Parents Too Much, Too Soon? Level 2

[GymFlipGirl]

[QUOTE="gymnastruby, post: 435909, member:

She's still terrified of beam. Visibly shakes so much on it that it's almost comical. I've always wondered if that's something that will come with more time and confidence or if she's always going to hate it.

Good luck to your DD on her journey. She must be very talented![/QUOTE]

Thank you! Good luck with your daughter and the beam- gymnastics in general terrifies me (I was a dancer, not a gymnast, as a kid and young adult) We haven't gotten in far enough to realize any fears yet

 

[GymFlipGirl]

Sorry that I am so uneducated - what do you mean by "up training"?

My DD walked into a rec class that she received for a Christmas present from her grandparents (I thought it was too expensive... OH! The IRONY!) back in February of 2013 at the age of 5. After one day and one 40 min class she was invited to the fast track/pre-team. She was moved to level 3 in May of 2013 with first comp being fall 2013. She is now planning to score out of 5 this next weekend and will begin competing 6 by the end of the month... A LOT has happened in just shy of 3 years!! It is a whirlwind!

DD practices 12 hrs a week now and will move to 13 hrs as a level 6... That many hours for a level 2 sounds like a whole bunch more than the "norm" I've seen on here... Unless, like another poster mentioned they are doing serious up training...

Do what you can to limit her gymnastics outside of the gym--- good habits you can enforce now.

Our gym believes in really developing core fundamentals/foundations and form... They won't just push a kid through to get them through. We also don't compete level 2.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

For perspective, our gym competes L2 and L3.
And won a lot, including states. There were also lots of meets where we were the only team competing, especially at L2. In other words our girls were competing against each other. L2 and L3 are not required. Although competing at meet gives them lots of "meet" experience. Which is great, our kids are very used to meets.

L4 is a whole different thing, competition gets harder and up it goes from there.

Again, L2 and competing is a great experience. And personally I think 12 hours is a lot.

It really depends on the state though. Level 2 is competed a lot more where I live than it seems to be in some other states. At our recent state meet the number of gymnasts per level were:

Level 2: 174
Level 3: 211
Level 4: 218
Level 5: 85

So, fewer at level 2 than 3 or 4, yes, but still a good amount of competition.

 

[meganliz77]

Sorry that I am so uneducated - what do you mean by "up training"?

Meaning they are training skills higher than their level... So level 2 training level 3-4-5 skills, for example.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Level 2: 174
Level 3: 211
Level 4: 218
Level 5: 85

.

It's the L5 that's striking. Again, huge difference in lower vs higher levels.

That was my point.

Don't sweat L2 and L3 they are meant to be fun introductory levels. Just have fun.

 

[Committed]

It's the L5 that's striking. Again, huge difference in lower vs higher levels.

That was my point.

Don't sweat L2 and L3 they are meant to be fun introductory levels. Just have fun.

Not really. Many areas score out of 5 instead of competing a season and therefore foregoing State.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Not really. Many areas score out of 5 instead of competing a season and therefore foregoing State.

Again the higher levels have less competing then L4.

 

[Committed]

Again the higher levels have less competing then L4.

Of course they do. There are most likely more L5s than L8s & more L8s than L10s. In my experience, I've noticed that L4 is the highest populated.

I'm just pointing out that the L5 number in that post was probably skewed by the fact that it's an often scored out of level.

 

[Aussie_coach]

It is not excessively fast progress. Coaches can spot the talent in kids pretty much as they walk in the door, as she is already 7 it is better to run with the talent now than to take too long waiting for her to go through absolute beginner programs.

3 days a week is quite common at this level, but 4 hours training is a concern at this age. Even with older kids, injury rates go up after 3 1/2 hours due to fatigue.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

It's the L5 that's striking. Again, huge difference in lower vs higher levels.

That was my point.

Don't sweat L2 and L3 they are meant to be fun introductory levels. Just have fun.

Level 6: 160

The level 5 numbers were definitely lower because of gymnasts scoring out. Still, I was just responding to the part about how at many meets, your teams gymnasts were competing with themselves. When my dd competed level 2, there was plenty of competition at the meets. That was my point. I do agree that they are introductory levels and should be fun and not stressful.

 

[raenndrops]

As for those banners on the wall. The ones that hold value are in the optional levels 7,8,9 and 10. It is a long long road from level 2 ......

I think this really depends on the gym...
Newer gyms may not have gymnasts at those levels yet.
Some gyms don't have the equipment and coaching to get girls to the higher levels (or they may focus on getting girls ready for high school gymnastics) or they may be used as feeder programs for bigger gyms.
Our gym wont have girls over L8 ... because that is the level high school competition is. We start competing at L3. We do not rush girls thru levels. You can't score out of a level unless you are in Jr high or high school... and even then, you have to do it twice... and it is only L5 where it is allowed (because Jr high team uses Xcel Platinum rules and those routines can be easily modified for L6).

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

While it seems like a lot of hours for L2, I wouldn't worry about burnout due to your dd's age. If she were 5yo..it would be a bigger concern. It is not unusual to see 7yo in L4, where it is not where 12 hours per week is typical in some areas. It's not unheard of to have 7 yo competing L4, where they may go even more hours. As long as she wants more, you're in good shape, As soon as there is even a hint of not wanting to go to practice (other than illness) you should re-visit the burnout question. Kipper's been competing for over 5 years. I've seen some talented kids quit because the hours and expectations were more than they were willing to embrace. In several cases, it was the parent's involvement and extra pressure, more than the hours alone that led to burn out. In particular, there was a very talented 8yo who had quit once before bc of the pressure, and her mom pushed her to the optional team and 20 hours per week as soon as she came back. No surprise, she quit again! So, just listen and pay close attention. Don't hesitate to let her miss on occasion for other important activities (family/friend birthdays, school carnivals, etc) She shouldn't feel like she is giving up "everything" for gym at age 7. There will be time when greater sacrifice is required, but hopefully she will be mature enough to understand what she is giving up.

 

[gymmiemom]

Sounds similar to what my DD did when she started gym. Rec to team in about 3 months. There was no L2 then, but it was old L3, which is basically the same thing. She started off training 12 hours a week, and she had just turned 6. It never bugged her. And I don't find it extreme at all. Especially if there is focus on uptraining and conditioning.

But I will say that our gym was new then and it has grown and now L2 and L3 train 6 hours a week. L4 up goe 12+ hours.

 

[Musicmama]

3 days a week is quite common at this level, but 4 hours training is a concern at this age. Even with older kids, injury rates go up after 3 1/2 hours due to fatigue.

Oh, that's good to know! Our gym spaces things out so that once the kids are doing 12 hours a week, it's spread over four days. So, level 3 is 3x a week for 3 hours each day and level 4 adds one more day to make it 12 hours a week.

 

[Beangirl]

Sees high to me. At our gym - L2 = 7 hours, L3 = 9 hours, L4 = 12 hours

 

[hienergyhouse]

My DD is L2 and only does 4.5 hours/week! Crazy to see the difference in gyms!

 

[Aussie_coach]

It is not the number of hours, but what is done in those hours that really counts. I have seen kids on half the hours progress at a faster rate because the hours are well used.

 

[GymFlipGirl]

I learned yesterday that Level 2 training will only be 9 hours a week, instead of 12 (the gym is making changes for lower levels I guess?)…. SO glad about that. I was concerned that going from 2 hours a week to 12 hours a week would be overwhelming for her. Thanks everyone for all of your comments, suggestions and advice!

 

[Musicmama]

Oh good! That sounds as though it'll be much more reasonable of a change.

 

[Taurus]

Here's what I've gathered from experience (and reading old posted on CB!) Training hrs depend on your area/state (as in, how competitive your state is- some seem far more than others & if you're in gymnastics for awhile, you'll soon figure it out & it will skew your thinking on training hours) but regardless of that even, as long as your girl loves it for now & you can swing getting her there on time & are willing to pay, then don't worry too much- she will let you know if the hours are unmanageable, bc she will start to balk at going. Also, if you have done a sport in your own youth, keep in mind that they have a significant amount of downtime- it isn't an aerobic sport, so standing around happens a lot more than swimming, soccer, or most anything else- 3 hrs at gymnastics isn't the same as 3 hrs in the pool (but it is much tougher on a younger, growing body, so keep an eye out for potential injuries- read up on injuries in the old posts on this site to know what to look for!) Great Luck to your new gymmy!! (My level 3 did 12 hrs, now level 4 is 16 - work out a homework plan asap so she can get her school work done & still get enough sleep!!)