Managing a gymnast

[ek2]

Hi this is my first time to post and I need some direction. My daughter is a level 5 gymnast, had a rough season and is in the process of trying to get her 6 skills. Most of the girls will be moved to level 6 come summer. She is one of the older girls and if she does not move up will be the oldest in the group. I talked with one of her coaches who explained that she is "petrified" of some of the skills i.e. back-walkover on the beam etc... although she has done them on the high beam without a spot. My concern is that her coaches have written her off, will not say so, but will let her drift because it is the least confrontational approach. She is going to talk to the head coach this week and hopefully he can explain where she is and what she is going to have to master. She loves gymnastics, I can tell that this issue may really discourage her(being held back)... but she will not choose to do something else because this is all she knows. She works hard, has a great attitude and I do not want to make the decision for her to quit( I do not want to teach her that you stop when things are difficult) but, she spends so much time in the gym. As a parent how should I manage this? How do you manage this from a coaches perspective?

[blantonnick]

A lot of this will boil down to what the coaches philosophy is regarding competition...If they are geared towards an elite approach to coaching they will look for the fearless, perfect body, good flexibility, good strength, good postured girl that will provide 'the path to least resistance' in the goal to try and make the next Olympic level athlete. However, if they want a gymnast that loves the sport, cares about participating and wants to experience gymnastics for what it really is then perhaps just a meeting with the coach will solve the problems. Explain that your daughter loves gymnastics and wants to be pushed to be the best she can be (even if this is not the Olympic pathway)
If though the coaching philosophy is to make an elite tracked athlete then perhaps they are writing your daughter off because she does not in their eyes fit the mold they are looking for, which is a shame and should probably also deserve a meeting to say that you are switching gyms....

[CoachL]

Quote:
Originally Posted by blantonnick A lot of this will boil down to what the coaches philosophy is regarding competition...If they are geared towards an elite approach to coaching they will look for the fearless, perfect body, good flexibility, good strength, good postured girl that will provide 'the path to least resistance' in the goal to try and make the next Olympic level athlete. However, if they want a gymnast that loves the sport, cares about participating and wants to experience gymnastics for what it really is then perhaps just a meeting with the coach will solve the problems. Explain that your daughter loves gymnastics and wants to be pushed to be the best she can be (even if this is not the Olympic pathway) If though the coaching philosophy is to make an elite tracked athlete then perhaps they are writing your daughter off because she does not in their eyes fit the mold they are looking for, which is a shame and should probably also deserve a meeting to say that you are switching gyms....

You know a coach can have an elite philosophy and also coach gymnasts that just love the sport. A gym I regularly visit has 11 elites and also the kids that were considered "rejects" by other clubs, those same girls work out with the elites. The coaches might not teach each gymnast the same or push each gymnast the same way, but they are all loved and cared about. You can have an elite gym and also a loving gym.

[blantonnick]

Oh believe me CoachL i certainly agree with you, however it sounds from the post that i was replying to that perhaps the coaches are not giving the attention to the gymnast because she is 'older' and maybe not as suited as the others to progress through the USAG program...I coach in a gym with one gymnast going for Junior Europeans, one gymnast going for Senior Europeans, and 3 gymnasts on the national squad, and I treat every gymnast with the same integrity and attention as the others in our program. However, as a coach who believes that everyone deserves the same attention, i also understand that some gymnasts may not be suited for elite level gymnastics. My hope is that the coach or coaches involved in the situation of ek2's daughter are giving the same consideration.

[ek2]

I appreciate the input.
She did speak with the head coach the other night; he was very nice and said that "their concern" is her fear of the beam and skills but that if she got her skills they would be able to move her up. His philosophy... to me... is that gymnasts progress at different rates, she is extremely strong(great vauter), but not as flexible so it will be more difficult for her on beam and floor. He is very positive.
We actually moved her last summer(three optionals and one elite left after us) from a gym that was very negative in the way they coached... we saw some personality changes in her over the course of the year that spurred our decision. At the time, she was in one of the top training groups and progressing well, but we felt it was not worth it for her to come home after most practices crying and withdrawn. So we moved her to this gym (both gyms train level 5-elite) which has been good for her emotionally.
I guess my quandry with her is whether I just let things go as they are, knowing that two of her coaches probably think the fear thing will eventually keep her from getting her skills. I do know that she will/can work through these issues, if she gets supported. But at the end of the day will she just be left behind and really discouraged? Thanks for letting me share.