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emacmommy
This is a thread similar to Level 5 Bar Deduction Question in Technical Talk. The general issue of the thread was gathering opinions as to compete as a Level 5 knowing a gymnast could not successfully complete kips or not, and what would be the deductions.
I also am facing this question with a few in my own gym trying to make the jump from L4 to L5, and L5 to L6. My own opinion. Okay. I'm a firm believer that each child progresses at their own rate, academically, physically, emotionally, mentally; all those equal up to gymnastically. However, I'm also a believer that gymnasts need to have a chance at successfully completing 90% of skills necessary for the level they are competing at, with safety being a huge factor as well if they are to attempt that.
This equals in my mind as a Level 5 they must have at least one kip and the chance they will make the other, be capable of making squat on, even if not consistent, they must have little fear of the vault, be able to get feet on cartwheel on beam enough times to complete a "make 10 cartwheels assignment", and complete two BHS without me having to flinch cause I think they are going to land on their head on the second BHS. Similar with L6, must clear hip without touching and flyaway without scaring the b-jesus out of me, but I will stand there for confidence for my mental gymnasts, BWO on beam consistently, and the kicker on floor, RO-BHS-Tuck consistently and strong enough to complete it at the end of a floor routine.
We, all the team coaching staff here, have been challenged more this year than any other year with girls who, given those rather loosely worded requirements, are not ready to compete the next level up, yet feel they shouldn't have to repeat a level. They are opting out of competing all together to wait until they have the next level skills before they compete. A couple of girls have walked already and chosen to do middle school sports, and we are only talking about repeating for a second season.
Do we stick to our guns and keep losing gymnasts, or do I conform more to my "each child is is an individual and decide who does what individually". My own daughter is in this boat. I've kept her a Level 4 for the third year, since she has neither of her kips. They are literally the only thing she is missing and she's not very close to them. She's placing well in L4, 2nd AA in the last two meets with a fall on bars in both meets. She doesn't seem to be bothered being held back, but I wish it would motivate her some to want to work those kips more. I have another who has no kips, no squat on, and BHS's like a frog, scored a 36.00 AA at the end of last year as L4, is not doing well at all as a L4 in the first two meets this year (thank you to our inconsistent judges in our state), but is on the verge of refusing to compete L4 at all until she is ready for L5. I have other gymnasts in a similar boat as her that are going with the policy and not questioning (to my knowledge) where she is placed (she just won her L4 age group ahead of my daughter). I have a wanna be L6 who missed 3/4 of the summer due to vacations, not very close to doing a safe RO-BHS-TUCK by herself, but does have all else reasonalby well. She also refuses to compete L5 a second year. Her training mate missed most of the summer to injury and is happy to compete L5 until ready for L6 (only missing BWO now).
WE DO TRAIN UP DAILY trying to push on to bigger and better and the repeaters have been told that if they can prove they can get the skills and be competitive with their peers in the rest of the state we will move them mid-season... something we've never told them we would do before. We dedicate not meet weekend friday practices to ONLY level up work, and when they finish routine assignments the other days of the week, as long as there wasn't some big issue to fix at their current level, we work up skills too.
fishchimes had a very valid point from a gymmie's point of view (see Technical Talk thread). However, can you imagine having to explain to my daughter (or my other gymnasts), why she is repeating a Level 4 for a third season while working/striving for Level 5 skills, while another girls only has to train up skills until she has them, with no regard to the fact that gymnastics is a sport with a competition season. You train hard during the summer to advance and then there comes a point to show off whatever you have.
What is everyone else's opinions, as my scenario building was quite wordy. Stick with policy for all, be adaptive and basically let the child/parents call the shots based on their opinions, compete gymnasts anyways that don't hold up to our standards of needing certain skills to compete?
Side note: We will have a second season league (prep) optional program for the first year in our state that is specifically designed (in my eyes, and since I'm the Commitee Chair) to keep compulsory gymnasts interested in extended seasons to help with retainment, but it's not in practice until Jan, after our Dec Compulsory Championship.
Phew. Kudos for those that read this whole post.
I also am facing this question with a few in my own gym trying to make the jump from L4 to L5, and L5 to L6. My own opinion. Okay. I'm a firm believer that each child progresses at their own rate, academically, physically, emotionally, mentally; all those equal up to gymnastically. However, I'm also a believer that gymnasts need to have a chance at successfully completing 90% of skills necessary for the level they are competing at, with safety being a huge factor as well if they are to attempt that.
This equals in my mind as a Level 5 they must have at least one kip and the chance they will make the other, be capable of making squat on, even if not consistent, they must have little fear of the vault, be able to get feet on cartwheel on beam enough times to complete a "make 10 cartwheels assignment", and complete two BHS without me having to flinch cause I think they are going to land on their head on the second BHS. Similar with L6, must clear hip without touching and flyaway without scaring the b-jesus out of me, but I will stand there for confidence for my mental gymnasts, BWO on beam consistently, and the kicker on floor, RO-BHS-Tuck consistently and strong enough to complete it at the end of a floor routine.
We, all the team coaching staff here, have been challenged more this year than any other year with girls who, given those rather loosely worded requirements, are not ready to compete the next level up, yet feel they shouldn't have to repeat a level. They are opting out of competing all together to wait until they have the next level skills before they compete. A couple of girls have walked already and chosen to do middle school sports, and we are only talking about repeating for a second season.
Do we stick to our guns and keep losing gymnasts, or do I conform more to my "each child is is an individual and decide who does what individually". My own daughter is in this boat. I've kept her a Level 4 for the third year, since she has neither of her kips. They are literally the only thing she is missing and she's not very close to them. She's placing well in L4, 2nd AA in the last two meets with a fall on bars in both meets. She doesn't seem to be bothered being held back, but I wish it would motivate her some to want to work those kips more. I have another who has no kips, no squat on, and BHS's like a frog, scored a 36.00 AA at the end of last year as L4, is not doing well at all as a L4 in the first two meets this year (thank you to our inconsistent judges in our state), but is on the verge of refusing to compete L4 at all until she is ready for L5. I have other gymnasts in a similar boat as her that are going with the policy and not questioning (to my knowledge) where she is placed (she just won her L4 age group ahead of my daughter). I have a wanna be L6 who missed 3/4 of the summer due to vacations, not very close to doing a safe RO-BHS-TUCK by herself, but does have all else reasonalby well. She also refuses to compete L5 a second year. Her training mate missed most of the summer to injury and is happy to compete L5 until ready for L6 (only missing BWO now).
WE DO TRAIN UP DAILY trying to push on to bigger and better and the repeaters have been told that if they can prove they can get the skills and be competitive with their peers in the rest of the state we will move them mid-season... something we've never told them we would do before. We dedicate not meet weekend friday practices to ONLY level up work, and when they finish routine assignments the other days of the week, as long as there wasn't some big issue to fix at their current level, we work up skills too.
fishchimes had a very valid point from a gymmie's point of view (see Technical Talk thread). However, can you imagine having to explain to my daughter (or my other gymnasts), why she is repeating a Level 4 for a third season while working/striving for Level 5 skills, while another girls only has to train up skills until she has them, with no regard to the fact that gymnastics is a sport with a competition season. You train hard during the summer to advance and then there comes a point to show off whatever you have.
What is everyone else's opinions, as my scenario building was quite wordy. Stick with policy for all, be adaptive and basically let the child/parents call the shots based on their opinions, compete gymnasts anyways that don't hold up to our standards of needing certain skills to compete?
Side note: We will have a second season league (prep) optional program for the first year in our state that is specifically designed (in my eyes, and since I'm the Commitee Chair) to keep compulsory gymnasts interested in extended seasons to help with retainment, but it's not in practice until Jan, after our Dec Compulsory Championship.
Phew. Kudos for those that read this whole post.
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