her kip. It wasn't the prettiest kip I've ever seen but it wasn't a muscle up kip either so we'll call it a win. I'm guessing its normal for this skill to be kind of hit and miss at first?

 

[raenndrops]

Well I saw with it my own eyes today. She missed it at least 10 times and then finally made her kip. It wasn't the prettiest kip I've ever seen but it wasn't a muscle up kip either so we'll call it a win. I'm guessing its normal for this skill to be kind of hit and miss at first?

yep... hit or miss for up to a year... but not muscled up on first one is awesome.

 

[jessifrostR]

yep... hit or miss for up to a year... but not muscled up on first one is awesome.

I see a lot of girls doing those bent arms kips but she actually keeps hers pretty straight. Her problem is she always looks like she’s pushing herself away from the bar. But she has plenty of time to get it right. She’s excited about it anyway.

 

[John]

Kips come and go in the beginning. it can be trying for some.

 

[jillc]

Kips come and go in the beginning. it can be trying for some.

I kind of like how my DDs coach handles this. For those learning the kip, they have a board that keeps track of how many you made. While the first one gets some acknowledgement, the goal is more to get 100 kips. Once you get to 100, you are deemed to “have” your kip and you stop keeping track.

 

[MuggleMom]

I find when it looks like they are "pushing away" from the bar they are throwing their head back.

 

[jessifrostR]

I find when it looks like they are "pushing away" from the bar they are throwing their head back.

YES she has mentioned that she does this. She has struggled with throwing her head back in other skills too, ever since she first started learning BHS I remember her coach telling me that so I guess it’s a bad habit of hers. She said watching her toes helps her not to throw her head back in her kip.

 

[jessifrostR]

I kind of like how my DDs coach handles this. For those learning the kip, they have a board that keeps track of how many you made. While the first one gets some acknowledgement, the goal is more to get 100 kips. Once you get to 100, you are deemed to “have” your kip and you stop keeping track.

I like that! She has done it 5 times total now lol. I remember “catching” the high bar was really hit or miss for a long time for her too. Some skills once they get it, they’ve got it. But those ones that come and go can be really frustrating!

 

[JumpingQueen]

I like that! She has done it 5 times total now lol. I remember “catching” the high bar was really hit or miss for a long time for her too. Some skills once they get it, they’ve got it. But those ones that come and go can be really frustrating!

Congrats to your daughter!! How old is she? If she’s got the level 4 skills and is at least 7, it seems like that might make sense for her.

 

[jessifrostR]

Congrats to your daughter!! How old is she? If she’s got the level 4 skills and is at least 7, it seems like that might make sense for her.

She’s 8! She was just moved up to level 3 but she told by one of the girls at the gym that they can still move up to level 4 by the end of the summer so that’s her goal. I’m trying to tell her not to get her hopes up.
She’s definitely ahead of the other girls on her level and already teaching herself skills that they aren’t even working on yet. For example she taught herself the back walkover the high beam at open gym last week. So I know she would enjoy the challenge of of being in a higher level but even so her gym doesn’t progress them too quickly or skip levels much, except for level 6. So if she stays in level 3, she will be more than prepared when she does finally do level 4. I trust her coaches to do what’s best!

 

[LJL07]

Going from level 1 to 4 is a HUGE jump. It's not just a matter of having the skills. 38s are pretty commonplace on level 1, but there were no 38s on level 4 at the state meet across any age groups. There are many paths to take on this journey, but that would be a huge leap around here. I'll bet she does great on level 3 though and agree about using the year to become very solid on level 4 skills.

 

[jessifrostR]

Going from level 1 to 4 is a HUGE jump. It's not just a matter of having the skills. 38s are pretty commonplace on level 1, but there were no 38s on level 4 at the state meet across any age groups. There are many paths to take on this journey, but that would be a huge leap around here. I'll bet she does great on level 3 though and agree about using the year to become very solid on level 4 skills.

Yes! Having an entire year to clean up her skills and strengthen the basics, especially on bars where you see a lot of girls struggles at level 3/4. I think it’s going to be good. And she’s going from doing 5 hours a week to 13 this summer so I can’t wait to how she progresses with new coaches and more hours. ( Xcel coaches teach level 1)

 

[jessifrostR]

Going from level 1 to 4 is a HUGE jump. It's not just a matter of having the skills. 38s are pretty commonplace on level 1, but there were no 38s on level 4 at the state meet across any age groups. There are many paths to take on this journey, but that would be a huge leap around here. I'll bet she does great on level 3 though and agree about using the year to become very solid on level 4 skills.

It sounds like a big jump but I think it’s a less of a jump for our level 1s because when they go onto team, in level 1, they are going in already having learned level 1 routines in their final level of rec so most of the year in level 1 they are uptraining and just basically maintaining clean level 1 routines that they already have been doing for a year prior in rec. in fact in that final rec level they have a winter fun meet and spring fun meet where are the rec girls at this highest level compete against each other with these level 1 routines. So our level 1s spend the year just getting competition experience but mostly doing upgrades.

 

[CLgym]

At age 7-8, mine successfully went from Xcel Bronze (Bronze bars routine was: glide, pullover, back-hip-circle, under-swing dismount -- which I think is pretty much the L1 routine?) to JO L4. Vault was tough all season (low to mid 8's), but everything else was fine and she even medaled at state on beam (3rd place), bars (5th place) and AA (7th place, I think). My kiddo is definitely not a gymnastics super star.... so if she was able to make a similar jump then it is definitely possible (assuming your coaches would even allow it). Just make sure your DD is OK walking away from meets without medals clanging around her neck -- there were many meets, especially at the start of the season, where mine ended up with just one medal.

 

[jessifrostR]

At age 7-8, mine successfully went from Xcel Bronze (Bronze bars routine was: glide, pullover, back-hip-circle, under-swing dismount -- which I think is pretty much the L1 routine?) to JO L4. Vault was tough all season (low to mid 8's), but everything else was fine and she even medaled at state on beam (3rd place), bars (5th place) and AA (7th place, I think). My kiddo is definitely not a gymnastics super star.... so if she was able to make a similar jump then it is definitely possible (assuming your coaches would even allow it). Just make sure your DD is OK walking away from meets without medals clanging around her neck -- there were many meets, especially at the start of the season, where mine ended up with just one medal.

Oh Wow yea that’s basically our bar routine except some girls in level 1 do the underswing dismount but our gyms level 1s do this straddle circle dismount. ? Honestly the level 1 vault has not been her strongest because it’s just a straight jump onto the mat and then a lever into handstand fall flat. She actually does better jumping into the handstand to fall flat which is the level 3 vault.
She is going to have to understand that she’s not going to place or score as well as she did in level 1. Whether she goes to level 3 or 4, it’s going to be more challenging than level 1 was. But she is the type that prefers a challenge and upgraded skills in practice to meets and medals anyway so I don’t think it will bother her.

 

[LJL07]

At age 7-8, mine successfully went from Xcel Bronze (Bronze bars routine was: glide, pullover, back-hip-circle, under-swing dismount -- which I think is pretty much the L1 routine?) to JO L4. Vault was tough all season (low to mid 8's), but everything else was fine and she even medaled at state on beam (3rd place), bars (5th place) and AA (7th place, I think). My kiddo is definitely not a gymnastics super star.... so if she was able to make a similar jump then it is definitely possible (assuming your coaches would even allow it). Just make sure your DD is OK walking away from meets without medals clanging around her neck -- there were many meets, especially at the start of the season, where mine ended up with just one medal.

Exactly! As long as 37/38 isn’t the expectation!

 

[jessifrostR]

Exactly! As long as 37/38 isn’t the expectation!

Who knows, at our gym it might be lol. The ones that skipped level 2 and are going to level 3 are the ones who scored 37s and 38s all season. but I know they are also taking into account skills not just scores.

 

[LJL07]

Who knows, at our gym it might be lol. The ones that skipped level 2 and are going to level 3 are the ones who scored 37s and 38s all season. but I know they are also taking into account skills not just scores.

Right. It is easy enough to get 37/38 in level 3 too. Level 4 is the game changer. This is when parents are like, "But wait a minute?! My child was getting 38s in levels 1-3." My biggest issue with our state is the amount of time spent polishing level 1-3 to obtain 37/38 without the appropriate conditioning, uptraining, teaching good body shapes, etc. Those low levels don't really matter. I do think your gym is better about this though!

 

[jessifrostR]

Right. It is easy enough to get 37/38 in level 3 too. Level 4 is the game changer. This is when parents are like, "But wait a minute?! My child was getting 38s in levels 1-3." My biggest issue with our state is the amount of time spent polishing level 1-3 to obtain 37/38 without the appropriate conditioning, uptraining, teaching good body shapes, etc. Those low levels don't really matter. I do think your gym is better about this though!

I feel like competing levels 1-3 is almost a waste of time but I can tell they are having fun, getting hooked on the fun of the sport and competing, and our gym does condition and uptrain quite a bit so they are actually very prepared for level 4. From what I can see.