Parents Prep Op and Level 6 concerns...please read and comment :)

[flip4fun]

Question: My cousin's daughter's gym is doing away with level 6. They are going to do Level 5, prep op, and then level 7. She asked me my opinion...I hadn't heard of gyms doing this. Does anyone have any thoughts...good, bad, or nuetral. Seems strange to me...but like I said I had never heard of it. As far as I understand, you still my score out of 6...so it doesn't make sense to me. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

i gotta check this. i'm not certain you can skip 6 and go to 7 even if you do prep op.

lemonlime seems up to speed with everything. maybe she/he knows off the top of the head.

 

[lhmom]

Well, our gym is trying this for the upcoming season. The girls who were level 5 last season are doing level 5 until after the state meet , then doing prep-opt the rest of the season. Then the plan is for this group of girls to move on to 7. DD is not in this group, so did not hear how they are working out not doing 6. I assume they are going to find a way to score them out of 6.

 

[Gymnasticgrandkids]

Our gym is "off and on" with respect to this issue....sometimes they do 6, other times they move on to either Prep Opt or 7 depending, I believe, on the skills of the girls they are working with. This year they had a "score out meet" for L6 and are now working on the 7 skills...if they get them, they will do 7, if not, they will do Prep Opt...I think it depends on how well the girls develop the skills...but I still thought you couldn't just "skip" a level, I thought you had to have a legitimate score out meet but I don't know. Bottom line, lots of gyms do what you speak of. Oh, and it can be a good or a bad thing depending upon how the girls really progress and whether they really should spend more time developing those lower skills before they push them upward and onward....Case in point, my DGD went from Prep Opt to 8...and now she is quitting...should have worked on lower skills for longer but it is what it is, she is broken beyond repair.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

If a child is 'skipping' because their skill level is beyond said level and can competently do next level skills that is fine. If the child is is skipping because 'its hard' and/or they 'wont place well' it is probably a bad idea.

 

[MaryA]

Our gym has always done this. As you said, they still have to score out of 6 eventually (our prep ops usually do the first meet of the season at level 6). The progression (theoretically, assuming that they score out of level 6 and get their level 7 skills) is level 5, beginning prep-op, intermediate prep-op, 7. It gives them two years to develop the skills that they need for level 7 (DD is at a YMCA gym with limited hours) and the the coach has always maintained that level 6 is brutal.

That said, my daughter is part of a "guinea pig" group... the first group at our gym to do a full year of level 6 (assuming she gets her level 6 skills before the beginning of the season) and the coach doesn't plan to have her group do prep op at all (they're all younger than the previous groups to reach this level... all still in elementary school). I have mixed feelings about THAT. On one hand, I like the idea of her sticking with the numbered levels. Some girls at our gym seem to get "stuck" in prep op. On the other hand, with each progressing level, the difference in hours between the Y gym and the private gyms grow bigger and bigger. Prep Op would help to level that playing field a bit. And also, I worry about her NOT getting her level 6 skills, having to repeat 5, and then losing all of the level 6 skills that she HAS developed over the summer. If she did prep op, she could use the level 6 skills that she's learned so far, and potentially even add new ones into her routines as the season progresses.

 

[gymmommy72]

Let me get this straight...you must still learn all the level 6 routines in order to score out of level 6, then you do prep op until you are ready for level 7. If you must learn all the 6 stuff....why not just do level 6? What is the reasoning for it? I have heard level 6 can be brutal but in also felt that prep op was for gymnasts that had fear issues (keeping them from skills needed in optionals) or who wanted to still do gymnasts but also do other sports too. I would be infested in hearing why your gym is changing to this set up. Good luck

 

[flip4fun]

Dunno....they still must compete 1 level 6 meet and get the "score" for moving up....then they will do prep op and move to 7 when ready. Your thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks. I am very confused.

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

Our gym is doing this for the first time this year also. It seems to me that Level 6 is a hard level and alot of girls leave the sport at that time. With prep op you have your own routines so it is better suited than compulsarys to the individual gymnasts strengths. My DD will probably be in this prep op group until she has all her level 7 skills. However, prep op here in Missouri in between Level 6 and 7. You still have to do all the Level 6 skills in your routines with the exception of the BWO on beam. I think you can do cartwheel round off instead. You still have to "score out" of level 6 at some point.

What I am unclear about is with Prep Op, do different states set it up differently? I have never heard of novice, intermediate, advanced, gold, platinum. Here it is just Prep Op.

 

[Ingwe]

I do think that PREP OPT varies from state to state. In our state (SC) there is Prep Opt Silver, Gold and Platinum.

Our Gym is also one that does not compete L6. Girls either go from L5 to L7 or Prep Gold. In order to go to L7 you must have competition ready Giants, Free Hip Handstands and BHS on beam. At the end of L5 if you have these skills you will be moved to L7 if not you will compete a full year of Prep Gold. At the end of that season if you have your 7 skills you will be moved, if not you will compete a full year at Prep Platinum. Our Gym does not do half a season at one level and then half a season at another.

My DD went from L5 to L7 without any issues and scored very well, but she had all of her skills ready to compete. I can see how trying to rush girls into L7 who aren't ready just because your Gym doesn't compete L6 could be a problem.

I honestly do not know why our gym does it this way. I've never heard them say it's because L6 is too hard. IMO I think they do it because it seems like that's how the majority of Gyms are doing it in our state now.

 

[MaryA]

Yes, States must do it differently. Here (PA) beginning prep op is between 5 and 6, intermediate between 6 and 7, and I'm assuming (our team has never done advanced prep op... they move on to 7) advanced must be between 7 and 8. We went to a meet where there was an out-of-state gym attending and their beginning prep-op was closer to a level 4.

Yeah, the "having to learn the level 6 routines to score out but only competing it once" thing has confused me as well. The only thing I can say is that a lot of our girls DON'T score out of level 6 at that first meet of the season. Best I understand it, let's say I'm planning on competing Intermediate Prep Op this year. I should theoretically have the level 6 skills since intermediate prep op is between a 6 and a 7. If I do the first meet as level 6 and get my move-up score, then I'm on course to compete level 7 the following year, assuming I get my skills. However, if I don't get my 31, then I'm on course to repeat intermediate prep op again the following year (but I can still have a new routine, work in new skills, etc.). Then I try a level 6 meet again at the beginning of the following season. That's just how our gym does it. I'm sure there are others who do it differently.

 

[Billy]

My DD's old gym used prep-op exclusively at the lower levels. They didn't do compulsories at all, except to score out of levels 5 and 6. According to the HC/O, the main benefit was to allow the girls to compete their own routines and show off the skills that they did best. It also allowed them to still compete even if they were missing a skill or two because other skills could be substituted while they continued to train the ones they had trouble with.

In our state, compulsories were in the fall and optionals and prep-op were in the spring. This meant that girls could compete a full season of prep-op in the spring and then use the summer to prepare to score out of L5 or L6. Prep-op levels sort of blended in to USAG levels. Bronze was L1-L4 skills. Silver is about L4. Scoring out of L5 was required to compete prep-op Gold (L5-L6 skills). Prep-op Platinum was L6-L7 skills. Once a gymnast competed at a L7 state meet, she was no longer eligible to participate in the prep-op program. So basically, at our gym, it would go something like this: Bronze (spring), Silver (spring), score out meet for L5 (fall), Gold (spring), score out meet for L6 (fall), Platinum or L7 (spring).

Here is a link from USAG with more info and state and regional links: :: USA Gymnastics :: Prep Optional Programs ::

 

[Billy]

This link is to Region 8 but it's a nice chart with a good overview of the specifics of each prep-op level. http://region8gymnastics.org/downloads/annual/PORegionalRules.pdf

 

[lhmom]

This is really interesting. I'll have to ask when DD starts back to gym next week how the prep-op girls are going to score out of level 6. DD's gym competes in Region 8 as well.

 

[kimskids]

The girls at our gym competed one meet as level 6 to score out. One girl did not but she moved to prep op anyway and scored out later on in a meet at our gym. I am not sure what the purpose of this is for but I know the girls seemed excited to be able to have their own routines. Not sure if we are given this option as an alternative to level 6 or if this is just how our gym does it.

 

[Ingwe]

When my DD scored out of L6 (also in Region 8) she had to go to a meet in NC in late August.(SC compulsory season runs at the same time as optionals. Winter/Spring) They only worked routines for about 2 weeks prior to the meet. Our Gym has a policy that the girls had to score at least a 34.00 at that meet in order to move up. They got one shot at it, if they don't get that score then they don't move up to L7. They will spend the year competing Prep Gold. I don't think that it's been an issue though as they all seem to do well and score well above the 34.00.

 

[flip4fun]

Thanks for all the replies. However if I understand it correctly, we only compete in one season (winter/spring). They are not skipping level six...they will score out and do prep op until next season rolls around. I do not see the benefit of doing this. Why not just compete 6 and then move to 7? As far as my understanding they will not go from 5 to 7 by scoring out of 6. They want them to all do prep op in lieu of 6 ...yet must score out of 6 to compete 7 in the following season. Does this make sense? What should one do if they want to do level 6 and gym is not offering it anymore? My cousin's daughter wants to compete 6 and move to 7 in the normal fashion. Maybe I need a lesson on prep op...not to offend anyone but I really thought it was for girls who for one reason or another couldn't do level 7. Fears or time commitment. My cousins daughter is ready for 6 but not 7... My daughters gym does notndo this so I cannot offer her advice other than talk to their coach.

 

[gym_mom]

I'm no expert, but it looks like the national guidelines state clearly that gymnasts cannot move through JO compulsory levels by going through PREP Op.

This program is an alternative program that is outside of the Jr. Olympic Development Program structure.1 . There is NO OPPORTUNITY FOR MOBILITY into or within the Jr. Olympic Levels.
2. Mobility within the P.R.E.P. Optional Program is determined by the State/Regional Administrative
Committee.

Here's the link: http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/PDFs/Women/Rules/PREP_Optional.pdf

 

[UnoMas]

Our new gym is doing this with a group of girls. My DD included. From what I understand, they don't love to compete a full year at L6. Why, I don't know but there seem to be very few L6's in our state. Anyway, what they are doing is having the girls who competed L5 and got the move-up score compete prep gold while learning L6/L7 skills. When they have all the skills needed to score out of 6, and I am guessing some of the L7 skills, they will get the L6 routines ready and go to a L6 meet to score out of 6 and then move to 7. Again, I am not sure why the need to not compete L6 except I have heard the judging is really intense at 6, especially with bars. DD has some of the L6 skills and is coming along on the rest of them, so it makes sense to me to have her compete prep gold while getting all the L6 skills and starting on L7. I guess I see it as kind of a side-step "around" L6 and not "skipping" it since they are still learning the L6 skills and will compete the routines at least once, while giving the girls a chance to get ready for optionals by having their own routines.

 

[2gymmies]

My dd did the one level 6 meet to score out and go 7 and it really wasn't that hard - they put the routines together in less than two weeks. If the gymnast is training Level 7, throwing together the Level 6 routines are very simple. The vault is the same as 7, the low bar is essentially the same as 7, and the floor and beam are essentially the same as 5 with just a few changes. My dd and two others from our team scored out at the same meet and the worst of the them had a 34.5 with a fall. They only have to score a 31 for mobility. If the girls are ready to compete Level 7 then the Level 6 meet is truly just a technicality. Our gym does not do prep-op so I don't have a good opinion on that but I've heard it keeps kids involved that might not otherwise be able to move through the levels. I've also heard that they are considering nationalizing it so it is the same in all regions, now I think each region can choose its "version" of prep-op. It is always a big achievement to get to optionals, in a way, I think prep-op devalues that achievement because it allows really low level gymnasts to be "optionals" but I understand that there are gymnasts that might not every reach Level 7 on all events that can be successful Prep-ops. I doubt there is a right or wrong, just different.