WAG 2013 - 2021 Girls JO Code...What has changed?

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Just got ours today...haven't looked at much yet. They only real thing that I have looked at is the new L6...it seems like it's about equal to the old L5.
 
So if the new L6 optional level is equivalent to the old L5, why would any gyms bother with competing the new L5?
 
I wish I could have dd's coaching staff read this thread without coming across as a nutcase. They have every intention of doing L5. HC thinks compulsories are very important and would rather skip 6 than 5. Oh well.

(By "important" I mean important to take the time to get it right, not important to score super-well at before moving on.)
 
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Old level 4 is now 3
Old level 5 is now 4
Old level 6 is now 5
NEW level 6 is an optional level that's pretty close to the same difficulty as new level 5 (ie old level 6).

And the rest of the levels are approximately the same.

I'll be interested to see how this plays out; my own inclination would be to have kids skip new 5 and go straight to 6 (ie compete one meet as a 5 and then train level 6), but for this season at least we're going to do the standard compulsory route and see how things play out. Once I get a firmer handle on the rules and on how things will look, I'll revisit the question.
 
I wish I could have dd's coaching staff read this thread without coming across as a nutcase. They have every intention of doing L5. HC thinks compulsories are very important and would rather skip 6 than 5. Oh well.

(By "important" I mean important to take the time to get it right, not important to score super-well at before moving on.)

Nothing wrong with that.
 
Nothing wrong with that.

No, you're right. It's definitely good. Just reading about a lot of gyms wanting to skip 5 instead. I know the girls are very excited to get to optionals! Obviously I'll just trust and go along with whatever they do.
 
Does the COP specify that there is no mobility score for the new level 6? I realize that for this year there are choices for the girls in 6 and 7, but thinking about next year, does it remain a choice of competing level 6 or 7 after you get the mobility score for 5? Everyone is talking about 6 as being optional but I took that to mean an optional level in terms of formation of routines, like 7-10, not optional as in you don't need to compete it at all.

Now, I am certain either way, there will be gyms that just score out of either 5 or 6, but what does the COP say for mobility after this initial transition year? Will girls be able to go from 5 to 7 without scoring out of 6? Dd competed L7 already, so I am just asking for curiosity sake, but it seems a little silly to have a truly optional level (as in no mobility requirement) in the middle of all the required levels.
 
It seems like coaches are being given some choice here. Some coaches will prefer the new level 5 as they won't have to choreograph 50 new floor routines and beam routines each year. Or coaches who feel compulsaries are important. Other will choose the new 6 so kids can get to optionals and start tailoring their own routines.


The one thing I just don't understand is why USAG have difficulty restrictions in the optional levels. It doesn't seem to encourage the girls to accelerate. In Australia we have score restrictions but no difficulty restrictions. So they could put all D and E skills in their routine in level 7 and the score would be capped so a level 7 with more typical skills can compete but it allows for better long term development of the gymnasts.
 
I think one of the issues is that scoring is already caped because the JO system uses the 10.0 scoring for the girls. So the restrictions are supposed to keep more of an even difficulty per level. However, it does not stop girls from training as many high level skills as the gym thinks they can do.
 
looking over my post, I just realized people may get confused by the way I used "this year" vs next year.

I meant for the 2013 season, the current level 6s have the option of either going to new 6 or 7, but for the 2014-15 season, will L5s have the option of level 6 or 7 or will the new L6 (starting in 2014) have a mobility score attached to it? The information that was out before May 1 only referred to the transition year of 2013 (this is what current L __ can do). Does any of the new documentation that just came out in May have the mobility scores for 2014 and beyond? I didn't know if that is even listed in the COP or if it's separate.

Related question I just thought of - starting in 2014, would the L4s have the option of doing compulsory 5 vs optional 6, since they are essentially the same in terms of skill level.

Just a side note, I don't feel the new levels are going to do what USAG stated they wanted to do, which was ease the jump disparity in the upper optional level. If that's what they wanted then they should have created the new level somewhere between 7-9. This just really appears that their original intent was to stop the flow of gyms using xcel for level 6. And that's a valid intent, but it does not solve the problem at upper optionals.
 
looking over my post, I just realized people may get confused by the way I used "this year" vs next year.

I meant for the 2013 season, the current level 6s have the option of either going to new 6 or 7, but for the 2014-15 season, will L5s have the option of level 6 or 7 or will the new L6 (starting in 2014) have a mobility score attached to it? The information that was out before May 1 only referred to the transition year of 2013 (this is what current L __ can do). Does any of the new documentation that just came out in May have the mobility scores for 2014 and beyond? I didn't know if that is even listed in the COP or if it's separate.

Related question I just thought of - starting in 2014, would the L4s have the option of doing compulsory 5 vs optional 6, since they are essentially the same in terms of skill level.

Just a side note, I don't feel the new levels are going to do what USAG stated they wanted to do, which was ease the jump disparity in the upper optional level. If that's what they wanted then they should have created the new level somewhere between 7-9. This just really appears that their original intent was to stop the flow of gyms using xcel for level 6. And that's a valid intent, but it does not solve the problem at upper optionals.


The way I understand it, and how our gym understands it, there is no mobility score for the new level 6. You don't even have to compete that level. Our gym is using level new level 6, for the girls who don't have the higher level 7 skills like giants. The girls who do, are going right from old level 6 into level 7.

Also it is understood, you will have to have a mobility score of 31 to move from new level 5 into optional s. same as old level 6 this year.

i am sure this next year will be spent iron out all the wrinkles, my gyms view can certainly change.
 
looking over my post, I just realized people may get confused by the way I used "this year" vs next year.

I meant for the 2013 season, the current level 6s have the option of either going to new 6 or 7, but for the 2014-15 season, will L5s have the option of level 6 or 7 or will the new L6 (starting in 2014) have a mobility score attached to it? The information that was out before May 1 only referred to the transition year of 2013 (this is what current L __ can do). Does any of the new documentation that just came out in May have the mobility scores for 2014 and beyond? I didn't know if that is even listed in the COP or if it's separate.

Related question I just thought of - starting in 2014, would the L4s have the option of doing compulsory 5 vs optional 6, since they are essentially the same in terms of skill level.

Just a side note, I don't feel the new levels are going to do what USAG stated they wanted to do, which was ease the jump disparity in the upper optional level. If that's what they wanted then they should have created the new level somewhere between 7-9. This just really appears that their original intent was to stop the flow of gyms using xcel for level 6. And that's a valid intent, but it does not solve the problem at upper optionals.


I agree. I do like the option of competing a C skill at L8 so that the girls can upgrade without moving to L9. (Which is probably what my dd will do this year.) But I was really expecting the new 6 to be just a little easier than 7 and the new 7 to be a little harder than current 7. I guess I assumed since current L7 girls have the option of competing L7 or L6 next season I expected old L7 to be right in the middle of new 6 and new 7. But now it seems that new 5 and new 6 are parallel levels, which is why it makes sense that L6 does not require a mobility score to compete.
 
I have been reading this thread with interest as Ontario will be moving to "GO JO" which I understand is to be virtually the same as you new JO.

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I agree. I do like the option of competing a C skill at L8 so that the girls can upgrade without moving to L9.

Interestingly enough, our current L8s compete C skills.... Most of them do switch leaps and standing back tucks on beam, layout 1.5s on floor, and either pirouettes, clear hip to handstand or toe ups (pike circles to handstands) on bars.

It will be interesting or our part of Canada to see how this plays out as well.
 
Things I have found so far:
Any clear hip less than vertical is a "B" with greater deductions for clear hips below horizontal. (No more "A" clear hips.) Clear hip to HS is still a "C".

The code now specifies that gymnasts may wear one stud earring per ear in any part of the ear without deduction.
 
So if the new L6 optional level is equivalent to the old L5, why would any gyms bother with competing the new L5?

Mobility...

...the reason why I say the new L6 is easier than the old L6 is skills choice. You can pick the easiest skill for your gymnast. Old L6 was a clear hip to 30 degrees and a flyaway. New L6 could be a back hip circle and a flyaway with a 1/2 twist...right? There is no 3,6,7 360 degree clear circling element required...just a regular 3,6,7.
 

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