WAG solid 34 scorer - will it come in time?

[Deleted member 18037]

Not a fan of placemen either. Depends on so many outside factors. Scores are better then placement.

This week low 30, slight improvement for gymmie, went from bottom to podium, totally different age group.

Other gymmie, mid 30 also improvement, podium last meet, 6th this one. Both gummies improved placement doesn't given either true pic.

The reality is did you do better then last meet, skill wise, form wise, detail wise.
Scores and placement give measures but they are not the be all end all.

 

[CCGymbug]

Thank you all! It's been very frusturating as a parent to see my daughter to do great and than tank it the next meet, and every meet its a different event. She has been a solid 34 scorer as well. I am glad she isn't alone. And thank you bookworm for letting us all know that success can happen in optionals and isn't about the score. I am constantly told by her coaches how hard she works. As a parent, I often wish her scores reflected that work. I loved the part about letting the competition be a place to sparkle and let the rest be.

 

[duyetanh]

If our gym didn't move my DD until she hit 37, she would probably be a level 2 until she was 18....

...to piggyback on my own thread, this would because of the, ahem, charming mill circle that she probably wouldn't experience success with if she was an elite, bahaha!

 

[duyetanh]

To the OP, can I just say that I think 34 is nothing to sneeze at in compulsaries? Compulsaries were SUCH a learning process for our whole family, and I still learn from them even though my child has moved on....compulsaries are HARD. As someone said earlier, the score there does not necessarily correlate to optional scores and performance!

 

[LJL07]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, so I'll add my $.02 (for what it's worth)....DD has been a MUCH better optionals gymnast than she ever was in compulsories. I imagine this is true for a lot of gymnasts, as DD's head coach's goal is to get girls through compulsories and into optionals as fast as possible. To that end, he stresses placement more than scores. Scores are just numbers that don't mean much as they are usually the whim of the judges (as long as scoring is consistent throughout the meet, it's no big deal). He has an idea of what scores will place in each age division, but he focuses on basics, drills, shapes, extension, etc--all the stuff that can nickel and dime a gymmie to death in a meet. Since he came to the gym, DD's scores 1) went from mid-35s to high to mid-38s and 2) got more consistent as she became a more consistent gymnast.

I would have your DD focus on where she places on each event and set goals based on that. If she placed 7th on bars, maybe set a goal of placing 5th. This takes the focus off the raw scores and shows her that regardless of the number, she is improving. Once DD started doing this, she all of a sudden became a podium kid.

So is it possible for gymnasts who are great compulsories to not do that great as optionals? Example: a couple of girls in DD's level 4 group are scoring extremely high in level 4 (almost getting 38's), but the girls struggle to get skills. The other girls who are in the group are working level 6/7 skills, but the two girls "winning" the meets can't move up to 5 because they don't have the skills. It's not like the girls working the harder skills and scoring slightly lower are performing poorly--they are getting mid 36's and low 37's. However, based on scores, you would think the two highest scoring are the "best" gymnasts, but if you look at a practice, it's a different story. Is it better to have super tightness/pointed toes and assume the skills will eventually come, or is quicker skill acquisition better? Why can't this sport be a little more straightforward?

 

[Seeker]

This discussion is interesting. Being around for a bit and going through a gym change, I have seen a lot of kids pass through compulsories and then on to optionals. Every situation is unique and all kids are different, but there are a few things that I believe you need to think about when wondering "will things come together eventually?".

Firstly -- look at the gymnasts in the levels above your child and see how they're doing. Do they routinely do well at State, make it to Regionals and Nationals? If not, then I wouldn't expect your child to do any differently if they're part of the same program. If the program you're in doesn't already have successful upper level optionals, there is a reason for that -- some gyms focus on Compulsories, some don't have coaching staff capable of coaching higher level skills. Conditioning is a huge factor too -- it's much easier to teach the harder skills to a gymnast that has solid conditioning. They simply can't learn certain skills if they're not strong enough to perform the movement. Success means different things to different people, so knowing what you'd like to get out of gymnastics will help when evaluating what program may be right for your child.

Secondly -- You know your child better than anyone else. How do they feel about their progress and how they're doing (versus how you feel)? For some kids, they're happy to be in the sport, love the camaraderie, are happy to compete and get a medal here and there. Maybe scoring 34, 35 is totally fine to them. If that is your child, then I'm not sure you can expect a big upturn in scoring once they move to Optionals...maybe, but maybe not. However, if your gymnast is frustrated and/or upset about not scoring and placing better, it might be prudent to consider moving them to a different program -- one more suited to their goals. We went through a gym change after L5 and it was a very good decision for my daughter. She is now at a bigger, more established, successful gym and has improved significantly. She worked just as hard at her old gym, but she would have never gotten to where she is now without different coaching. It makes me sad to see the kids at her old gym still struggling to break 35 because I know they're frustrated by it (and at a certain point the gymnast may begin to think they're just not that good). Change is hard, but is sometimes much needed.

Good luck to all!

 

[vagymmomma]

So is it possible for gymnasts who are great compulsories to not do that great as optionals? Is it better to have super tightness/pointed toes and assume the skills will eventually come, or is quicker skill acquisition better? Why can't this sport be a little more straightforward?

To your question 1: No, I don't think L3/4 are necessarily good indicators of future success in the sport (especially L3). I know a number of girls who were superstars in L2 and L3, but the skills came naturally. At a certain point you have to work hard and sometimes the girls who are used to being the best have a hard time adjusting to not being the best (especially if it means more work). Also, I know many girls who were scoring average at the beginning of L3, but have blossomed into great gymnasts. You could see glimmers of future success, but sometimes a 6 year old just needs a little time to mature. Plus, the longer you're in this sport, the more fear and injuries become a factor. Regrettably, I have seen some amazing gymnasts who were derailed by fear or injury. Finally, some girls just burn out (and a 38 may be partially the result of more hours).

To your question 2: Interesting question. Tight is always a plus -- no matter what the level. However, some girls are just slow and steady. It may take them a while to get a skill, but they rock it when they get it. Of course, there's a cliff there somewhere (i.e., it's one thing to be slower to get a skill relative to other team members versus taking 3 years to get a skill like giants). I'd be interested if coaches have a view on this one.

To your question 3: You'll be asking the same question even after many years in the sport.

 

[LJL07]

To your question 2: Interesting question. Tight is always a plus -- no matter what the level. However, some girls are just slow and steady. It may take them a while to get a skill, but they rock it when they get it. Of course, there's a cliff there somewhere (i.e., it's one thing to be slower to get a skill relative to other team members versus taking 3 years to get a skill like giants). I'd be interested if coaches have a view on this one.

To your question 3: You'll be asking the same question even after many years in the sport.

Hmm. I guess to clarify a little, the girls scoring slightly lower are working on fulls, connecting series on beam, starting giants, etc., and the two "high scorers" are still trying to get consistent back tucks on the floor. I guess my thought was eventually the slow skill acquisition will catch up around level 7 or 8, but I could be totally wrong. I probably sound awful, but I am genuinely curious. I wonder what coaches think too.

 

[dynamicduo]

@AandAsmom, here is an interesting story to go along with what you are asking.

In spring 2013, my DD and a teammate (same age) both did level 5 and were both scoring mid 36AA. Teammate came in 1st at all meets, my dd 2nd by only a tenth or even 100th! Very close! My dd is a quick learner and picks up skills easily, teammate is slower but once she has the skill, it's beautiful!

Spring 2014, my dd went level 7 (skipped 8), and teammate did level 6 due to lack of giants. Both girls did well and scored high 36/mid 37 AA.

Spring 2015, my dd is going level 8 and teammate is doing level 6 again due to fear of connecting giant-giant- LO on the real bars. HC said if she gets them by mid season, he'll bump her up to 7.

So, again, in our gym, that is the difference between a quicker learner and a slower learner with some fears. I'm sure if that fear wasn't there teammate would be a solid level 7!! Does this happen everywhere, who knows, but it goes along with what you are asking!

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

Kipper is competing L7 this year. She has a large team (about 12) and fear is a much bigger obstacle than talent for most of them. The L4 state champ at our gym quit this summer, while a middle of the road L4 (34-35AA) won 1st AA as a L6 with a 37.5 at her first meet. Just no way to know....

 

[LJL07]

@dynamicduo The scenario you are describing is what makes logical sense to me when they start to get into the optional levels. I was kind of figuring some of the girls will maybe skip 6 even though they might currently be scoring a little lower. It seems this sport can turn on a dime. I'm glad my kids are getting great life lessons from it though.

OP: I have been told not to worry so much about scores in compulsories. I sure hope that advice pans out!