MAG What are the boys up to?

[skschlag]

This board gets too quiet What are your boys up to these days?

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Mine will be competing L5 this season, but he is uptraining so fast and furious it makes my head spin! Coach, (who my ds idolizes and loves beyond measure) wants him to skip to level 8 next year. How is this possible? Im skeptical, but hey, he's happy amd training, so we're good! Whats your ds up to?

 

[BlairBob]

You can do L8 if you are 12 I think. As well, since the routines aren't compulsory, you can make a routine that plays to your benefit.

A lot of boys are skipping L7. I suppose some of the older ones probably skip L6.

 

[Mom2twingymnasts]

My son is concentrating on 10 year old Future Stars. He was a Level 7 last year and will likely be a 7 again this year with many more bonus elements. He is too young to compete Level 8. I think he could get an exception to do Level 8 if he makes it to Future Stars Nationals. He is extremely excited about Future Stars!

 

[sjm2b3]

My 8 year old DS is working hard!!! We changed gyms almost one year ago and I think he has the best coach ever. There are only 3 boys so far on team, so he has tons of personal attention and he is taking advantage of that while it lasts. There is a large boys' program affiliated with the university here where most go, but again, I think we definitely have the best coach....not only awesome at teaching the skills but also just a wonderful person for my son to look up to. Anyway, as far as skills go, I know he's just got the back tuck pass, giants in the strap bar, and things I do not understand on the rings.....not sure what level he will compete. We'll see. I have a DD who is 6 who is competing her first meet in 2 weeks so we have some jealousy going on in our house. I wasn't sure if he would still love gym as much now that it's getting really tough but he loves going there more than ever. We are having him play soccer one night a week despite his protests because we thought he should try a team sport for one season.

That's all! Hope training is great for all.

 

[LilHawkMom]

Momtotwingymnasts, that sounds just like my son. Yep, you have to be 11 by Sept 1 to go level 8 or qualify with a certain set score at National Future Stars, not sure what that score is yet. My son will stay level 7 again and do all bonuses. Coach hasn't said anything about if he does good at Nationals if they will have him go up to 8 or not. He is working the giant gaint flyway and free hip and giant on pbars. Those are the things he still needs to look better for future stars.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

It sounds like we have an amazing group of awesomely talented young male gymmies on this board! Wow! I'm impressed! I've heard rumors of the future stars thing, too, but I don't know anything about it. Coach is taking my ds and two other gymmies to watch some kind of "meet" or test next week so they know what they have to accomplish by the next year or two. My ds will be competing as an 11 yr old this season, but he will be 12 next season, so I guess he can do L8, if he has all of those skills. Good to know... Like I said before, he's happy and busy, so we just do what coach says...

 

[Mom2twingymnasts]

LilHawkMom,

We are new to Future Stars - my son is the only boy in the gym doing it. He says he has all the routines except the B routine on tramp - he has the A routine. Who knows what "I have all the routines" really means. I do know that he has the giant on pbars and giant giant flyaway because he competed those last year. Floor is his weakest event - so might be where he has issues.
I was thinking it was unlikely that he would make the National testing because I thought only the top 8 in each region make it? Have you been to a regional testing and are the boys as good as I expect them to be?
Thanks!

 

[skschlag]

We are not doing future stars this year. with all the new JO routines and new FS routines, our coach decided to sit out a year from future stars and go back next year. It is tough to make national testing, depending on where you live. D had a decent shot at making it this year, but he would not have done well enough to be able to go L8 (he is 10). Nor do I really want him too. I sometimes think we might be pushing these guys a bit too fast, in a sport that they can have quite a long career in!

D is hoping to be 7 this year. He is doing pretty good. Almost has rings, pommel is ready, floor is good. vault is ....well..that doesn't really matter! LOL! He stinks no matter what level. High bar he just got back giants connected with flyaway and almost has front giants (or the other way around, I get confused.) P bars are coming along too. I think he will either ski 6 or 7, so he can do 8 at 11 years old. But, that depends on lots of things ...mainly his brain and injuries.

I love hearing what they are up to!!! Let's keep it going

 

[themonkeysmom]

I didn't know that boys had to be 11 to compete level 8. My son is an 8 year old level 6 and our gym doesn't do future stars...so that may come into play. He just did his first giants without the straps this week, and he's having a blast this season so far.

 

[uniqueRN]

Wow, sounds like what's going on in our gym as well. Since the boys were all moved around to fit them in the right level according to age, the boys have had to work very hard. Some boys skipped two levels. My son is 10 and was in level 6 last year and is now in level 7. He's working on the same skills as the 8's but couldn't compete because of his age. At first I was sad that he couldn't move on with his group but it all worked out. He is training for Future Stars but I haven't received any official word that he's going. He still needs his giant on PB. I don't mind either way, he's having so much fun learning new skills. I'm not crazy about our schedule. He is in the gym 6 days a week for 2.5 hours. I would have liked him to have at least one day off during the week.

I thought they were going to get rid of the trampoline part for FS??? My understanding was that they were going to concentrate on sequences.

 

[LilHawkMom]

Momtotwin-- great that your son has those skills! There is a set score that qualifies to Nationals, last yr it was 68, and then a certain number from each region goes. He went last yr as 9yr, they (and 8yrs) only go to regionals. It doesn't seem like a lot of boys try out for it. I sort of think coaches might not have them try out if they don't think they will make it/do good or the pressure of learning 2 routines. Last yr he was the only one from our gym who went and we have a good size group of boys. It is all about being the right age for the skills in future stars. We have several good boys but they would be one yr ahead so while they would be really good at the one yr younger routines they would have had to do the routine of their age.

For my son it isn't pushing too much, he's always wanting the next skill not happy to just stay where he is. I think it is important to folow each kid. I know our coach is very aware of not wanting him to burn out.

UniqueRN--That would be nice no tramp, my son scored only a 6.9 on it last yr.

 

[skschlag]

I am not worried about individual pushing, but more about hte overall trend to get kiddos to do skills faster and younger. We know that over doing things causes injuries, and men have a much longer career in gymnastics. There may be kids at 6-7 who are ready for giants and can do them, but is it good for them? KWIM? Our coach is pretty conservative with moving boys too fast, even if they like to be challenged, etc. Because, he has seen it burn them out in high school. Just a wondering

 

[skschlag]

I love seeing what all the boys are up to!! How fun We have some talented boys on here! Maybe one day we will all meet....at nationals

 

[MyBoysFlip]

My little guy is getting ready for his second year of Level 5 - he's learning all of the new routines and I'm hoping he can remember them this year! He has all of the skills (except that "stupid kip" as he calls it) and all of his bonuses this year. I think the kip will come before season - he got his pbar kip about a month ago. He got to uptrain with the big kids (L6+) all summer and learned some fun things for the future (strap giants, RO BHS BT & LO, front handspring front tuck, ...) I definitely see him starting to grow up & get a little more serious - I keep reminding him he's only 7(almost 8) and it needs to be fun. All he wants for his birthday is a mushroom! Meets start in December - wow - that seems so soon!

 

[profmom]

Wow, such a talented group of boys! My little guy will compete his first year at L5 as an 8 year old (our guys typically do two years at L5). He's having a hard time with the pommel horse routine right now, and is nowhere near a kip, but everything else seems to be going pretty well. I think the Future Stars conversation will happen at the end of this competitive season.

He had a really wonderful time in the gym this summer. He decided not to do any other sports in the summer or fall so he can really focus on gymnastics, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. But he's declared that his major goal for the year is to win pommel horse at states, so I guess he's got his work cut out for himself.

 

[GymBeeMom]

My 6 year old is repeating level 4. Last year he did okay but not really ready as a 5 year old. Now it looks like he will have most or all his bonuses and he looks much stronger. Im glad he repeated level 4 and I think he will have a great experience this year. I think it looks like there are some talented little boys in this sport, proud my son is part of it!

 

[themonkeysmom]

I am not worried about individual pushing, but more about hte overall trend to get kiddos to do skills faster and younger. We know that over doing things causes injuries, and men have a much longer career in gymnastics. There may be kids at 6-7 who are ready for giants and can do them, but is it good for them? KWIM? Our coach is pretty conservative with moving boys too fast, even if they like to be challenged, etc. Because, he has seen it burn them out in high school. Just a wondering

I think there is a fine line between boys quitting because they're bored with skills that are too easy and boys quitting because they're overwhelmed by skills that are too hard. My son is happiest when he is challenged with attainable goals. I think that's what I like about the new routines. For most of them, there is a bonus he already has, one he will likely have before the competition season starts, and one to work toward throughout the season.

 

[skschlag]

D was so excited today. He got to start working drills for an endo. I have no idea what that is, but it sounds fun!

 

[profmom]

Just updating to say that my little guy, who could not do one mushroom circle consistently at this time last year, did 52 at his last practice! If you'd have given me a video of the future at this time last year, I would never have believed it!

Yes, L4 parents. There is hope.