WAG Xcel Bronze

[scootch]

Just looking into maybe doing competitions. Do the gymnasts have to start at Bronze? My daughter has only been in gymnastics for less than a year, but had several years of ballet. She can do double backhandspring on floor and working on tuck, on beam she can do backwalkover, can complete a bronze and a silver vault(from what I have found on youtube). She is weak on bars though since she really has only been doing all 4 events for a few months. She is 13, going into 7th grade in school. Thank you.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

Nope! She could start at bronze, silver or gold. You have to score out of gold to do platinum. Good luck!

 

[MILgymFAM]

Girls don't have to start at bronze. They can start all the way to gold without scoring out. I'm sure her coach will put her where she fits best, within the gym philosophy of levels.

 

[scootch]

Thank you. I am thinking since she is so weak on bars, it might be best to put her in Bronze. IDK. Is she allowed to do the harder tricks on the apparatuses that she does well on? Will be getting more information this week and talking to the coach who does the XCel program. The owner of the gym approached me about it. I didn't know what questions to ask since I was not familiar with. The JO route is just too much time and money, but it sounds like this route might be good for her, especially since she got a late start.

Thanks

 

[MILgymFAM]

Thank you. I am thinking since she is so weak on bars, it might be best to put her in Bronze. IDK. Is she allowed to do the harder tricks on the apparatuses that she does well on? Will be getting more information this week and talking to the coach who does the XCel program. The owner of the gym approached me about it. I didn't know what questions to ask since I was not familiar with. The JO route is just too much time and money, but it sounds like this route might be good for her, especially since she got a late start.

Thanks

There is a lot of skill flexibility, but her abilities on beam and floor may outpace what is allowed in bronze. What, exactly, can she do on bars?

 

[scootch]

Pretty much just a pullover and back hip circle. Previously, she was at a gym that was just mostly tumbling. He also had a small beam. She learned most of the beam stuff on her own as she goes there a couple days a week to help with the younger classes. She has literally has had 6 weeks of all four events at this new gym. So only been on the bars 10 times maybe for 15 minutes with a class(no privates). They started showing her a couple dismounts and mill circle, but really only tried any of them a few times. She is really tall(5'4 1/2) with long ballerina legs(which is what she was in previously), so even her pullover back hip circle are very rough looking.

Thank you for taking time to answer these questions. When I do talk to the Xcel coach, I am trying to at least know a little bit about it beforehand!

I should add as it has coach by under my username. I was a gymnast as a kid and did coach at the YMCA when I was in college. So have been out of the gymnastics world for 30 years!

 

[MILgymFAM]

Pretty much just a pullover and back hip circle. Previously, she was at a gym that was just mostly tumbling. He also had a small beam. She learned most of the beam stuff on her own as she goes there a couple days a week to help with the younger classes. She has literally has had 6 weeks of all four events at this new gym. So only been on the bars 10 times maybe for 15 minutes with a class(no privates). They started showing her a couple dismounts and mill circle, but really only tried any of them a few times. She is really tall(5'4 1/2) with long ballerina legs(which is what she was in previously), so even her pullover back hip circle are very rough looking.

Thank you for taking time to answer these questions. When I do talk to the Xcel coach, I am trying to at least know a little bit about it beforehand!

I should add as it has coach by under my username. I was a gymnast as a kid and did coach at the YMCA when I was in college. So have been out of the gymnastics world for 30 years!

Wow, our girls have a LOT in common! My DD started gym late (about 12.5), was previously a ballerina, and is also tall and thin- now about 5'5.5". My DD did Bronze last year. The good thing is, if she starts in bronze due to bars, she will be able to move up whenever she gets a few more bars skills. All that's really required for silver bars is a pullover, cast, BHC, dismount, so as soon as she has a dismount (my DD did a shooting star in bronze and that's pretty common in silver), it sounds like she would definitely be silver. I haven't seen anyone in xcel do a mill circle. My DD can't do one, and she went bronze, gold, and now it looks like she'll be L5. Most xcel seasons start in January, so there would still be lots of time- is that the season where you live?

 

[scootch]

I kind of think she will need the bronze to gain some confidence too. Being on a balance beam in competition is very different than in the gym. She did not do competitive dance. She took classes at performing arts school, so was in the Nutcracker, but not the same as competing. They did mention something about starting in December. Hope to have more details on Monday when I actually talk to the Xcel coach. So am I reading correctly, there is usually team placing and individual placing? Is it by age group?

thanks again, you have been so helpful.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I kind of think she will need the bronze to gain some confidence too. Being on a balance beam in competition is very different than in the gym. She did not do competitive dance. She took classes at performing arts school, so was in the Nutcracker, but not the same as competing. They did mention something about starting in December. Hope to have more details on Monday when I actually talk to the Xcel coach. So am I reading correctly, there is usually team placing and individual placing? Is it by age group?

thanks again, you have been so helpful.

My DD never did competition dance either. She danced for fun and semi pro in a few ballets. In any case, yes, the levels will be divided by ages. It's been our experience that there are at least three groups. There will be awards by age and level, and there will usually be team awards. There wasn't always team awards though. The team awards are by level, regardless of age, in our experience. They take the top three scores per apparatus for each level and add them together to create the team score.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Btw, confidence is good. My DD has been chasing confidence she she started a year and a half ago. She always feels like she is behind. I def can appreciate why you and your DD would take it slow!

 

[raenndrops]

Pretty much just a pullover and back hip circle. Previously, she was at a gym that was just mostly tumbling. He also had a small beam. She learned most of the beam stuff on her own as she goes there a couple days a week to help with the younger classes. She has literally has had 6 weeks of all four events at this new gym. So only been on the bars 10 times maybe for 15 minutes with a class(no privates). They started showing her a couple dismounts and mill circle, but really only tried any of them a few times. She is really tall(5'4 1/2) with long ballerina legs(which is what she was in previously), so even her pullover back hip circle are very rough looking.

Thank you for taking time to answer these questions. When I do talk to the Xcel coach, I am trying to at least know a little bit about it beforehand!

I should add as it has coach by under my username. I was a gymnast as a kid and did coach at the YMCA when I was in college. So have been out of the gymnastics world for 30 years!

I would say that she could start in Silver. RO2BHS is not allowed in Bronze. She would get bored with limitations. Silver basic bar routine: Glide, pullover, cast, back hip circle, cast, underswing dismount.

 

[scootch]

Btw, confidence is good. My DD has been chasing confidence she she started a year and a half ago. She always feels like she is behind. I def can appreciate why you and your DD would take it slow!

13 is such a tough age too. She is going into 7th grade(we held her back from kindergarten as I had a niece die and it was such a difficult time). I will see what the coaches say. I would rather her do well and gain confidence in Bronze, rather than struggle this first year when in reality she just started all four events on July 1st.

 

[MILgymFAM]

13 is such a tough age too. She is going into 7th grade(we held her back from kindergarten as I had a niece die and it was such a difficult time). I will see what the coaches say. I would rather her do well and gain confidence in Bronze, rather than struggle this first year when in reality she just started all four events on July 1st.

Isn't it though! My DD just turned 14 less than a month ago and she will be starting high school in two weeks... This time in their lives is fraught with so many emotions and challenges. I hope your DD has an amazing time and loves her team and her competitions.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I haven't seen anyone in xcel do a mill circle.

Believe it or not, there was actually a team at states that had their silvers doing mill circles! It was the craziest thing! I hate the mill circle! Why do it if you don't have to?! But I agree, it is certainly not normally seen in Xcel, at least in my small experience.

 

[coachmolly]

Believe it or not, there was actually a team at states that had their silvers doing mill circles! It was the craziest thing! I hate the mill circle! Why do it if you don't have to?! But I agree, it is certainly not normally seen in Xcel, at least in my small experience.

We have had a few Silver girls do them, usually scoring lower than the girls with the most basic bar routine. My girls (Bronze) really like learning them, so it's a treat when they have mastered the rest of the bronze routine (basically the same routine they will do in Silver as well) to work on shoot through, mill circle. I doubt I will ever have them compete it though.

 

[sce]

Believe it or not, there was actually a team at states that had their silvers doing mill circles! It was the craziest thing! I hate the mill circle! Why do it if you don't have to?! But I agree, it is certainly not normally seen in Xcel, at least in my small experience.

I've heard some teams that do JO and Xcel use the JO routines for Xcel. Could this be what you saw?

 

[Vivianflips]

For xcel silver, most of the girls at my gym have their mill circles though I have no idea if they'll compete them. Good luck to your daughter if she chooses to compete!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I've heard some teams that do JO and Xcel use the JO routines for Xcel. Could this be what you saw?

That's a good point! I asked Puma Jr if she remembered if they were the exact L3 routines and she said they were close but not exact? She thought a couple things were in different order? But it was 3 months ago and she's eight, so it could have been!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

You do not need to do a mill circle for either bronze or silver. Only L3 requires a mill circle, never to be seen again.

You also do not need to go to the high bar for silver but you can.

 

[duyetanh]

We abhorred the mill circle, and were glad to kiss it goidbye...