Proposed 2013 Compulsory Routines & Moving Up

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I just finished coaching our L4 girls season. Of the ten girls, only 2 are repeating L4. There are about 3 that SHOULD repeat - but, due to parents telling gym owner "either they move up, or they quit"....they are now moving to L5. Gym owner has told them to plan on being in L5 at least 2 years, and not scoring well first year. These are girls that are scoring around 28-31AA, have iffy skills (missing several skills actually), no heel drive, and are 8 and 9 year olds. I am hopeful that they will be OK at L5, but I have serious reservations that they will.

In looking at yesterday's Technique magazine, I see that for 2013 L5 will basically be today's L6.

How will that play out if these girls do end up having a bad first year at current L5? Will they have to be L5 for 2013 (which is actually L6 skills)? Or will they be able to drop to L4 (since it is basically the same as current L5 skills)?
 
They would most likely have to drop down. I am not sure how USAG is going to suggest going about the change. It is going to cause a lot of upset. I see alot of parent meetings explaining in detail a lot of things.
 
This is what I think is wrong with it in a nutshell. I have no problem with adding an extra level- but I think there's going to be a lot of hurt feelings on the girls' end when they are told that they will be doing "old" Level 5 skills but will now be called Level 4.

Girls really do look forward to moving up through the levels. DD is very proud that she got decent scores and has all the skills to move up-- it's like moving from 1st to 2nd grade to her-- you have to earn it-- do well in your classes and show mastery of the skills.

I think it will be confusing to the girls and no matter how well you try to explain it to them it will feel like they are either A. being demoted (if the case is a 2nd year repeat of a level) or B. not being promoted (if the case is a girl who has the skills to move up but now really moving from "old" Level 5 to "new" Level 5-- "old" Level 6).

I just wish they'd not monkey with that part of it- just name the new added level something enitrely new altogether.

As I see it- I think it's going to be confusing for the girls and cause a lot of hurt feelings. So girls will end up spending 4 years in Level 5- no kidding- if a girl is a Level 5 repeater in the years leading up to the change and then repeats Level 5 after the change she will have spent 4 years at Level 5 which can feel disheartening when forward progress is being made in skill just not in the formal Level progression.
 
Honestly, I think the gymnasts will handle it much better than a lot of parents. My dance studio redid our levels about 5 or so years ago and I remember all the dancers being slightly confused and maybe a little annoyed at first, but we got over pretty quickly because we did understand that it isn't the name that determines a level but the skill level at that each level. When kids are excited about moving to a certain level, it's the skills for that level that they're excited about, not the arbitrary number. However, since parents aren't the ones learning skills, I'm guessing they probably get a lot more hung up on the specific number (not all parents of course!).
 
When this was first brought up I asked my dd (11 years old 2nd year level 5) what she thought. After a brief explanation that the skills wouldn't change but the level names would, she said she the change wouldn't bother her. She would be called level 5 for a third year but doing different routines so it didn't really matter to her what the levels were called. I personally think there will be some mild confusion but the kids will adapt quickly and it will really only cause an issue at the beginning of the first year.
 
I asked my dd the same thing as I think there is a greater than 50% chance she will repeat level 5 and move to "old" L6 / "new" L5 in 2013. After the initial "What??!!" and I was able to explain that it would be a new level with new routines just with the same name as the old level, she was fine with it. But I agree that I think it will upset more parents than gymnasts.
 
I think we still have 2 more competitive "years/seasons" (2011-2012 and then 2012-2013) until these changes take effect so if your girls do 2 years of level 5, they will then just do new level 5 when they would have moved up to level 6 for the 2013-2014 season. However, if they do only need one year of level 5 and do level 6 in 2012-2013, they would then be level 5s the next year if they repeated level 6.

And I honestly think it will be more of an issue for parents than gymnasts. My own 8 year old seemed fine with it. As long as she got to do the next level of skills, she didn't seem to care what level it was called.

I think everyone is stressing out over things way too early. Half our kids could be DONE with gymnastics by the 2013-2014 season! I do think that USAG could make some nice posters to hang up in the lobby comparing the new and the old and highlighting WHY they are making these changes. A little info goes a long way. They could make it a printable handout as well that coaches could send home with gymnasts to help everyone understand the changes, why they are being made, the benefits of the changes and emphasizing that your child is not being "moved back or down a level", just the names are changing for some levels. :)
 
So, if our gym currently competes (current) levels 4-10, will they likely compete 3-10 when the time comes? DD (4yr) is training for level 4 so she will be ready to compete when she's 6yr. She will turn 6yr in January of 2013. Would she be able/allowed to compete in the fall of 2012 then as a current level 4? And then remain as a level 4 when the changes happen in the fall of 2013 (assuming Mariposa is correct).

Otherwise, she'll have to wait another full year before competing just simply due to her age. Hmm....
 
So, if our gym currently competes (current) levels 4-10, will they likely compete 3-10 when the time comes? DD (4yr) is training for level 4 so she will be ready to compete when she's 6yr. She will turn 6yr in January of 2013. Would she be able/allowed to compete in the fall of 2012 then as a current level 4? And then remain as a level 4 when the changes happen in the fall of 2013 (assuming Mariposa is correct).

Otherwise, she'll have to wait another full year before competing just simply due to her age. Hmm....

They are not changing the ages to compete particular levels so no matter what the level is called (i.e., old Level 4 or new Level 3), she will have to wait until she turns 6yo. I would assume that most gyms that currently compete Levels 4-10 will compete the new Levels 3-10.
 
They are not changing the ages to compete particular levels so no matter what the level is called (i.e., old Level 4 or new Level 3), she will have to wait until she turns 6yo. I would assume that most gyms that currently compete Levels 4-10 will compete the new Levels 3-10.


I just meant if the gym does not compete level 3 once the change occurs and if she can't compete in the fall of 2012 as a 6yr old (even though she'll only be 5) she will have to wait until she's 7yr to compete new level 4.
 
As far as I know "New" Level 4 in 2013 (old level 5) will have the old Level 5 minimum competing age of 7- she will have to wait another year unless her gym decides to add Level 3 (which is old Level 4) to compete as a 6 year old--- confused yet???!!!???

Not all gyms compete Level 3- DD's gym does but a lot in our area do-- some areas have a lot of Level 3 competitors- some have few or close to non. I'm not sure how this or if this will change in the future. Will more gyms add a Level 3 team???
 
Oh wait- I get what you are asking-- I am not sure about the changeover timing. Our gym competes Dec-May not really in the Fall at all. It will be interesting to see how that plays out-- when the time comes for the switch.
 
I just meant if the gym does not compete level 3 once the change occurs and if she can't compete in the fall of 2012 as a 6yr old (even though she'll only be 5) she will have to wait until she's 7yr to compete new level 4.

Yes, that is how I understand it. But hopefully your gym will compete the new Level 3 (old Level 4). And as the previous poster mentioned, she has to actually turn 7yo before she can compete - so that will mean January of 2014. If you have a fall season, she would compete as a Level 4 (old Level 5) in the Fall of 2014.
 
I would imagine that all gyms that currently compete level 4, will compete level 3 as well when the change occurs. It is the same level, with a different name.
 
So, even if things were to stay the same she can't compete as a current level 4/new level 3 until Fall of 2013. I guess now that I think about it.....that's what I was expecting. I just hope they compete level 3 once the changes occur, or she'll have to wait another full year. She wants to compete NOW, lol!
 
I was thinking this would start with the 2012/13 season...so my point is rather mute. However, to keep it in the back of my mind for next year's group: If a gymnast struggles as a first year L5 in the 2012/13 season, and will need a second year to repeat those skils, will they be able to drop down to "new" L4? I am guessing that this is a "yes", but for some reason cannot fully wrap my mind around it :/
 
I was thinking this would start with the 2012/13 season...so my point is rather mute. However, to keep it in the back of my mind for next year's group: If a gymnast struggles as a first year L5 in the 2012/13 season, and will need a second year to repeat those skils, will they be able to drop down to "new" L4? I am guessing that this is a "yes", but for some reason cannot fully wrap my mind around it :/

I wouldn't consider it a "drop down" to level 4. They will still be doing the level 5 skills it just will have the new name of level 4. Gyms that usually begin competing with level 4 will still begin competeing with level 4 skills it's just a new name of level 3. If USAG had chosen to give the levels letters rather than rearrange the numbers there wouldn't be quite as much confusion.
 
I really think if the gyms spend about a year typing a few extra words as in:

2012 L4 team (was L5)

No one will be the least concerned.

It will probably help if USAG uses the same floor music for the compulsory routines...
 
I will be interested to see if many gyms do new Level 3 (old level 4) our gym has made a decision not to have a Level 3 team next year.... maybe due to the fact Level 4 will be Level 3 in the future and they don't want to have a Level 2 team--- or for some other reason- like they won't have a Level 4 team when the time comes for the change. It will be interesting t see how it all goes down.
 

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