When to Move from L4 to L5

[vagymmomma]

My DD has one meet left (states) in the competition season. With the end of the season in sight, the girls (and parents) at her gym have started to talk about who will move to the next level. Overall the team had a fairly tough season at L5 - L7, so the rumor is that they may move NO ONE to the next level this year. My daughter has been looking forward to moving up all season long and worked extra hard to master her kip last fall since she was told that was the requirement to move up. She's very disappointed at the thought of not moving forward and keeps asking what she needs to do.

I don't want to be the mother who complains to the coach, but I think she's ready. Could she get higher scores if she stayed another year at L4? Most likely yes. But high score aren't necessarily our end goal. She received an AA of 36.7 last meet, with consistently solid score on bars and vault all season (floor's her weak link, but she has that up to an 8.9). And she's 10 years old. If she was 6 or 7, I'd probably have a different view.

She has her kip and she can demonstrate the ability to do all level 5 skills. Am I wrong to talk to the head coach about moving her forward? Should I look at other gyms (I otherwise have no issues with the current gym)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I've never been a complainer so I'm not sure what to do.

 

[bogwoppit]

I think asking the coach what their plans are for your gymmie next season is perfectly reasonable. That would open the door for them to illuminate you and also then give you a chance to say that it is her goal to be L5 next season. If you do not get the answer you are looking for then you could ask, what would she need to do in order to move up?

Some clubs make blanket decisions for the whole club based on the results of a few. Some clubs treat each gymnast as an individual, I guess you will find out soon what kind of gym you are at.

Move up season is one of those times that you might not want to get involved in the bleachers chat as it can drive you crazy, and also give you a false sense of what is really going on in the gym.

Asking a few polite questions is always fine. Telling the coaches what you want tends not to be received as well. It is all in the way you ask.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[cathiann]

Definitely ask the coach what the plan is for her next year--heck, the coaches should be communicating that to you without waiting for you to ask, but since they haven't--step up and do the asking. And, as Bog suggested, if they say they plan to keep her at level 4, then mention her goal is level 5 for next year and ask what she can do to achieve that goal. I know our gym does take into account the gymnast's age, so maybe you're will too--10 yr isn't ancient by any means, but she's ready to move on

 

[CoachTodd]

Scores don't make level progressions.
I like the fact that you don't want to focus on getting the 39 AA score at level 4. We actually have gyms here that all but require a 38 before they even let their kids compete. These are also kids with all of their level 6 skills competing level 4.
You may want to ask the coaches what their gym philosophy is. I'm willing to bet they will say something like, "We want the gymnasts to fell successful." That usually translates into "we want a good team score so we look like a great gym so we hold kids back until they score high"
I find in difficult to say what level a gymnast will be next year as they may suddenly just get it.
We base what level our kids compete on what skills they can do cleanly. That's pretty much it. If Sally want to do level 6 and can do all of her level 6 skills, we let her. She may not score at the top but she's enjoying her gymnastics experience. As long as they know ahead of time what their weaknesses are, they're usually OK with this.

 

[gymnut1]

I think you have it right. Talk politely to your coaches. She is 10 and ready to move forwards.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Yes, talk to the Headcoach. Things may not work out the way you planned, but open communication is important in any gym.

If they are not moving anyone up, then I'm sure they have a plan in place to keep everyone challenged and enjoying training. Perhaps the idea is to spend more time on up training and working harder skills, as they won't have to spend so much time on learning and perfecting routines. Most gyms around here have level 4 kids who can do level 6 skills as well, because its not a great idea to compete skills you have only just learned, also there is more likely to be a mental block. A kid should have really mastered a skill to compete it.

A program may look like this

Skills of their level - mastered and competing to an outstanding level
Skills of the next level - can do and are working on mastering and getting them ready to compete
Skills of 2 levels up - beginning to learn.

This can be a really good way to work, it can work well for a lot of kids to learn skills when there is no pressure of having to compete them soon.

Basically, I am saying staying back in the same level for competition does not mean the gymnast won't progress and learn new things. Doing a second year in a level is not the same as doing the same year all over again.

 

[bookworm]

As your daughter is 10 (and not 6) and has done a year of Level 4 with success and has her level 5 skills (the kip is the biggie) , I would talk to the coach and see what is planned for next year. If the plans do not include moving to the next level no matter what, I would make it clear that my daughter was not repeating a non-sanctioned level at age 10/11 in that gym...and see what happens. If they still do not move her up, I would switch to a gym with a more progressive focus.

As one poster said, some gyms hold all back because of a few. This happened with my daughter way back when because she was young they didn't want to move her but she had all her skills, had done very well all year, and they were moving older kids without skills so I basically told them" she either moves up or I will take her to another gym that will move her up, regardless of her age, because she is not staying Level 4 to be a ringer at meets in this gym." I generally didn't say much either but there was no way that I would allow that to happen (she moved up the next week..)

 

[kimmy4]

My advice is not to rely on "rumors". They may not be true. You may be worrying for nothing and wasting energy. Advancement is not always based on competition performance...there are so many factors. I would wait until the state meet is over, and then decide to either 1) wait until you are advised your dd's plan for next season or, 2) take a pro-active approach (if you can't wait) & request a meeting (after the last meet) to discuss progress/plans. Either way, stay postive! It does no good to worry when you don't have the facts! It sounds like your dd is doing just fine!

 

[ZJsMom]

I think it's completely appropriate to set a meeting with your dd's coach to discuss what their plans are. While I wouldn't go so far as to give her an ultimatum, I would also tell the coach you feel given your dd's age and skill level, it would be more appropriate for her to compete level 5. I think ideally, move ups should be an individualized decision that considers the kid's age, maturity, goals etc. In the real world though gym's can't provide completely individualized programs. It may be that if they're not moving any 5's up, there's no room for her. If they do say there's no way she can move up next year, I think I would look at other programs.

While I agree with AussieCoach about the wisdom of being able to train up while competing a lower level, I don't think at her age and with a kip repeating level 4 makes much sense. She's ready to stop spending time on mill circles and more on to focusing on kips, casts, and swings on bars.

 

[gym law mom]

ITA with Kimmy4. You are hearing rumors about how the teams may be structured next year. These rumors may or may not be true or the truth may be somewhere in the middle.

Does your gym schedule meetings with parents at the end of the meet season? If so, then that is the time all of this would be discussed. If not, then schedule a meeting once states are done to discuss the plans for your dd and how they do their "move up. " Most gyms should be coming out with their summer schedules soon, so that may give you a clue.

You and dd do deserve to know what to expect this summer/fall, so if it doesn't look like any information is going to be provided after states, then ask for it----and don't mention the rumors!

 

[fishchimes]

Definitely talk to the coach- anyone scoring a 36.7 deserves a fair shot.

This year almost everyone was held back a level at my gym. A couple of girls who had been scoring 37s and 38s moved up in the second half of the season ('bout time IMO), along with some level 6s that didn't give two craps about their scores and just wanted their own routines. I think for 75% of the girls it was for their own good (they were not scoring anywhere near as well as your DD), but I don't imagine they were entirely happy about it.