Tops

[M23K's]

Ingymmom.....We're still in region 5 but I decided to pull DD out because of the commute and gas prices. At the time she tested for TOPS she was going to a gym in Indiana. Most recently though, she was attending a Kentucky gym.

[Ingymmom]

Quote:
Originally Posted by M23K's Ingymmom.....We're still in region 5 but I decided to pull DD out because of the commute and gas prices. At the time she tested for TOPS she was going to a gym in Indiana. Most recently though, she was attending a Kentucky gym.

Our gym is in NW IN. Honestly if we had to make a commute for gym, we would make the same decision.. Too much wear and tear on the whole family.

[Ingymmom]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn My DD is too young for TOPs (she's still 6) but our gym doesn't do it anyway. What I'd like to know is is TOPs a necessity for a gymnast who aims for elite, Olympics and college? Or is it possible to get there by simply completing the usual USAG levels?

My dd is also 6, but turns 7 this year which makes her age eligible. TOPS is not necessary to becoming an elite, out of the hundreds of girls that train/test TOPS in the 7/8 yr old division there are still only a MAYBE a few that can make it to that level years later. Shawn Johnson did not do TOPS & Ivana Hong's gym does not do TOPS either (GAGE uses their own progression system).

[AmyCollins]

My 5 year old dd is in a "tiny TOPs" program at her gym. I guess they are "grooming" them ,so to say, for TOPs when they hit 7 yrs old. Learning all the skills/test is a lot. they do a lot of timed sprints, leg lifts, press to handstands, over-stretches, etc. dd just got 1 press to handstand last week but it took all she had, she's the first to get it. most the kids on tiny TOPs are between 4 and 6. i have noticed her strength improve a lot since she started along with her flexibility.
I know the gym is going to send two or three TOPs this year to testing. This program was just started in the last year or two at our gym so its pretty new to us. lots of our coaches did TOPs as kids.
not sure how it will work out but as long as dd wants to do TOPs it ok with us. the only thing that is hard is Tiny TOPs last for 1 hour before her 2 1/2 hr L3 practice, so after those 3 1/2 hours she is exhausted