Well, I think for most of them it's just discouraging with the standard of the detail expected in the routines. I would say the USAG compulsory routines are fairly complex now. I am not saying the kids aren't ready to learn those skills, necessarily, or even perform them in informal meets or exhibitions. Just that I have seen a lot of kids who are physically capable of the skills get discouraged because there is a lot more to the routines and developmentally it is a lot to expect. But I mean, like everything, I guess it can be done well and not well, you know? I just think the way the system is set up sort of encourages gyms to do things that perhaps aren't the best practices in the long run for most kids.
Developmentally we have a lot of information that in early childhood kids learn through play, sort of like experimentation. I think a lot of times we essentially have programs in place where we are like, do this over and over (drilling very specific patterns of movement, i.e. exactly what is in the routine) just so these little kids can learn them. Because overall many of the kids are not able to do it very well. That is just how it is. If you watch 9 out of 10 5 year olds try to do these USAG L3 routines to the music, they will be off the music, doing extra steps, looks awkward, etc. But there is a lot more to gymnastics and these may be the best years to develop overall physical abilities. Basically creating a lot of reference points in many different kinds of movement and doing different things. In terms of motor learning, having children do different variations of things has been shown to be more successful in creating memory patterns, than to have them do the same thing over and over. More parts of the brain are lighting up when they are doing new things because the brain is learning what NOT to do to produce a successful result. When the brain gets efficient at that, then less parts of the brain "light up" as the body efficiently does the skill.
But overall I'm getting kind of off my point. I do think most children are not ready to compete at 5 and 6. It is always possible there are exceptions. And of course it's kind of a hard point to really prove or disprove because that is the way our system is set up: if a child has USAG level [whatever] skills, there is generally only one training program a gym has for them, and that is the USAG level [whatever] competitive group. So if the child is not of the age to compete that, of course they are in a situation where they are essentially "left out" of a special thing the other children of their same caliber are doing, and that is frustrating. If we prioritized "pre-team" that developed skills past L3, and included more rigorous and differentiated kinds of training (not just routines, but all kinds of fun activities and movement patterns and conditioning work), then children would be motivated probably both by it intrinsically being fun and challenging, and by looking forward to the privilege of one day being one of the "big girls" who competes. But there is no real motivation for things to be set up this way.
In fact I think the next cycle will trend to even more competitions for younger and lower level gymnasts. So, I think if that is what we want to do, create routines that are more user-friendly for the coaches, create a different stream for kids under a certain age who aren't level 4 or 5 yet, or something, that features an experience more appropriate to those ages. For example, not using music in the floor routines, developmentally appropriate skills (no bridges under 5, etc), equipment at appropriate heights or adapted equipment, etc. Personally I don't think it is necessary in terms of developing gymnasts. BUT if USAG wants to push it as a moneymaker (let's be honest with ourselves) the way they are going about capitalizing on it doesn't seem entirely logical to me. I have no desire right now to get a group of 5 year olds and teach them the L3 routines to an appropriate competitive standard. They may have the skills down and be fabulous but it just doesn't seem right to me. I work with hundreds of 5 year olds and some are fabulous but I think there are other ways to motivate kids than just competition.
