Parents XB to JO

[Cornelia527]

Hello! New XCEL mom here with some questions

My DD just started XCEL Bronze this summer — she’s 7 and has been doing gymnastics for about 2.5 years now. She absolutely loves it and, honestly, she seems to pick things up pretty naturally. She’s super motivated, always asking for more gym time, and dreams about gymnastics.

Lately she’s been asking me about the JO program, so I checked in with her coach to see if that might be an option down the line. I was told it’s not possible at our current gym — they select girls for JO really young and there aren’t tryouts or chances to move over later.

I’m feeling a little frustrated because I really want to give her all the opportunities I can, especially since she’s so passionate. So I’ve been thinking about looking into other gyms in our area, but I have a couple questions and was hoping for some advice from others who’ve been through this:

1. Should I start talking to other gyms now, or wait until she finishes her first XCEL season? I’ve heard it can be harder to switch to JO the longer you stay in XCEL, and something about having to “score out” — is that true even for the lower levels?
2. Has anyone made this kind of switch before (from XCEL to JO)? Was it hard to find a gym that would consider the move?

Any insight or experience would be so appreciated! I’m still learning the ropes here and just want to make the best decision for my daughter.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dahlialover]

Now would be the perfect time to look into other gyms. If your daughter wants to go the DP route, it’s best to get started right away.

 

[Cornelia527]

Now would be the perfect time to look into other gyms. If your daughter wants to go the DP route, it’s best to get

Just curious—if we've already signed an agreement with our current gym, will it be difficult to switch?

 

[ORgymmom]

Just curious—if we've already signed an agreement with our current gym, will it be difficult to switch?

Yes, unfortunately.

Some gyms won’t enforce a contract, but many will and/or will have you on the hook for at least your assessment/gear/meet fees/coach fees or whatever they call it. That money has already been spent as meet registrations are happening now or in the next couple of weeks, and gear has been ordered or will be soon. The gym will want to claw it back.

This is a tough time to switch if you’re in a state with a winter compulsory season, and basically impossible if you’re in a state with fall compulsories. There might be a gym that would take you on for a trial for JO, but it would have to be a gym with unexpected athlete departures, going through a transition, or that keeps a few spots for super talented girls who show up out of nowhere. Those open spots are more often available at level 4/5 and optionals than level 2/3, because the intro levels have so much interest but usually no attrition until after the girls’ first season.

The best time to make a switch is right after states and regionals when gyms are figuring out move-ups.

 

[Cornelia527]

Yes, unfortunately.

Some gyms won’t enforce a contract, but many will and/or will have you on the hook for at least your assessment/gear/meet fees/coach fees or whatever they call it. That money has already been spent as meet registrations are happening now or in the next couple of weeks, and gear has been ordered or will be soon. The gym will want to claw it back.

This is a tough time to switch if you’re in a state with a winter compulsory season, and basically impossible if you’re in a state with fall compulsories. There might be a gym that would take you on for a trial for JO, but it would have to be a gym with unexpected athlete departures, going through a transition, or that keeps a few spots for super talented girls who show up out of nowhere. Those open spots are more often available at level 4/5 and optionals than level 2/3, because the intro levels have so much interest but usually no attrition until after the girls’ first season.

The best time to make a switch is right after states and regionals when gyms are figuring out move-ups.

Thank you!

 

[Dahlialover]

Just curious—if we've already signed an agreement with our current gym, will it be difficult to switch?

It depends on what the agreement says. Our contract merely requires 1 month notice and you forfeit the meet fees you have already paid (but those don’t start until fall). Carefully read the fine print of what you signed. Did you make a longer commitment?

 

[BusyMomof2]

She's 7 years old! That is not too old for DP and I find it crazy that someone can tell you that with a straight face.

But yes - it's absolutely possible to switch over and I'd find a gym that has a more modern outlook on gymnastics. My 11-year old daughter is DP level 7 (training level 8) with an xcel foundation and is one of the stronger girls at her gym. She works really really hard and I think has some natural ability but it's absolutely possible - and she wasn't even on team until she was 8.

In terms of switching - as others have said you could be on the hook for things but likely only the month tuition. If you've already paid for meet fees, they probably haven't registered given the USAG deadline for gymnast memberships isn't even here until later this week, so I would politely but firmly ask for a refund. If you've paid for your Leo/warmup, see if you can sell it back to the gym.

 

[Lurker]

I don't think a year of bronze will derail her gymnastics future. Given the time of year I would see how she does with competitions and paying attention to the little details. Has she already learned routines? Does she enjoy her coaches and teammates?

 

[Dahlialover]

Be sure you are fully set up with a new gym before you breath a word of his to your current gym.

 

[TumbleTwist]

To answer your question about scoring out. That won't factor in at this point. She will likely go from Bronze to level 2, 3 or 4 (depending on her skills), and you don't need to score out to enter at any of those levels. If she went to level 5, she would need to score out of 4 first. But I don't see this happening coming from Bronze.

 

[Sebastian12]

She is young, there is plenty of time. If she is training bronze, It makes no sense to jump to DP now, because most likely she will be put on pre team or level 2, and most gyms don’t even compete level 2. Let her do a year of bronze, and see if she can join a level 3 team after she finishes the season. How many hours does she train, what skills is she working on?

 

[Ncgymnastmom]

my kids current gym doesn’t even do levels 3-5. They do xcel bronze, silver and gold then they move straight to level 6(they do have to test out of 4 and 5 but they do this in house). Also 7 isn’t too young that’s crazy. My kid started at another gym at 7 and did level 3, then 2 years of level 4 at 8 and 9 and then she switched to this new gym and is working to test into level 6 at the age of 10 but may do a meet or 2 at gold to get some of her bar skills up to par(old gym wanted her to do 2 years of level 5 that’s why we switched gyms). So I’d definitely look for a new gym if her goal is to switch from xcel.

 

[InMyGymMomEra]

My daughter was told at 5yo that she was "too old" for the JO/DP track at the gym where she was taking rec classes, and that they might consider her for Bronze after another year of intermediate/advanced rec. (This was after she tried out but didn't make their DP pre-team.) She's now 6, and in the past week I reached out to a few other area gyms to inquire about a pre-team/team trial. While some told me they didn't have room or that they only draw from their own rec program (which I totally respect/understand), she was just accepted to a DP L2 team at a great gym this week. We love her old gym, but they weren't able to offer her the opportunity to compete, which was really her big dream. So in my experience, it never hurts to look around at other gyms, since they all seem to have somewhat different philosophies. It just takes one to say yes!!

 

[XcelGirl]

I actaully did the opposite! when I was 5 I joined my gym's Level 1(pre-team). I did DP untill I was about 9 or 10. I had just moved up into Level 4, but the day before Level 4 practices started, the head coach emailed my mother and said that "....(name) is to old for DP. She wont do well in the long run. we'd like to move her to Xcel Silver.". i am now in Xcel Gold/Platinum, and I am doing great. Jo was very fun, ough

 

[Cornelia527]

Some time ago I posted about possibly switching my daughter from Xcel Bronze to DP… and we actually did it.

For any parents whose kids live and breathe gymnastics, I wanted to share our story because I know how confusing and frustrating this path can be.

We started at a very established gym with a strong DP program. I didn’t know much about gymnastics at all. Where I’m from, there isn’t really recreational gymnastics. Kids train and compete, and results show where you stand.

After some time in rec, my daughter started asking to compete. I spoke to the gym owner, and they said they would invite her if she showed potential. But in rec, coaches changed constantly, and even though several said they would recommend her, nothing ever happened. Looking back, I probably should have switched gyms earlier, but both my husband and I work full time, and the gym was convenient, so we stayed.

Eventually, she made the Xcel team, which felt like a big step. We knew it was not the same as DP, but we wanted her to try and see how it goes.

I do want to say this. Xcel can be a great path. We have now seen that there are truly strong Xcel programs, and we even tried one that we really liked. For many kids, it is absolutely the right fit.

But my daughter kept asking about DP. That is what she wanted. She talks about competing in college one day. I know she is still very young, but I feel it is better to try early and realize later that it is not your path than to try to catch up when it is already late.

This is also personal for me. When I was a kid, my mom did not really support my dream, and I ended up pushing myself hard as a teenager. It was not easy, and it affected our relationship back then. I do not want to repeat that. If this is her dream, I want to give her a chance to try.

Back to our experience. At her first competition, I realized other gyms were doing much more. My daughter scored well, but her routines were very basic. I understand Xcel is flexible, but it felt like they were keeping routines simple to place higher.

Over time, I also noticed favoritism. A few girls were getting most of the attention, and it turned out they were all taking private lessons. That is completely fine, but it became clear that without privates, there was not much progress. My daughter was doing well and placing on the podium, but her routines barely changed. Some girls repeated the same routines for two years unless they were doing consistent privates.

When we asked about DP, we were told she was too old. She was 7.

At that point, we knew we needed to move on. We tried several gyms, and honestly, it was tough. Some said she did not have the required skills and offered Xcel. Others said maybe, but only with a lot of privates. A couple told us again she was too old.

That was really hard. I felt like I had failed her. She wanted DP so badly. After every tryout she asked, did they say yes. And every time it was another suggestion to go to Xcel, she was heartbroken.

One gym had an amazing Xcel program, and she actually loved it there, but DP was still her dream.

With almost no hope left, we scheduled one more tryout at a smaller, older gym. The owner is a former champion, so I assumed they would be even stricter about age.

The week before the tryout, my daughter started practicing on her own. At her previous gym, they had not worked on things like kickovers or back handsprings, and she had even lost some flexibility. But that week, she pushed herself. Her kickover and splits came back, and she worked so hard.

At the tryout, everything changed. The gym had a completely different approach. Girls of different ages, some coming from Xcel, all training together. The coach told us she would fit into Level 3.

And we said yes.

In just the first week, she is already thriving. She is picking up skills quickly, even things like her block that she never really had before. The environment is supportive, the team feels like one group, and at the same time they are strong and competitive, with girls going all the way to Level 10.

We will see how it goes, but for now, it finally feels right.

So… fingers crossed.

 

[Dahlialover]

Thank you for coming back and updating us! So glad you found a great gym for your daughter!

 

[NutterButter]

I'm so glad you found a gym! And thank you for updating us. It's for sure helpful to others in your situation.