WAG WDYT? Does "cheating" catch up with them?

[coachmolly]

I think it does catch up with them- maybe not in the sense that their overall progression slows or they stop winning or fall behind teammates- but in the sense that it catches up with them personally as an athlete- imagine how much better they could be if they put in the work! But it's not something that the kids who keep plugging away doing all the required reps will necessarily pick up on. And it is frustrating!
When it comes to conditioning I tend to praise improvement and work ethic over anything else. We did a pull-up competition a few months ago with a prize for who improved their pull-ups the most, so I knew the kids who struggled with pull-ups and could do less to begin with would be the ones to benefit. I have a few who really struggle with pull-ups and, despite plugging away diligently, still can't do as many as some of my naturally stronger kids. I wanted them to see that their hard work was paying off, even if they still couldn't do the same number of pull-ups as some of their teammates. I also tend to question the kids who get done early, and many of them end up with me or another coach supervising their conditioning.
I have one girl who is a notorious corner cutter and during daily conditioning will do maybe 5-6 pull-ups before taking a break or asking for help. Oddly enough, when I do a strength assessment this girl can crank out 10-15. That drives me nuts!

 

[gymbeam]

Ah, yes. My daughter often tells me of a teammate who consistently cheats at most everything (conditioning, number of reps, etc.) yet pulls it out at meets somehow. Even though that is a little irritating, my daughter's main gripe is when she gets paired with her in practice because the girl lies to her about what she's actually done.

I tell her it will catch will catch up with her one day- not necessarily in skill acquisition or meet performance, but I guarantee she's gonna get busted one of these days and it will be fugly. Head coach has busted others and it didn't end well. Beyond the anger in that moment, I have to imagine it really strains the coach/athlete relationship from that point forward.

 

[GymDad9.9]

Ah, yes. My daughter often tells me of a teammate who consistently cheats at most everything (conditioning, number of reps, etc.) yet pulls it out at meets somehow. Even though that is a little irritating, my daughter's main gripe is when she gets paired with her in practice because the girl lies to her about what she's actually done.

I tell her it will catch will catch up with her one day- not necessarily in skill acquisition or meet performance, but I guarantee she's gonna get busted one of these days and it will be fugly. Head coach has busted others and it didn't end well. Beyond the anger in that moment, I have to imagine it really strains the coach/athlete relationship from that point forward.

My daughter has a few girls who cheat through their conditioning and I can assure you it will catch up with them. Coach calls these girls out every so often. I'm very proud of my daughter's work ethic. She gets it from her Mom!

 

[MuggleMom]

This is a fact of life. Much like there are kids who don't have to study and can pull As.

But I also think that that it catches up to them later in life when they get to something that doesn't come easy and then they have no discipline and work ethic. But it might not happen in gym.

I would agree with this it may not catch up to them in terms of performance or gymnastics but it will be a hard lesson when they realize they can't always slack off and still achieve what they want. It could be a rude awakening at their first job when they blow that first big report or what not.

 

[ayyyrial]

You also sometimes run into this weird situation where a lot of kids are skipping conditioning assignments or doing fewer reps than they're supposed to, so they're getting done in shorter amounts of time, so the coaches start thinking that their conditioning assignments are too short and they can add more during the time we have allotted for conditioning.....and the gymnasts get assigned more conditioning, and cheat more because it's an overwhelming assignment....

This happened to my optional team since the coaches figured by the time we got to optionals we'd be responsible enough to not need a lot of supervision during conditioning. But a lot of the kids who were L7/8 were also just hitting middle school and starting to think more independently and not want to just do all the pushups the coach tells them to do. Also a new coach took over responsibility for supervising conditioning, and she wasn't very engaged.

 

[Jeannie6]

There are some people with what I'd call a "natural" gift, who do not have to work as hard as others. But in general, I can tell when my gymnasts "cheat" at conditioning. They are missing the strength and stamina that they should have. I speak with my team about this at least twice a month.
I repeatedly tell them that if they "cheat" they are only hurting themselves.
Coaches don't assign conditioning just because we want to, each exercise serves a purpose and helps to strengthen and develop skills and core strength.
Eventually slacking does show up, even with the gymnasts that have more talent or god given ability.
The saying "Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard" is very true.
While every coach loves working with natural ability, it is even more rewarding to work with a hard worker and see them succeed.

 

[Muddlethru]

It definitely catches up on them but sometimes not in terms of them necessarily doing poorly at meets compared to their other teammates. They may still forever do better than some of their hardworking counterparts because perhaps they are stronger, more talented, etc. However, it catches on them in terms of not knowing their true potential and the value of hardwork and the pleasure of success that comes from it.

 

[duyetanh]

I would agree with this it may not catch up to them in terms of performance or gymnastics but it will be a hard lesson when they realize they can't always slack off and still achieve what they want. It could be a rude awakening at their first job when they blow that first big report or what not.

I talked to my kid about just that...and she said, yeah but i dont get to see them crash and burn in the future, so mom that is a bit annoying! Lmao....

 

[eucoach]

It depends on how they cheat. If a kid does 8 repetitions correctly and skips the last 2, it will not have a very big impact. If a kid does 6 repetitions incorrectly, then skips the last 4, it will always have a negative impact.

If conditioning numbers are on the higher end, the naturally stronger and more talented kids can get away with cheating on conditioning. If the numbers are on the lower end already, cheating will become a problem - even for the more talented ones.

This is a very simple example: How many correct leg lifts need to be done to create the endurance strength for a L10/elite bar routine? Let's say 15 reps are enough for the average gymnast. If the gym assigns 20 every day - even the cheaters will probably get enough numbers in. If the gym assigns only 15, then the cheaters will not do high enough numbers and run into issues in the long run.

I would argue that conditioning is not only about strength for gymnastics, it is also about injury prevention. And the ones who cheat (especially on core conditioning) will be at a higher risk for overuse injury. And in the long run, staying injury free is far more important than great results.

 

[gymmomx2]

I would argue that conditioning is not only about strength for gymnastics, it is also about injury prevention. And the ones who cheat (especially on core conditioning) will be at a higher risk for overuse injury. And in the long run, staying injury free is far more important than great results.

Excellent point, cannot be said enough!!!!

 

[twocurlygirlz]

"I would argue that conditioning is not only about strength for gymnastics, it is also about injury prevention. And the ones who cheat (especially on core conditioning) will be at a higher risk for overuse injury. And in the long run, staying injury free is far more important than great results."

Completely agree with this- this is always what I stress, beyond the just focus on yourself-I remind my gymmie that strength conditioning keeps you in the gym and not injured and the other gymmies that cheat/slack are consistently out with injuries, taped up, missing reps, etc.-- its is very hard for little gymmies to get over the "it's not fair" and I get it-at my own job it still boils my blood when my colleagues are not making half the effort I think they can- but its a part of life- you can only control what you do and your actions-- huge life lesson![/QUOTE]

 

[Keno11]

I rarely post and I haven't read all of the responses yet but I will give my thoughts. Sorry if it is repetitive.

I don't think it will catch up with every kid there will always be exceptions. However, just because it doesn't catch up with them in this sport doesn't mean it won't catch up with them in their adult life.
I hope my hard working children continue to be hard working productive adults. I think this will help them learn to take constructive criticism and how to work under someone. I do feel some kids who struggle with this may have a harder time adjusting when they are older.
I like to think that eventually those who do learn to have a good work ethic, have a more positive outlook and goes above and beyond in the work place. They become invaluable to employers.
I'm not saying life is terrible for others but I like to think eventually it all evens out.

 

[LizzieLac]

Here is what I have noticed....the cheaters and skippers are the ones who quit.

 

[Tumble_flip_fly]

I honestly think if the type B kid is really good and strong, they will do fine, for some time, it won't work forever, but for now they can do that, but it is on their honor. Just tell the type 1 kid that they are getting much stronger, their skills will be prettier and safer, and most importantly, they are being honest. They will probably not see a big difference between cheating and not but not cheating does make the gymnast so much stronger and better.

 

[triplethreat+1]

Just like if a child can get a perfect score on a test without doing the practice homework, why should she be forced to do that repetition?

I agree to a certain extent- and this applies to school, gym, and life- but. I was that kid, pulled A's all the way through college even though I procrastinated and didn't put full effort in. Now I'm successful in my job but in life I struggle with organization and procrastination, I wish I had needed to learn that as a kid/teen.