Proposed 2013 Compulsory Routines & Moving Up

[emorymom]

I have deleted it, didn't think it would be that offensive. I do sincerely hope that gyms make decisions about what levels to compete based on things other than what they're called, like, the point in a child's skill development that they think is appropriate for competition.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

No need to get snippy- are you looking for something cute to have people quote and high 5 you for?

Anyhow- it is the same thing only now they are adding a level- gyms that never had a level 2 team willnow have a Level 2 through Level 10 team instead of a Level 3 through Level 10 team.

Another level, more coaches, more jockeying for time in the gym, scheduling issues-- bad economy. So, yes, while a gym, may have compete old Level 3- I am just wondering if are going to drop it when it becomes Level 2 b/c there will have been a level added in the higher levels. As I said- our gym has made a decision to drop Level 3 and not compete it anymore- I wonder if this is driven by the fact they aren't interested in a Level 2 team. I can't think of one gym in my area- and I live in a very competitive region- that competes kids in Level 2> At all the gyms around here it's called pre-team and they don't compete.

I think my posting has been relevant to the thread- I think your was just mean spirited!

 

[Muddlethru]

Can someone either direct me to where I can read about these modifications or briefly explain this change? Going a level higher, if the new L5 will be doing old L6 skills, what added skills will the new L6 have? It sounds like the skills required for the compulsory levels are getting more difficult. I am assuming they added new skill requirements for the new L6. Will they be requiring more difficult skills then for beginning optionals, i.e., L7 and L8 or are the optional levels unaffected by this change?

 

[lhmom]

Here's the link: http://http://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/Junior%20Olympics/2013-2020Finalelementlist-March2011.pdf
IIRC, Level 6 skills would be more of an optional level? As for our gym, they start competing level 4, but I assume they will just go level 3-10 once the changes take effect. Have not heard anything yet.

 

[Muddlethru]

Here's the link: http://http://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/Junior%20Olympics/2013-2020Finalelementlist-March2011.pdf
IIRC, Level 6 skills would be more of an optional level? As for our gym, they start competing level 4, but I assume they will just go level 3-10 once the changes take effect. Have not heard anything yet.

Thanks ihmom. This link does not say anything about the new L6. Wonder what is now required for the new L6. Like you said, maybe more of an optional level? If that is the case, then it would trickle up to all the optional levels, or is the USAG just making compulsories more difficult to get gymnasts ore prepared for optionals.

 

[gymmutti]

Does anyone know if as part of the level change, girls will now be required to compete level 4 in order to move to level 5? I am assuming they will since you must compete level 5 currently (this is the first level that my gym competes).

 

[MaryA]

Thanks ihmom. This link does not say anything about the new L6. Wonder what is now required for the new L6. Like you said, maybe more of an optional level? If that is the case, then it would trickle up to all the optional levels, or is the USAG just making compulsories more difficult to get gymnasts ore prepared for optionals.

Level 6 will be doing the same skills that the current level 7 is. It will be the first optional level, with, as far as I know, the exact same skill requirements as the current level 7. New name, same level.

 

[mariposa]

Thanks ihmom. This link does not say anything about the new L6. Wonder what is now required for the new L6. Like you said, maybe more of an optional level? If that is the case, then it would trickle up to all the optional levels, or is the USAG just making compulsories more difficult to get gymnasts ore prepared for optionals.

Does anyone know if as part of the level change, girls will now be required to compete level 4 in order to move to level 5? I am assuming they will since you must compete level 5 currently (this is the first level that my gym competes).

http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/PDFs/Women/Committee Minutes/NJOC/njoc_2009_1113.pdf

This document should answer both of these questions, shows basically what skills will be allowed for Optional levels 6-10. And that you WILL have to compete level 4 (current level 5) and get the required mobility score to move onto level 5 (current level 6). Interestingly, it looks like you can "skip" the new level 6 (current level 7) since it doesn't show that you need to compete that level to move onto the next.

 

[gymcoach34]

I agree its going to take some education and preplanning on the part of the gyms. The purpose is 2 fold- to make Level 3 a level MORE gyms compete (to get kids involved as well as to increase memberships to USAG) and to have a "new level" in between Level 8 and 9. Right now, the way Level 8 is structured, its a huge jump to Level 9. I think they could just allow the one C acro in L8 and not have to do all this extra work/ restructuring-but this way there is a new competitive lower level that will to be required purchase USAG memberships. The new Level 6 and 7 are very similar, I wonder if they will differentiate the levels by allowable vaults. This is going to be interesting-and I agree much harder for parents to accept than the athletes!

 

[Muddlethru]

I agree its going to take some education and preplanning on the part of the gyms. The purpose is 2 fold- to make Level 3 a level MORE gyms compete (to get kids involved as well as to increase memberships to USAG) and to have a "new level" in between Level 8 and 9. Right now, the way Level 8 is structured, its a huge jump to Level 9. I think they could just allow the one C acro in L8 and not have to do all this extra work/ restructuring-but this way there is a new competitive lower level that will to be required purchase USAG memberships. The new Level 6 and 7 are very similar, I wonder if they will differentiate the levels by allowable vaults. This is going to be interesting-and I agree much harder for parents to accept than the athletes!

To gymcoach34 or anyone, my DD will be a Level 8 this next season, 2011-2012, can you please explain how they are going "to have a new level in between 8 and 9 in 2013?" What kind of preparations must she have to adjust to this new level? If she goes to L9 in the 2012-2013 season, will the L9 be more difficult or easier? If she hits L9 or L10 in 2013, what changes can we expect? It would seem that even these changes don't come into affect until 2013, preparations, restructuring in gyms may be necessary.

 

[Megley]

To gymcoach34 or anyone, my DD will be a Level 8 this next season, 2011-2012, can you please explain how they are going "to have a new level in between 8 and 9 in 2013?" What kind of preparations must she have to adjust to this new level? If she goes to L9 in the 2012-2013 season, will the L9 be more difficult or easier? If she hits L9 or L10 in 2013, what changes can we expect? It would seem that even these changes don't come into affect until 2013, preparations, restructuring in gyms may be necessary.

To my knowledge, Levels 9 and 10 are not affected so the changes won't affect your dd. It's only if she does two years of Level 8 and then for some reason can't get all her Level 9 skills that the new Level would come into play. My dd is in this same position so I've thought some about it.

 

[Bella's Mom]

I think I can see a potential problem but there's also an equally likely chance that I don't know what I'm talking about. LOL

Suppose there is an eleven year old girl out there somewhere who has Olympics aspirations. And suppose she is currently getting ready to compete L6 this fall. Assuming that she follows the one level/year (fantasy) pattern, she would be old enough (16 YO) to compete in the 2016 Olympics. BUT now USAG has shifted all the levels down or added an additional level, whichever you prefer. So doesn't this mean that she doesn't even have a chance to make "her" Olympics because she would be an L10 rather than elite?? By my calculations, now she has to wait until 2020 and she will be 20 YO which from what I understand is awfully old for an Olympian. So adding this extra level seems to knock the big O out of reach for that subset of "imaginary" gymnasts.

 

[ejgymmom]

I think I can see a potential problem but there's also an equally likely chance that I don't know what I'm talking about. LOL

Suppose there is an eleven year old girl out there somewhere who has Olympics aspirations. And suppose she is currently getting ready to compete L6 this fall. Assuming that she follows the one level/year (fantasy) pattern, she would be old enough (16 YO) to compete in the 2016 Olympics. BUT now USAG has shifted all the levels down or added an additional level, whichever you prefer. So doesn't this mean that she doesn't even have a chance to make "her" Olympics because she would be an L10 rather than elite?? By my calculations, now she has to wait until 2020 and she will be 20 YO which from what I understand is awfully old for an Olympian. So adding this extra level seems to knock the big O out of reach for that subset of "imaginary" gymnasts.

I may be wrong but I think JO and Elite are two different streams. You don't necessarily have to go through Levels 1-10 before you can do Elite. I believe that there is a girl at my daughter's gym who tested Elite (pre-elite?) while she was a Level 9. So based on my limited gymnastics knowledge...lol...I'm thinking that it wouldn't affect that child. They could still go Elite if they have the skills to do so.

 

[Bella's Mom]

I may be wrong but I think JO and Elite are two different streams. You don't necessarily have to go through Levels 1-10 before you can do Elite. I believe that there is a girl at my daughter's gym who tested Elite (pre-elite?) while she was a Level 9. So based on my limited gymnastics knowledge...lol...I'm thinking that it wouldn't affect that child. They could still go Elite if they have the skills to do so.

LOL! See???? Shows what I know. I guess I can stop feeling sorry for the imaginary gymnast I created who has to miss the Olympics.

 

[ejgymmom]

LOL! See???? Shows what I know. I guess I can stop feeling sorry for the imaginary gymnast I created who has to miss the Olympics.

LOL! Yes, I think your imaginary gymnast should be fine. She won't have to miss the Olympics after all! :laughing:

 

[MaryA]

My daughter has no olympic aspirations, but she does say that she wants to "get through all the levels." Now, she's ten, so she wants to get through all the levels in gymnastics the same way she wants to get through all the levels in a video game. She knows the levels are there, so she wants to do them all, so that she can say she's done them. She wants to some day be a level 10. Now, who knows if this will still be a goal of hers in 1 year or 2 or 5, but as a 10-year-old training level 6 (which will become level 5), an extra level in there does make it somewhat less likely. And extra level or no, she's not going to be able to "get through all the levels" at the YMCA, so at some point she will have to either change her goals or change her gym.

 

[Muddlethru]

I may be wrong but I think JO and Elite are two different streams. You don't necessarily have to go through Levels 1-10 before you can do Elite. I believe that there is a girl at my daughter's gym who tested Elite (pre-elite?) while she was a Level 9. So based on my limited gymnastics knowledge...lol...I'm thinking that it wouldn't affect that child. They could still go Elite if they have the skills to do so.

I believe JO and Elite are intertwined and not really two different streams. Elite is an end and there are several means to that end. There are so many ways to get to be an elite gymnast and realize an Olympic goal. You can go the JO track and go through all the levels (you may take one level per year, skip a level or two, etc.) and test out for elite. You can go the fast track, and not go through the standard JO levels. If the latter is used, there is TOPS for 7-10 year olds that train young gymnasts for higher level skills. TOPs usually train higher level gymnastics already, Level 8 and 9 skills. Then you can go Hopes, 10-12 (pre-elite which tests slightly modified elite skills, L10 and up) and if all things fall into place, you can go elite. The difference is in the latter scenario, you go a lot faster. You want to get the elite level as young as you can so you have more time to master those crazy skills. You don't need to go JO to get to elite nor do you need to go TOPS and Hopes either to get to elite. You can use both at the same time, interchangeably, or separately. As far as the hypothetical gymnast, being an 11 YO L6, she might want to start skipping levels and/or going the fast track. Because by 11, gymnasts aspiring to go elite or Olympics, are already in L9 and L10 and/or testing at Hopes/Pre-elite.

 

[Bella's Mom]

*head spinning* There should be a flow chart. LOL

 

[Muddlethru]

*head spinning* There should be a flow chart. LOL

I hear you. And that is the tip of the iceberg.

 

[ejgymmom]

I believe JO and Elite are intertwined and not really two different streams. Elite is an end and there are several means to that end. There are so many ways to get to be an elite gymnast and realize an Olympic goal. You can go the JO track and go through all the levels (you may take one level per year, skip a level or two, etc.) and test out for elite. You can go the fast track, and not go through the standard JO levels. If the latter is used, there is TOPS for 7-10 year olds that train young gymnasts for higher level skills. TOPs usually train higher level gymnastics already, Level 8 and 9 skills. Then you can go Hopes, 10-12 (pre-elite which tests slightly modified elite skills, L10 and up) and if all things fall into place, you can go elite. The difference is in the latter scenario, you go a lot faster. You want to get the elite level as young as you can so you have more time to master those crazy skills. You don't need to go JO to get to elite nor do you need to go TOPS and Hopes either to get to elite. You can use both at the same time, interchangeably, or separately. As far as the hypothetical gymnast, being an 11 YO L6, she might want to start skipping levels and/or going the fast track. Because by 11, gymnasts aspiring to go elite or Olympics, are already in L9 and L10 and/or testing at Hopes/Pre-elite.

I guess I didn't really mean two "different" streams, as in you do one or the other. I just meant that you don't necessarily have to go through all the JO levels to get to elite, even though I'm guessing that there are a lot of girls out there who do do it that way.

And yeah, it definitely makes your head spin thinking about it. I don't even know how I know this information...I probably read it on here awhile back. Everything I know about gymnastics I learned from the Chalk Bucket!