Parents JO to x cel transition questions

[SHELOVESGYM]

For those of you who have made the switch -I would love to hear how it went. We are considering the switch and want to know what to expect if we do end up switching over. How do the practices compare? The meets? Is there a different feel at the meets? Is the scoring similar or different -did you DD do better in x cel or did it not make a difference? The skill progression? Any other differences that I should be aware of?

I know that JO programs can really differ from each other and I'm sure the same for x cel -but would love to hear your experience with the transition.

 

[gymbeam]

We went the other direction but can still compare a lot of aspects.

First, the meets were the same in pretty much every way that I can think of. Entry fees may have been a little less.

Practice hours were much less in Xcel as was the amount of conditioning and strengthening. The Xcel girls also has more "fun time" built in to practices with games and such.

My daughter did slightly better at Xcel but she made a big jump in levels when she moved from Xcel to JO last year (from silver to Level 5 to Level 7 in less than a year) so its probably not a real fair comparison.

Skill progression is typically faster in Xcel- especially in the first 2 or 3 divisions.

 

[gymbeam]

forgot to also say i hope she loves it!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

It really depends on the gym. We have done both.

Feel of the meets pretty much the same. And it's a competion, as in competitive, gymmies, coaches, parents want to win.
Fees, actually some of our Xcel meets were higher than JO.

Hours are relative, they typically should be less but it's less then what?
3 gyms, ours, and 2 nearby. Our kids who did at the time JO and Xcel trained 9 hours a week. A nearby gym trained 6 hrs a week for Xcel, 12 for JO. Other gym 15-18 hrs JO, 12 hrs Xcel. Hours really are very variable and gym dependent.

Much more varied as to what you can do at each level, so you can add skills as you get them. And remember clean will always score better than a sloppy higher skill. So if scores are important that is something to keep in mind.

It really comes down to what works best for your gymmie and your family.

 

[SHELOVESGYM]

It really depends on the gym. We have done both.

Feel of the meets pretty much the same. And it's a competion, as in competitive, gymmies, coaches, parents want to win.
Fees, actually some of our Xcel meets were higher than JO.

Hours are relative, they typically should be less but it's less then what?
3 gyms, ours, and 2 nearby. Our kids who did at the time JO and Xcel trained 9 hours a week. A nearby gym trained 6 hrs a week for Xcel, 12 for JO. Other gym 15-18 hrs JO, 12 hrs Xcel. Hours really are very variable and gym dependent.

Much more varied as to what you can do at each level, so you can add skills as you get them. And remember clean will always score better than a sloppy higher skill. So if scores are important that is something to keep in mind.

It really comes down to what works best for your gymmie and your family.

Thanks for the response -very helpful. In your experience how did the scoring/placements compare? Did the girls tend to have more success in one program or the other?

 

[LizzieLac]

My DD has done both and her scores and placements were generally the same. Often the judges are the same, at least in our state/region. So, bad form will get deducted in both programs. The difference is that the deduction for angles on split jumps and casts on bars is probably smaller in Xcel than JO optionals.

Also, I believe for a split jump on beam to count as a B in Platinum,, for example, it must be 150 degrees, but for it to count as a B in level 6 or 7 it has to be 180. @raenndrops can probably correct me if I am wrong.

It is really a great option for a lot of kids.

 

[MaryA]

My daughter did a year of Xcel last year (level 8 transitioned to Xcel Diamond, back to level 8 this year... lots of reasons for both the move to Xcel and the move back again). I'm sure there are huge differences depending on the gym and the coach. Many fewer hours, which I guess is kind of the point, but it is definitely harder to gain upper-level skills with only about 10 hours/week. Meets didn't have a different vibe or anything. I wouldn't say the scoring was significantly easier, but there are a lot more skill options so it's easier to create routines based on the gymnasts' strengths. Practices at our gym were definitely more laid back, but then the Xcel coach was really warm and fuzzy. My DD came out of the year declaring that gymnastics was fun again, which is really the point, right? Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Thanks for the response -very helpful. In your experience how did the scoring/placements compare? Did the girls tend to have more success in one program or the other?

They did well at in both. But our gym doesn't train differently. They feel gymnastics is gymnastics, be it JO, Xcel, IGC.

Scoring wise, it's going to take high thirties to win at states and regionals. And it seems higher hour programs do better, which is pretty much how it is no matter where and what you compete. There are 6 hour gyms and there Are 12-15 hour and higher in Xcel.

 

[raenndrops]

At our gym, gymnastics is gymnastics. The whole team practices together for the same number of hours. Both of my gymmies made the transition from JO to Xcel... And OG is transitioning back this year.
We mostly compete in small meets, which had a lot more in each JO level than Xcel division, it would be hard to compare scores and places (plus OG went thru a terrible time in Old L6 with mental blocks)... However, comparing her placements from big meets in Old L5 and Xcel Gold, they were comparable. Since her routines were designed to her strengths, she scored higher on Floor and Beam in Gold... Bars, she was the only one on her team to even attempt her squat on and she fell - grrr. Without the fall, even factoring in the deduction for the nonstandard climb, she would have finished 3-4 places higher. A similar change in JO compulsories would not be allowed.