WAG Updated info for the 2013-2014 season

[clrmom]

I am curious...Have your gyms started communicating this information to parents already? I really appreciated the link the OP posted and it was very helpful. So far, the only reason I know anything about the level changes is because of Chalkbucket. There has been nothing mentioned at our gym.

 

[MaryA]

Yes, we had meetings by level at the beginning of the season where things were explained to us. It was the first time I heard that level 6's could move to either "new 6" or "new 7", that level 7's could move to either "new 7" or "new 8", etc. Since it was a level 7 meeting, I don't know what HC's plans are for all of the levels, but I know that she would like all of the current 7's to move to 8 next year, though depending on what C elements are required, some of them may need to do a few meets at new 7. If I had to guess, I would guess my daughter will be in that category. She tends to be among the last in her group to have all the skills (though once she has them, she makes them look really pretty ). Since HC generally likes the girls to do 2 years at 8 anyway, what she's competing at the beginning of next season is not likely to change when she progresses to 9 (if she progresses to 9, of course. Maybe sometime in the next 2.5 years she will decide she wants a life!).

 

[gymgal]

I am curious...Have your gyms started communicating this information to parents already? I really appreciated the link the OP posted and it was very helpful. So far, the only reason I know anything about the level changes is because of Chalkbucket. There has been nothing mentioned at our gym.

Dds gym has not mentioned anything but seeing that we have a year before orgies into effect, I think they are holding off until they have all the information. Since we compete xcel in the lower levels, these changes will not really affect too many girls anyway - the platinum girls will just transition into the new 6 instead of 7, after testing out of 4 and 5. Some may be able to make the jump to new 7 next year. I suspect all of our current 7s should be able to make the jump to new 8.

 

[chalkbowl]

We gave some information to our parents this summer about the changes and made some changes in the gym based on the level changes. We also explained in the easiest possible way some of the changes to the athletes. Hoping the sooner everyone is on the same page the more smoothly the transition period will go.

 

[gymgal]

Dds gym has not mentioned anything but seeing that we have a year before orgies into effect...

OK - I SO did not mean this... That was my smartphone trying to correct a spelling error and failing miserably. I can't believe I didn't catch that! It won't let me modify the post now.... sorry... It was supposed to read "before it all goes into effect"

 

[funflips]

Does anyone have any ideas about what the differences between new 6 and new 7 may be?

 

[Natasha]

Does anyone have any ideas about what the differences between new 6 and new 7 may be?

I think the difference will be in the number of required A and B skills. Similar to L7 and L8 now, they both are A and B skills (with a few C dance and bar skills allowed but counting as B) It is just that L8 requires more B skills. Currently L7 requires 2 B skills and L8 currently requires 4 I believe.

 

[dmytv]

last I heard, and things could change, 6 would require 1 b; 7 2b's.

 

[funflips]

Thanks gymtigermom and dawnmytv. Next year will be my first year coaching 7s (well 6s). We are trying to decide if we will compete 6 (new 5) or wait until they're ready for 7 (6) and just score out like most around here seem to do. I have often wondered why USAG doesn't just lower a few of the deductions in 6 (mainly bars) to encourage more participation. It doesn't seem like a useless level to me. But by the time they are really good enough to do well competing it, they can do level 7.

 

[coachmolly]

Thanks gymtigermom and dawnmytv. Next year will be my first year coaching 7s (well 6s). We are trying to decide if we will compete 6 (new 5) or wait until they're ready for 7 (6) and just score out like most around here seem to do. I have often wondered why USAG doesn't just lower a few of the deductions in 6 (mainly bars) to encourage more participation. It doesn't seem like a useless level to me. But by the time they are really good enough to do well competing it, they can do level 7.

I can see the new level 6 becoming obsolete very quickly, as it seems like it's more of a prep-op level for the kids missing a few key level 7 skills. As it is now, the big difference between 6 & 7, or the skills that really hold kids up, are giants and bhs on beam. With the new system, that's really all that stands between levels 5 & 7. So the new level 6 would be a good place for kids just slightly shy of all of their level 7 requirements to keep them from repeating a level they have already mastered, but it's also a step that lots of kids can (and currently do) jump right over.
This could all change when we see the actual requirements, but that's kind of how I'm seeing things as it stands now. It just seems like kind of an arbitrary place to "add" a level.

 

[2gymmies]

last I heard, and things could change, 6 would require 1 b; 7 2b's.

I heard the new 7 would require 3 b's. That is alittle different animal. 3 b's on bars might keep some folks back, especially if the SR's require it to be a b circling skill, not just cast handstands. Also, vault may be a deciding factor - anyone know what the new level 7 vault requirements may be?!

 

[gymgal]

I heard the new 7 would require 3 b's. That is alittle different animal. 3 b's on bars might keep some folks back, especially if the SR's require it to be a b circling skill, not just cast handstands. Also, vault may be a deciding factor - anyone know what the new level 7 vault requirements may be?!

I agree here. The original survey mentioned 3b's for L7. Though nothing is concrete yet, it would make a lot of sense in that 6 would be 1-2 B's, 7 would have 3 b's, and 8 would have 4 b's and 1 c allowed, which sets up well for level 9 requirements. I, too, am interested the vault requirements...

 

[coachmolly]

I agree here. The original survey mentioned 3b's for L7. Though nothing is concrete yet, it would make a lot of sense in that 6 would be 1-2 B's, 7 would have 3 b's, and 8 would have 4 b's and 1 c allowed, which sets up well for level 9 requirements. I, too, am interested the vault requirements...

That would make a lot more sense.

 

[dmytv]

What we know for sure: (per April issue of Technique magazine, page 14.)
For compulsories the level #'s are shifting downward- so new 3 (current 4) all skills stay the same with the option of doing a glide kip mount on bars OR the current glide pull over mount. Also new 5 (current 6) can do a bwo, a back extension roll, OR a BHS step out on beam. Other than that- everything skill wise is the same as present. Only the music and routines will change.

We know nothing for sure about optionals other than the fact that a new level is being added. Optionals will now be level 6-level 10. The PROPOSED changes to optional levels goes something like this:
New level 6- beginner optional- only 1 B skill. Current 7 requires 2 B skills. Also, current 7 allows some UB C skills to be performed at B value. I understand this will not be an option.
New level 7- advanced beginner optional- 2 or 3 B skills and some C skills will count toward B value. Current level 8 requires 4 B skills and gives some B credit for C skills.
New level 8- intermediate optional- 4 B skills and one C skill allowed per event for B credit. Similar to current level 8, but only allowable C skills presently are dance and certain UB skills.
New level 9- Beginner optional- unchanged. 4 B skills, 1 C skill and 1 D/E skill for C credit.
New level 10- advanced optional- unchanged- 3 B skills, 2 C skills, and bonuses awarded for difficulty and connection.

There has been chatter that the "new" level 6 might not be a required competitive level. If that comes to fruition, I guess there would be criteria- either from USGA or from the gyms/coaches that would allow mobility from "new" level 5 to "new" level 7.

 

[Aussie_coach]

The whole system seems a little strange, why are there so many restrictions on the difficulty level of skills in level 6-10? This is just about creating competitions and not about helping gymnasts to reach their full potential.

 

[profmom]

Color me curious as well about how vault will work in optionals -- will new L7 still have the front handspring as a 10.0? And if not, can they do Yurchenkos and/or Tsuks?

 

[gymgal]

Color me curious as well about how vault will work in optionals -- will new L7 still have the front handspring as a 10.0? And if not, can they do Yurchenkos and/or Tsuks?

Curious too. As it is now, you can do these in current L7 but there is no scoring benefit to it so most do not.

There has been chatter that the "new" level 6 might not be a required competitive level. If that comes to fruition, I guess there would be criteria- either from USGA or from the gyms/coaches that would allow mobility from "new" level 5 to "new" level 7.

the link in the first post of this topic gives the outline for how move ups will happen for the transition year. It states that the current level 5s and 6s will need the mobility score to move up to the next level, so presumably, in future years, this will also be a requirement. The only move-up where a mobility score will not be required for the transition year will be current level 7 looking to go to the new level 7, which basically tells you there is not going to be much difference in requirements from old to new level 7. hope that made sense. Check out the link above. It is explained more clearly than I can - chart form and all.

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

OK - I SO did not mean this... That was my smartphone trying to correct a spelling error and failing miserably. I can't believe I didn't catch that! It won't let me modify the post now.... sorry... It was supposed to read "before it all goes into effect"

I was thinking... just WHAT kind of gymnastics program are you people running down in the US???

 

[dmytv]

I am in region 8 and alot of gyms around here do level 5, then 1 meet to score out of 6, then move to the xcel plat. level for a year, wait until they get giants and then the gymnast can go to 7. Now instead of moving out of the JO system and back in again, the gymnast will do a year of 4, then score out of 5, do 6 maybe without a giant, then 7.

 

[AmandaLynn]

What we know for sure: (per April issue of Technique magazine, page 14.)
For compulsories the level #'s are shifting downward- so new 3 (current 4) all skills stay the same with the option of doing a glide kip mount on bars OR the current glide pull over mount. Also new 5 (current 6) can do a bwo, a back extension roll, OR a BHS step out on beam. Other than that- everything skill wise is the same as present. Only the music and routines will change.

This is not true. Some skills will be different. The lower level compulsory vaults are different, for example. The Dive roll on floor in L5 (new L4) appears to be gone if you go off of the skill list posted in technique. It appears that all of the 1 foot turns will now be in passe (rather than some being in coupe) and that they are adding sissones into the compulsory floor routines. Also, the mill circles in L3 and L4 (New L2 and L3) area allowed to be either mill circles or single leg basket swings. I'm sure there are other minor changes that I'm not remembering at the moment. A link to the info is here:

http://usagym.org/pages/education/pdfs/13-20wjoCompProg.pdf