WAG Gym has no girls at my daughter's level (new level 3)

[zuma3]

This is my first time posting, so I'm not sure if I'm doing this correctly. In the spring my daughter's team had 11 girls competing old level 4. 6 of the girls competed in the fall also. My daughter was one of the 5 new girls that the 3 spring meets were their first meets. My daughter just turned 8 and scored in the 34s at the spring meets. We received the summer schedule several weeks ago and the new level 3 girls were to have 16 hours. Over the course of the last few weeks the new level 3 team has had a big turnover ( many went to xcel). We were left with 2 girls that competed last fall and 3 girls that only competed in the spring. Because the team is so small now the 2 girls that competed last fall are being moved to practice with the new level 4/5 girls (still competing L3)for 20 hours and the 3 girls left are being put with the preteam who will be competing in the spring even though those 3 girls will be competing in the fall and they will practice 9 hours. My daughter who was in the 34s is now with her 2 teammates that got 29s and 31s. The teammate that got 29 is one of the coach's daughters and attends practice each day with other levels. I talked to the coach and she said that she had planned for my daughter to go one extra hour at the end of her practice with the L4/5 team, so she would have 12 hours. I was okay with that at first, but the more I think about it, the more unhappy I am. My daughter has all of her skills, the preteam has basically no skills and the 2 girls that moved with her are missing skills. I don't want my daughter wasting her 9 hours learning to do a stride circle, side handstand dismount and bhs that she can already do. She needs to be perfecting these skill not learning to do them with 12 girls that don't know how. I feel like my daughter is being punished because so many of her teammates left. Am I worried about nothing?

 

[Natasha]

If she needs to be perfecting her skills, this could be a great place for her. She can be demonstrating the skills to the other girls which will encourage her to do them with excellent form. On any level team you will have girls in different places on various skills and events. Some will be perfecting while others are just learning.

 

[Gymdad2]

zuma3,

In my opinion, the less you worry about your dd's progress the better. I believe that you either trust her coaches to make the best decisions possible about her progress and placement, or you don't. If you do trust them, let them coach. If you do not trust them, then its time to look for another gym. However, I also believe that as a parent you do have the right to discuss your concerns with the gym management. I wish you and your dd good luck in this sport.

 

[happychaos]

Will your DD be competing L3 this fall? If so, she would have competed L3 in the spring and fall, right? Would she then move up to L4 next spring? This progression sounds very good for someone scoring in the 34's. After all, that would only be one calendar year competing 3. Many gyms have girls scoring much higher than your DD do 2 full calendar years of new 3/old 4. As for training with a lower level group...I would wait and see how it goes. I don't see any reason to worry now, especially if the coaches seem committed to your DD's progression.

 

[CoachGoofy]

This is the kind of question I see here a lot, so I'm curious:

Do most gyms just teach the entire group one thing, regardless of if members of that group have it (or are nowhere close)? Grouping is a necessity for obvious reasons, but I've never worked at or trained at a gym where there wasn't individualization within the groups. Everyone did the same conditioning stations (with some modifications for needing a challenge or for physically unable), but drills & skill turns were always individualized.

This is across a half dozen gyms or so, both artistic & T&T. Is my experience abberent?

 

[bogwoppit]

My girls always trained in mixed ability groups. It was no big deal really, except for vault. Coaches get creative and make it work. AT one point my youngest was a 6 year old with L3/4 skills and trained with 13 year olds with L6/7 skills.

 

[htimcj]

Our gym groups very loosely by levels but then each gymnast ends up doing different things with in that group. It has never been strickly by level. If you were to watch our practices you probably wouldn't be able to tell who was in what level. Instead you would see a group on beam( or what ever event) with mostly the same warm up and then each would do the particular skill they are working on. There are usually two or three girls of various ages working on the same skill. I love that it works this way. When it gets closer to competition season then it is usually a group of compulsories and a group of optionals. Seems to work well. We are quite successful.

 

[zuma3]

Thank you so much for your responses. I feel much better and need to relax and see what happens.

 

[SignHere]

Our gym has girls of several abilities practice together. Most nights, they are grouped by level, but several nights a week, levels are grouped together. The coaches make it work.

It is nice, too, because it allows for some up training, as well as perfecting the tiny details on the performance for the girls who have the skills Already..... This can make the difference between 34s and 36-37s. You'll see. Trust the coaches.

 

[txgymfan]

I'm sure seeing the higher level girls work skills helps the lower level girls see the progressions so they have in mind what comes next. It must be motivating too. When they see higher level skills they get it in their heads that they both can and want to do those skills.