WAG What is your gym's "rule" on advancing to Level 6/Optionals?

[Mrs. Puma]

You must flyaway out of a cast or skill instead of tap swings and you can't pause after a kip.

this must be why HC insisted DD do the cast flyaway even though she desperately wanted to do the taps (she said though she lost momentum it gave her a chance to mentally prepare?) thanks. Good info.

 

[onelittledream]

My understanding is at the end of the level 4 year, at our gym, the HC's of each level look at the gymnast and decide what is best. I am sure the Owners, who also serve as HC to the teams, weigh in heavily also. We are still training 4 and so have not gotten to the point of this discussion yet but DD has told me that some of the skills she is trying is to see if she fits in 5,6,7...........so I am going to venture a guess that it is based on individual ability and performance. Also, from what I have overheard from office staff is that attendance plays a huge part...........If a girl can do 7 but has missed a ton of practices and attendance is iffy then she will not be 7 but 5 or 6. We have one coach that advocates strongly for DD and is in constant contact with me inside and outside the gym and has had several heart to hearts with each of us so I am sure the decision best for DD will be made. But to answer the original question I believe it is based on the individual gymnast and several factors for each.

 

[GymCMLA]

At our gym you can't skip 5 unless you are ready for 7 after 4. Then you compete 1 meet at 5 to score out and go to 7. Otherwise, no skipping 5. To be a 6 you have to have competed 5 and have L7 skills on at least 3 events. (Giants hold 90% of our girls back from 7 - we need BHS, BWO-BWO and connected dismount (like cartwheel BT) on beam, cast handstand and at least one giant to LO Flyaway on bars, BLO, FHS-FT, BT, B leap series and 1.5 turn on floor). Unfortunately, our 6's do level 7 routines on floor and beam so they score lower (more elements) than if they did plain level 6 routines. But they want them working to 7 and some may move up mid season.DD told me that they will take things out of the L6 routines later in the year (before state) to help bump scores.

 

[wgymmom]

Okay, if your girls must have special requirements to do 7 after 5 instead of 6 after 5, do they train with an eye towards making the girls ready for 7 or 6? I am concerned that DD (and her group by default, but my concern is DD, not them) is training with an eye only towards 6 which bothers me for many reasons.

 

[wgymmom]

At our gym you can't skip 5 unless you are ready for 7 after 4. Then you compete 1 meet at 5 to score out and go to 7. Otherwise, no skipping 5. To be a 6 you have to have competed 5 and have L7 skills on at least 3 events. (Giants hold 90% of our girls back from 7 - we need BHS, BWO-BWO and connected dismount (like cartwheel BT) on beam, cast handstand and at least one giant to LO Flyaway on bars, BLO, FHS-FT, BT, B leap series and 1.5 turn on floor). Unfortunately, our 6's do level 7 routines on floor and beam so they score lower (more elements) than if they did plain level 6 routines. But they want them working to 7 and some may move up mid season.DD told me that they will take things out of the L6 routines later in the year (before state) to help bump scores.

So do they start training L7 skills right after 4?

 

[GymCMLA]

No, we had one girl repeat 4 last year and is now a 7. The plan is 4, 5, 6/7 and they train them to be a 7 but if they are missing giants (or one event of L7 skills) then they are a 6. If you don't have L7 skills on 3 events, you would repeat 5 instead of being a 6. It was hard for my DD's whole group of L5 from last year is they all wanted 7 SOOOOO bad that they all felt like a failure when their giants weren't ready to be a 7. But HC said can move to 7 if gets it in season (but I am not sure I see that happening). Our hope is that kids who do 5, 6, 7 will not have to repeat 7 b/c they did a solid 6 year.

ETA: HC doesn't want kids skipping 5 for 6 (after doing level 4) she really prefers a solid 5 year and then plans for 7 with 6 as a back up if they don't have all 4 events ready

 

[aerials]

Yes they train for 7, not for 6

 

[profmom]

I'm not sure most parents would be able to tell by looking whether a child was training for L6 or L7 until they're at the point of putting routines together. My son's in a similar situation -- he'll compete either L7 or L8 next year, so he's building upward now -- but no one knows which way he will go and the coach won't even start thinking about it until after states (or regionals, if they go this year). Either way, he still needs the same basic things, so I'm not fussed about it.

I'd say it's all good as long as there's continued work on strengthening basic skills and work toward building the important elements of optional gymnastics -- vault progressions beyond FHS, giant drills on bars, acro elements on beam, and layouts and more advanced dance/leap skills on floor. Those things are good for either 6 or 7!

 

[GYM0M]

No set rule. All move ups are at the coach's discretion. I'm sure it upsets some parents, but IMO, reactions are contagious. As long as most everyone is content, the upset ones seem to contain themselves and accept the coach's decision. We have some girls on their 3rd yr of L7 and a few that competed new L4 @ states in Dec '13 & scored out of L5 in spring that will skip L6 & possibly score out of L7 and move to L8 this year. Some will repeat L4 & L5.....some will move up. Each decision ultimately turns out to be the best decision for that gymnast.

 

[rosettasmom]

As of now, our gym doesn't compete 6. So we do 4,5,7 and very rarely does anyone skip a level.