WAG Is this how it's going to be now?

[wgymmom]

My DD was old L4 last year and is new L4 this year. Last year, she had 36-37+ AA scores, never lower than 36. She got 3 beam scores in the 8's, but everything else was at least 9's.

The first meet this year was a rude awakening. All 8's, AA of 34.95. Very hard to take. The scores were markedly lower than last year. Incidentally, the whole team scored much lower than last year - nobody got a 9. DD was the closest.

Is this a function of the level changes? If so, when will that settle down? Should we expect 8's the whole year through and into the future?

Is she just not as good as we thought last year and this is a function of her moving "up" a level? If so, will she even make it to optionals?

She's taking this hard and I don't even know what to say. BTW, she's 10.

 

[gymnastbeth]

That's to be expected with the level change, especially if all the girls are scoring lower. Her scores will improve throughout the season, remind her of that. Honestly, 8's aren't "bad", and an AA score of almost 35 is...GOOD. Especially as she moves up in levels, scores across the board will generally be lower and lower. It's impossible to tell if she'll "make it" to optionals, just enjoy the ride. You'll make yourself crazy if you try to read into the scores too much.

Also, this meet could have just had stricter judges at it, causing the lower scores. There are so many factors that go into a score. And again, a 35 AA is NOT bad.

 

[MaryA]

Scoring definitely gets harder each time you move up a level, but it may also be partially the new levels. I certainly wouldn't worry about a score of a nearly 35 at her first meet of a new level "not making it to optionals" regardless! My goodness! At DD's first level 5 meet she scratched bars and got a 4-something on vault... pretty much a train wreck! And that was after coming in 1st AA at level 4 States the year before. And now she's a level 8, so she made it to optionals. I think, if I were you, I would be congratulating her on a great first meet! So many firsts at that level... first time going over the vault table, first time jumping to high bar. And now they're breaking in brand new routines and brand new music.

 

[MeetDirector]

Take a deep breath (both of you). The first meet at a new level is not a predictor of the future. She competed old 4 last year and is doing the equivalent of old 5 this year. Truthfully, old 4 (and new 3) is a throw-away level; did you ever wonder why USAG required old level 5 as the first mandatory level? The skills in old 4 really lead nowhere (tick-tock, mill circle?); the skills in new 4 are the real foundational skills.

If you think this was a rude awakening, just wait until going from new 4 to new 5 (old 6).

Good Luck (and relax, it is a long ride).

 

[sleeplessinnewyork]

Don't be shocked, that is normal. This surprise came to me and my teammates when we first moved to the old level 6. Used to getting 9's on all events (or close to that), winning events with 8.4's and seeing 1-2 nines per meet was unbelievable. With this year's change in levels this will likely be more prominent and show across more levels. It really has nothing to do with how good your daughter is! I have found, however, that scores lift up in optionals, as you can play to your strengths. Also, like gymnastbeth said, it really does depend on the judges. Good Luck!

 

[coachmolly]

Don't worry about it. Just like your DD and her teammates are adjusting to new routines, so are the judges. So I think it's normal for there to be somewhat of learning curve for them as well. They also tend to get a bit pickier as levels progress as far as expectations and deductions.
A 34.95 is a very respectable way to start the season and sets her up for continuous progress. Just focus on the stuff she can control- how she did each of her routines. The coaches will know what needs to be worked on and by the time states rolls around you'll probably see there was no reason to worry.

 

[Natasha]

34.95 sounds like a very solid start to new 4. It is a more difficult level. One of the biggies that brings down the AA score is the vault. When my dd went from old L4 to old 5, her vault score dropped a whole point. There is a reason they do that handspring vault for 3 levels! Also, there is so much more to the bar routine, getting everything connected and with straight arms. And the beam and floor routines are longer with more skills, which results in more opportunity for deductions.
What you will likely see though, is more improvement in scores from the beginning to the end of the year. Reassure your dd that it is normal. I think my dd started out her L5 season with a 33 something and she is now training L9. The first meet of the compulsory season is really no indication of optional abilities. Our state just had judges cup, and looking at the scores for L4 there were very few 9's from anyone and only 10 girls out of the whole level had a 35+. So, relax and enjoy watching your daughter make improvements as the season goes on.

 

[iwannacoach]

Every level upward presents skills with increased difficulty and more exacting requirements, and it's normal to see a dip in scores when beginning a new season at a higher level. The wake up call is normal, and you should let your daughter experience the full effect of that call.

Sure it's a harder level, but she can accept the level as a challenge and improve on her routines to get scores she likes, or dismiss it as being a more difficult level and work as if there's no need for increased focus and determination.

Urgency....... it's a good thing.

 

[bookworm]

Is she just not as good as we thought last year and this is a function of her moving "up" a level? If so, will she even make it to optionals?

She's taking this hard and I don't even know what to say. BTW, she's 10.

She's in compulsories so I wouldn't worry about this score at all, and she did move up a level. Will she make to optionals? Probably...and to give you some perspective, my daughter never scored above a 32.4 as a compulsory in any level and went on to be a quite successful Level 10 and now competes in college on a D1 team

 

[vagymmomma]

I like to think about gymnastics as a long staircase. Within each season there's a continual climb with scores and by the end of the season (knock on wood) your gymnast has reached the next level. This is especially true the higher they go. A lot of gymmies start strong and build some. Mine has always built a lot from beginning to end of the season - a little at a time. Look for the overall growth, keep the gymnast thinking about goals (long-term and short-term), and you'll both be on track.

I know it's hard, but don't focus too much on scores -- especially with the new cycle.

 

[MaryA]

A lot of gymmies start strong and build some. Mine has always built a lot from beginning to end of the season - a little at a time.

I have noticed this too. There are some girls who do all of their improving during the off season. The skills/scores that they start the season with are not all that different than the ones that they end the season with. My DD is one who always goes into a new season with me wondering, "Is she really ready for this level?" but by the end of the season is going strong. I am having to remind myself of that, because right now I am really wondering about this upcoming season! But it is really nice to see improvement from meet to meet. Not that I would mind having a season where I'm not biting my nails in the weeks leading up to the first meet. If I had to guess, I'd guess that she'll spend 2 years at 8, especially with the option of the "C" skill for each event, so maybe that means that next year she'll be starting strong.

 

[htimcj]

Where I am 34 almost 35 is a fantastic score ALL the time! We will have maybe one girl or two score in the 36-37 range ALL year. Judging here is really really tough. So I most definitely wouldn't panic about moving on. I am sure you will see the scores improve throughout the year.

 

[LizzieLac]

Almost the entre whole level 4 team my DD was on scored 36s and 37s most of the time, certainly at the culmination of the season at states. The next season when they started competing level 5, it was wake-up call!! It had nothing to do with the judges being harder - it had everything to do with how new they were at the harder skills. The girls scored around 34 at their first level 5 meet and they were devestated. They (and their parents) didn't know that just because you can do the routines, doesn't mean you're form is where it needs to be. Nothing was more true than on bars!! Every bent arm on the kips and casts, insufficient height on a cast or tap swing equaled a deduction. They were barely scoring 8s on bars!

Your DD will improve, trust me!!

 

[pt coach]

If it makes you feel any better, my daughter started level 5 last year with a 6.4 on bars (three falls on the squat on...) and ended in the 9s. From my experience with new compulsory cycles, the scoring always starts low as the judges and gymnasts figure things out and then everything sort of evens out by the end of the season.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

First of all, congrats on your DD moving up to the New L4! Most gymmies struggle at the beginning of this year! The kip with straight arms and a sufficient cast seems to be the 2 skills that take some time to get and perfect. I remember not realizing this and thinking that my DD's bars looked good!! Once I became educated on what to look for (thanks CB) it made more sense. As the season progresses the scores will go up. With the new routines, levels and requirements all the judging is going to be harder....at least that is what we have been told to expect!

 

[stxrdusty]

Your daughter sounds like a great gymnast! I've only scored over 36 once and I'm a second year level 9, so your daughter will probably get to optionals as long as she puts in the time and effort, though I wouldn't be concerned with this at all right now, she has a few levels to go before optionals (level 6 is optionals now right?). Let her enjoy her gymnastics.

I personally don't understand the function of changing the USAG level system, but that may be because I've gone through my whole gymnastics career with the old system. Generally judging becomes tougher as the levels increase in difficulty and as your daughter moved into a new level this year I wouldn't be surprised at all that she didn't do quite as well as the previous year. As the season progresses she will probably do better as the first meet of the season is commonly a little rocky.

Do what you can to encourage your daughter, she did well and no one can deny that.

 

[gracyomalley]

Until chalkbucket I had no idea how much scores vary level by level and region by region...so we all can only speak from our experience...however, DD11 never scored above a 35 until level 7...but our team considers the level 3 (old 4) skills training only, skips the so called "throw away" ones (never saw a mill circle until we went to big meets - except the ones I used to do at school on metal bars in the 1970s), and expects level 4s (old 5s) to start low scorewise and maybe repeat. DD qualified for state every level, and placed very occaisionally until level 7 as well....she's not a rock star, but she's a solid gymnast with potential for a good college career at this point if the stars align and its her desire.

I do remember that at the one compulsory state meet that our team hosted, during the countless volunteer hours we all know and love, the level 4(old) girls scored much higher than other levels, and the parents were, shall we say, a bit INTENSE...which seemed a little overkill to me considering the entry level their girls were at. Not to say that we shouldn't love and support our girls from forward rolls to the Olympics, but remember how much your daughter will grow and change in the next 8 years....remind her how much harder the level 4(new) skills are, and how moving up is the achievement this time, not the scores....and remember to have fun (both of you....)...its gymnastics, not life!

 

[wgymmom]

You can all say, "I told you so," and I won't mind a bit! She had her second meet today and got:


Beam: 9.35 - best ever! 3rd place
Floor: 9.05 - big improvement from last meet, 3rd place
Vault: 8.5 - still a challenge, 7th
Bars: 9.25, 4th

36.15 AA, third place!!


Thanks for all the encouragement and words of wisdom.

 

[GymBee97]

You know I really hate the scores. they really don't indicate anything. If I'm looking for some type of ranking I look more at the placement and if they scores the judges give are consistent. you get a meet with a tough bunch of judges and scores will be low across the board. I've been to meets like that and the gals who placed in the top 3 who normally have 36+ AA didn't even get a score to qualify for sectional. I've also been at meets were gals who fell 3 or 4 times on each event had 36+ with those 9+ scores on events. Left me scratching my head. Every time you hit that year where the compulsory routines are changed there is a period where I think the judges are still getting use to scoring the routines and will err to the lower scores.

this year with routines, level changes and everything else I think it will be interesting to see how the judges score.

I know too every time your kid moves up a level the judging does get harder with the scores.

 

[GymMomXcel]

You can all say, "I told you so," and I won't mind a bit! She had her second meet today and got:


Beam: 9.35 - best ever! 3rd place
Floor: 9.05 - big improvement from last meet, 3rd place
Vault: 8.5 - still a challenge, 7th
Bars: 9.25, 4th

36.15 AA, third place!!


Thanks for all the encouragement and words of wisdom.

Glad things are settling out for her! Looks like it was a great meet! Just keep in mind that she's working hard and sometimes the scores don't necessarily reflect it at every single meet... So many factors.