Parents How to be competitive when you are against teams that hold girls back a year or two?

[3rd_time_around]

Just wondering do they have a rule that if they get a high enough score to pass the level that they have to move up automatically?

No, because it is only a 31 AA to move up to the next level. That is not very high, so to force someone to move up after only scoring a 31 AA wouldn't be a very good idea. It's to allow them to move up if they want to/are allowed to. Some gyms score out at levels to move on and train the next level rather than spending time on a lower level.

 

[eme777]

I don't worry too much about other gyms holding girls back...in fact, it's kind of fun when you can beat these gyms at meets! The frustrating part is that my DD is level 5 this year, and it's the only level in our state where girls have to compete for a specific number of spots. Each section gets allotted a certain number of slots and only the top sectional scores get to go to state. This is ONLY done for level 5 & I know my daughter will be competing at sectionals against girls who won level 5 state last year. Most of the gyms in our section are not feeling very optimistic about their girls being able to qualify this year, due to certain gyms holding girls back. It's sad for the kids to work so hard, get the minimum qualifying score, and still not be able to go to state!

 

[lhmom]

I don't worry too much about other gyms holding girls back...in fact, it's kind of fun when you can beat these gyms at meets! The frustrating part is that my DD is level 5 this year, and it's the only level in our state where girls have to compete for a specific number of spots. Each section gets allotted a certain number of slots and only the top sectional scores get to go to state. This is ONLY done for level 5 & I know my daughter will be competing at sectionals against girls who won level 5 state last year. Most of the gyms in our section are not feeling very optimistic about their girls being able to qualify this year, due to certain gyms holding girls back. It's sad for the kids to work so hard, get the minimum qualifying score, and still not be able to go to state!

Now that is wrong IMO. If there are only a certain # of spots and these girls have already won state last year, their coaches should not have them competing that level at sectionals. Just curious why they only do that for level 5 and not the other levels? Are there a large # of girls competing that level?

 

[Dezi]

My dds gym focus on getting the skills correctly so they can advance to the next level, in compulsories. We do not spend 20 hours a week perfecting a level 5 routine just to get a high score. They work on routines once a week and uptrain the other days, all of our girls understand(mine just turned 8) that they will not be the best because they are competing against second and third years. They do place and do well but the goal of the gym is to learn the skills and continue to advance to make it to optionals. However our girls do repeat if they cannot get all the skills for the next level(which hardly happens because you are uptraining all year)

 

[emandelsmom]

I think the frustrating thing is that out of the six teams-mega-teams we were up against they all did it but us. One of our girls got 9's and slightly higher and never placed even when they went out 50%. It is not the scores. The scores were fine, it is just the frustration of that being done on so many teams. Like I said before, daughter will probably repeat just to learn the show manship of the routine and perfect skills neater. She is not ready for five since she does not have a kip yet.

 

[eme777]

Just curious why they only do that for level 5 and not the other levels? Are there a large # of girls competing that level?

I'm not sure why it's that way. All the other levels, even up through 10, the girls only need a 32 to qualify for state. There's not a ton a level 5's (I'm thinking only 1/2 as many as level 4). I've heard that the state is going to make some big changes for next year, but that doesn't help my DD and all the other girls in our section, for this year.

 

[kamgymmom]

This is a problem that we encounter, as well. At gymmie's last meet, we friended a mom from another gym that was not happy that her own child was having to compete against girls in her own gym who were working out with their optional team (an additional 3 hours a week). There were 4 of them in our age group and her child finished behind all of them. To me..that situation is almost more unfair..that not all the girls are practicing the same number of hours. We're already at a disadvantage there as our gym already practices fewer hours than most. I would really hate it if the same levels in our gym had different hours. I realize that is something that happens also. For us..like others..we just remind our gymmie that she is there to do her best and not to worry about placements. She is great about setting her own goals for each meet and we love to review them after a meet and see what all she accomplished. I figure it's just something we're going to have to deal with in this sport and we just try not to let it affect us!

 

[sportsmom22]

kamgymmom--they do that at our gym too. Some on the level 4 team were invited to come an extra night to work out with 5/6 team and others didn't get that option. I have heard that they have recently invited a couple of more girls to do the same, but I could be wrong about that. Not saying that we are ready for that, just saying that it wasn't even available for all the girls, just a handful.

 

[drivingmom]

Great topic! This drives me nuts. Teams that have kids repeat levels that got 36+ at states the previous season are just unfair to others. Not just one girl on the team, but I see it as a whole for many gyms. Makes it unfair to first year girls in a level that are very good and should get some type of recognition and reward for the effort, hard work and determination. But yet they go to a meet and do not even place because of these gyms. I certainly can see repeating a level for many reasons, but if you are scoring 36+, winning most meets and States it's time to move on!

 

[bogwoppit]

Every meet we go to we compete against the same clubs, over and over again, year after year. There are three clubs that hold back their gymnasts a lot. They win everything, the girls from the other 4 gyms have breakthrough momemnts now and again.

One girl is 20 and competed at our highest regional level last year, she moved on to Provincials with her amazing routines, won a lot of 1st's there and still came back to the same level this year, she is anhialating the younger kids. She could move into the Provincial stream with her skill and execution, but she stays dowon to win. ANother girl fromher club performed a bar routine that was so ridiculously out of place for regional, that the judge actually slapped her hand across her forehead and eyeballed the coach. The kid was doing all she could to stop herself casting to handsstand and making giants!

For regional there is a training cap of 9 hours a week for WAG, but we all know that many clubs cheat on that too.

Our smart coach tells the girls that they only have three meets a year, to enjoy their time in the gym and make the most of being able to compete the skills they have learned.

Sometimes there is just nothing you can do about it.

 

[Sunobo]

There's not really much you can do about gyms holding their kids back in order to win. I tell dd that you only have control over what you do. If you go out there and give it your all and have fun than you are a winner in my book no matter what the scores are or if you get on the podium. While it's okay in theory, it only goes so far.

My dd isn't an amazing gymnast but just loves the sport. She is very strong but struggles with the tumbling moves because of deep set fears. She competed 3 years as a level 4 but the USAG compulsory routines showed off her weakness' and while she wasn't at the bottom, she wasn't at the top either. She was in her second year as a level 5 and talking about quitting when we moved to Texas. She was frustrated because she would try really hard but it just wasn't good enough to get her on the podium. I knew Texas would be even tougher than Pennsylvania was so I looked at a gym that competed but not USAG. I told dd to wait until she gives the gym in Texas a chance and by summer if she still wanted to quit, she could.

We found a gym that competes in a league that has mandatory move up scores. In your first meet you are ranking level and uneligible for awards. Once you have your level, based on your skills and score, you compete there until your scores advance you to the next level. The routines are optional so dd can now show off her strengths and use skills she is comfortable with while she works on the ones that she is afraid of. Once again she is enjoying the sport and we'll see how she feels come summer.

 

[Neelysmom]

I learned this the hard way to DD5 1st meet. Her coach was expecting her to do very well since she had all of her skills on bar and beam by 1st meet. What we weren't expecting was for there to be girls there on their 2nd year of L2 scoring in the 9s. DD5 was just as excited with her trophy as she would have been with a medal in the end but it frustrated me. I have no idea why you would repeat L2 but they did. When we went to UGAL in Paducah KY they actually group them by Blue/Red team based on their AA scores to make it more fair. If you score over a 34 at the meet or have scored above a 33.5 at a previous meet you are grouped with the Blue teams. This works very well and make it a little more challenging for the high scoring gymnasts and lets the more novice one get on the podium.

 

[Bajanswife]

I came across this at a meet this past weekend. The girls who were getting the golds and silvers have been competing Level 4 for a long time, and our HC says that last year she coached them as part of a coaching workshop she did, and these girls were training Yurchenkos and doing skills far beyond Level 4! You could tell from their high-9 scores and totally polished routines that they were very experienced. Our girls didn't stand a chance - most of them were competing a new level for the first time.