Parents Is Xcel worth it?

[dsabrunner]

My daughter is 8 years old and has been doing gymnastics for 5 years including 2 on two levels of pre team, then competitive level 2 and competitive level 3. She did not do very well at the meets this year, largely because she is not very flexible and that is really a problem. Her coach has said that she is not ready to move up to level 4 because of her form - and I can see that she is not nearly as good as some of the girls on the team. We have three options - have her repeat level 3 (which my daughter is not a fan of because she wants to keep working on the new moves - kip, cartwheel on beam etc), have her switch to Xcel Silver, or go to a one day a week rec class. I am trying to understand Xcel - and while I am not adverse to her doing the classes to stay in the sport - it is difficult for me to understand why you would have kids who are not good enough to be on the main competitive team chase all over competing...? It is still a lot of time, money and travel - but apparently with no goal? My daughter does not want to quit gymnastics and as an eternal optimist believes that if she works hard in Xcel she will eventually be able to switch back to J.O. I also worry because I know some of the J.O. girls at the gym really look down on the Xcel program and I don't want to set my daughter up. Thoughts?

 

[Amber]

Excel is a good way for girls who have issues with form or strength to keep competing, and have more alternatives in their skill selections. What I have seen at our gym, is girls who struggled at level 2,3,4, switch over to either Silver or Gold, and become very successful as they mature. I've seen huge increase in strength and flexibility in these girls. Our gym doesn't allow movement back to JO, but some of these girls switched gyms, and were successful at JO levels 2/3 years later. Some stayed on excel and loved it.

Does excel lead to college gymnastics or Olympics? No. But remember, 95% of girls on the JO track will not make it to college. So keep that in mind when thinking of the "end goal".
Your dd is 8. That's young, and she has a long time in the sport. She can do excel and re-assess later. Good luck!

 

[kayjaybe]

Only you know your gym and can find out if she can ever move back to JO from Excel.

But regarding this: it is difficult for me to understand why you would have kids who aren't on the main competitive team chasing all over competing...

With that thought, why should anyone pursue any sport and compete if they aren't going to be the best? Why play on the JV team if you didn't make varsity?

For me it would be because my kid loves the sport. She loves learning new skills and competing. I love how gym has taught her to work hard, fight through tough times, be a good sport when you lose, support your teammates, time management, the importance of good nutrition and exercise.

I have no idea if Excel is for your child or not, but I couldn't imagine basing my decision on letting her participate on the fact that she isn't on the "good" team.

 

[gymmomtoo]

It's an excellent way for someone who either doesn't have the drive to put in the hours for JO or the flexibility or whatever to excel at compulsories to participate in the sport with meets, etc. If she was playing soccer, would you say it's the highest level soccer team or it's just not worth it to drive her to practices and meets?

And ask the coach whether her goal of moving back to JO would be possible.

 

[gymdog]

Wow, no point? Gymnastics is incredibly difficult and rewarding to master whether it is Xcel or level 4. There are levels in Xcel that are harder than level 4. It sounds like your daughter is a good fit for the Xcel track to continue progressing in gymnastics. If she doesn't love gymnastics or want to progress, a rec class and another sport may be more suitable. If she loves gymnastics, then of course and option that allows her to progress and be successful is worth it.

 

[NutterButter]

Yes it's worth it! There are some fabulous athletes in Xcel!

 

[gracyomalley]

An 8 year old with form and flexibility issues may be an excellent optional athlete someday - and a 7 year old who is doing great at L3 may be done with gym or struggle to get higher level skills within a year or 2. There is no way to know for sure where your kid would be in a few more years of gymnastics, except that if she chooses to just do rec classes she'll be doing just that.

What really matters is does your child enjoy gymnastics, do they feel valued by coaches and team mates? How hard does your child work at things? Are they a nose to the grindstone type of kid, or a get in line and do what everyone else is doing - even if its staring at butterflies kid? Does your child recognize that they have "work to do" to get better - or are they unable to make corrections when the coaches speak with them. How much of gym for your kid is competing versus how much is learning and practicing (as in - are they happy being a gymnast whether they compete or not). These things would be much more important to me when "helping" the 8 year old make a decision...

If the child really likes competing and being on a team - but doesn't really have the drive to correct that which needs correction - then excel could be fantastic for them - a way to do gym, get all the exercise and learning that comes from youth sports and the fun of competing without as much pressure or boring hard work. If the child is just taking longer to perfect things but works hard and makes slow steady progress, and really loves most of the time they are in the gym (caring less about the sparkles, glitter and competitions) then repeat at JO and work hard to polish skills - maybe a 9 year old L3/4 isn't going to the Olympics, but a much more polished/strong 12 year old L7 (forecasting a few years down the line) has many great years of JO left! Lots of kids repeat and go on to do well - again, maybe not the stars, but sometimes maturity makes a big difference....and if your kiddo doesn't like going to practice much at all - then do rec and open gym and let her have fun flipping about!

Sounds like the gym is open to any and all of the above - personally I'd push my kid to repeat and see what happens - as I've seen 2 of my 3 blossom with steady effort, and everything in life takes steady effort! - but it really ISN'T for everyone....

 

[GlobalNomad]

it is difficult for me to understand why you would have kids who are not good enough to be on the main competitive team chase all over competing

I think the goal of sports is to be your best. It's not all about being the best. No matter which track you go with in gymnastics, there will always be someone younger and better.

It's fun to be on a team, and to compete. If you decide to let your dd stay in gymnastics, the point of the sport for her will be the same as it is for any other gymnast -- hopefully to be strong, healthy, confident, and happy. I am glad there are different levels and tracks in this sport, so they can all have a chance to compete where they are challenged and having fun.

 

[profmom]

With a DS who plays decidedly non-elite but still "moderate" travel soccer at age 16, I couldn't agree more. He will never play more than club soccer in college if he plays at all, but he loves what he's doing and has stuck with it all along. It's been an important and highly positive part of his life, and I couldn't dream of him being who he is without doing this for many years.

 

[dsabrunner]

Thank you everyone for your replies. She has worked so hard this past year, and while I understand the coaches decision, it was hard to hear. She will be leaving friends that she has been with for the past 4 years. I really appreciate the feedback. The coaches have said she could move back to J.O. possibly in another year, if she gets her flexibility & form improved. They want her to also take a ballet class which she will do this summer. She is definitely a nose to the grindstone kid, but they have said just because her natural flexibility isn't so good, she is going to have to work a lot harder than some kids to improve her form and keep up. When I talked about competing, I guess the part I was surprised by was that the Xcel teams travel all over the state, and even one meet out of state. Usually when my kids have done rec type sports they have been pretty local, and even the level 3s at our gym never went further than 2 hours away. At our gym the competition schedule for the Xcel girls is pretty equal to the J.O. girls in terms of number of meets and distance of meets. So it is still a very big decision time and $ wise.

 

[raenndrops]

My daughter is 8 years old and has been doing gymnastics for 5 years including 2 on two levels of pre team, then competitive level 2 and competitive level 3. She did not do very well at the meets this year, largely because she is not very flexible and that is really a problem. Her coach has said that she is not ready to move up to level 4 because of her form - and I can see that she is not nearly as good as some of the girls on the team. We have three options - have her repeat level 3 (which my daughter is not a fan of because she wants to keep working on the new moves - kip, cartwheel on beam etc), have her switch to Xcel Silver, or go to a one day a week rec class. I am trying to understand Xcel - and while I am not adverse to her doing the classes to stay in the sport - it is difficult for me to understand why you would have kids who are not good enough to be on the main competitive team chase all over competing...? It is still a lot of time, money and travel - but apparently with no goal? My daughter does not want to quit gymnastics and as an eternal optimist believes that if she works hard in Xcel she will eventually be able to switch back to J.O. I also worry because I know some of the J.O. girls at the gym really look down on the Xcel program and I don't want to set my daughter up. Thoughts?

Xcel can definitely be worth it if done right. There are some gyms that have the same girls compete both JO AND Xcel (and in some situations, this is a good thing, but others I disagree with). In the NY State Xcel meet, there was at least one girl who competed Diamond AND she is a L9 gymnast too.
Xcel is a perfect option for girls who aren't cut out for compulsories... my YG did Old L4 (2 years) and New L3 (1 year). She still wasn't ready for New L4 this past season - form and flexibility and memory for the DETAILS. She moved to Xcel Gold and did great!
In her 2 L4 seasons, her best finish PLACEMENT-wise was 5th place (out of 5 girls and the other year 8th place out of 8) ... and her best score was 32.50 (at a qualifier meet where the judge knew the girls were trying to qualify for YMCA Nationals, so on "up to" deductions, they were a little more generous... In the regular meets, her best score had been 31.075). In her L3 season, her best finish was 3rd AA (with personal bests on 2 events AND a 1st place finish on another). Her best score that season was 32.45... and that was at the meet she came in 3rd... and the judging (especially bars) was TOUGH - 8.0 was 1st place in her age group!
She made the switch to Xcel Gold (and only competed the 2nd half of the season due to family drama)... Her best AA Placement was 2nd place. Her best AA score was 33.125 (and she only has a 9.0 SV on Beam, so instead of being out of 40.0, hers is out of 39.0).
Going to Xcel was the BEST option for her. She would have quit for good if she had to repeat L3 AGAIN! And now, she has had some success... she finished top 3 on at least one event each meet this season! It has renewed her fire and she is anxious to learn new skills and perfect the ones she has!

 

[raenndrops]

#1... The coaches have said she could move back to J.O. possibly in another year, if she gets her flexibility & form improved.
#2... When I talked about competing, I guess the part I was surprised by was that the Xcel teams travel all over the state, and even one meet out of state. At our gym the competition schedule for the Xcel girls is pretty equal to the J.O. girls in terms of number of meets and distance of meets. So it is still a very big decision time and $ wise.

#1 - It is awesome that you are in a gym that will allow her to move back to JO if she is ready.
#2 - This tells me that your gym treats Xcel as TEAM... and not as a rec program. That is AWESOME! I say go for it!

 

[IreneKa]

Thank you everyone for your replies. She has worked so hard this past year, and while I understand the coaches decision, it was hard to hear. She will be leaving friends that she has been with for the past 4 years. I really appreciate the feedback. The coaches have said she could move back to J.O. possibly in another year, if she gets her flexibility & form improved. They want her to also take a ballet class which she will do this summer. She is definitely a nose to the grindstone kid, but they have said just because her natural flexibility isn't so good, she is going to have to work a lot harder than some kids to improve her form and keep up. When I talked about competing, I guess the part I was surprised by was that the Xcel teams travel all over the state, and even one meet out of state. Usually when my kids have done rec type sports they have been pretty local, and even the level 3s at our gym never went further than 2 hours away. At our gym the competition schedule for the Xcel girls is pretty equal to the J.O. girls in terms of number of meets and distance of meets. So it is still a very big decision time and $ wise.

What about the hours? Would she be training less hours in Xcel than if she stayed L3? Because if she really needs to improve her form\flexibility, then doing less hours, and working on harder skills (which Xcel would allow her), might not be the right way to go. Might be better to stay L3 and work on those basics for another year.

 

[dsabrunner]

What about the hours? Would she be training less hours in Xcel than if she stayed L3? Because if she really needs to improve her form\flexibility, then doing less hours, and working on harder skills (which Xcel would allow her), might not be the right way to go. Might be better to stay L3 and work on those basics for another year.

With Xcel she would be doing less hours than the level 4 kids who are moving up but more than the level 3. At our gym the levels 4s do 14 hours, the Xcel silver girls do 10 hours and the level 3s do 8.5.

 

[IreneKa]

With Xcel she would be doing less hours than the level 4 kids who are moving up but more than the level 3. At our gym the levels 4s do 14 hours, the Xcel silver girls do 10 hours and the level 3s do 8.5.

In that case this might not be a bad option for your DD, if you are sure they would let her move back to JO later.
I'm actually contemplating the same thing for my DD right now. She just finished her L4 season, but because of an injury is unable to work on her L5 skills. So, instead of repeating L4 I'm thinking that she could do a year of Xcel Gold, and then score out of 5 and do 6 next year. Our gym is pretty flexible though, so I'm sure they would let her do that. Not all gyms are like that.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

There are sooooo many different ways Xcel is used in different areas. At some gyms it's basically rec, and at others it's super competative. My gym uses it instead of compulsories. And there is a very broad range of skills. What's expected at Silver at one gym might be the norm for Gold at another. It's all about if your gym uses it the way that you and your DD want. We've had a great experience with it. There are a couple threads up right now about Xcel that might help you. Good luck!!!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Xcel is not rec, it's a team. It might be a different team then the JO team but it is a team and its competitive.

 

[1fish2fish]

Joined just to reply to this. My daughter is 7 and just finished level 2. She was moved into the xcel silver group for summer training instead of level 3. Had a great season on bars, but everything else was not as great. Xcel silver trains same hours and time as level 3 at our gym and seems to be the place to go if your skills are uneven in some way. (Group spans level 2-3-4 skills). Whether it's an older child who has 2bhs, but not great bars, or a kid like mine with the opposite problem, xcel is a good place to progress and continue growing on the things you're good at and bring up the things that are moving more slowly. In our area, xcel is used in a lot of different ways, but tends to be a sub for compulsory levels for some gymnasts. Check out youtube to see the large range of what's competed in silver if you haven't already. Our gym is low key and xcel is not a red headed step child to the other programs; all the gymnasts work with all the coaches, people flow back and forth between number levels and xcel often, etc. Now, if the other gymnasts feel negative toward xcel, I don't know and don't really care how someone else's 10 year old perceives my kid's training, kwim? If you trust your coaches to customize your daughter's plan, and they think she is ready for the increased hours, I'd take the xcel over repeating. We will see how it goes this summer for our girl!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

There is a ton of variability in all programs and gyms. Our gym does both Xcel and JO. And I mean our girls compete JO and Xcel. Each girl does both.

There is no Xcel team or JO team. You are either rec or team.

There are JO teams that train way more hours then we do. They have kids home schooled so they can spend more time inthe gym. Some we beat in JO, some we don't. From a JO stand point we train less hours. There are Xcel teams that train more or less then we do.

We currently have L2 to L9 and Xcel Bronze to Diamond.

Our JO girls have been top of the podium in their Xcel divisions and then no necessarily top in Xcel. They are different.

Lower levels have many more successful girls. Really many can do a BHS, less a tuck and so on.

For my girl and our family this is a good fit. And we are just heading into Level 4. If we get to a point it doesn't work, we will make changes

 

[motigymnasticsmom]

Have you watched your Xcel group at your gym? Have you observed the coach/coaches and how they interact with their group? How many girls do they have for bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond? How many coach(es) do they have per group? How are their scores compared with the jo track girls? How is the booster club ran or do you have a booster club? Are the Xcel girls included in team pictures and invited for all of the extra activities? Even if she doing less hours at the gym, coaches can give conditioning work to do at home.