Advice from parents or coaches please!

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I have two young daughters that are currently doing 12 hours of gymnastics.

My youngest daughter has been selected to go the "compulsory" route and her hours will increase, my elder daughter will go the "club" route, I believe, and her hours will remain the same.

I am concerned that my elder daughter has never really been given the attention of some of the girls and I never really known what the coaches are looking for!

What I'm wondering is whether I should try both of my girls at another club? Or whether another club will just come to the same conclusion, and whether you are frowned upon if you try somewhere else.

What I'm saying is it worth a second opinion?

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
 
how old are your daughters ? Are you at a large, medium or small club, what region are you at, all will affect your position.

Have they not mentioned the national stream ?
 
My daughters are 7 and 8 years. I have no idea of the club size, in comparison to others but I would say medium ? based in South west of England.

To be honest not a great deal has been mentioned from the coaches. I've actually just been thinking that I need to know what it is both of my girls are working towards. It seems like we are given the hours and just do them. It's just all very new to me.
 
okay, so I'm South West too.

That level of communication is par for the course !

Have a look on the grades threads here and the full spin on beam thread, its a potted guide to UK gym. Although grades have been updated slightly the general gist is the same.

Uk gym competes by years so 2008, 2009 etc A 2006 gymnast, whether born on 1st January 2006 or 31st December 2006 compete together and are referred to by year of birth, or, "competing 8".

There are 3 grade streams, Compulsory (elite), national and regional (club), and they start at 8.

Normally grades happen in March / April, but the SW is holding their regional grades next weekend ( cause the'm different).

If you want to PM me I will try and help with club specifics , but those threads should give your more info than I learned in my first 6 years of UK gym !
 
You need to know that few girls usually go on the compulsory/elite route, even those that do most eventually go down the national route. Club grades are fun, 12 hours a week is plenty for club grades. Your 8 year old is too old to do the elite track in age I'm afraid some clubs do let them do them out of age. Are they happy at the club, do they have good coaches and friends? The difference between club and compulsory grades is huge. Once you pass your first compulsory grade (level 4) you are not allowed ever to do club grades. Some gyms club grades are taken more seriously than others. Finding a club where the girls are happy and progressing is the main challenge.
 
Thanks margo and floppycat, it's all beginning to make a bit more sense now!

So would I be right in saying that both of my daughters have been given their selected route based on their current ability, to enable them to meet the grade requirements? Rather than based on future potential?

Also I noticed that compulsory can move to national grades but can club grades move up to national?

I just think if parents were given information from the coaches it would help us make the best decisions for our children.

Both of my girls are very happy in their club, I'm not sure how they'll be now they are going different ways but I guess time will tell.

Thanks
 
National grades do not move up to compulsory. It is technically possible to move across at 11 + via the challenge cup, but they need to have trained like a compulsory gymnast, and it has only successfully happened once or twice since 2006..

Compulsory is elite track. Aiming towards British championships, national squad, international competition, Olympics etc. floppycat is incorrect saying your dd is too old, if she's 9 next year she will go into level 4. The first compulsory level the have to do (and pass to progress to l2) is l3 the year you turn 10.
 
Sorry not finished!

"In age" compulsories are elite track, high hours, high pressure, high commitment. In age means doing the right level at the correct age l5 at 8, l4 at 9, l3 at 10 etc...aiming to have them ready to compete senior the year they turn 16.

You can also do compulsories "out of age". Some clubs will allow children to do this, it's not common though. It can be less hours and pressure, and is basically disregarding the elite track age requirements. It can be a way for potential elites to keep on the compulsory track if they start late/get injured or whatever. You'd need to ask your club.

It's likely your dd's have been put on their tracks for their perceived future ability. They won't waste time coaching compulsories if they don't think the child can go all the way. However, making that call age 7 or 8 is pretty much an educated guess (one of my issues with elite track ;) )
 
Sorry misread! Your younger dd is definitely not too old for compulsory, she'd be l5 next year.

As to your older dd, who knows what they look for, it's down to what individual coaches like.

Does your older dd want to do compulsory? If they're both happy and your club has compulsory track I'd leave it.

Eta: Google some l4 YouTube vids (make sure you get the uk version!)- should give you an idea of what older dd needs to look like by next year.
 
This is all very interesting..

My just turned 8 year old, near enough end of year birthday :( will be doing the new club grades next year, not sure if it will be either Grade 6 or 5 yet (dd should be able to do either as she has nearly all the skills). Dd will be classed as 9 when she does grades even though she will still be 8. From Grade 5 there is different paths National or Regional from Grade 4 onwards. I am wondering if dd will be considered too old to go down the National Route in 2016, it does say the minimum age is 10 for both routes, nothing is said about being older but it seems that you mustn't be younger, dd will be 10 near the end of 2016 and will be classed as a 10 year old.

Dd's coach did mention that some of the girls in the group could go down the National route and some will go down the Regional route. Dd is the youngest, there is one other girl born in 2006 and she is older by a good few months (school year above) than dd, the others are 9 (classed as 10 next year) (10, classed as 11 next year), (11, classed as 12 next year) and a 13 year old (classed as 14 next year).
 
Tiny dancer- national route is different to compulsory route and there aren't the age restrictions. She can't be too old as there isn't really an "in age" or upper age limit, only a minimum age.
 
Thanks faith for all your information.

After reading tiny dancers post , Is there a possibility that my older daughter (older being 8!!) Can go from club grades to regional or national grades?

I guess a lot of it is just down to coaches.
 
Yes she can do regional and national grades. She can't cross to the compulsory in age route.

It's not unusual to be told very little by coaches, btw. Then you can't question it if you don't know what is going on!
 
Looking at the new grades info from British gymnastics it doesn't say what happens after Regional / National 1, where do the gymnasts go from there?

I still can't get over the fact the my dd will be doing Grades next year,,this time last year I didn't think she would ever get a chance to do them, it doesn't matter to me what pathway she goes down wether National or Regional, I am really happy and excited that she gets a chance to do either one.
 
Thanks faith for all your information.

After reading tiny dancers post , Is there a possibility that my older daughter (older being 8!!) Can go from club grades to regional or national grades?

I guess a lot of it is just down to coaches.

I think after club grades 6 & 5 it is either National or Regional, don't think there is club grades 4,3,2 & 1 unless that is what National and Regional are.
 
After reading tiny dancers post , Is there a possibility that my older daughter (older being 8!!) Can go from club grades to regional or national grades.

When did your dd turn 8? My dd turned 8 last month and is in year 3 at school.
 
My eldest daughter was 8 in April, she did her grade 14 this year. So I don't know which of the new club grades she will do next year.

I am very proud of both of my daughters I just needed information to be able to explain to my daughters which direction they are going in and possibly why, as they will no longer be training in the same group.

Thanks for all the advice.
 
Grade 14 is now being replaced by Club 6, so she should do 5 next year, from there they split into the two routes. For the vast majority of girls they will do either national or club grades, very few do compulsories ( although that may not get the impression from here). It is now possible ( I believe) to migrate between those two streams.

A lot of girls who start the compulsory route do drop down to the national ( or even club route), and there is absolutely no shame in that, they are still competing skills that the vast majority of the population could never do, so a decision made at 8 about training groups may no longer be sustainable at 10, you can never second guess this sport, and as for after Grade 1, to be honest most girls who aren't elite have quit by that age.
 
Thanks margo, that was really positive answer. I think many of the parents at the club where my girls train are so judgemental and it is so hard to block out their opinions.

Like you said no one can second guess this sport!
 
Reading on here it can be very easy to get the impression that its elite or nothing ! Our club has about 400 children training. The top ones are level 3 (2), then there are about 6 level 4's, 20 odd level 5's and the rest are youngsters or rec. None of our girls are "in age", most are one or two years out of age. Mine is one of them, but she is still doing stuff that no-one else in her school could dream about, she is very fit and strong and has gone from being a quivering jelly to a self assured young lady - to me thats what its all about.

Sure the Cray-cray rises up occationally, but I beat the inner CGM with a stick and she usually settled down for a bit.
 

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