Parents New level 9's - ready for the season?!

[2gymmies]

Just wondering how the girls training for level 9 this year are coming along. We now have about 4 months till our first meet and are getting closer to getting things together. Bars are proving to be the most challenging - I think we have the routine in pieces but cannot put it together yet. Beam and floor are coming along and we are even hoping to put in our "D" skill. Vault is ok - pike yurchenko's are good, but hoping to get that layout for the 10 start value - it's on and off.

Where is everyone else at in their training? I hope everything is going well - the jump from 8 to 9 is crazy, isn't it?!

 

[MeetDirector]

Like I said in another thread, I couldn't watch the training this summer for lvl 9 - crazy doesn't begin to describe. Thank goodness for a top-notch caoching staff.

For my dd, floor and vault are good - she loves to fly. Bars - she has her double back dismount; working her half-turn to shoot over. Beam - working the dreaded series.

Good luck to all.

 

[Ingwe]

Ah, the jump to 8 to 9 is really crazy. I am with you Meetdirector, as I didn't watch any practices this summer.

Things were going very well for my Dd but about a month ago she broke her hand after a fall from bars. She had all of her skills and was doing the half pirouette-over shoot handstand and well, she over shot the bar. She has been in a cast for a month now. She goes back to the Ortho tomrrow and is hoping that it comes off.

Beam was good, floor was good and vault was just okay. Yurchenkos are not her favorite (she broke the same hand last fall doing those, if you can believe that ) she ended up competing a Tsuk for L8. She finally had a good Tuck Yurchenko and this accident happened. I am sure it will be like starting from scratch all over again for her on that stupid vault. LOL!!

1st meet is the 1st weekend in December. Hopefully she will be ready

 

[gym monkeys mom]

DD is training Level 9 it is a tough road!!

Bars are my DD biggest struggle. She has a beautiful piked Tsuk but working a full twisting Tsuk. Doing well on floor working hard at beam.

My biggest guage is how comfortable DD feels she is doing . She is happy and growing as a gymnast this to me is what is important.

Good luck to all those training Level 9!

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

We have a bars challenged gymmie here too! First meet is 2nd weekend in Dec.

Little Monkey is pretty confident on her beam routine.

Vault - for L8 she started with a very good tuck tsuk, and switched to pike tsuk. She fractured her foot in January and after recovering, I swear she never vaulted the same (or as well). She has been training Yurchenko's for months, but they have not flipped yet. The pike tsuk will be her backup.

Floor - working on getting her 1-1/2 punch front. If she gets the punch front, will have 10.0 SV. If not, she will start the season with just the 1-1/2. She feels good about the rest, got a new routine this summer and is pretty excited about it.

Bars - ahhhhhh - working on baile and doubleback .... S-L-O-W-L-Y progressing. Been doing ALOT of giant-giant-flyaway drills to work on height/timing for the DB, but only started working in harness about 2 weeks ago.

 

[momof5]

My DD too is working towards L9. I don't know how close she is on her yurchenko since I haven't seen vault all summer but she tells me she is making slow but steady progress. She hasn't transferred it the table yet but coach is confident that she will learn the blocking and flipping fast since she always been a powerful vaulter. She can always fall back on her tusk.

Beam is going good she doesn't have her dismount yet but has spent the summer working on getting a very powerful rdoff back tuck so that should help. She has her beam series but needs to work on consistency and cleaning up the form. She also has several C dance and aerial skills she can use.

Bars is pretty good too. Not quite there yet but close. She is already putting things together in combination. Still trying to get her blind and has made good progress so hopefully she can use it. The goal is to have a 10.0 start value on bars.

Floor is where the trouble is. She doesn't have a 1 1/2 yet. If she's not ready on floor she will do 8 again. She has been working so hard on her gymnastics and I hope that she will get to compete 9.

 

[Natasha]

After reading this thread I am so glad they are adding the new level next year between 8 and 9 as that is right where my dd will be. My dd is doing 8 this year and while I don't think she will be ready for 9 next year, I know I'M not ready for 9 next year!!

 

[Muddlethru]

I wish I knew how my daughter is doing. I have not been able to watch and there seems to be a discrepancy in what the coach tells me and what my daughter says. Sometime in August, I quickly asked the coach how my daughter's skills are coming along. The coach said she has all the skills. I asked my daughter and she says, she does not. I know she has not practiced or does not know her full routine on any event. Everything is still in pieces.

Coach says she is trying to get two meets in November and 2 in December. My daughter missed a whole month of practice this summer (all July). So, I just hope she is safely progressing and is ready for the season. At the moment, I get the feeling she is not very confident about any event yet.

 

[2gymmies]

gym tiger - I am guessing you are right about the new levels. It is such a big jump from 8 to 9 right now, so I'm anxious to see how things change.

4 the love - I think we are in the same boat - I don't think she has done a complete routine on any event, but we have until January. I'm sure the coach knows and she will be great!

Are any of your dd's doing a double back on floor this year - dd is really hoping it will be ready (at least tuck), but has a back up plan if it isn't. My dd also has new choreography this year and I can't wait to see it - she says it is soooo much better than her old routine.

I'm glad we are all in almost the same situation. I hope everything falls into place!

 

[Ingwe]

My daughter will not be competing a double back on floor. The 9's train them with the intention if competing them the following year in 10.

She also got a new floor routine and I am looking forward to seeing it all put together. She really didn't like her routine from last year.
She switched gyms and therefore got a new routine which she seems to be thrilled with.

I agree that it is nice to have a group that are all in about the same place.

I have to admit that I am a little nervous that she will pull it together by Dec. (especially with the injury. Cast came off today though)

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

No double back on floor here either.

Ingwe good luck too your DD with her recovery. After LM got her boot off last year, her coaches took things so slowly (which was good) I kept thinking she would never make it back by States, but she did.

 

[Ingwe]

Thanks GMM She has come home frustrated on both Friday and Saturday beause her coaches really aren't letting her doing anything. I told her to be patient, they know what they are doing, they have a plan. Dealing with her now is worse then dealing with with her when she was in the cast. LOL!!

 

[Muddlethru]

Thanks for your vote of confidence, 2gymmies. Coach says my daughter will be competing double backs on floor. Last year at L8, my daughter competed two dumbling passes with double saltos (ro, bhs, whip, whip and fhs, front pike, frnt tuck) but was inconsistent with her landing (sometimes she over rotates and sometimes she under rotates). Coach eventually took them both out at the state and regional meets. She just competed her full. I have not seen her double backs on floor yet. We'll see.

Question: Would you prefer your daughter do harder skills that are progressive towards a more successful L10 but could result in lower scores at L9 or higher scoring L9 seasons with minimum requirements and just compete L10 skills when in L10?

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Ingwe - Little Monkey was an absolute BEAST during her recoup/comeback. She got hurt around Jan 15 (5 days before getting on plane for Sand Dollar) and States were the last weekend in March. During the time when she was easing back into gym, she was not allowed to tumble or vault at all until probably about 3 weeks before States and even so, very very minimally.

4thelove - since this will be DD's first time at L9, I'd rather her start with the skills are she and coaches are comfortable with, regardless of scoring, then building up to the 10 requirements however long it takes... She has 6 years till high school graduation :d

 

[2gymmies]

I was thinking that same question about harder skills or not - our coaches are hoping to put skills in as difficult as possible/allowable, I think. Maybe the coaches on this board could weigh in on the advantages to harder skills for 9?

 

[Muddlethru]

I think my daughter's coaches feel there is an advantage to having the judges see gymnasts can do more difficult skills. But I personally don't think so. When she was an L8 last year, I mean last season 2011-2012, she did the maximum allowable. But it hurt her scores somewhat. When the coach removed some skills for states in March and regionals in April, her scores shot up and actually won floor and placed second on beam at regionals.

I don't think I have a preference between higher scores with minimum requirements or more progressive skills towards a better L10 and later but potentially some form deductions early on. Since my daughter is also only 6th grade, I also wondered what would be best in the long run.

 

[Muddlethru]

Was rereading thread and noticed I said "dumbling" passess instead of "tumbling" passes in my second post. Wonder if that is a freudian slip. My daughter always seemed dumbfounded to find herself on her butt during a couple of the meets.

 

[Ingwe]

GMM....injured gymnasts are no fun. Lol!! It's nice to hear what a strong come back that LM made It gives me hope.

I think our coaches are on the same page. Build up to those L10 skills at a nice pace. No need to rush it when these girls are looking at spending 5 years in L10

I would say my Dd isn't going to compete the minimum skills required for 9 but certainly no where near the Maximum allowed either. Basically somewhere in between.

 

[JudyS125]

Question: Would you prefer your daughter do harder skills that are progressive towards a more successful L10 but could result in lower scores at L9 or higher scoring L9 seasons with minimum requirements and just compete L10 skills when in L10?[/QUOTE]

That's a great question. At our previous gym, the coach was always more concerned with future progression than on the score right now. So her routines were always full of harder skills that were not perfect yet. At the new gym, they only compete perfected skills. Since changing, her scores have gone way up. But in this coming season as she prepares for level 9, I really want them to put a stalder in on bars. She worked them at her old gym, and when we switched last year, she worked them over the summer, but by competition season her free hip was much cleaner, so they had her do the free hip. But that meant that all competition season, she rarely practiced her stalder. Same deal this summer. She has practiced the stalder all summer but I still don't think it looks as good as her free hip. BUT, I think she is better off doing a less than perfect stalder which will force her to work on it all season than to take it out again. It may make her score a little lower this season, but I think it will be better for her larger goal of being recruited down the road. (In 7th grade now.)

 

[2gymmies]

Our girls seem like they are all in a very similar place - my dd is putting in a toe hand this year instead of a clear hip and is putting in a side aerial on beam even though she doesn't need it. And maybe the double back on floor. She is in 6th grade and has recently mentioned the thought of college gymnastics