Parents Inspiration please!

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Kcanflip

Proud Parent
My daughter is an 11 year old non natural non flexible form challenged beam fearful gymmie. She'll compete level 4 in January (has all skills now) but they have started working l5 skills too and she's struggling. Bars and vault are fine. She's pretty strong. Mainly having issues with her leaps for floor and beam. Back walkover on beam absolutely terrifies her! Anyone have a kiddo like this make it to l5 competition and even optionals? Is this just something that will take time and confidence building or is the end near in terms of her progression? She loves the sport but due to age/late start (and above listed challenges) has no college aspirations. Just feeling a bit down. It's hard seeing all the little gymmie with no fear fly by her skill wise.
 
If she keeps with it, she will get there. She needs to not focus on the rate other kids move up and just stay focused on herself.
 
Agree - focus on her own journey, not that of others (this holds true for the young naturals as well, after all). Yes, I have seen both girls and boys with late starts/form challenges, etc keep plugging along into optionals happily. college? NO...but continuing to progress (at their own pace) and enjoy it - yes...one friend of DD is now almost 15 - just hit Level 6. She still loves it and as she's matured she HAS improved in all the areas you mention - just keep swimming.

On the other hand, DD just had a sleep over with a friend who quit gym after a week on team - nearly killed her parents and coaches as at age 7 the kiddo had her kip, her ROBHSBT, no fear, great form and strength, perfect "ideal" shape etc...but hated the work. Now she's 12 and can still do most of the above with great form - even without training for 4 years....but it wasn't for her....other than for fun.

Gymnastics shouldn't just be for the naturals - if your daughter enjoys it trust that she's learning and growing....and likely will keep learning new things, polishing, etc (if the coaches are good and patient)...
 
There is a girl at our gym that has backwards tumbling fears, especially on the beam. She has competed level 8 already. So she was able to work around it with other things. Though for awhile she would do the BWO, but not the BHS, so that might have helped her get through the levels.
 
You just described my dd perfectly. She is not flexible and is very fearful of the beam. She loves the sport and is very dedicated. After she competed old L5 for two years she was still not mentally ready for the bwo on beam, so moved to xcel. Our gym has a very strong xcel program. The initial plan was her to compete xcel until she gained confidence but she loved the xcel so much she has decided to stay in it.
 
Unless she gets over that by next season, sounds like Xcel might be a great solution for her!! I think that sounds like such a neat option for girls who for whatever reason get "stuck" on certain things, so that they can still progress in everything else and enjoy the sport. Wish our gym had the program, I think it would have helped a few girls stay in the sport rather than quitting...
 
Only time will tell. I've seen girls who seem to have "the whole package" crash and burn and those who have lots of fears and obsticles progress to the upper levels. I think the trick is to not to try to predict or project. Try to stay Zen and in the moment. If right now she is loving it and it's a valuable experience for her, that's all that matters.
 
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I had a totally terrified of the BWO on beam, not naturally flexible daughter. She went from beam being her favourite apparatus to beam being her most feared the moment the BWO reared its head. Thankfully she and the coaches persevered and after about 12 months she finally managed to compete the BWO, of course by then fear of BWO had been replaced by fear of BHS on beam ;) I've learnt over the past decade that there will always be something that they struggle with or are afraid of!

I agree with MaryA there is just no predicting with gymnastics. DD started gymnastics at age 6, some of the girls that started with her raced past her at a furious speed, some of them she has now caught up to and some of them are still several levels ahead of her, but a lot of those fantastically talented little ones have now quit gymnastics completely.

You say she loves gymnastics - that there is the most important thing in my opinion. She is doing an activity that she loves and is having fun. Gymnastics is hard, but working through the obstacles that crop up teaches so many life skills - overcoming fear, the value of hard work, not giving up when things are tough - just as important, if not more so than mastering the BWO on beam.
 

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