My 8 yo DD competed L4 last year, and steadily improved throughout the season, and ended the year scoring high 35s. Meanwhile, her little sister, age 5, was on pre-team. It looked to me that big DD was on the path to compete L5, and that littler DD would repeat pre-team.
Fast-forward through summer... Older DD trained L5 and got all her skills except the kip. She is close, but just can't get up on the bar at the end of the skill. Younger DD trained L4 and had a skill explosion, getting almost all of her L4 skills.
Well, I just found out today that they are letting my little one compete L4 (she turns 6 right before the first meet) and that they want to hold older DD back at L4 because of the kip.
When I told my older DD, she burst into tears and cried all afternoon. Double whammy for her, because all her best friends on the team are moving up without her, and she feels embarrassed to be a third-grade L4 with her kindergarten sister.
I wish I could somehow help DD get that kip, but she only has until this coming Wednesday. In all honesty, I don't think it will come.
Sadly, they do not up-train during the school year, so older DD won't get to work the kip again until next June. Or practice squat-ons, back extensions, beam cartwheels, vaults over the table, etc. DD has worked so hard to get those skills, and I hope she doesn't lose them during her repeat of L4. There may be one or two other girls that repeat L4 - but not enough to have a separate training group from the "new" L4s so they can uptrain for L5.
I wish DD could continue to train L5 and just not compete until the kip comes, or simply scratch bars. I asked about these options for her, but they are not allowed. So she will have to repeat L4 or move to a rec. class. I don't want to hold back my younger one to make the older one happy. Little DD has worked so, so hard this summer, and is really excited to compete.
The crazy-gym-mom inside me wants to find a way to get DD some private coaching time on the kip. From what DD tells me, and what I've seen from the observation area, they don't really do drills or get guidance on the kip. They just try and try until they get it. Lately, as most of the team has achieved it (lots are "muscle-up" kips, only a few have good ones) they get 10 minutes to make 10 kips. If they fail, they get 50 pushups and ten rope climbs. They just keep telling my DD to "shift and lean" and she'll have it, but it's not helping.
My DD goes to gym MWF, but 3/4 of the L5 girls go MTWTHF. The 5-day practice option was not offered to all the girls. At first I was hurt that my DD was not given the opportunity, but then I came to my senses and realized that 25 hours a week was too much for her and might burn her out. Now I wonder if they did extra bar work or drills and skills on T/TH, since those girls are the ones that are progressing faster.
Thanks for listening if you made it this far... Just feeling really bummed and needed to vent to people who might understand...
Fast-forward through summer... Older DD trained L5 and got all her skills except the kip. She is close, but just can't get up on the bar at the end of the skill. Younger DD trained L4 and had a skill explosion, getting almost all of her L4 skills.
Well, I just found out today that they are letting my little one compete L4 (she turns 6 right before the first meet) and that they want to hold older DD back at L4 because of the kip.
When I told my older DD, she burst into tears and cried all afternoon. Double whammy for her, because all her best friends on the team are moving up without her, and she feels embarrassed to be a third-grade L4 with her kindergarten sister.
I wish I could somehow help DD get that kip, but she only has until this coming Wednesday. In all honesty, I don't think it will come.
Sadly, they do not up-train during the school year, so older DD won't get to work the kip again until next June. Or practice squat-ons, back extensions, beam cartwheels, vaults over the table, etc. DD has worked so hard to get those skills, and I hope she doesn't lose them during her repeat of L4. There may be one or two other girls that repeat L4 - but not enough to have a separate training group from the "new" L4s so they can uptrain for L5.
I wish DD could continue to train L5 and just not compete until the kip comes, or simply scratch bars. I asked about these options for her, but they are not allowed. So she will have to repeat L4 or move to a rec. class. I don't want to hold back my younger one to make the older one happy. Little DD has worked so, so hard this summer, and is really excited to compete.
The crazy-gym-mom inside me wants to find a way to get DD some private coaching time on the kip. From what DD tells me, and what I've seen from the observation area, they don't really do drills or get guidance on the kip. They just try and try until they get it. Lately, as most of the team has achieved it (lots are "muscle-up" kips, only a few have good ones) they get 10 minutes to make 10 kips. If they fail, they get 50 pushups and ten rope climbs. They just keep telling my DD to "shift and lean" and she'll have it, but it's not helping.
My DD goes to gym MWF, but 3/4 of the L5 girls go MTWTHF. The 5-day practice option was not offered to all the girls. At first I was hurt that my DD was not given the opportunity, but then I came to my senses and realized that 25 hours a week was too much for her and might burn her out. Now I wonder if they did extra bar work or drills and skills on T/TH, since those girls are the ones that are progressing faster.
Thanks for listening if you made it this far... Just feeling really bummed and needed to vent to people who might understand...