WAG your gymnastics story

[Teezi]

When I was younger I never really knew what gymnastics was. I loved going to gymnastics birthday parties but I never though of it as a sport.

I was a dancer, not at a very competitive studio but I loved it. But after a while I got bored of my classes I seemed to be more advanced then every one else and we weren't doing anything new.

So once I enter middle school ( Age:11) I met this girl who did gymnastics at a local gym. I started to get really interested and would spend all my time after school watching gymnastics on YouTube. I could already do hand stands,cartwheels and bridge from just being a crazy kid. But I realized there was a lot more too. So I would watch tutorials and I learn my fall into bridge, bridge kick, back walkover, front limber, one hand cartwheels, pull overs. It was all so much fun and I asked my mum if I could join gymnastics. She said I could but it took her 8 months until she signed me up. I was in a Teen girls rec class that met once a week for 1 1/2 ( I was a month away from turning twelve at that point) I really liked the class but I had realized that most of the things we did I had already taught my self!

So 3 weeks later we had our report card test, after the test they said I should join Interclub the next session. (Interclub is kinda like. Pre-team but for older kids we worked on skills and routines and went to fun competitons) once September came I was signed up for interclub and I started to learn skills very quickly. (I trained 6 hours a week) I got my back hand spring on trampoline, back hip circle and squat on) within 2 weeks, then the HC cam and told me that I should start training another day so I was training for ( 9 hours) after that year was over I was asked to join competitive. I did it for a few weeks in the summer but once fall came my mum wouldn't let my join competitive. I was so angry, but she signed me up for another year of interclub. So I continued and I improved. And finally at the end of that year my mum let me join competitive threw the summer and fall. Now it is still my first year of competitive gymnastics, I am a 14 year old level 5. My season has been going good so far. Next yearns am going to compete level 6 and I am hoping for level 7 the year after that (I have dear issues on beam witch is holding me back) but I can't believe how much I love this sport! I also get to coach and I love watching the kids improve every week. Now my story is super long sorry'

 

[raenndrops]

A little info: The only gym within a 45 mile radius is our YMCA gym that operates under USAG. This is the only gym I've ever attended.
It all started when I was about 7-8ish. I was an active (read as extremely energetic) child who had zero fear. I was introduced to the sport by my summer day care provider whose husband is a coach, and by her daughter, who used to compete. One of the fellow daycare girls was on the gymnastics team (old level 3), and, during the summer, would show off her skills. I thought that that was the coolest thing ever, so I tried. Turns out, I was actually ok! I can always remember being able to do a cartwheel and bridge, so being able to try new things was awesome. My babysitter recommended to my mom that I get in the gym, and learn in a structured environment.
So, my mom called to have me tested for a progressive class because she had no idea what progressive level I needed to start at. I ended up starting in the level three hot shots class at age 8ish! I think that I did this for about a year, consistently staying in the top progressive class, and was invited onto team in April. Little me, though, didn't want to join team because of issues with snotty girls that were also in progressive classes with me, so I took some time off.
Fast forward to age 11-12ish. I was getting the itch. Gymnastics was definitely calling my name again, so, I went back to the progressive level 3 class. I continued these classes again, until the early spring, right around when team invites went out. Then I got sick, and had to have my tonsils and adenoids out, putting me out of the gym. By the end of those couple of weeks I was so ready to be back in the gym! Turns out that my mom had completely forgotten to sign me back up as a new session had started when I was out. I was heartbroken, and my mom felt horrible. I have an amazing coach though, who had no issue with allowing me to start practicing with the level 2 and 3 team girls, and other new team girls.
My first competitive season was in 2013 as a 13 yr old level 3. That was a fun/easy season. I won first all around at every meet I went to, and was even the state champ!
The next year I competed new level 4 as a 14 yr old. That was not my best season. I barely placed, and didn't place at state, but I was not discouraged. September of this year I also started coaching the progressive kids, and younger team girls! I have a lot of fun with coaching the team girls, and thrive on seeing them excel.
This year I competed as an excel platinum as a 15 yr old. I had a lot of fun with my routines, and am excited to compete at nationals this summer! Although I am not a consistent placer, I have learned to have fun with it and do what I can to help the team score!
Right now, I am a mess. I also play JV high school softball, so it is very hard for me to make it to our two gymnastics practices a week. I intend to start going in to the gym on my free time and just keep up with conditioning and maintaining the skills that I already have. It is so hard to try and get back in the groove of things after a break, and my bars tonight really showed that... Mental blocks have suddenly hit me hard, which is strange because I am pretty fearless.
This summer, I am going to work extremely hard to hopefully pass through level 5 and compete as a level 7 next season.
In the future, I intend to continue coaching the younger team girls at my current gym, and, someday, become a head coach either here or somewhere else!

Have someone record your routines at Nationals (and at a practice this summer without the pressure of competition). Because of your age, your coach can petition you into L6/L7 without even bothering with scoring out of L5. (we competed against a girl who petitioned into L6 from Xcel Gold because her teammates were scratching a meet that she wanted to compete in. Xcel was in a different session and she would have been the only one from her team - meaning her coach would have to stay a lot longer... Her first meet as a L6, she podiumed every event, 2nd AA and qualified for Nationals.)
Good luck at Nationals... OUR team only has 4 girls going this season (out of the 28 that qualified because most didn't want to go to Kansas... one family with 2 girls that IS going has relatives a couple hours from Wichita, one girl is a L3 that has high aspirations, and the last girl is the coach's daughter). All 4 girls are in different levels, so HC gets to coach 4 sessions... but nothing like a 1 to 1 ratio at Nationals. If YG went, that would be yet another level, so HC is glad more girls aren't going.

 

[Lizzy Brennan]

Have someone record your routines at Nationals (and at a practice this summer without the pressure of competition). Because of your age, your coach can petition you into L6/L7 without even bothering with scoring out of L5. (we competed against a girl who petitioned into L6 from Xcel Gold because her teammates were scratching a meet that she wanted to compete in. Xcel was in a different session and she would have been the only one from her team - meaning her coach would have to stay a lot longer... Her first meet as a L6, she podiumed every event, 2nd AA and qualified for Nationals.)
Good luck at Nationals... OUR team only has 4 girls going this season (out of the 28 that qualified because most didn't want to go to Kansas... one family with 2 girls that IS going has relatives a couple hours from Wichita, one girl is a L3 that has high aspirations, and the last girl is the coach's daughter). All 4 girls are in different levels, so HC gets to coach 4 sessions... but nothing like a 1 to 1 ratio at Nationals. If YG went, that would be yet another level, so HC is glad more girls aren't going.

Thank you! We have kind of talked about the petitioning, but haven't REALLY talked about it. Your nationals situation sounds similar to ours! Everyone on the team qualified, but only 14 are going. I want to say like three level 1s, five level 2s, four level 3s, one level 4, and myself (XP) are going. So, the low gymnast to coach ratio will be awesome!

 

[Deleted member 17723]

the

Have someone record your routines at Nationals (and at a practice this summer without the pressure of competition). Because of your age, your coach can petition you into L6/L7 without even bothering with scoring out of L5. (we competed against a girl who petitioned into L6 from Xcel Gold because her teammates were scratching a meet that she wanted to compete in. Xcel was in a different session and she would have been the only one from her team - meaning her coach would have to stay a lot longer... Her first meet as a L6, she podiumed every event, 2nd AA and qualified for Nationals.)
Good luck at Nationals... OUR team only has 4 girls going this season (out of the 28 that qualified because most didn't want to go to Kansas... one family with 2 girls that IS going has relatives a couple hours from Wichita, one girl is a L3 that has high aspirations, and the last girl is the coach's daughter). All 4 girls are in different levels, so HC gets to coach 4 sessions... but nothing like a 1 to 1 ratio at Nationals. If YG went, that would be yet another level, so HC is glad more girls aren't going.

I'll be going to Kansas as a level 4!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

I'm confused. I thought Nationals were only at higher levels. I thought there were no a Regionals/Natioals until after level 5.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I'm confused. I thought Nationals were only at higher levels. I thought there were no a Regionals/Natioals until after level 5.

Jo nationals start later- L8 I believe. Xcel has none, at any level. Ymca and USAIGC have them starting at the lowest levels. T&T has nationals starting at L5.. Different leagues, different nationals.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Jo nationals start later- L8 I believe. Xcel has none, at any level. Ymca and USAIGC have them starting at the lowest levels. T&T has nationals starting at L5.. Different leagues, different nationals.

So what L3 and L4 are going to Nationals???

Because Xcel and IGC don't have numbered levels?

What Nationals are these level 3 & 4s going to.?

 

[curlygirls]

YMCA Nationals. Link Removed

 

[MILgymFAM]

So what L3 and L4 are going to Nationals???

Because Xcel and IGC don't have numbered levels?

What Nationals are these level 3 & 4s going to.?

As far as I am aware, YMCA competes JO levels, but at their own national comeptition. So, they have all JO levels, plus xcel levels, at their nationals.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Thank you for clarifying

 

[stxrdusty]

I started gymnastics when I was 7 in the equivalent of level 1. I went to a non-comp gym for 4 years and progressed to the equivalent of old level 4. I then switched to a gym that competed and competed old level 4 at 11 (2007), old level 6 at 12 (2008), level 7 at 14 (2010), level 8 at 15 (2011), and level 9 at 16 (2012). I nearly skipped level 7, but was missing a flight series and a kip cast handstand that were needed for level 8.
Four months prior to level 9 season I heavily jammed my left ankle. It healed and I was able to compete that year, but the following summer I jammed it again and it never healed. After about a month of frustration I had an MRI and learned I'd torn the posterior tibial tendon in my left ankle. I was then in a walking boot on and off for 8 months. During that time I saw 5 different orthopedics that couldn't tell me why my ankle pain kept moving around and wouldn't go away.
Just when I first got my walking boot I also switched gyms due to some gym drama.
Eventually I found a surgeon who figured out what was wrong with my ankle; bone spurs on the front of the joint, a dislodged piece of cartilage (why the pain kept moving), a torn posterior tibial tendon, and 2 tendons (including the posterior tibial one) that were adhered to my ankle joint because I'd built up so much scar tissue since the first injury and from being in a walking boot.
I had surgery to fix all of this summer 2013 after not competing that year. I couldn't do all the events until February of 2014, but I did get to compete level 9 bars at state in 2014 and I got honored as a graduating senior. I think of this as one of my biggest accomplishments to date.
I chose to go to UCLA last fall and we have a club gymnastics team that competes NAIGC if you want to compete. We don't have a coach, but I've worked to maintain what skills I have and have even almost learned a blind full by myself. We get to use the gym the NCAA team trains in and sometimes we get to talk to the girls which is pretty cool.
Training anything but bars has been difficult since my surgery due to some lasting pain, and when the pain started to affect my walking around campus about 2 months ago I went and got it checked out. It turns out they didn't remove all of the bone spurs during my first surgery due to a fear of causing too much scar tissue to build up, so I still had more bone spurs in my left ankle.
I got them removed 2 weeks and 3 days ago and got my stitches out on Wednesday. I also stopped using crutches that day. I have some pain while walking now, but it's from my surgery and the stiffening of my foot and ankle because I wasn't able to use it for 2 weeks.
I'm planning on going back to the gym next week now that I can walk around campus and I'm going to focus on stretching and strengthening my ankle correctly and then get into focusing on drills to fix lots of the problems I've developed over the years with my gymnastics.
My goals for next year once I've healed and am doing real gymnastics are learning a yurchenko full, getting my bail to handstand, learning a free-hip shaposh, getting my back tuck back on the high beam, improving my overall beam ability, fixing my twisting, and training double backs again. I also intend to coach at my home gym over this coming summer.
One of the orthopedics I saw told me to quit and I cried myself to sleep that night, but I didn't quit. I wasn't going to give up doing the one activity that I've ever loved and so I'm still doing it and I don't know what I'd do without it. I know that if I quit I wouldn't be as confident in myself as I am now and I wouldn't be going to UCLA. I thank gymnastics for my life and my coaches for never giving up on me.

 

[sce]

So what L3 and L4 are going to Nationals???

Because Xcel and IGC don't have numbered levels?

What Nationals are these level 3 & 4s going to.?

YMCA Nationals

 

[Alyssa Hull]

I have always been interested in gymnastics since I was a young child and have never stopped working hard to improve. However, I am now 14 and I have struggled finding gyms due to moving around, prices of gyms and how busy my parents are. When I was about 3 years old, my parents could not get me to stop jumping around and climbing on things. So they put me in one of those small classes that are advertised in activities booklets. I was in one of those classes for one term and then told I wasn't good enough to move up in the next term so my parents took me out. Also due to the fact that there were 13 year olds incorrectly teaching rolls. As I got older, I began to realize my love for gymnastics and I was absolutely devastated as my parents kept telling me that I was too old to join from the age of 9 probably. I kept begging but I never made progress. From the age of 7, I taught myself in my backyard hoping to show my family how dedicated I was. I began from scratch practicing for hours on end cartwheels, then bridges and handstands. At school we had bars and rope races and I joined as much as possible. I practiced to the point that by the time I was 9, I had taught myself a handspring entirely by myself. Nothing was able to convince my family. Then, I moved. I lived in a small apartment with nowhere to practice but a school gym. I joined a small club that would help me a little bit but it was in a small basement which did not even have a proper bar. Over that time period, I lost most of my skill. Two years later I moved again and I moved into a house with a backyard that I could practice in again. I had almost given up but I would not let my dreams of being a gymnast get away. My sister who is 18 months younger than me was not interested in any activities or sports whatsoever so my parents suggested, why not gymnastics? That would help you get some exercise. I was absolutely furious. I had been begging all my life and neglected the ability to do gymnastics and my sister had not mentioned it once. Up until April that year (2014) I finally was able to join gymnastics and I was the happiest I have ever been. My parents almost took me out before it had even begun because I had not cleaned up the kitchen the way they liked it. I would not let them get away with that. I finally was able to join gymnastics at the age of 13 and I have been very passionate about it ever since. I will never give up on my dream of being a gymnast and do not intend on stopping. I am now 14 and will be 15 in November and I am working very hard to realize my dream.