Parents What is a typical progression through levels?

[Randomactsofcheer]

Hello! I am a somewhat new gymnastics parent. My DD was in gymnastics from ages 3-6. She progressed from kindergym to advanced kindergym to hot shots before she took a break from gymnastics due to a medical condition. Once she was cleared for physical activity again, DD decided she wanted to try all-star cheer. That is what she has been doing for the last two years. We recently made the decision for her to return to gymnastics. She started out in a level 1 rec class. From there she was moved to the level 3 rec class and then invited to pre-team within her first week at the gym.

My question is, how quickly to girls normally progress from rec do preteam to competition team? I know everyone's development and progression is different, it just seems like going from rec to preteam in a week is an awfully fast transition. Especially for a kiddo who hasn't done gymnastics in over two years. The preteam coach told me she expects her to advance quickly to the competition team and they think she will be ready to compete this fall.

Also, what are the pros and cons between joining a "regular" competition team and Xcel? I am not familiar with the Xcel program. The coach invited DD to move to either preteam or their Xcel team but recommended she go the preteam to regular competition team route.

I hope this post doesn't sound like a complaint. My DD was ecstatic to be invited to preteam and I am very proud and happy for her. She came out of her first practice last night incredibly happy. I thought there was no way she would remember her bar or beams skills after all this time. I fully expected her to be in the rec program for a while, but she was able to perform all of the skills she had learned before she left gymnastics.

I guess I just want to know what I am in for over the next few months. It seems like a far reach to say DD will be ready to compete in the fall, but I also know next to nothing about gymnastics.

 

[Flyaway]

So is she 8 now? Since she had 3 years of gymnastics plus two years of tumbling under her belt, it doesn't surprise me that she got flagged for team quickly. I wouldn't expect this to be the standard trajectory though. Her progress could continue steadily, or slow some as her form and technique may have to catch up. Or she could rocket through a few levels before evening out. There's no formula. Congrats to your dd though- that's exciting! Enjoy the ride!

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

So much of it depends on the kid...and the rest on the gym. At what level does your gym begin competing?

 

[bogwoppit]

Some kids fly ahead early and peak young. Some kids fly ahead early and end up at the Olympics, well only 4 every four years. Some kids progress slowly and end up competing for college teams. Some kids burn up the competition and then quit at age 11.

You simply never know how they will progress.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

Yes I was going to say, what level do girls compete after finishing up pre team? If they are starting out at Level 2-3, it's entirely possible that your dd could be ready in the fall. If it's L4, it might take a little longer in pre team.

I think that your dd probably kept a lot of her muscle tone, etc, during her years of all star cheer, and that combined with her tumbling she learned while she was there as well, it made it easier for her to pick back up where she left off. It sounds like she is doing great.

You could always tell the coach you would feel comfortable with her doing a year of pre team first instead of competing in the fall if you feel it's all moving a little fast. But that's entirely your call. I don't see a problem with her progression, with her prior gymnastics experience and then the cheer experience, she was probably just way too advanced to stay in rec.

Xcel is also a good option. It's a less intense program, that is usually less hours and time/financial commitment than competing regular JO levels. They still go to meets and get the opportunity to compete states and even regionals in some areas. That might be a good place for your dd to start if you are a little wary about starting team so quickly. Usually Xcel does less hours in the gym, and sometimes less meets depending on the gym program.

 

[vagymmomma]

My question is, how quickly to girls normally progress from rec do preteam to competition team?

Also, what are the pros and cons between joining a "regular" competition team and Xcel? I am not familiar with the Xcel program. The coach invited DD to move to either preteam or their Xcel team but recommended she go the preteam to regular competition team route.

I am not sure there is a "normal". Many girls never make it out of rec to preteam. Some girls never move from preteam to competition team. On the other hand, we have one L7 that went from preteam to L5 in a couple months. She picked up skills very quickly and tested out of L4. The next season she skipped L6 and went to L7. She'll probably do L8 next year. I am not sure that is normal, but it happens (in some gyms more than others). This is probably a pretty good time of year to move quickly from preteam to competition team because there's a lot of time before most competition seasons begin. Many gyms generally follow a year per level approach, but L3 is not a required level. It certainly helps that she has worked skills before in classes and in cheer.

In terms of Xcel v. JO, I think that part of the decision is based on an understanding of the gym philosophy. I think that JO really forces girls to focus on technique. The down side is that there is no flexibility in skills for the first few levels. In an optional world (whether JO optional or Xcel), coaches have more flexibility to create a routine that works for a particular gymnast. In some gyms it is hard to move from Xcel to JO (you would have to confirm if that would be an option). Also, in many gyms Xcel involves less commitment and training. This enable girls to do activities besides gymnastics, but the skills may not come as fast with less hours. It's generally much easier to move from Xcel to JO if she wants to reduce her commitment.

Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Keep reading here and be prepared to write checks to the gym and spend a lot of time there.

Really, so much that influences it. The child, the gym, the area.....

 

[ascarter1]

Hello! I am a somewhat new gymnastics parent. My DD was in gymnastics from ages 3-6. She progressed from kindergym to advanced kindergym to hot shots before she took a break from gymnastics due to a medical condition. Once she was cleared for physical activity again, DD decided she wanted to try all-star cheer. That is what she has been doing for the last two years. We recently made the decision for her to return to gymnastics. She started out in a level 1 rec class. From there she was moved to the level 3 rec class and then invited to pre-team within her first week at the gym.

My question is, how quickly to girls normally progress from rec do preteam to competition team? I know everyone's development and progression is different, it just seems like going from rec to preteam in a week is an awfully fast transition. Especially for a kiddo who hasn't done gymnastics in over two years. The preteam coach told me she expects her to advance quickly to the competition team and they think she will be ready to compete this fall.

Also, what are the pros and cons between joining a "regular" competition team and Xcel? I am not familiar with the Xcel program. The coach invited DD to move to either preteam or their Xcel team but recommended she go the preteam to regular competition team route.

I hope this post doesn't sound like a complaint. My DD was ecstatic to be invited to preteam and I am very proud and happy for her. She came out of her first practice last night incredibly happy. I thought there was no way she would remember her bar or beams skills after all this time. I fully expected her to be in the rec program for a while, but she was able to perform all of the skills she had learned before she left gymnastics.

I guess I just want to know what I am in for over the next few months. It seems like a far reach to say DD will be ready to compete in the fall, but I also know next to nothing about gymnastics.

Dd started her first gymnastic class in October 2011, she went straight to team in February 2012-so 4 months. We have been in gymnastics for 4 1/2 years and she is training level 8 now.

Not all transitions are that quick, but they can be.

Xcel was originally meant for those who want to compete but don't want to commit to a high number of hours. But not all gyms use it the way it was intended.

If your child want to be considered for college gymnastics (I know that might seem like a million years away) then she needs to be in JO.

Best of luck! Try to relax and enjoy the ride!!

 

[munchkin3]

Congrats on her invitation to pre team. That's great!
Let her have fun and enjoy it without planning too much ahead.
All you need to decide is how much you want to invest in the sport, and how competitive she is.
If she is a competitive kid, and you want to support gymnastics 100% then go the JO route.
If she has other interests and maybe does not want to eat, breath, sleep gymnastics, then maybe Xcel is a better fit.

As far as progression, that is a hard question because kids advance at different speeds, during certain times.....ie. You can have a kid stuck for 6 months somewhere and all of the sudden they pick up several skills in a month. Another maybe the gym superstar and then stops progressing for a period of time......

 

[GymDad9.9]

Given that you daughter had a number years of prior gymnastics experience her recent progression is not all that surprising. Seems like the gym erred on the side of caution and initially placed her in a class she probably didn't belong in and then repeated again, which begs the question of whether she was evaluated at the very beginning of your recent return and by whom? It really doesn't matter as your gym was aware enough to spot your daughter's talent and eventually place her accordingly.

At my daughter's gym I know of two girls who had no formal gymnastics training of any kind who rapidly progressed through the rec/pre-team levels within weeks/months to be placed on competitive team and become state champions in their first year. It's definitely not a stretch.

If your daughter has the will, the passion, and heart to put the time in and work hard and wants to compete at the highest level she can, and if you as a parent can make that happen from your end, I would recommend trying the JO route.

 

[gymbeam]

It can vary a lot! Hope she loves it!

 

[MILgymFAM]

Since your gym is giving her the option of either track, I think the best thing is to get more info from them. What "is" Xcel at that gym. What is the commitment required for JO. Once you start a path are you locked in? For me, I'd always start with JO and switch to Xcel as desired because going the other direction is often swimming upstream. Once you have all the info you have to decide where you want your families place to be- it's all so individualized.

As for progressions, there is no such thing as typical in gymnastics and the only difference between moving too fast or too slow is opinion.

 

[TOPSmom715]

It really depends on the child! My daughter was on 3 1/2 when she started gymnastics. Moved to pre-team at age 4 and started competing at 5. The same girls that were on pre-team with her are now 3 levels behind her. You never know how much progress she will make so she could possibly compete soon.

 

[balancedmom]

Good luck and congrats to your DD. Every kid is so different. My DD moved quickly from pre-team to team, but our gym made the kids do 3,4 and then 5 and 6 so she did one year at each level. So she started quick and now is in optionals but injuries, fear etc has held her back, so at the start she looked like she would g through quickly and now it is a slower progression. every kid and every gym is different

 

[thefellowsmom]

Based on her history seems pretty normal to me.

As far as progressing it goes all ways. My dd was identified early and moved along quickly but then got a bit stuck and everyone moved beyond her for a year or so and then she matured the following year and caught up to or even leapfrogged over most of them. It is impossible to know what the trajectory is going to look like.

And almost all the kids that start on pre-team with your kid, should she make it all the way to optionals will be long gone. Really just focus on what is best for your daughter and your family.

I know if feels fast, but you definitely need to know whether you daughter want to take this seriously, and believe all of us when we say JO will become all consuming before you know it, or if she would rather have a more balanced life. You have to ask yourself if you are willing to support this all consuming very expensive lifestyle if she catches the bug and continues to love it and progress in the future. If you dont think you can make it work for her then my soapbox includes it not being fair to let her start out on the JO path only to take it away later because it is too much for the family to deal with.

The great thing is that in most gyms you can try out JO and then switch to XCEL if it is too much or isn't working out or she decides she wants to do more with school or other sports or whatever but every gym uses xcel differently so you really need to get clarification on the streams. I know in our gym there is NO movement from XCEL to JO, but we use it in the way it is intended.

Very important to find out how the two streams work in your gym.

Good luck!

 

[meganliz77]

It depends on the kiddo and the gym. My DD had no prior experience (like zilch... Couldn't do a cartwheel when she walked in the door at age 5 1/2.) one day later, she was asked to join fast track. Less than three months later she was on pre-team/level 3, and three months after that she was competing. Maybe a little more on the unusual but certainly not rare. Now she's an 8 yo level 6. Your daughter had previous experience-- so I think it seems logical, nor a surprise.

Kiddos ability to pay attention, take/make corrections, work hard, excitement for the sport, all seems to influence things as well. Our gym certainly doesn't over look the super hard working girls even if the 'natural' talent isn't glaring, and they move through the levels too.

Good luck to your DD! Be prepared for the high level commitment needed from your checkbook and more importantly your family. It will impact everyone but I think it's totally worth it!!!

 

[Randomactsofcheer]

So much of it depends on the kid...and the rest on the gym. At what level does your gym begin competing?

I believe level 3 is pre-team and they start competing at level 4.

 

[Randomactsofcheer]

It depends on the kiddo and the gym. My DD had no prior experience (like zilch... Couldn't do a cartwheel when she walked in the door at age 5 1/2.) one day later, she was asked to join fast track. Less than three months later she was on pre-team/level 3, and three months after that she was competing. Maybe a little more on the unusual but certainly not rare. Now she's an 8 yo level 6. Your daughter had previous experience-- so I think it seems logical, nor a surprise.

Kiddos ability to pay attention, take/make corrections, work hard, excitement for the sport, all seems to influence things as well. Our gym certainly doesn't over look the super hard working girls even if the 'natural' talent isn't glaring, and they move through the levels too.

Good luck to your DD! Be prepared for the high level commitment needed from your checkbook and more importantly your family. It will impact everyone but I think it's totally worth it!!!

I think I was just worried the coach was not being realistic. But after reading the replies here and some other discussions, I can see it is entirely possible for her to compete this year.

I understand the commitment that comes with gymnastics. One of the main reasons we moved DD from all-star to gymnastics was we were tired of her participating in a sport where much of her success was dependent on the effort and commitment level of her teammates. We arranged our summer vacations around camp and choreography and didn't take a vacation over spring break so she wouldn't miss practice, but other parents did not do the same. It was incredibly frustrating for DD who wasn't able to practice her stunts for almost two weeks because of teammates missing practice. And it definitely affected how well the team did at their final competition. DD was one of two kids on a team of 15 that took lessons outside of practice. And she was one of the most advanced tumblers on the team, which meant they worked her way harder than the other kids in the routine to pull in extra points. I am just happy to again have her in an individual sport where her progress and success are dependent on her own work and determination.

We put her in JO (regular competition team, right?) but I was curious about how Xcel works. The Xcel team has 2 hour practices 3-4 days a week, so it is much less of a commitment than preteam. The practice length and time (in addition to the coach's recommendation) was one of the main reasons we decided on JO. DD is an "all-in" kind of kid and she likes being at the gym as much as possible.

And I am definitely used to writing large checks to a gym. All-star was incredibly expensive. We are actually paying less money for gymnastics right now, but I expect that to change as she progresses to higher levels.

 

[tooootsie]

You can test out and not score out of l4?

 

[duyetanh]

As for progressions, there is no such thing as typical in gymnastics and the only difference between moving too fast or too slow is opinion.

Gosh, can I 'like' this 100 times? Or more? Just so true!