WAG Took DD out of JO preteam

[Eleven sol]

One other thing the coach mentioned is that there were other parents hounding her for the preteam spot... She held the spot for my daughter as long as she feasibly could to give her time to mature. I thought that she did the best she could.

 

[bookworm]

Neither of my girls ever did pre-team, and both have gone on to be successful Level 10s, and collegiate gymnasts ( 1 current/ 1 future).....don't think that their gym path is written in stone at the age of 6...

 

[coachmolly]

I think you made a good call. I am in charge of pre-team programs at my gym and I have had several girls placed in my group by other coaches because they are physically talented and their parents are excited but the kid just does not love doing gymnastics. They like it okay, it's fun at a rec. level, but the demands of pre-team gym are just not to their liking. I really wish more parents could see this in their kids and allow them to step back and come back around on their own time if they choose. It's far better than watching a kid be miserable in class or leave gymnastics altogether with less than happy feelings. Though I am at a smaller gym with no age requirements, so the door to team remains open to these kids down the road.

 

[charity]

My daughter is lv4 8 year old, she is a young 8 during state, her bday is April. Is 8 lv4 too old for JO?

 

[LJL07]

And sorry a hard line rule by 5 or 6 is just ridiculous.

Actually any hard line rule there are always exceptions.

At 5 and 6 they are little kids, just little kids. Focus, work ethic take time and grown ups who want to invest in them.

And they don't need to go a bunch of hours either.

I agree! I have a 5 yr old on team, and as much as she loves gymnastics, she is sometimes not wanting to go after a full day of school or just a full day in general. They are babies at 5&6!! To draw a line in the sand at that age is just nuts.

 

[LJL07]

My daughter is lv4 8 year old, she is a young 8 during state, her bday is April. Is 8 lv4 too old for JO?

What?! No. That is the youngest age group here. I think minimum they have to be 7 yrs old.

 

[charity]

Lol ok. I have been reading threads about 8 year olds levels 6 or 7 here. That's why i am wondering.

 

[duyetanh]

If you keep reading, you will probably fine that 8 year olds range from lvl 2 to God only knows...

 

[LJL07]

Lol ok. I have been reading threads about 8 year olds levels 6 or 7 here. That's why i am wondering.

That's more the exception than the norm. AND, as I have been discovering, there is a wide range of criteria for moving kids to levels 4, 5, 6, or 7. Some places will move them up if they can perform the skills (34-ish range), but others won't move them up until the form is excellent (37-ish range). This is a very confusing sport!! I would say 8 yrs old and level 4 is doing just fine! Better than fine!

 

[sce]

That's more the exception than the norm. AND, as I have been discovering, there is a wide range of criteria for moving kids to levels 4, 5, 6, or 7. Some places will move them up if they can perform the skills (34-ish range), but others won't move them up until the form is excellent (37-ish range). This is a very confusing sport!! I would say 8 yrs old and level 4 is doing just fine! Better than fine!

I totally agree. An 8yo level 4 is doing great.

 

[hearts_and_stars]

I happened to see on a gyms website training hours. 30 hrs per week for TOPs kids. These are 8,9, 10 year old kids. Blows my mind.

We have 2 girls who just turned 10 on TOPS. They train with DD, 29 hours a week normal practice and then 3-4 hours extra for TOPS. DD never did TOPS because her coach at the time did not think she needed it (in other words, she could accomplish her goals without TOPS). She has had a fantastic gymnastics career and still loves the sport. I know alternative history is impossible, but I'm wondering if going the TOPS route when she was 6 or 7 would have led to burnout....

BTW...our gym does not place age limits on kids, though if a parent wants their kid to go elite and they're a 10 year old compulsory kid they are likely too old. It does not mean they will be limited--the coaches are really good at pushing kids at their pace and not the coaches' pace, but you have to accomplish so much at such a young age in this sport that, as hard as it is to accept, it's the reality.

 

[Chalky]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludivine_Furnon