WAG Why not elite for Young level 9s and 10s?

[mommyof1]

Actually they are still the level they competed. It's pretty simple. Everyone is training for the next level except 10's (some are training for elite) and elites. If it's not an exaggerating parent then why include the qualifying statement "training level x"? I'm not trying to pick on you, I mean this generally. If our kids hear us say this about them, does it sound like level x really isn't that good so we mention the next level?

At my daughter's gym there actually is a formal distinction between the L3 group training L4 skills with the intention of moving up and those training only L3 skills with the likelihood of repeating.

I call my daughter's level what the gym calls it, which coincides with the level the gymnast is competing or will compete in the current year. She will compete L4 this year and is in the official L4 group doing only L4 routines, so it would be weird to keep calling her L3 for the next few months until the first meet. When she was in the L3 group training L4 skills, I called her L3 because that was the level she was competing. It's kind of like school--she finished fifth grade in June, so now she calls herself a rising sixth grader, not a fifth grader.

 

[mommyof1]

Interesting how different perspectives can be.
See, I've always respected that that our gym (and apparently many other gyms) call it "training X" level until right before the season.

To me, it seems the most accurate way of expressing that an athlete has demonstrated mastery of competing the previous level and barring any unpredictable setbacks is on track to advance. I mean, in the off season, they are literally "training level whatever" so it makes total sense to me.

This approach makes total sense, especially when kids may still be working to master the next level's skills during the off season or in optionals where things seem to be more fluid.

 

[Mamabear123]

At my daughter's gym there actually is a formal distinction between the L3 group training L4 skills with the intention of moving up and those training only L3 skills with the likelihood of repeating.

I call my daughter's level what the gym calls it, which coincides with the level the gymnast is competing or will compete in the current year. She will compete L4 this year and is in the official L4 group doing only L4 routines, so it would be weird to keep calling her L3 for the next few months until the first meet. When she was in the L3 group training L4 skills, I called her L3 because that was the level she was competing. It's kind of like school--she finished fifth grade in June, so now she calls herself a rising sixth grader, not a fifth grader.

I think this logic makes the most sense. My DD is very clear to people that she is not a first grader anymore. She knows that she isn't in the second grade yet, but I have her doing 2nd grade workbooks so she's working towards 2nd grade. Just like level 3, she knows she did level 3 and is working towards level 4.

 

[Texasmomof3]

Our gym calls it "training level __" until meet season begins.

My dd competed level 7 last year. She received the qualifying score to move to level 8. She is currently working on pirouettes, yurchenkos, fulls and a roundoff layout dismount on beam this summer. She plans to compete level 8 starting in January. But she has not yet competed a level 8 meet. She is not ready for a level 8 meet yet. If meet season started tomorrow, she would have to repeat 7. If she retired from gymnastics now, she would not retire as a level 8; she would retire after level 7.

If someone who knows gymnastics asks her, she says she is training level 8.

 

[vbdb]

This conversation reminds me of little Emma Rester who was touted as an "only" 3 year old gymnast when in fact she was turning 4 in mere days after she appeared on Ellen and did all of those terrifying backhandsprings on the trampoline. But for some reason gym parents love to round down their kid's ages to make them look like younger at higher levels. It's silly.

You should have seen the nonsense in our province when they changed the ages for scoring groups this year. They used to use the child's age as of December of the year the season started and now they use their age as of December of the year that championships are. So my 11 year old competed under the 12 year old age group because she'll turn 12 this October, where in our old age grouping she would have been 11 because that was her age in December 2016. So she was a 12 year old Level 5 which is ancient in gym years but a 10 year old Level 4 the year before...Do I also need to add the qualifier that she didn't start until she was 9 which is the other standard "excuse" for having an older lower level kid?

 

[3girlsmom]

Interesting! For my DD, Elite is the goal. Will she get there? Who knows. Is she "training elite?" I don't know how that's any different than training anything else. Does she go an ungodly number of hours? Yes. Does she Homeschool? Yes. Does she practice the hopes/elite routines? Yes. Has she been to training camps at the Ranch?Yes. But she does still compete JO- incredibly successful.... NO! [emoji854] When she's ready she will compete Hopes/Jr.Elite. For now, we enjoy the journey, trust the path, and continue to love the sport.
Are we crazy? [emoji848]Yes, I think so!

This made me chuckle! Great response! My response is exactly yours and I feel the same exact way! What a whirlwind [emoji12]

 

[Livlovestoflipandfly]

Actually they are still the level they competed. It's pretty simple. Everyone is training for the next level except 10's (some are training for elite) and elites. If it's not an exaggerating parent then why include the qualifying statement "training level x"? I'm not trying to pick on you, I mean this generally. If our kids hear us say this about them, does it sound like level x really isn't that good so we mention the next level?

I disagree. There are many athletes at our gym who are not training for the next level as they have much more training to do at their current level. Stating that everyone is training for the next level implies that everyone is training up and I just don't think that is the case for everyone, especially the younger gymnasts.

 

[gasrgoose]

I disagree. There are many athletes at our gym who are not training for the next level as they have much more training to do at their current level. Stating that everyone is training for the next level implies that everyone is training up and I just don't think that is the case for everyone, especially the younger gymnasts.

IMO this would indicate you are at a recreational gym, rather than a competitive gym. Since this thread is referencing 10 year old levels 10's and elite I assumed we are discussing competitive gyms.

 

[Livlovestoflipandfly]

IMO this would indicate you are at a recreational gym, rather than a competitive gym. Since this thread is referencing 10 year old levels 10's and elite I assumed we are discussing competitive gyms.

Not true at all. Every gym is different and I think it is a gross assumption to think that every "competitive" gym trains the same.