MAG Where did level 1,2 and 3 go?

[Jard.the.gymnast]

I notice that about every guy starts competing at level 4. Why aren't the levels 1,2 and 3 competed?

 

[sce]

They are considered developmental levels.

 

[skschlag]

With the addition of Xcel boys, I think some of that will be in there. Our coach keeps calling the skill level "pre-level 4" although I think there is some overlap. But for the most part, they are developmental levels. Some gyms will use them as their classes, but most just do rec or preteam classes.

In addition, with no score outs required, boys can start at any level, and jump to any level that they are deemed ready for by their coach.

 

[krc]

Levels one through three are actually part of the recreational "Essential Elements" curriculum.
Link Removed
It is a pretty good program for your Rec classes. I use it!

KRC

 

[Juniper311]

Also level 4 is 6 year old boys on the low end. I shudder at the thought of 4 and 5 year old boys --which is the target age for D-Team levels --making it through a 4 hour long competition.

 

[Madden3]

Our gym has those levels, but they are only done as weekly rec classes (of course you could take more than one class a week, my kids loved rec gym so much that after a while they went twice a week.) At our gym, MAG Levels 1 and 2 are often combined in one class. Once a boy is at Level 3, they can try out for team if they want, or stay in rec.

But at our gym, kids do not do rec at all until they are 6. Before that they are in kiddie gym or hotshots. So some kids just go strait to level 4 without every being 1-3.

Level 4 is quite a basic level and yes some of those kids are very little! I would not see the point in stressing little kids or burdening families with the cost of competing lower levels.

 

[rosiekat]

Also level 4 is 6 year old boys on the low end. I shudder at the thought of 4 and 5 year old boys --which is the target age for D-Team levels --making it through a 4 hour long competition.

Yes, gym is the one thing my kid can pretty much always focus on (except when he's tired). He competed L4 as a 6 y.o. (although currently would have been considered a 7 y.o.). There is no way he could have handled it any younger, and he was the kid who was enrolled in 3 rec classes per week because he loved it so much!

 

[skschlag]

My ds did L4 at barely 6. It was adorable. Clueless on routines....no idea what awards were. I so miss those days!

 

[TravelingCoach]

I haven't looked at any of the USAG updates since I left the states, but do they still have Level 3 in the program? I remember them putting it in a few years ago but never knew anyone that did it. I'd also like to know more about this xcel system they have now.

 

[2G1B]

I haven't looked at any of the USAG updates since I left the states, but do they still have Level 3 in the program? I remember them putting it in a few years ago but never knew anyone that did it. I'd also like to know more about this xcel system they have now.

At least in our area, I only knew of one gym that even tried it. Their kids were the only ones at meets, no one tried it the next year. I'm curious to see how xcel goes. Our gym isn't doing it; be we also didn't do JD last year and are this year. Several gyms did do JD last year.

 

[TravelingCoach]

JD must have started after I left. I don't remember hearing about it.

 

[skschlag]

JD started with the new quad that just came out last year. I have never seen a boys' gym do L3 as a competition level, nor have I seen any meets wtih L3 boys even as an option. There might be some small in house meets, but not sanctioned. 4 is really the first competitive level.

The Xcel program is up on the USAG website. Link Removed

 

[samsmama]

Our state does a L3/L4 combined state meet. The L3 comp is pretty informal from what I've heard. The boys don't have to have official uniforms and I don't believe they give medals. It's more to give them a low-key competition experience before they go to L4. The gyms I know of that have sent boys to the L3 comp don't have official L3 programs; it's just pre-team kids.

 

[TravelingCoach]

Level 3 seemed like a way to help clubs start a boys team. Is the JD system anything like JE?

 

[skschlag]

JD is more of the old "open optional". It is for boys that cannot compete a level due to age, or for late starters that want to do optionals with their age group rather than do lower levels with younger guys. Our JD teams has kids on it that did L5, then moved to JD because they are 15/16, or that are 17, and woudl have to do 10, but are really L8/9. It really varies in ability and skill level.

Then there is JO, and JE.

 

[RDTmom]

Our gym has level 3 as part of the boys team, but they do not compete. I think they do it to help differentiate the kids from the boys rec classes, since the advanced rec class is 1.5 hours 1x/week and level 3 is 2 hours 2x/week, so a decent jump when you're first starting, at least it felt like it to us! Now my oldest is doing 3 hours 3x/week at level 4 and I think he would like to be there more sometimes.

 

[Madden3]

When my kids started in Level 4, they practiced two days a week for 2 hours each practice. In my opinion that was plenty. One big benefit is it allowed them to do other sports too. THEY would have wanted to go to the gym every day, but I never would have let them start on team in the first place if it had been much more than that. Plus it would be so expensive so young! The trend seems to be more and more hours for the little guys (this is true at out gym as well, I think the level 4s train 6-8 hours a week now. In any case it is three days. )

I wonder if the addition of X-cel for boys is going to act to increase hours for JO team boys. If so, I do not think that is a great thing, because if you start out with them training so many hours, where can they go from there? You end up with burnout because you have 10-12 year olds living at the gym.

I think I would stab my eyes out if faced with the prospect of attending a Level 3 meet. Level 4 was tough enough. How many times can you watch kids run down a vault runway and jump onto a mat? Spare me.

 

[skschlag]

When my kids started in Level 4, they practiced two days a week for 2 hours each practice. In my opinion that was plenty. One big benefit is it allowed them to do other sports too. THEY would have wanted to go to the gym every day, but I never would have let them start on team in the first place if it had been much more than that. Plus it would be so expensive so young! The trend seems to be more and more hours for the little guys (this is true at out gym as well, I think the level 4s train 6-8 hours a week now. In any case it is three days. )

I wonder if the addition of X-cel for boys is going to act to increase hours for JO team boys. If so, I do not think that is a great thing, because if you start out with them training so many hours, where can they go from there? You end up with burnout because you have 10-12 year olds living at the gym.

I think I would stab my eyes out if faced with the prospect of attending a Level 3 meet. Level 4 was tough enough. How many times can you watch kids run down a vault runway and jump onto a mat? Spare me.

I hope not as well. My ds (L10), when he is healthy, does 20- 24 hours a week, and that is MORE than enough. WHen he was a L4 he did 4-6, and has moved up from there.....

My guess is that it shouldn't. Xcel kiddos should be doing 1 practice a week, maybe 2. So I could see them getting to 4-5 hours, but that shoudl top out.

 

[RDTmom]

We watched a level 4 meet last season, so DS would know what he was getting into. The vault definitely made me giggle.

I do feel like 9 hours is a lot, although I know a decent chunk of that is warmups and conditioning and they definitely get some goofing off time. They have little contests with each other. And I have warned the coaches, as have some of the other level 4 parents, that if I feel like the weekday practices are interfering with sleep and homework, I will come and pick him up earlier. I have been considering it. One of them is only 6.5 years old and my guy is barely 8. It makes for pretty late nights for them, and we live super close to the gym, so we get home much sooner than most.

 

[Madden3]

I picked my son up early one year, I think he was level 5 and practice went until 8:30 and it was just way too late for that age. All kids need enough sleep of course but some are more sensitive to the lack and my older DS is one of those. So, it was the right choice, but oh how he hated it! Balancing sleep and gymnastics practice is a continuous problem!