Women Skipping Level 5 Question

[3LittleGymmies]

I wasn't quite sure which forum to stick this question in. For those of you with gymnasts who will be scoring out of Level 5 this season either via the first meet or a move-up meet - when will they be learning their Level 6 routines - or are they already? This is the plan for my daughter and there has been talk of a move-up meet before our first real meet but no date has been given. The girls who are already 6's are learning their routines now, but my daughter and a few of the other "5's" are not yet. I am not doubting her ability to learn quickly because she is great at choreography, but I'm not quite sure why she wouldn't already be learning it since that is the plan and they are confident that she will easily score out of 5. If she doesn't learn it until after she scores out of 5, that could leave her with just a few weeks before the first meet as a 6.

 

[gymgal]

Optional routines are completely different than compulsory. Far less preparation is necessary. If the gymnast has good form and is tight throughout her skills, she will be fine. Remember, the judges have no idea what the routine is supposed to look like so little mistakes in choreography don't matter much. The biggest problem is forgetting part of a routine - and it happens more than you think - even with really good gymnasts. But usually most gymnasts improvise. As long as all the skills get done, it usually works out ok.

 

[beamer]

And level 6 is soooo much more fun than level 5...for gymnast and parents alike!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

I wouldn't worry, plenty of time.

 

[SignHere]

My DD forgot her Level 7 beam routine last year, just stuck in a sashe, sashe, pose,pose, then picked up at the next skill she was supposed to do. She's going to remember the requirements anyway, most likely, not the fluff.

 

[Natasha]

At our gym the 3 level 5 girls moved up mid season to L6 last year…they decided after a meet to move them up in 2 weeks! All 3 had their new routines choreographed and were ready to go and did great at their L6 meet 2 weeks later. It really is different learning their own routine. Also, it is still a long time until spring competition!

 

[wgymmom]

Well, at our gym they pulled the rug out from under us and decided the 5's would not score out and compete the whole season instead...

 

[B&M's mom]

My DD is going to compete L5 and skip L 6. Before making the decision I spoke with the optional level coach. She told me that she'd rather have them do 5 because the routines force them to perfect their skills. Doing L6 doesn't require the same level of perfection and since the skill level is about the same, that's her preference. When I talked with my DD, she got it and is fine with it.

 

[raenndrops]

My DD is going to compete L5 and skip L 6. Before making the decision I spoke with the optional level coach. She told me that she'd rather have them do 5 because the routines force them to perfect their skills. Doing L6 doesn't require the same level of perfection and since the skill level is about the same, that's her preference. When I talked with my DD, she got it and is fine with it.

Good thing that your DD and you are on board with this The coach did his/ her job of selling it. ... but in REALITY, L5 only forces them to perfect the text of the routines... were their hands at the correct placement ("they should have been at forward middle crown and move to middle crown, but she left them in forward middle crown" - text error = deduction) and other petty little things ALONG with the actual skills. Perfection for the entire routine has been established. If they don't do it exactly as written, there is a deduction.
But in L6, since the judges don't know where their hands were choreographed to be, there are no text error deductions.

 

[B&M's mom]

I've known this coach for years as she was my older DD's coach. She is very dance oriented and explained that the routines force the girls, even those without dance experience to learn the need for good dance form. That will carry over when they get to optionals and now have their own routines. That's why she'd prefer the girls do 5 and then go to 7. Since she trained my older daughter and got her to the point that she was able to transfer seamlessly into an elite training program, I trust her.

Judges do look at form more and more in optionals. Over the years I've spent watching meets, it's true that skills will get you so far but the kids with good form will score higher.

 

[raenndrops]

I've known this coach for years as she was my older DD's coach. She is very dance oriented and explained that the routines force the girls, even those without dance experience to learn the need for good dance form. That will carry over when they get to optionals and now have their own routines. That's why she'd prefer the girls do 5 and then go to 7. Since she trained my older daughter and got her to the point that she was able to transfer seamlessly into an elite training program, I trust her.

Judges do look at form more and more in optionals. Over the years I've spent watching meets, it's true that skills will get you so far but the kids with good form will score higher.

I agree on FORM... but I am not really talking about form. I am talking about the TEXT errors... and reversing skills deductions... and accidentally substituting a harder turn for an easier one deductions. With the routine having to be performed EXACTLY as written, what the girls are really perfecting is TEXT (along with skills and form). L6 allows them to work on perfecting skills and form, but without having to worry about text errors... and allows them the ability to compete higher difficulty skills if they are competition ready (there are threads on here about gymnasts basically using L6 to perfect their L7 routines while they uptrain for L8).
Our gym is actually going to field a L5 team this year (5 girls). Last year, there were only 2 girls that would have been in L5... but they don't do so well with compulsories... so they scored out of old L6 (barely) and then competed L6 this past season with a lot of success on everything but bars, and they wouldn't have done any better with L5 bars AND would have struggled on beam and floor.

 

[ascarter1]

My dd skipped levels 4 and 5 this year. We learned her routines over the summer. Now we are in "cleaning" mode.

 

[3LittleGymmies]

Also, it is still a long time until spring competition!

Our season is December through the first week in April .

 

[gymdog]

Good thing that your DD and you are on board with this The coach did his/ her job of selling it. ... but in REALITY, L5 only forces them to perfect the text of the routines... were their hands at the correct placement ("they should have been at forward middle crown and move to middle crown, but she left them in forward middle crown" - text error = deduction) and other petty little things ALONG with the actual skills. Perfection for the entire routine has been established. If they don't do it exactly as written, there is a deduction.
But in L6, since the judges don't know where their hands were choreographed to be, there are no text error deductions.

That's not exactly how text errors work.

 

[B&M's mom]

I think that there is a difference in philosophy on L5/6. Some gyms are going to do L5 as my DD's gym is, to clean up form and skills and then move to 7 without competing 6. Other gyms are using 6 for those that aren't ready for 7 but may quit because they don't want to do compulories any longer. Time will tell whether one view is better or not.