WAG What intangibles could hold a child back?

[wgymmom]

Not talking low scores, bad attendance, poor attitude, lack of work ethic, disobedience, poor sportsmanship, or a young age. Fears are minor, passing, and on expected skills, but not all of them (i.e., not flyaways ever). What is there that the parents could be completely missing and that wouldn't be communicated by any coaches or directors? Parents do NOT attend practice. Other parents and gymnasts at the gym think this gymnast is very good (heard this directly, many times). Gymnast is often the top scorer in group, sometimes in gym.

Gym is deciding to skip some girls out of levels and this gymnast has never been allowed the chance despite all of the above. Some girls skipping are much younger and had lower scores than gymnast (I know this is not end all be all, just trying to give extra info). Gymnast is "older" for level.

Gym is pushing 6 hard despite mid-35s in a full season of level 5 and a full calendar year to train. Gym is not powerhouse.

 

[Ex member]

According to my youngest dd(8) she has to compete a lower level then her team mates because she is too short to work on the jump to the high bar, the rest of her team mates are working on higher levels (all hearsay, no Offical word). Did is around 115cm tall and dd told me the coach said she is too short to jump to the high bar safely, most of her team mates cannot do the jump to the high bar alone yet or are even close.

 

[Faith]

Psychology.

Some kids are better held back for their confidence. Overface them and they'll quit. Doesn't matter what the child is capable physically, their head has to be there too. And that is never obvious, even to coaches sometimes.

Tiny dancer, my dd was jumping to the high bar the bars on their furthest setting age 7. And a small 7 at that. She's not much over 120cm now, at 10.

 

[lovemygymnast]

Not talking low scores, bad attendance, poor attitude, lack of work ethic, disobedience, poor sportsmanship, or a young age. Fears are minor, passing, and on expected skills, but not all of them (i.e., not flyaways ever). What is there that the parents could be completely missing and that wouldn't be communicated by any coaches or directors? Parents do NOT attend practice. Other parents and gymnasts at the gym think this gymnast is very good (heard this directly, many times). Gymnast is often the top scorer in group, sometimes in gym.

Gym is deciding to skip some girls out of levels and this gymnast has never been allowed the chance despite all of the above. Some girls skipping are much younger and had lower scores than gymnast (I know this is not end all be all, just trying to give extra info). Gymnast is "older" for level.

Gym is pushing 6 hard despite mid-35s in a full season of level 5 and a full calendar year to train. Gym is not powerhouse.

If they're pushing her to do 6 instead of skipping 6 & moving to 7 (is that the question??) it could be that she's not ready for giants? It could be form issues that they want her to perfect before moving up? It doesn't hurt to talk to them and try to find out the reason. I know you said she scored mid-35's, but some gyms require 36's and won't waiver so that could be another reason?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

absolutely agree with Faith, plus giants are one of those decisive skills, its a mental game, especially when they are older.

@Tiny Dancer mine is not huge and she was jumping to the high bar at 7 too, I wouldn't take size as a reason, its mostly mental at that age.

 

[Ex member]

Psychology.

Some kids are better held back for their confidence. Overface them and they'll quit. Doesn't matter what the child is capable physically, their head has to be there too. And that is never obvious, even to coaches sometimes.

Tiny dancer, my dd was jumping to the high bar the bars on their furthest setting age 7. And a small 7 at that. She's not much over 120cm now, at 10.

Maybe what dd told me came from her and not from what the coach told her as I didn't think it sounded right either, maybe th coach doesn't think she is ready to try and jump to the high bar even though dd said it was one of her goals, I did have a chat with the coach a month or so ago and said it was one of Dd's goals to jump to the high bar and the coach said that dd was too small to do it safely. Dd told me she is working on a lower level because of the jump to the high bar and she might be right because her range and conditioning in not the same as the others in her group (slightly easier in places).

I was shrugging my shoulders over the fact the other girls were doing the grades that have the jump to the high bar in it even though they cannot all do it yet (some not even close) and dd has not been given the chance to try it but on the other hand at least dd will be doing a level she is confident on and I guess if the others cannot get the jump to the high bar in time then they will also drop down a level (I guess that is how it works), dd will not have that worry. But to be honest all the level stuff is hearsay as nothing offical has been said and all they have been working on seriously is range and conditioning. Dd has told me different things regarding her levels, one day she said level 4 (floor stuff) and another day level 3 (bars stuff) depending on what apparatus they were working on.

 

[wgymmom]

If they're pushing her to do 6 instead of skipping 6 & moving to 7 (is that the question??) it could be that she's not ready for giants? It could be form issues that they want her to perfect before moving up? It doesn't hurt to talk to them and try to find out the reason. I know you said she scored mid-35's, but some gyms require 36's and won't waiver so that could be another reason?

Giants have been coached off and on for almost 2 years (don't get me started). Gymmie can tap swing into them on strap bar unspotted. Teammates still spotted.

Gym is certainly NOT concerned with 36's to move up levels or even skip levels. Otherwise, Gymmie should have been skipped out of new 4.

Trying to talk with anyone is like talking to a brick wall. Parents will ask simple, direct questions and receive NO answer whatsoever. Repeatedly. Parents have gone round and round about L6. First plan was to score out of 5 and finish at 6 in 2015. Plan changed shortly before first meet. About 2 weeks. Parents feel like they keep having the rug pulled out from under them.

 

[wallflower]

You should ask. People who don't know what your kid looks like will not be able to tell you. Even if they throw ideas out there, you still won't know why your gym has made that choice.

 

[wgymmom]

25 possible medals/placements for L5:

First place: 11
2nd: 5
3rd: 4
4th:2
5th and below: 3

 

[wgymmom]

You should ask. People who don't know what your kid looks like will not be able to tell you. Even if they throw ideas out there, you still won't know why your gym has made that choice.

See above... asked 2-3 times, no answers, evasive and stonewalling.

Performance videos can be PMed to a willing coach.

 

[gymdog]

It is impossible to speculate, however, there are reasons why a child with all the above qualities you mentioned might not be a candidate to skip levels. T is possible I could see from a video but also possible I couldn't see some things like on new attempts the child often loses track of themselves in the air and thus has scary falls, or something. This would mean the child needs more time drilling basics and learning skills slowly. It also won't correlate to their ability to score a high score on a a basic compulsory routine they are familiar with. I have had my best scorer be the worst at learning new skills and one of my worst scorers do tons of way more advanced things, granted without perfect form.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I am NOT saying that this is the case here, but in some cases what the parents truly believe their child to be like isn't actually how they behave for the coaches. I have/have had gymnasts I coach who the parents tell me all day long are "not afraid to work hard" or "extremely disciplined and respectful" yet what we have out on the floor is a whiny kid to takes every chance to skip on assignments and roll her eyes at us whenever she thinks we aren't watching. Trying to communicate that to the parents is very difficult...
Again, totally NOT saying this is your gymmie, I'm merely trying to say that perhaps there is behaviour during practice that you aren't aware of, confidence issues, coachability issues, focus issues..?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Gym dog, your second scenario gymnast describes my gymmie to a T! Not great form, not a great scorer but she learns skills fairly easy and has the guts to do things most of the other girls hesitate on! now if she could just work on her form......

 

[wgymmom]

amazing young lady, she is always punctual, she never missed practice, she works super hard and I know she loves the sport.

Directly from a regular observer in authority.

 

[wallflower]

Scores and medals are really not an indication of being ready to move up. So try not to focus on that. And from what I understand she is moving up from 5 to 6.

You said your dd is "older" for her level. Maybe there are only so many spots in level 7 and the coaches chose those kids with the most potential? Which is not something you can see by scores, placements etc. Especially not placements because around here the "older " age groups are the least competitive.

I think it's a safe assumption that if the coaches have a group of girls who just completed level 5 and they chose some to do 6 and some to do 7, they see that as the place each kid will be the most successful. Clearly they see something in those girls chosen to do 7 that they don't see in your kid. You say you don't watch practice, so you wouldn't see it. And even if you did watch practice you likely aren't qualified to see what they see.

It stinks, but there's not a lot you can do about it except leave if you don't like it.

 

[&bs]

It might be that the coaches see her skill level topping out earlier than the other gymnasts. If they see this child topping out at Level 7 or 8 they might not see any rush to get there, let her have success on the way through rather than skipping her through and then getting stuck and struggling. I would see them doing this for a hard worker who just isn't as physically talented as some of the others. Every gym has those kids who have succeeded through pure hard work, always score near the top of the team because they are more focused and try hard all the time but there comes a point where it doesn't matter how hard they work the more physically talented kids zoom ahead because when they do apply themselves it is so much easier for them.

 

[wgymmom]

Okay, so scores are irrelevant, placements are useless, compulsory routines are a mindless waste of time, levels 3-5 have zero bearing on a gymnast's talent or ability in anything higher, and everyone who observes her just has stars in their eyes. Oh, and she has little to no potential, so all of this is a colossal mess.

 

[skschlag]

So, you asked a question that is somewhat hypothetical, since no one here knows the gymnast, gym, etc. And you are getting lots of potential answers. Unless one is the child's coach, they are all just potential answers..not THE answer.

 

[wgymmom]

And obviously I am just an obnoxious overbearing starry eyed parent who doesn't have the faintest clue about anything, including her daughter because I have been given NO ANSWERS WHATSOEVER. It matters not that we pay for gym, meet fees, leos, booster club fees, that this is our kid, that none of this would be acceptable in an educational setting, none of it. I am to fly blind, not knowing a solitary thing about who exactly is coaching her, teaching her, observing her, because I am a mere parent and not a professional. Oh, and pony up the money.

 

[Orangesoda]

To the OP: why do YOU think she's being held back? Do you have thoughts?

Also, is your daughter happy with her progression? Or are both of you dissatisfied?