Parents Vent? Advice? Level "3/4"

[MimsMom]

Ok. So our gym just made the roster known for the levels for the year. There were 16 girls in Level 3 last year with DD. All but 6 moved to Level 4. DD and the 5 others are in this "3/4" Level where they will be competing at 3 for a second time, but working on Level 4 skills. I know the worst thing you can do is compare your child to other gymnasts, but seriously. One of the girls who moved up is constantly put on "time-out" during practice for not listening or not doing the skills correctly. We know that DD doesn't have her kip yet (so darn close) but there are others that moved up that are not even close. I am trying to not over think it and let her be successful at 3 while gaining skills for 4. But DD is devastated that she didn't move up. She is only 7 and it's hard for her to understand the concept of repeating is a good thing. Any advice for me, for me to tell her?

 

[raenndrops]

Have you asked the coach if there is a possibility for any of the L3/4 girls to move up if they get all of their level 4 skills before competition season starts. If there is, I would let her know that.
You could tell her that she gets to train the harder skills and that is awesome. Repeating Level 3 just means that she will be better prepared when she does move to Level 4.
She is too young to realize this, but there are a lot of gyms out there that don't let them train for L4 if they are planning on having them repeat L3, so it could be worse.

 

[Aussie_coach]

In the long run this could be a really good thing for your DD. Because this level 3/4 group are going to be competing routines they already know and are comfortable with, they will be able to spend far less time learning and perfecting routines and far more time on skills.

They may end up more advanced than the kids in the group going to level 4.

 

[mommyof1]

My daughter was part of a similar group that repeated L3 while uptraining for L4 an extra day each week. It ended up being a positive experience. She got her kip early in that second L3 season and was allowed to compete it for most of the season, which made the transition to L4 bars very smooth. She also experienced some competitive success and gained a lot of confidence, which helped her survive a difficult L4 season plagued by injury.

I have given up on trying to understand why some kids are moved up and some aren't. Every year there are at least one or two kids who repeat L3 who have been scoring 37s and are well prepared for L4 in terms of skills. Then I see other kids with weak bars who move from L3 to L4 or from L4 to L5. I just try to stay focused on my own kid's journey.

 

[rjb123]

I might just ask the coach why your daughter was placed in this group, and if she progressed would she be allowed to move to 4. That said, I want to encourage you to take a deep breath and just enjoy this. She may have been kept there so that she can build confidence, or because they feel she is young and there is no need to rush her along. My daughter is a young level 10, and she just progressed a level a year, but tbh I think that repeating a lower level might have been a positive thing for her. She had a few friends who did repeat old 4, (what is now level 3) and new 4 and it ended up being a fantastic year for them that really set them up for success in the next few years. They won a lot, gained a lot of skills and confidence, and that carried over for several years.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Life lessons are hard. And necessary. She needs to concentrate on her skills and gymnastics and not others. Yep it’s a hard thing to get and it takes time. No matter how old you are. And it’s lesson everyone needs to get. She’ll be better off for it.

 

[CuriousCate]

Do you think it is an age thing? My DD did level 4 as a 7 year old and then tried to do 5/7 combined as an 8/9 year old and the stress was awful. I frequently wish that she had repeated 3 even though she was ready for 4 just to give her more time down the line. The stress and high hours comes quickly as you move up and the really young ones often struggle with that.

 

[Flyaway]

I just have to echo what everyone else has said. Help remind her to not look at the other gymnasts and concentrate on her own journey. Repeating 3 can be very beneficial, especially since she'll get to train for 4. One thing I've noticed over the years is that although some girls move forward more quickly than others, by the time they get to the upper optionals, it kind of evens out. So don't get caught up in the rat race of compulsories. Just empower your dd with the knowledge that the one in control of her progress is her.

 

[Peachy88]

If my kid could repeat 3 or do a year of xcel silver and train the same hours as level 4 And obviously uptraining I would be pushing for that instead of her stressing trying to get her kip in time. Her new gym doesn’t have level 3 though and only does xcel like 4 hours for silver I think and she is used to 9+ and loves the time in the gym. I keep hoping they let her train 4 two days a week and then one day a week train silver and compete silver. She is 6 (7 in July) so also very young.