Parents What traits does a talanted preschool gymnast have?

[l.c.o]

As others have mentioned, don't automatically rule out gym due to height. How tall are your families? Our doc calculates potential height by both growth charts and parent height, then averages the two and says that's the best guess he has.

Growth charts are great and more used to track growth over time, in case of illness or developmental disorder.

I was always the tallest in my class until I stopped growing at age 12. I'm 5'1". My DD was completely off the charts for height at age 1; doc said then that had she been 2, she would have been 50%ile (really). She's now ~23%ile for height at age 12. She could end up anywhere, as DH is 6'.

 

[Ali'sMom]

"I want THAT one." She asked him if he meant the girl he had identified. "No," he said. "That one, over there. The one licking the mat."

That just made my day!!!!!

On the other hand dd is ver!y tall, 97 percentile so I guess that will rule out alot for her, she is having an amazing time, loves every second of her class

My daughter has been in ballet or gym since she was 2 1/2. (two years of ballet, then the rest gym).
The only reason we ever knew how tall she was was based on what rides she could get on at Disney or Universal Studios

 

[AgingHippie]

That's our annual height check too, the fair or Hershey Park. Although DD did notice (read as was extremely annoyed) when they lined up the whole 5th grade for their graduation picture that she was the 4th shortest in her grade. I was kind of shocked, she seems to tall to me.

 

[gymmummy]

Ah thanks for the replies. My dd is absolutely in love with gymnastics it's lovely to see. Does anyone know what some famous elite gymnasts were like as preschoolers I know some like Maddie K, Laurie, Simone & Gabby hadn't even started yet they all started at 5 or later that's true talent. Read Ragan, Ali Jordan Weiber & Makayla marony all started at 2 so there's a wide ran

 

[skschlag]

There is a huge range. And all the kiddos in between. At your dd's age, fun, exercise, listening skills, etc are the key skills she needs to get. FUN being first. There are so many things that she can't even do yet.

This should just be one of many things that she does. When my ds was this age, he did 2 1 hour classes a week, took summers off. Over the years he did swimming, wrestling, soccer, basketball, baseball, hockey, and probably something else I am missing. That is what let him know that gymnastics was it.

Seriously, don't stress. My guess is that when those kiddos were little, they were just another talented kid in the program. Coaches now might say they saw something in them, but they honestly can't remember it that well. Think about it.that was at least 12 years ago. at least. For some 15,16 years ago. A whole person who can drive ago

Let her have fun and enjoy herself. Don't jump into the more hours, privates, etc too fast. Make her want more. make it something she looks forward to. And just let it be fun. Even now, D says the most important thing at practice is that he enjoys it. Otherwise, gymnastics is too hard to keep going!

 

[sce]

For a preschooler to continue in gym for the long run, the most important thing is that they love it. You can't make that happen beyond you taking them to the gym, the love comes from within them. I am cringing as I see the trend of stage moms in gymnastics, now that there is the possibility of Internet fame. The focus is in the wrong place there. Let your little run, jump and play; learning how to move and control her body. The rest will or won't come with time.

 

[gymmummy]

Yes I think that that is a big thing at the moment, the little girl Emma on Ellen being an example. I'm sure it's been discussed to death on here but really she was put at risk, her bh were scary. Will be interesting to see if she had a career. Konnor McClain is another example however she is very good...

 

[dani4]

All the coaches were gaga for my younger daughter when she was 3. I had people saying "she is going to be good" and others telling me she was exceptional. Guess what? Now she is 5 and she wants to only do rec. She has great focus and energy and strength and flexibility but she absolutely chafes at the idea of anyone pushing her or evaluating her. No interest in competition whatsoever. Which caught me by surprise because she is a very intense kid. She would rather spend her time catching bugs and learning all about dinosaurs than do gymnastics more than once per week.

Meanwhile my older daughter was never any coach's favorite, but she is determined to do competitive gymnastics and she is slowly moving up the ladder. I now believe she can get there, though I doubt she will go very far- although if I have learned anything it's that my opinions and predictions are meaningless.

My point is that the will has to be there, and the desire. It might seem red hot at 3, 4 years old. But it can disappear for no apparent reason later on. The kids decide what they will work for. We just give them opportunities and support.

 

[GYM0M]

Are there characteristics and traits that make for a 'talented' preschool gymmie? Sure. You can see the 'talented' ones in preschool class just like you can see in any other class; however, rec class talent rarely translates into long term careers. There are so many variables that play into long term & it's so much more than natural ability. My DD has been in gymnastics since she was 3. She had ability, uncanny body awareness, but lacked maturity. She moved gyms at 5.5 to join the TOPS team. Now, I still consider her exceptional. Her abilities are always amazing me, but she works for it. She wants it. She loves it. Every disappointment/setback fuels her determination. She's incredible, but not because of her skills, because of her heart.
True, Konnor is an amazing gymnast with a bright future ahead of her if she stays healthy, physically and mentally, etc. I'm sure little Emma loves gymnastics and I won't say anything about her parents because I know what it feels like for some anonymous person to criticize your parenting ethics because of social media videos. (Really, it's not nice) So what is the most important thing to learn or to take away from this? Gymmies do NOT have to go to the Olympics or to college to have a successful journey in gymnastics. Journeys can be successful short or long term, high or lower levels, USAG, YMCA, or AAU, competitive or recreational. To me, a successful journey is one in which something (anything) is learned that can be applied towards the future. I can name several gymmies, some you may have heard of, others not so much, that have promising futures, some that had very bright promising futures but have decided to move on from the sport.

 

[dani4]

Gymmies do NOT have to go to the Olympics or to college to have a successful journey in gymnastics. Journeys can be successful short or long term, high or lower levels, USAG, YMCA, or AAU, competitive or recreational. To me, a successful journey is one in which something (anything) is learned that can be applied towards the future. I can name several gymmies, some you may have heard of, others not so much, that have promising futures, some that had very bright promising futures but have decided to move on from the sport.

This is so true. Gymnasts who work with all their heart and overcome adversity at all levels are successful.

 

[vbdb]

Yeah that! You can have the most talented kid in the world and if they don't have the work ethic, heart and grit to make it, the talent is wasted.

My training L6 10 year old didn't walk into a rec gym class until she was 7, joined the competitive team just before she was 8. Starting early doesn't always = success. Sure, she might have looked talented as a preschooler at gym but starting late had zero impact on her and she's caught up to the kids she now trains with who have been in the gym since 3 or 4.

 

[KSLaura]

They show up.

 

[GymDad9.9]

They show up.

And never want to leave.

 

[flipnastic]

And never want to leave.

And spend 90% of their time at home flipping!

 

[twinklytoes9468]

.most preschoolers won't even still be doing it at 9, so I would say that enjoying the sport enough to keep going is the most important thing

 

[MomIdidit!]

It truly is unbelievable to me how young gymnasts change over time. My DD was invited to pre team right out of a rec class she had been taking since she was five. She entered the pre team with a bunch of girls all around the same age. The girls had all been on the mini team together training two times a week, more than double of dd. By the end of the season two girls were invited to team, dd and one other girl. The rest of the girls either dropped out or stayed in pre team for another year because they were not ready to move up to team.

After that experience, I am a true believer that every child blossoms at their own rate and young talent does not necessarily equal longevity in any sport. It truly needs to come from within.

 

[lovemygymnast]

It's easy to get excited when coaches seem to go gaga over your preschooler. But from my experience, getting excited can lead to expectations and then some pushing, eventually, they feel stressed.

We have been lucky in that my dd was impressive in strength, attentiveness and body awareness even at 3. By 4 1/2 was training L3 (new 2) all because SHE wanted it and kept pushing herself. She scored well (generally top 3 on each event) that season at age 5. Same for the next year of new L3. She scored top 3 on her team at L4. We moved to a new gym and she's still going at age 8 training 6/7 this summer. We aren't sure where she is going with this. She's had many of her friends quit already and some still going but several levels behind her. We don't have expectations from her gym experience & are just super proud of her with each new skill!

But her journey isn't the same as the majority of kids her age or for that matter, talented older kids. There are a couple that just didn't want to be in the gym or really even compete so they kept doing rec gym but something lit a fire in them at some point and now they're rocking it!! Mine had the passion at a super young age but we don't know if that will fizzle at some point, while others didn't have the drive or passion at first and are super successful now. Nobody knows how each kids journey in gymnastics will play out. And I completely agree, hard work can beat natural talent that doesn't work hard any day of the week!

I almost feel it's better not to do as well in the beginning just to make it harder and make you feel you have to work harder. I'm comparing to baseball here but I know my DS was talented when he was younger and really never practiced at home even though he enjoyed it, but those kids that practiced constantly have far surpassed him and he still doesn't care about working harder, he thinks it's easy and fun, why work hard? Lol. Hard work pays off in any sport! He plays still but pretty doubtful about any college scholarships!! Lol

 

[gymmummy]

Thanks for all the replies. It's been very insightful. Her gym is very busy with full preschool classes 7 days a week so I guess I'm wondering what makes these kids stand out & invited up to the next class?

 

[thefellowsmom]

In a nutshell I would say natural strength and flexibility, focus and ability to follow directions as well as picking up things quickly and naturally good form and attention to detail in a 3-4 year old.

We don't have rec classes at our location but my son takes rec classes and I see lots of young rec girls and there is an X factor that is pretty easy to see in some kids and then I will see the coach talking with the parent about additional options for development.

But then like others have said, this coaches could just as easily see something special in that one kid over there licking the mat, so you can never really tell.

Best really to ask how the gym evaluates and express interest if that is what you are looking for. Not every rec coach is able or even interested in identifying or promoting kids to team so I don't recommend just sitting back and waiting blindly. At least that has been my observation. Doesn't hurt to politely ask about the process and ask how kids are evaluated. Just don't be pushy about it is all.

 

[sce]

Thanks for all the replies. It's been very insightful. Her gym is very busy with full preschool classes 7 days a week so I guess I'm wondering what makes these kids stand out & invited up to the next class?

Honestly, one thing is probably just those that keep coming back. Many preschoolers do an activity for a few months and move on. Those that stay are more likely to be noticed. What each gym is looking for probably varies more than thespian ions on this thread.

For now, I hope your little one is just having tons of fun in gymnastics.