Parents Skipping level 3... Thoughts?

[FlipNTwist]

I'm new to the gymnastics world. My daughter will be turning 7 soon. She competed as a level 2 last season and then we switched gyms. Her gym now is talking about skipping 3 altogether because she already has level 3 skills. She has the whole summer to learn level 4 and they think she can do it. She has her cartwheel on beam and squat on, on bars. What are your thoughts on skipping level 3?

 

[scgymmom322]

I'd say go for it, but ask what their back up plan is if she doesn't get all the skills--especially her kip! It isn't a required level, which makes it that much easier to skip! My daughter just turned 7 and will be competing level 4 this year. She competed 3 last season, and would have done 4 if she had been old enough! The hardest part of level 3 for my daughter, at 6, was learning the routines, so I would say if the back-up plan if she doesn't get all of her skills is to do level 3, just make sure there is enough time before competing for her to learn the routines!

 

[FlipNTwist]

I'd say go for it, but ask what their back up plan is if she doesn't get all the skills--especially her kip! It isn't a required level, which makes it that much easier to skip! My daughter just turned 7 and will be competing level 4 this year. She competed 3 last season, and would have done 4 if she had been old enough! The hardest part of level 3 for my daughter, at 6, was learning the routines, so I would say if the back-up plan if she doesn't get all of her skills is to do level 3, just make sure there is enough time before competing for her to learn the routines!

Good to know. Her old gym held girls back constantly, so I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something I didn't know. I've heard the Kip is the first big skill to learn, my daughter is very close to getting it. Sounds like you have a very driven little one! Good luck to her next season.

 

[Happytobehere]

Trust the coaches, level 3 is not required. If they believe she can do it, then I would let her uptrain for the summer. The limiting factor for level 4 is usually the kip, and then vault, especially for a small 7 year old. I say give her the summer to uptrain and check in with the coaches at the end of summer to see where she is with her skills, routines and confidence.

 

[LindyHopper]

I'm new to the gymnastics world. My daughter will be turning 7 soon. She competed as a level 2 last season and then we switched gyms. Her gym now is talking about skipping 3 altogether because she already has level 3 skills. She has the whole summer to learn level 4 and they think she can do it. She has her cartwheel on beam and squat on, on bars. What are your thoughts on skipping level 3?

Short Stack skipped L3. Her head coach said that he had no doubt she would be successful at L3, but was afraid she would be bored out of her mind.

She did not have all of her L3 skills yet, so we suffered through two seasons of weaker tumbling. The highest she placed AA in L4 & L5 was 8th (although she placed higher on beam regularly).

Everything kind of clicked in L6, and the lowest she placed AA all season was 6th. And she even placed 1st on floor at a meet, and that was her weakest event in 4 & 5.

So, what is more important to your gymnast? Is she the kind who really needs to place to feel successful, or is she the kind who LIVES for learning new skills? Would she be bored at L3? Will she be frustrated if her scores drop?

You know your daughter best. I know your daughter is pretty young. Short Stack was 9 when we made this decision, so we asked her what she wanted.

Good luck to her whatever your decision.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

DD skipped L3 (the first level our gym competes) and went straight to L4. If her coaches thinks she can do it, go for it!! So much time is spent in L3 on skills that don’t go anywhere (mill circle, lol) unless your gym is really into awesome drills for shapes and progresssions that lead to higher skills.... ours is, now (but not when DD skipped it).
Ps. I coach L3.

 

[my4buffaloes]

Girls don't need to compete 3 (or 1 & 2) so I would let her skip ahead. No reason to hold back if coaches think she is ready.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Girls don't need to compete 3 (or 1 & 2) so I would let her skip ahead. No reason to hold back if coaches think she is ready.

Yep, not a required level. JO mandatory compete/score out starts at L4

 

[vbdb]

Mine went straight into Level 4, she did two years at 4 mind you but it was better than suffering through that dumb mill circle.

 

[GymDadWA]

Had a similar experience as LindyHopper, DD skipped 3 as she was placing 1st AA in 2 her first year. The level 4 skills were hard for her to learn well, Kip was a struggle, squat on/jump to high bar seemed impossible as she is really short, and the FHS vault was really hard for her size being around 35lbs she couldn't flex the board very well. By the end of the season she was scoring around the mobility score (34) but wasn't doing well compared to the other girls on her team that did do 3 and really did not enjoy the season as much. In hindsight I would have rather seen her done 3 and uptrained skills without pressure rather than trying to brute force her way through the season. Not that a little adversity isn't good character builder but it took passion out of the activity that she loves

 

[tpMom]

I would say trust the coaches and support their plan. But I would also recommend keeping an eye on your daughter. My little one skipped level 2, 4 and is now working hard to skip level 6. Both level 2 and 6 are not required levels, so they are easy logistically to skip, but I've learned that every time my daughter skips a level her stress increases a great deal. Skills in gymnastics get hard FAST, and with every level skipped you're basically accelerating the pace at which the hard skills come by a year or more. My gymmie didn't have a hard time competitively with skipping levels - she's stayed a top of the podium gymnast, but mentally it's gotten tougher each year. Your daughter might find the accelerated pace fun and challenging, but she might also find the additional stress to get her level 4 (and then 5!) skills to be tough as well. Just pay attention and make sure you're there to support your little one.

 

[John]

DD has been with a USAG for only a year. I found the ChalkBucket when deciding if a ten-year-old could join USAG. Most individuals on this board offer extremely accurate information on gymnastics. They use stories of their own experiences, or their child's experiences or experience garnered through coaching to help others find their way. At the beginning of this USAG journey, I was hesitant to listen. I never thought I knew better but I questioned what I was learning from all these great folks. Turns out most everything offered here is accurate.

I apply this to this post in this way. My DD skipped levels 1-3 competed once at 4 once at 5 and skipped 6. She competed her one and only season of USAG at level 7, she is currently training level 8. She had a successful season and enjoyed that journey. What I learned during this first year is this: Every child is an individual, every child has their own motivating factors, and every child has a dream ending to their own gymnastics journey. It is their journey and as I have learned from many great folks here as a gymnastics parent my jobs on this journey are to pay the bills, provide the transportation, and support my child by being her soft landing spot when things get hard and scary because as the levels increase gymnastics will get hard and scary.

Ask your Daughter what motivates her to do gymnastics, is it skill acquisition or is it competing? Help her make her decision based on what she uses for motivation. In the end, the coaches who offer your their thoughts and plans for your child, for the most part, know what they are doing. Find a coach that fit your family then trust the process.

 

[FlipNTwist]

DD has been with a USAG for only a year. I found the ChalkBucket when deciding if a ten-year-old could join USAG. Most individuals on this board offer extremely accurate information on gymnastics. They use stories of their own experiences, or their child's experiences or experience garnered through coaching to help others find their way. At the beginning of this USAG journey, I was hesitant to listen. I never thought I knew better but I questioned what I was learning from all these great folks. Turns out most everything offered here is accurate.

I apply this to this post in this way. My DD skipped levels 1-3 competed once at 4 once at 5 and skipped 6. She competed her one and only season of USAG at level 7, she is currently training level 8. She had a successful season and enjoyed that journey. What I learned during this first year is this: Every child is an individual, every child has their own motivating factors, and every child has a dream ending to their own gymnastics journey. It is their journey and as I have learned from many great folks here as a gymnastics parent my jobs on this journey are to pay the bills, provide the transportation, and support my child by being her soft landing spot when things get hard and scary because as the levels increase gymnastics will get hard and scary.

Ask your Daughter what motivates her to do gymnastics, is it skill acquisition or is it competing? Help her make her decision based on what she uses for motivation. In the end, the coaches who offer your their thoughts and plans for your child, for the most part, know what they are doing. Find a coach that fit your family then trust the process.

Fantastic advice, thank you!

 

[Lizandkatiemama]

DD has been with a USAG for only a year. I found the ChalkBucket when deciding if a ten-year-old could join USAG. Most individuals on this board offer extremely accurate information on gymnastics. They use stories of their own experiences, or their child's experiences or experience garnered through coaching to help others find their way. At the beginning of this USAG journey, I was hesitant to listen. I never thought I knew better but I questioned what I was learning from all these great folks. Turns out most everything offered here is accurate.

I apply this to this post in this way. My DD skipped levels 1-3 competed once at 4 once at 5 and skipped 6. She competed her one and only season of USAG at level 7, she is currently training level 8. She had a successful season and enjoyed that journey. What I learned during this first year is this: Every child is an individual, every child has their own motivating factors, and every child has a dream ending to their own gymnastics journey. It is their journey and as I have learned from many great folks here as a gymnastics parent my jobs on this journey are to pay the bills, provide the transportation, and support my child by being her soft landing spot when things get hard and scary because as the levels increase gymnastics will get hard and scary.

Ask your Daughter what motivates her to do gymnastics, is it skill acquisition or is it competing? Help her make her decision based on what she uses for motivation. In the end, the coaches who offer your their thoughts and plans for your child, for the most part, know what they are doing. Find a coach that fit your family then trust the process.

Completely agree! My daughter started gymnastics at 9, competed level 3 as a 10 year old, tested out of 4 & 5 at one meet to compete 6 the next season. Broke her leg before state that year (by hyperextending her knee) but still went on to 7, 8 & then 9 this past year at 14. If she'd gone to level 4 she'd have been totally bored. She needed the challenge. She's doing a 2nd year at 9 because although she qualified for Regionals she wasn't very competitive there. It'll actually be nice for her to finally have a year to improve & upgrade skills rather than just moving up & having to get certain things. Basically we trusted her coaches & it's worked out beautifully.

 

[Gymmom826]

I'm new to the gymnastics world. My daughter will be turning 7 soon. She competed as a level 2 last season and then we switched gyms. Her gym now is talking about skipping 3 altogether because she already has level 3 skills. She has the whole summer to learn level 4 and they think she can do it. She has her cartwheel on beam and squat on, on bars. What are your thoughts on skipping level 3?

I think level 3 or 4 should be repeated and not skipped. They are a good foundation for the future levels. Levels 5/6 I think can be skipped. Just my opinion.

 

[Seeker]

I think level 3 or 4 should be repeated and not skipped. They are a good foundation for the future levels. Levels 5/6 I think can be skipped. Just my opinion.

That is highly dependent on each individual gymnast. Sure, for a 7 yr old then maybe repeating would be a good choice if they are super solid and confident in what they're doing. Likely not the best choice if you're 9 or 10 and have solid skills and body awareness. Each gymnast should be treated as an individual and the best decision for them at that time should be made.

 

[Seeker]

That is highly dependent on each individual gymnast. Sure, for a 7 yr old then maybe repeating would be a good choice if they are super solid and confident in what they're doing. Likely not the best choice if you're 9 or 10 and have solid skills and body awareness. Each gymnast should be treated as an individual and the best decision for them at that time should be made.

correction: if they aren't super solid

 

[e'smum]

lvl 3 and 4 were both needed for my little gymmie. she started gymnastics as a non compete lvl 3 and then competed the last 3 meets. so she did a repeat of lvl 3. she was not ready for lvl 4 at all. she took first place at almost every meet in her first full year competing as a lvl 3 in something(s) - whether event or AA but i think it would have been a struggle as a 4 for her. she went on to do fantastic as a lvl 4 and a lvl 6. struggled a bit with mental blocks this past season as a 7 but still did very well considering and now she is blooming into a lvl 8 and attacking those mental block events with a passion i haven't seen in a long time.

i say that to say, each kid is different. John's daughter had a different journey and she is heading into lvl 8 as well (and racking up the skills too!).

find what works for your kid, trust the coaches and make sure your kid is wanting to go for it as well. make sure the coaches have a game plan if she's just not ready for lvl 4 by meet season. and then take a huge step back and let it happen how it's supposed to. good luck to her! i hope she has a fantastic year!

 

[gymbeam]

Mine actually didn’t doLevels 1,2, 3 or 4. So, I’d say no big deal either way as far as her progression. (She did do xcel bronze and silver prior to 5 though.). But it’s so hard to say without knowing your kid, your gym, etc.

 

[Bug's mom]

We do things a bit differently in Canada, there are no mandatory levels. DD competed her first season as a 9 year old Level 6, had a good year, moved up and just completed a decent year as 10 year old Level 7 (average AA score for the season above 37.000). Most importantly, has enjoyed (just about) every second of the ride. Not competing lower levels hasn't held her or her teammates back, and trusting the gym's process worked. Your gym seems to have a good handle on her skill level, suggest rolling with it.