Parents The average gymnast debate

[Anonymous 1234]

Okay parents, I need your advice. My DD is coming up on the end of her level 4 year. She will have to repeat the level (which is completely OK) since she never hit a 36 in any competition. She hit 34 once but our gym doesn't have level 5. Anyways, my kiddo is consistently average to below average. Although, she has done decent on beam (pulling some 4-6th place medals). Size wise she is super tiny (almost 9 but barely 48"). My ex-husband is adamant that we need to introduce her to something else. We both are struggling with the fact that she's putting in 15+ hours a week but pulling low to mid 8's in competition. We also feel like quite a few of her teammates have seen a lot of growth this season...but our DD hasn't. I realize I'm probably sounding crazy, I just don't want my kiddo to miss out on opportunities to participate in something she excels in because gymnastics eats up so much time. Your thoughts?

 

[PeanutsMom]

Your gym makes them repeat if they don’t hit a 36? If that were the case my daughter never would have gotten out of compulsory. She didn’t start placing until level 6 On floor and bars and floor in level 7. She switched to xcel diamond this year and is consistently first or second on bars but still struggles on beam. Not all kids are all arounders but are great gymnasts in their own right. Also not all kids compete well. when my kiddo started competing she was 7. Nerves killed her and if one event went poorly she wasn’t mature enough to shake it off and move on to the next one. If she loves the sport I wouldn’t make her quit.

 

[RTT2]

What does your daughter want to do? Does she still love gymnastics or is she open to moving to a different sport? I generally think it's best if the decision to move on comes from the kid (exceptions being if it becomes too much of a time/financial burden for the rest of the family, injuries that will cause long-term damage, or an abusive gym environment). If she's still happy I wouldn't worry about how she scores or places at this point. I think a lot of parents get very worried that their child will be behind other kids if they switch sports later on, but most former gymnasts go on to absolutely kill it at whatever they try next. I mean, how many other kids are coming from training 15+ hours a week, having such a high level of self-discipline, conditioning, coordination, and years of taking corrections from coaches?

 

[Anonymous 1234]

Your gym makes them repeat if they don’t hit a 36? If that were the case my daughter never would have gotten out of compulsory. She didn’t start placing until level 6 On floor and bars and floor in level 7. She switched to xcel diamond this year and is consistently first or second on bars but still struggles on beam. Not all kids are all arounders but are great gymnasts in their own right. Also not all kids compete well. when my kiddo started competing she was 7. Nerves killed her and if one event went poorly she wasn’t mature enough to shake it off and move on to the next one. If she loves the sport I wouldn’t make her quit.

I'm pretty new to everything gymnastics but it was my understanding an athlete needs a 36 in a USAG level 4 competition in order to test out of 5 and into level 6. I know you're right about not asking her to quit since she loves it, it's just hard to watch her train so much without seeing marked improvements. We'll probably give it another year or so...she what transpires. Thanks for your feedback

 

[catchingupmom]

I agree with everything RTT2 said. I wouldn't worry about it putting her behind in another sport, it is usually a very short learning curve.

Speaking only from my experience, my DD was mediocre in level 4 (had a year and half to upgrade to six because of covid) and killed it in level 6 because she was able to tailor her routines to her personal strengths.

 

[Dahlialover]

She is 8 and tiny and doing pretty well in level 4 and would be moving to level 5 if your gym offered it… I don’t see the problem!!! If she enjoys the sport, then it is a good sport for her. She’ll have excellent physical skills that she can take with her to another sport in the future if that is what she wants. I think you should stop judging the worth of her gymnastics based on her competition results. She is 8. If she is having fun, learning good life lessons, and staying fit, it’s a great activity even if she comes in dead last at every single meet!

 

[JBS]

I'm pretty new to everything gymnastics but it was my understanding an athlete needs a 36 in a USAG level 4 competition in order to test out of 5 and into level 6.

That would be a gym rule... USA Gymnastics would be the following (page 79)...

https://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/Rules/Rules%20and%20Policies/2022/2022_2023_w_rulespolicies.pdf

So a 34.0 at L4 to get to L5... then a 32.0 at L5 to get to L6.

Clubs have their own standards... our club is a 35.0 at L4.

 

[Dahlialover]

You might like to read this thread for some perspective on level 4 dynamics. https://chalkbucket.com/forums/threads/level-4-7-year-old.69157/

 

[Dahlia]

Is Xcel an option at your gym? Xcel gold might be a good fit for her if she doesn't want to repeat 4. There are no compulsory routines in Xcel, so she could have routines choreographed to her strengths. A lot of girls who struggle in compulsories do well when they get to optionals or move over to Xcel due to the customization of routines to their strengths. If your gym has mobility between Xcel and DP, she could even move back over at level 6 or 7 provided she scores out of 5 in one meet (which it sounds like your gym does a score out meet for 5 anyways).

 

[Tigtimes]

As I have said on a few threads like this winning level 4 does not mean success later on. The lowest scoring level 4 on my daughters team, as in just barely meeting test out score once, is a multi year level 10 gymnast who is committed to a top ten college team for next year. Most of the high scoring compulsory gymnasts did not even make it to optionals.

The 36 score out is your gyms personal requirement.

 

[gymgal]

I think it's ok to introduce her to other sports to see if there is interest as long as it doesn't mean pulling her from gymnastics if she is still in love with the sport. She's 8, which is still young in terms of body awareness and other factors that can affect scores in those early levels. And as others have said, low scoring/placing at the compulsory levels does not predict low performance at the optional levels. Give her another year or two to continue to develop before even thinking of having "that" conversation. And frankly, even if she is still struggling with scores but still loving, I personally would keep her in it because for me, gymnastics isn't about the competitions. It's about the whole sport - the training, health, teammates/friendships, building confidence. You get it...

 

[Anonymous 1234]

That would be a gym rule... USA Gymnastics would be the following (page 79)...

https://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/Rules/Rules%20and%20Policies/2022/2022_2023_w_rulespolicies.pdf

View attachment 8607

So a 34.0 at L4 to get to L5... then a 32.0 at L5 to get to L6.

Clubs have their own standards... our club is a 35.0 at L4.

Thanks for this info! Yeah I guess it must be a gym standard. I really need to get educated LOL!

 

[GymDadWA]

Does your gym do an end of the year parental meeting, sometimes progress comes in a form not necessarily score related and hearing about the progress from a coach can be helpful before deciding to quit the activity altogether.

Also as has been said many times scores in compulsories do not equate to success or failure in higher levels. Being able to follow a pre-made routine perfectly doesn't equate to being able to do upper level skills.

 

[Anonymous 1234]

Does your gym do an end of the year parental meeting, sometimes progress comes in a form not necessarily score related and hearing about the progress from a coach can be helpful before deciding to quit the activity altogether.

Also as has been said many times scores in compulsories do not equate to success or failure in higher levels. Being able to follow a pre-made routine perfectly doesn't equate to being able to do upper level skills.

We're hoping to get some feedback after this season. Fingers crossed! Thanks for your feedback

 

[rjb123]

Here is a little perspective. My daughter was a VERY average gymnast. She was never top of the podium in the lower levels. But she loved it and had (has) a killer work ethic. She is now a multi year level ten and is a junior who is committed to do college gym. Her journey was NOT easy or direct but in the end, she just loves this sport and never quit. Every single girl other than her and one other who she did compulsory levels with have retired and moved on to other things. My point is that sometimes it is not about being the star when you are a level four- it is about sticking with it and loving what you are doing that will take you to the end. My advice is to look to your daughter for what to do. If she is loving gym, thriving and is getting good coaching, let her stick with it. From my observations with DD's old teammates not a single one of them had any difficulty transitioning to other sports later on in life. In fact, a large percentage of them are doing D1 sports in college! (diving, track, etc).

 

[Aussie_coach]

Doing gymnastics 15 hours a week is t going to cause her to miss out on other sports because gymnastics is the foundation of all sports. The fundamental movement patterns and strength she is developing in gymnastics, can be so easily transferred to another sport when she is older. Most gymnasts can quickly excel in almost any sport they choose.

Sport is a life long pursuit, there are no time constraints. She may have 80 years or more to try all the others sports she wants.

 

[TheXcelMom]

I'd really consider Xcel if you can. Fewer hours, optional routines, and gentler scoring.

At 8, my daughter scored so low in Xcel Bronze she repeated it, and it was the best thing for her. She just needed another year of maturity. At 12, she's pretty good, getting 37+AA at most events.

 

[Anonymous 1234]

Here is a little perspective. My daughter was a VERY average gymnast. She was never top of the podium in the lower levels. But she loved it and had (has) a killer work ethic. She is now a multi year level ten and is a junior who is committed to do college gym. Her journey was NOT easy or direct but in the end, she just loves this sport and never quit. Every single girl other than her and one other who she did compulsory levels with have retired and moved on to other things. My point is that sometimes it is not about being the star when you are a level four- it is about sticking with it and loving what you are doing that will take you to the end. My advice is to look to your daughter for what to do. If she is loving gym, thriving and is getting good coaching, let her stick with it. From my observations with DD's old teammates not a single one of them had any difficulty transitioning to other sports later on in life. In fact, a large percentage of them are doing D1 sports in college! (diving, track, etc).

Wow thank you so much for this perspective. You're absolutely right...I need to let her guide this journey. My kiddo is so coachable and she really does love this crazy sport! What an inspiration your DD must be to all the littles in her gym. Thanks again for helping me "shake my crazies" LOL

 

[JessSyd]

I guess it all boils down to what her motivation is. Is she in it to win it, or is she in it to fly? My daughter doesn’t mind competing and she loves those rare occasions where she ends up on the podium (it has happened literally twice in her six years of competitive gymnastics), but for her the training is the point - the feeling of flipping and twisting and flying, and the quest to always keep building on what she has.

So if winning is the primary aim - and for some kids it is and that’s fine - another sport might allow that more easily. But if the training is what she actually loves then she isn’t losing anything by dedicating 15 hours a week to it.

 

[LCsMom]

I'm pretty new to everything gymnastics but it was my understanding an athlete needs a 36 in a USAG level 4 competition in order to test out of 5 and into level 6. I know you're right about not asking her to quit since she loves it, it's just hard to watch her train so much without seeing marked improvements. We'll probably give it another year or so...she what transpires. Thanks for your feedback

You need a 34 to level out of 4 to Level 5. This must be a gym rule. I personally take a dim view of high minimum scores for gyms to move gymnasts up. USAG has these minimum scores for a reason. They are to ensure the safety of gymnasts moving up to the next level. Gym rules can be used for gym-selfish reasons, and are not usually in the best interest of individual gymnasts. Especially at lower levels, there's no good reason to require scores higher than USAG requires to move a gymnast up, in my opinion.