Parents Upgrade Season

[MuggleMom]

So meet season is over for my kid and she did fantastic peaked at the right time and it was so cool to watch. Now its time to start training for level 9 . Honestly how the first half of the year went I thought for sure she would be repeating 8 and was fine with that so this is a cool surprise. She was telling me the skills they are planning for her for level 9 and... Wow. I used to watch the older girls at practice and say I can't wait till my kid can do that and their parents were like "you won't be saying that when shes working on them" Its starting to be a bit true...she is really starting to work on big skills now and its so cool but holy cow.

What were the Upper Optional Skills you were most excited for your kid to work on? And what skills are you like oh crap that looks scary?

For me I can't wait to see her do Paks at a meet!
Double Backs are scarier when its my kid doing them than other kids lol (not cause she does them bad or anything)

 

[gymgal]

I used to watch the older girls at practice and say I can't wait till my kid can do that and their parents were like "you won't be saying that when shes working on them" Its starting to be a bit true...she is really starting to work on big skills now and its so cool but holy cow.

Very interesting! I was opposite. I could never imagine (or want to see) my dd doing those big skills that the older girls were doing but as time went on and she got one skill over the next, it prepared me for those BIG skills. I still would never watch practice but it was great seeing videos when she mastered each.

As for those double backs, I was so glad when she decided not to work on them anymore. She competed a few in meets and then decided it wasn't for her and switched her passes. They always made me more nervous than other skills.

 

[rlm's mom]

Upgrade season… generally the least pressured part of the year. Wish we could have this all year round.
Pacs are the coolest things to watch for me too! I like watching my kids do bars in general. Also agree re double backs - i hold my breath every time. Somehow a full-in seems less scary than a double back - hopefully DD will manage to upgrade so will save me a heartache or two. I hate beam altogether. Scared they’re gonna split the beam on a back tuck

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Love upgrades! I haven’t watched practice since covid, so I love videos. Unfortunately they are very few and far between. I’m most excited about any bar upgrades and don’t really like floor. Probably because it’s not her best event and she’s hurt her ankle multiple times on floor skills. I also like seeing beam videos and hearing about beam upgrades (she’s working a triple series and the front toss right now for upgrades), but I can not watch beam live period. Lol.

 

[LCsMom]

I am both excited and terrified to watch my kid flip a vault. It's the last skill she needs for Level 8.

 

[MuggleMom]

I am both excited and terrified to watch my kid flip a vault. It's the last skill she needs for Level 8.

I thought that would be the worst but I lucked out and Vault just clicked for my kid at level 8 and once she started flipping she looked really good on vault so it was less scary for me to watch and ended up being her best event this year. This from a kid who never got a 9 on vault before level 7 and got a 9.55 on vault at Level 8 regionals... so anything is possible!

 

[Deleted member 26368]

I'm over here reading this thread in awe! My kid is a long way from optionals, but yeah, no way I'd be able to watch practice for some of the upper optionals skills. The most I see from our gym's upper optionals is on social media. Scary - but SO cool looking at the same time.

I'm just over here hoping mine can get comfortable with back tumbling and jumping to the high bar over the summer, LOL.

 

[NutterButter]

I'm just over here hoping mine can get comfortable with back tumbling and jumping to the high bar over the summer, LOL.

It's all relative - whether your kid is newly training a single or double back tuck.

 

[Deleted member 26368]

Oh, absolutely! I tell DD that even at Xcel Silver, she does things many people in the world can't (or wouldn't) do, and that's pretty amazing. It's truly special what these gymnasts can do, especially at the upper levels.

 

[BusyMomof2]

I love when our coaches send videos of new skills at practice! I was actually at practice yesterday and watched my daughter working on BHS on the beam for the first time...I kind of felt terrified. She was totally exhilarated though! At our gym, beams can't be seen in the viewing area and you have to watch on a TV and now I think this might be by design. Beam is scary to watch, at practice or in meets IMO.

 

[JPC13]

Oh, absolutely! I tell DD that even at Xcel Silver, she does things many people in the world can't (or wouldn't) do, and that's pretty amazing. It's truly special what these gymnasts can do, especially at the upper levels.

That’s absolutely true. After practice I took my daughter to the mall and they had a US Marines fitness test/recruiting thing where they would give out prizes for pull-ups. She busted out twenty effortless pull-ups, won the prize, and didn’t break a sweat — being all of 4 feet tall and 45 pounds.

 

[Kolabola29]

I thought that would be the worst but I lucked out and Vault just clicked for my kid at level 8 and once she started flipping she looked really good on vault so it was less scary for me to watch and ended up being her best event this year. This from a kid who never got a 9 on vault before level 7 and got a 9.55 on vault at Level 8 regionals... so anything is possible!

This gives me hope! My 8yo who is starting optionals has struggled with vault—she’s tiny and light and has scored a 9 maybe once? Now I can keep hope alive for a delayed click on vault

 

[Coach Kate]

This gives me hope! My 8yo who is starting optionals has struggled with vault—she’s tiny and light and has scored a 9 maybe once? Now I can keep hope alive for a delayed click on vault

I really struggled with vault (and tumbling really) until we got a new coach who just really understood what would help me. Yurchenkos went way better for me than handsprings, too, so getting past that phase of life also helped a lot. It can definitely get better!

 

[ZB55]

This gives me hope! My 8yo who is starting optionals has struggled with vault—she’s tiny and light and has scored a 9 maybe once? Now I can keep hope alive for a delayed click on vault

Vault clicked for my daughter after her teen growth spurt; she gained speed & power she didn't have as young flexible girl. The L6/7 timer vault also gave her time to develop the block off the table that she never really got in compulsories. Getting that pop off the table really boosted her scores and prepared her to flip.

 

[Kolabola29]

I really struggled with vault (and tumbling really) until we got a new coach who just really understood what would help me. Yurchenkos went way better for me than handsprings, too, so getting past that phase of life also helped a lot. It can definitely get better!

Thank you!

 

[PeanutsMom]

I used to be so excited for every new skill my kiddo got. Then she ended up with a fracture between L4 and L5 and a slipped disc between L5 and S1, so now EVERYTHING is scary.

She is likely going to repeat level 7 (again) which doesn't make her happy because in her mind she has already done it twice. However, she had the COVID season her first year of level 7 and was out for 10 weeks with her back this season, so really she hasn't had a real season of 7 yet. She is at a gym where they train up but compete down, so this summer is working double backs off bars (UGH) and starting Paks and Bails. She is also working BHS BHS Layout dismount on beam, flipping her vault. The old gym had her vaulting on 120 and she was barely getting her hands on the table. She would just whip over it. Her vault scores were terrible. The new gym has her on 125 already and is moving her up to 130 to to flip her yurchenko and its already better, so vault is less terrifying now that she is actually blocking from her hands. Floor has been fine. She has done level 8 tumbling since level 6, that doesn't scare me. She is working a front full. Ask me again when she starts doing doubles on the floor. My opinion will probably change.