TOPS Testing Scores

[overwhelmed]

Just a quick question - for State TOPS testing, do you all find out what your daughter's scores were (how many points, etc)?

Our gym says they won't tell us so we shouldn't ask - but I don't think that's right! Don't we have a right to know how they did?

This is my daughters first year doing it so I am not really sure how it all works.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[SignHere]

This is my daughter's first year doing it, too. She's 8 years old.

Truth be told, I am pretty darn sick of TOPs right about now. If she makes it to National Testing and she has to keep it up for another month, I'll probably have to go check into a loony bin.

 

[GymBeeMom]

Our coaches are transparent with scores and progress. It is nice to know what they scored but in the end it doesn't matter until the final scores needed to make it are determined. It may be frustrating not knowing but even with knowing the scores, we don't know if they get her to national testing. Maybe your coaches feel like knowing scores will give you a false sense of whether your child did good or not, when really they mean nothing until the final scores for all states are done. I doubt any this helped but I certainly feel your tension. TOPS is stressful even when we want it to just be a growth experience for our young athletes. They work so hard, we just want them to reach their own goals. Best wishes to all the testers!

 

[overwhelmed]

Thank you GymBeeMom for your reply - that really does make sense and I totally need to stop worrying about the little things! I wish this sport wasn't so stressful on us parents! Like you mentioned, it will be nice to find out what she still needs to work on and this way she can set her goals for next year!

 

[newtogymnastics]

Our coaches do not share the scores with our girls as well. My daughter doesn't seem to mind. She just keeps on working out and trying her best. She's never asked her coach or us what her scores were. My husband and I would love to know, but we're not the one competing! Some parents are really upset about this policy, but I completely trust our coaches. Hopefully her best will be enough to get her to the next level.

 

[SignHere]

I think it would be good if they didn't know the scores during the test. That way if they don't do well they won't have that added pressure

 

[Moxiegrl83]

I asked what TOPS was, didn't realize there was a whole page of TOPS topics!! Sorry! Off to read about it now. ;-)

 

[021581ts]

At the facility where my daughter's gym goes for testing the testers actually tell the girls their scores right away. The TOPs coach then sits them down one on one at the next practice to go over it with them as well.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I don't bla,e a coach for keeping scores a secret. The scores needed to make the camps will change from year to year. It would be heartbreaking for a kid to feel she has,are it for sure only to find out the cut off has gone up.It also prevents unnecessary comparisons between the kids on the team.

 

[SignHere]

Our coaches showed all the parents the score sheet with all the gurls' scores. Some of the parents were taking pictures of the sheet with their cameras! You can bet THOSE parents are comparing the girls to each other. Sometimes the competitiveness drives me insane!

 

[Muddlethru]

I think it benefits those that are close to making national testing or the team to find out their scores. It may give them the motivation to just push a little more to make it. For those that have a longer shot at making it, I think it may serve no purpose to disclose the scores. If the scores are disclosed to everyone, it is probably a good idea for the coach to keep the scores between the gymnast and the coach to avoid comparison. I am also on the fence on who should participate in the program; those who only have a good chance (and this number is really very small, usually one or two in a gym) or to give everyone a chance. At our gym, the HC picked a handful of girls to train for TOPS and even in those handful only one made it to national testing and the rest were not even anywhere close. I can say that those not selected to participate felt bad for themselves as well as those that were selected and did not make it.

 

[Amber]

My DD is new on TOPs too. She is 7 years old. My questions is, I read that some gyms have kids who work only on TOPs....they don't compete, just constantly work on TOPs skills. I get that they do that to get some serious recognition. So why do HCs bother? I know that the girls at our gym will not be close to making it (no one has in the past)...they only have one extra TOPs workout a week. I know that it is good because it increases strength and flexibility, and I am happy she gets the extra time, but is there anything else to it? It just seems kind of pointless. Our TOPs class is free, so its not a money maker. Maybe I am missing something?

 

[wandrewsjr]

One reason gyms have a TOPS program is to provide a service that the customer base wants. When customers are " gym shopping", a TOPS program is one thing on some customers checklist, so why not provide it? Some gyms end up abandoning it after experimenting with it, or may do it some years and not others. But gyms are part of the service industry, and must constantly strive to provide what their customers want, to improve their bottom line, and hopefully survive another year in what is a very tough business to succeed.

 

[Amber]

True, I never thought about it as being on the menu for the gym, so to say....I'm just using as a motivator for DD...being chosen was an "honor" and she needs to try her best and set an example....I think she's just happy to get a new TOPs leo ! Thanks for the input!