Transition from Level 10 to Elite

[monkeysmom]

I don't disagree with any of that. I didn't mean to cause offense and a defensive reaction, sorry about that. My post referred specifically to just this one statement by the other poster which made me chuckle:

"I can guarantee if you pick any junior and senior elite in the VISA Championships and compare the quality of the skills to any JO champion, there will be a markedly difference"


With a smiley face (and I thought a sense of humor but apparently that didn't come across in my post), I posted that she may need to eat those words this year. I am aware that any JO champions need to make some changes to go for elite, however the earlier statement is indeed false if any of this year's JO event or AA champions make it to VISAs. Just sayin.....and still sayin.....may need to eat those words this year. : )

PS the keep your words tender and sweet quote is one of my favorite and it comes in handy for me to remind myself of it, particularly in business when someone does something that ruffles my feathers. I'm a direct assertive person and my natural reaction in those situations is definitely not to keep it tender and sweet, so I have learned to try to remind myself. One of the things that comes with navigating the corporate world for "more than a few" years. I've also given that advice once or twice to my seven year old with regard to how she and her friends talk to each other and about other people. I do my best to teach my bright, outspoken little peanut to be humble and kind.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

and that's good too! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[LMV]

I don't disagree with any of that. I didn't mean to cause offense and a defensive reaction, sorry about that. My post referred specifically to just this one statement by the other poster which made me chuckle:

"I can guarantee if you pick any junior and senior elite in the VISA Championships and compare the quality of the skills to any JO champion, there will be a markedly difference"

If we're just focusing on the quoted aspect then I would think that our daughter's favorite gymnast Grace Williams [who she thinks rocks because they have the same triple series on beam] would be one good counter example because she won JO Nationals in 2010 and then went on to qualify elite and compete at Visa Championships. Now, to be fair she trains at an elite gym and I presume that she and her coaches had plans beyond JO in 2010 before she won nationals but technically she would still be the counter example.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

If we're just focusing on the quoted aspect then I would think that our daughter's favorite gymnast Grace Williams [who she thinks rocks because they have the same triple series on beam] would be one good counter example because she won JO Nationals in 2010 and then went on to qualify elite and compete at Visa Championships. Now, to be fair she trains at an elite gym and I presume that she and her coaches had plans beyond JO in 2010 before she won nationals but technically she would still be the counter example.

I do think that some "elite" gyms are training their elites while having them go through the JO levels as well. Brooke Parker, one of the elites from a local gym, competed all through the JO levels while she was training elite. From what I remember, tho, is that once she actually qualified to elite, she only competed elite meets from then on out... Until this past year (senior year of high school) she dropped back to Level 10. I don't think she scored spectacularly, but she still got a scholarship to Alabama for next year. That gym also had several girls "training elite" and going to qualifying meets, but they still competed JO meets as well. I think they may actually have a new girl coming up that needs to be watched!!!

 

[SkiBumGymMom]

This is response to the conversation about JO girls who are like elites, elites that are elites, etc. etc. that seems to have evolved. This is just a guess of mine, because there's obviously exceptions, but I believe geography comes into play. If a girl isn't located near an elite program, there's more of a chance she might go through all the JO levels before pushing for elite. I'm thinking about Shawn Johnson. She competed at JO Nationals in 2004... the same year DD was there, DD stood no chance ;-) Not that we went expecting anything more than the chance to compete but anyway. Alicia Sacramone went through L 10 and competed at Nationals. Obviously these top elite girls went through the levels a little quicker than the average girl who gets to L 10 and competes at a higher level, but never the less. Even a lesser known gymnast, Brandi Jay, from our state that used to compete against DD went through the JO levels. Like Iowa and Massachusetts our state is not known for high level gyms that produce elite athletes by the truckload compared to let's say... Texas. If you live close to elite training it's far easier to go that route and not finish out the JO system.

And obviously geography doesn't dictate how talented a gymnast may be, thus the discrepancies between some junior int'l elites and some L 10s. From a parent's perspective if you live in an area without elite training per se, you're probably more likely to stay put and let DD go through all the JO levels before pushing for more. Some coaches in these areas are talented enough to train elite athletes (like Alicia's and Shawn's) they're just in areas where there aren't truckloads of girls ready or willing to go elite. Thus you see these girls have the elite like qualities mentioned earlier, but at the JO level. Of course there's parents who move across country when DD is a level 8 to do elite training, because every family is different.

But I don't know all that much about elite other than watching meets on TV with DD and when my DD was pushed to try to train it after a few years at L 10 and qualifying for Nationals. It's just an observation of mine, I could be way, way off base.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

no, you're not off base. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^