Dropping Back A Level

[GymDad57]

Question: My daughter's gym pushed our gymnast pretty hard from Level 8 to Level 9. After competing last year at Level 9, she would like to drop back and compete a year at Level 8. Is this possible under USAG rules? Or is it once you move up to a level that is it you must compete the next year at that level?

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

I am not sure, but I think she may be able to as long as she did not compete @ L9 states.

I am pretty sure that once you compete a level at states you cannot drop back.

 

[cftmoonlight]

I think you are allowed in optionals to drop back one level without filing a petition.

 

[flippersmom]

According to USAG:

C. Dropping Back through the Levels

1. Once a gymnast has competed in a Sectional meet, she may NOT drop back to a lower level in the same competitive season.
   • If no Sectional meet is held, then the State AdministrativeCommittee must determine prior to the beginning of the competitive year, a designated "declaration" date for each level forsuch purpose.
2. If a gymnast does not qualify to the State Championships, she may petition to drop back one Level at the beginning of the next competitive season.
   • a. For Levels 7 and below, petition is sent to the State Administrative CommitteeChairman.
     b. For Levels 8, 9 &10, petition is sent to the Regional Technical Committee Chairman.
3. Once an athlete competes in the State Championships, she is not allowed to drop back.
   Valid reasons would be considered by the State Administrative Committee Chairman (for Levels 7 & below) or the Regional Technical CommitteeChairman (for Levels 8, 9 & 10) for dropping back an athlete who has competed in a State Championships.
   • a. These reasons would include injury, illness, or other extenuating circumstances that would have prevented the athlete from continuing to train at the level at which they previously competed.
     b. If a valid reason does exist, the athlete would be able to drop back only one NUMERICAL level (i.e. competed Level 8, permission to drop back one numerical level to Level 7.)

 

[gymcoach34]

It seems to me since she already competed one season as a 9, this season would be easier. Level 8 now has many difficulty restrictions- no C acro. I would be worries your daughter would in no way be challenged in Level 8 if she has already competed a season as a L9.

 

[gymdog]

I would just do another year of L9. Many L9s now here who don't have all the requirements because of the new difficulty restrictions at 8 mentioned above, and because the L9 vault values were made higher rather than going with L10 as they traditionally did.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

actually, it is never enforced. they can drop back at any time. exception: if you qualify to the level 9 state meet, you can not drop back and compete in the 8 state meet in the SAME season.

the only level where enfocement takes place is at the elite level. if would like that explained i will. just ask.

 

[LMV]

Is repeating L9 not an option somehow?

We're in a similar, yet different situation with our child who did one L7 meet and achieved a mobility score for L8 but then took time off instead of competing L8 this winter. We had wanted her to take this upcoming competition year to get back into training and then have her compete L8 in 2011-2012. We thought we were on the same page with the coaches but then she came home all excited last week because one of the coaches had her demonstrating pirouettes and told her he thought she was going to be one of their top bars workers for L8.

After this we sat down with the head coach who told us she is coming back a lot more quickly than he had anticipated and he thinks it was premature for us to decide she won't compete at all. They will start choreographing routines in July and he feels she has enough floor and beam skills that they could pull together adequate L8 routines. He also thinks her bars will be very strong. She has not done much work with vault but she wants to start working on her Tsuck again which would have been her L8 vault last year. I think he is probably right that she can compete L8 but I don't think it will be pretty [or really fun] and would rather see her "repeat" L7. When I suggested this he said that he thinks that would be regressive for her [and admitted that their L7 team is already a bit bigger than he likes]. If we don't want her to do L8 he will support that but he would have her compete advanced Prep Opt. Since then I've done a little looking around and I think that may be a good option. I'm not sure if that would be an option for your daughter. In our state once they have competed L8 then they aren't allowed to compete prep opt.

 

[NotAMom]

LMV, the thing that I have a problem with is how the coach(es) went about pumping your daughter up about moving to L8 without talking to you, the parents, first. That is just so wrong, regardless of her ability.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Is repeating L9 not an option somehow?

We're in a similar, yet different situation with our child who did one L7 meet and achieved a mobility score for L8 but then took time off instead of competing L8 this winter. We had wanted her to take this upcoming competition year to get back into training and then have her compete L8 in 2011-2012. We thought we were on the same page with the coaches but then she came home all excited last week because one of the coaches had her demonstrating pirouettes and told her he thought she was going to be one of their top bars workers for L8.

After this we sat down with the head coach who told us she is coming back a lot more quickly than he had anticipated and he thinks it was premature for us to decide she won't compete at all. They will start choreographing routines in July and he feels she has enough floor and beam skills that they could pull together adequate L8 routines. He also thinks her bars will be very strong. She has not done much work with vault but she wants to start working on her Tsuck again which would have been her L8 vault last year. I think he is probably right that she can compete L8 but I don't think it will be pretty [or really fun] and would rather see her "repeat" L7. When I suggested this he said that he thinks that would be regressive for her [and admitted that their L7 team is already a bit bigger than he likes]. If we don't want her to do L8 he will support that but he would have her compete advanced Prep Opt. Since then I've done a little looking around and I think that may be a good option. I'm not sure if that would be an option for your daughter. In our state once they have competed L8 then they aren't allowed to compete prep opt.

can you tell me what state? this must be a recommendation. states can not supercede USAG policy. USAG wants kids to compete regardless of the level they are at.

 

[gymdog]

[/B]

can you tell me what state? this must be a recommendation. states can not supercede USAG policy. USAG wants kids to compete regardless of the level they are at.

Does USAG have a policy on that, though? I thought states could pretty much make up their own rules regarding prep op. Although I think USAG or at least the regions should do something, for example near state lines "local" competitions might be in a different state, but VA and MD have completely different rec optional programs.

Though around here, there wouldn't be much point in switching to prep op if you had already competed L9 unless there were really extenuating circumstances. I don't necessarily think that's the way it should be, but our program hasn't really caught up yet. Most girls at that level who wanted to reduce their hours and compete a lower level would just go back to L8...but this has become unusual too, given the restrictions in L8.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yes, they do. i should point out that it would be for usag sanctioned competitions. if competitions are outside of a usag sanction, then i suppose the states are free to do what they want. for example, the gi joe program in illinois.

 

[gymdog]

Okay. The only thing I could find in the R&P was under the part that delegated authority to the states which says:

III.​

​

​

​

ASPECTS TO BE DETERMINED BY THE USAG STATE ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE​

If the USA Gymnastics State Administrative Committee does not organize a P.R.E.P. Optional program, individual
clubs and/or leagues may use this program to suit their needs (and sanction their competitions), provided that they
adhere to the General Regulations as listed.
A. ELIGIBILITY/ENTRY REGULATIONS
Consider:
1. What athletes are targeted for this type of program?
2. Should there be different sub-divisions based upon competitive experience?
3. Specific entry regulations: example-a State could choose to require that only athletes who have competed previously at a minimum of Level 5 are eligible.
​

The bold to me seemed to indicate that restrictions based on level were allowed, although personally I would dislike such a restriction because the whole point to me might be to use the program for an athlete that might never have all the level 5 skills on all 4 apparatus but could progress in an alternative program.

I'm mixed on a maximum level regulation, but ultimately think it would be best to leave the option open if someone chooses to use it. I think it would be rare for girls to compete level 8 and go to prep op without extenuating circumstances anyway.

​

 

[LMV]

NotaMom---
I completely agree with you in principle [and I was a little frustrated at first]. I think it was more the HC not communicating well with the level/event coaches rather than attempting to undermine our parental authority. She was originally slated to compete L8 last year [and did an L7 score out meet with that goal] so I guess I can understand the confusion. However, before she started at the gym this spring we did sit down with the HC and discuss what we felt was reasonable. He was in support of that initially but now admits that he had wanted to talk to us about rethinking whether or not she could compete this year because he thinks she is ready.

Dunno---
Perhaps I misunderstood what her coach was saying about the L8 restriction and that is only for Advanced Prep Opt and there is another level of Prep Opt above what she might do this year that a gymnast could do. It did say specifically on the guidelines though that anyone with competition experience at L8 is ineligible for Advanced Prep Opt. It isn't an issue for our child because she hasn't competed any L8 meets yet. If she does Prep Opt this year it would be in place of competing L8.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

got it.................