WAG Uk System Vs Usa System

[Ex member]

I have always wanted to know the difference between the Usa system with their seemingly straightforward paths in Rec, Excel or JO and the Uk system with what seems like a more complicated system with many different paths. My dd has been in a development group for a year now and I am no closer to understanding it all, there has been a recent change in the Uk a Grades system and I thought that this would maybe bring more paths together and simplify things, but for my limited experience with dd this does not seem the case. I thought that maybe these new grades would allow more gymnasts to take part and be part of the new Club Grades system but that doesn't to be happening at dd's gym, first she was going to be he new Club Grades and then recently there has been a change of mind and they will be doing County Levels instead and maybe the new Cluh Grades in 2016, maybe the late grade changes will stop the gymnasts not already on the old Grades path from taking part this year. It really did seem like the Uk system was becoming more straightforward to understand like the Usa system but maybe I was wrong.

I have read a little bit about the Uk system with Novice, Floor and Vault, County Grades, Regional Grades. From what little dd has done this year I would put her in the rec section as she does low hours (5 a week) and limited comps - one tumble and trampette friendly this month that advanced rec kids were invited to as well as kids that did up to 7 hours) Dd has a high level of insurance (Silver Club Competitive), hopefully this year they will do more comps and I will finally be able to build up a picture of what she is actually doing and hopefully get a little more understanding of the path she is on this year (dd is 8 and her path can change in the future - not elite tracked but maybe regional).

 

[Mumof2gymnasts]

In the 18mths that my dd has been at her gym I have tried to understand the system but I don't have a clue! I've read and re-read things a 1000 times but it goes way over my head. I've stopped trying to understand it know. All I know is that she's doing Compulsory 5 in March.

 

[Ex member]

I wasn't aware that they were still doing compulsory 5, I thought that the elite track girls were starting at compulsory 4 in the year they turn 9. I got my information from the Grades Overview on the British Gymnastics website, looking at the table it gives you minimum ages for each level and then pathways from Club Grades 6&5, there seems to be nothing for the elite track girls in the year they turn 8, at our gym the young girls on the elite track (age 6-7) get to compete in the same comps as advance rec and other girls who are not in the elite track, it doesn't seem fair for them to compete against girls who train less hours and get a different style coaching, the younger elite track girls dominate the comps and the others do not get a look in.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

The thing is, the system is there, but how it is used is up to each individual club.

All capable girls in our club are competed and entered into grades, no matter what their age or level. It doesn't matter how they place, they are still entered.

This is not the system in other clubs.

Our county comps are organised into levels, we do not have a specific F&V stream but we do start the level 7's on F&V only.

@Tiny Dancer there should be a skills limit on your lower level comps, so these elite girls can only do limited skills, but unfortunately you just have to accept in gymnastics that in the UK it is very hard to medal unless you are on the elite stream

 

[Ex member]

@Tiny Dancer there should be a skills limit on your lower level comps, so these elite girls can only do limited skills, but unfortunately you just have to accept in gymnastics that in the UK it is very hard to medal unless you are on the elite stream

That is probably true for the younger girls, but for dd's age group she as not up against any elite track girls (2005/2006 birth year), the girls who where born 2007/2008 were against elite track girls. Dd was against one girl with same birth year as herself and this girl competed at a lower level than she is prbably should given her skill level, this girl won first place in tumbling where the hardest thing was a round off - this girl can do front walk overs (which was the hardest thing on the next level up) etc and easily have competed the next level up, but that is not really an issue as sandbagging does go in gymnastics and is something that we have to get used to.

Going back to the elite stream girls, I cannot imagine that dd will be competing against them this year at least as the competitions they go to are different with different sets of rules that do not allow gymnasts who do over a certain amount of hours and have passed a certain Grade to enter.

 

[Mumof2gymnasts]

As far as I'm aware compulsory 5 is a regional thing, some do it some don't, but again I don't have a clue about the system at all. I totally understand where you're coming from with the elite track girls competing against non elite girls. When mine competed in September she won her level by over 4 marks but was training 14hrs a week. She did a novice competition last year and had a limit on what she could do. She was originally going to do a front somersault in her floor routine but then couldn't as it wasn't allowed, so although she's capable of doing skills she's not actually allowed to use them in competitions. She's learning to do 2 flicks on beam at the moment and can do a tuck back on beam but won't be using the skills for a while yet.