Parents How do your state meets work?

[lhmom]

I think we all have different views of what states should be. I believe that states should be a sort of championship to end the season where as the regular season meets are inclusive of all gymnasts. If the state qualifying scores are set so that most gymnasts qualify, then it is nothing more than another regular season meet. Personally, I have no problem hiking the scores even higher to 36 or more in the lower levels (meaning that my dd would not have made it some years). Then "making it to states" really would mean something and something to strive for.

Just to give a reference - In our state, level 8's have to vie for only about 50 slots to go to regionals. Last year that meant that slightly less than 50% made it, with the cut off score around 35. Level 7's had only about 30 slots out of 200 gymnasts, with the lowest score being almost a 38. Now that's something to strive for!!! And the girls who don't make it don't feel left out because there are so many who didn't make it. With the lower levels not having a regional championship, I just feel the state meet should have more meaning...

But you are talking about the optional levels here. I think when you are talking about compulsories, what is so bad about all these girls qualifying? For most of them, that will be the only state meets (gymnastics wise) they will make it to. I say that because if you look at numbers in the compulsory levels, alot of these girls will quit before even making it to the optional level. At DD's state meet this past December, there were 3 sessions for the level 4's, 2 sessions for 5's and one session for 6's. Level 3's and 4's are looked at as chances for the girls to gain experience competing. Let these girls have the experience of competing at state. There will be plenty of opportunity for state to "mean" something if they decide to stick with the sport.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Also keep in mind that from USAG point of view, they want to KEEP girls in gymnastics. Making the state meet extremely hard to obtain at the lower levels is not conducive to keeping those girls in gymnastics long-term. Yes, eventually inability to do the higher level skills will weed them out, but making it so you need a 36 at level 3 to even make it to state would cause many to quit much earlier.

 

[2G1B]

I don't know. I can see states being just a big meet. At least in a state like we live in, often we would never see kids from some of the gyms because our state is so big. I think that it is kind of nice to have a meet where nearly all of the gyms from across the entire state are there, instead of some of the gyms from our area.

For the boys it is kind of funny to me because it is actually a smaller meet than some of the larger invitationals. 2 of the last 3 meets that DS has been to have had teams from 4 or more states there. So state is actually not as big as some of the other meets.

 

[Gymmommy71]

Count me in the camp that thinks states should mean something...I don't think it should be unattainable, but someone chucking skills w/ all kinds of bent legs and flexed feet shouldn't be there either. I think 34 is a good number (maybe a 33 for some of the more harshly scored levels like 6)... I'd even support 35 provided there was some way for girls who were really good at one or two events to still go and compete their good event. Something like 35AA *or* you get a 9.25 on an event and you can go compete just that event - haha, or maybe a 9.5 on beam, 9.25 on floor and vault, and a 9.0 on bars. I'm just thinking out loud about what my opinion of an "exceptional score" is on each of those events - it may be regional ...and gee, those numbers could vary by level too.

I also don't like lower threshholds because you could end up w/ a situation where everyone makes it but one or two kids who are struggling...if only the exceptional go, then the ones who don't wont feel so bad.

I've heard on this board that there are some gyms that only take select girls to states even if others qualify - like they will only bring those who they feel have a real shot at winning something...that's an interesting approach that I'd never heard of, but I guess it happens.

 

[gymgal]

Also keep in mind that from USAG point of view, they want to KEEP girls in gymnastics. Making the state meet extremely hard to obtain at the lower levels is not conducive to keeping those girls in gymnastics long-term. Yes, eventually inability to do the higher level skills will weed them out, but making it so you need a 36 at level 3 to even make it to state would cause many to quit much earlier.

if the girls are enjoying the rest of their meet season and training, why would they be more likely to quit because they cannot go to 1 meet in the year? I would think they would be more likely to stay because it's a goal they want to achieve. Besides, very few other sports at the lower levels even have championship matches so it is not like they are thinking "oh man, I got to states in my soccer but not in my gymnastics! I'm not good. I might as well just quit now..." Seriously, as it stands now, the lower qualifying scores have a higher risk of pushing girls out of gymnastics - the 1 or 2 on each team who see everyone else going to states says "I'm the only one who didn't make it. I should just quit". At least if the score was higher, it would be like "well, only half the girls qualified."

I view this very similar to the principal's list in school. Should we lower the qualifying grades so that almost everyone makes it? Of course not! It is to reward those who have done extremely well (the majority of whom tend not to do as well in sports and other activities, I might add). And for the ones who haven't made it, are we expecting them to work less or "quit"? No, we keep pushing them to strive for that honor even though it may not ever be attainable for them.

 

[profmom]

Well, as the owner and operator of one kid who has been at least six points over the state qual score at every meet this year and one who didn't quite make it, I don't feel like my son's state meet will be less meaningful to him because the qual score is not all that high. He has one teammate who's been struggling all year and did make it in our state but wouldn't have made it in another state. Believe me, everyone on his team is thrilled for him, even though he hasn't got a prayer at getting a medal. For a gymnast who struggles but works hard, just making it to states means something, especially if they go through the whole season without bringing home very many medals or high scores. As anyone who's watched this sport for a while knows, hard work and dedication do not always guarantee concrete payoffs in terms of scores and placements. Allowing more kids to make it to states creates a little more room to acknowledge the hard work, even if it does not lead to complete success in competition.

I think regionals is the place for high score thresholds, not states. I have to say that I don't quite understand how having a cutoff of 32 or 33 makes states less meaningful for kids who are scoring above 35 regularly (or on the boys' side why setting it at 50 would make it a better experience for the guys who always break 55). The 35+/55+ kids can always set themselves goals of trying to bring home a medal. But this may just be one of those things where we have to agree to disagree.

I also think Lhmom's point is a very good one. For kids who only do USAG gymnastics for a few seasons, getting the opportunity to go to a state meet may be a precious memory for them someday.

 

[kandkfunk]

In our state, we actually have two State competitions every year for the Compulsory levels. One at the end of the fall season and one at the end of the Spring season. The Optionals still only have one state meet in the Spring. For the fall season, girls in levels 4-6 must get a 31 AA in at least one meet to qualify for the sectional meet. The state is divided into North and South sections and girls must compete at sectionals in order to qualify for State. At the sectional meets, a certain number of gymnasts are selected to advance to state. I think for levels 4 & 5, each section takes the top 72 girls and for level 6 its the top 48. This means that all girls who get the minimum sectional qualifying score have a chance to qualify for state, but they only get that one chance. My daughter has always made sectionals and state in the fall, but never won a title at a fall meet.

In the Spring, if compulsory competitors score a 32 AA at one meet, they advance directly to state. The theory has been that fewer girls compete during the Spring season, so there was no need for a sectional meet to reduce the number attending State. I think that may be changing as the Spring season is being competed by almost every gym in our state now and the Spring state meet may even be bigger than the fall state meet. My DD has actually won 3 state titles at Spring state (level 5 floor, level 5 beam, level 6 beam), but she isn't a gymnast who is going to compete for an AA title. She is very strong in floor and beam, but bars holds her back a little bit. I'm thankful that she had the opportunity to make it to state and win some events. If the qualifying score had been too high, especially for level 6, she wouldn't have made it to the State meet. That would have been heartbreaking for her and she wouldn't have the memories of those experiences. Just a little brag - she had the highest level 5 & 6 beam scores of the entire meet when she won her events.

 

[pt coach]

I am in a state with very low qualification scores. I have no problem with it. As a coach, State meet is a celebration of the season - and frankly, some of our lower scoring all around gymnasts have a strong event that can contribute to the team score. As a parent of a gymnast that would not qualify if the score was a 35 or 36, I am also happy with our system. We have a total of 4 state meets this year for xcel - 10 and all of the meets are being held at outside venues. The host gyms have to rent the venue, plus rent the equipment so they also appreciate having a larger group of participants.

 

[wandrewsjr]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread is that gymnastics is also a team sport. My state is very large. There are 4 invitationals running every weekend during the fall compulsory season. So there are many teams in our state that we don't even see until states. I think every gymnast who has a chance to help her team should be there at states. Currently our Q scores are 33 level 6, 34.5 level 5 and 34.5 level 4.

 

[kwnative]

In Level 3 here, the season ends with the district championships. My DD will be competing Level 4 (new L3) this coming fall. Our state is big, so between district and state, we have north state/south state, depending on where you live. From the info I am able to find out online, it looks like a certain number of gymnasts who compete in district qualify to north/south state, then they qualify to state based on their performance at north/south state. They don't start going to state until L5 (new L4) here. So they definitely have to earn their place at each of those meets. I know that last fall at our gym, a good number of L4 girls went to south state, but not all.

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

If everyone participates and you end up with age divisions with a two month range (as one poster mentioned) I don't think it should be called a championship meet, call it a state challenge or invitational. I guess you could have the best of both worlds, those who get 'X' score qualify to the championship and everyone else can compete in the invitation and contribute to their team scores. Those at the bottom of X range have the prestige of making the championship event and those who just miss have a better shot at invitational awards with the top scorers removed and those with no chance still get to participate and help their team.

Why should a level 3/4 kid get an automatic pass to states when level 7+ kids who have worked for years have to earn it. Personally as a club we would not put a kid in a level if they were unlikely to meet a qualifying score. There are of course exceptions and times when things don't work out, but we are very clear with the parents. A state competition should mean something and we are not going to allow our own personal situations to water down the prestige of making it to states for those who truly earned it.

 

[lhmom]

Why should a level 3/4 kid get an automatic pass to states when level 7+ kids who have worked for years have to earn it. Personally as a club we would not put a kid in a level if they were unlikely to meet a qualifying score. There are of course exceptions and times when things don't work out, but we are very clear with the parents. A state competition should mean something and we are not going to allow our own personal situations to water down the prestige of making it to states for those who truly earned it.

Ok, here's my response to this: there are many gyms where coaches start their teams at level 5, feeling that competing level 4 and below is unnecessary. USAG does not require these levels to have mobility scores either. So again, why would it matter if all these kids get to compete?

 

[gymmiemom]

Update: just read the new flyer posted on the hosting gyms FB page. They changed the qualifying score to 29 for all levels. I am pretty much 99% sure now that I looked at last years states results, that this is purely a $ thing. We have so few optional gymnasts that they need all the numbers they can get at the compolsury levels. Which whatever, but I still think it's sad that states is pretty much just another meet. My DD has been obssessed all year about going to state. Then come to find out she's been qualified since her very first meet lol.

I'm also curious to know how you qualify for regionals in Region 3. Just wondering if very many of our L8s and above go. Does anyone know?

 

[lhmom]

I'm also curious to know how you qualify for regionals in Region 3. Just wondering if very many of our L8s and above go. Does anyone know?

You should be able to look it up on your region's website.

 

[nevertooold]

If everyone participates and you end up with age divisions with a two month range (as one poster mentioned) I don't think it should be called a championship meet

This is my state and by definition it IS a championship bc, and I quote Merriam-Webster, it is "a contest held to determine a champion".

Maybe for states with smaller meets held in gyms with one or two sessions you can't really understand how our state does it. But as sglemon stated earlier all our meets are all in outside venues, our state committee owns our own equipment, 2 sets of it and that is the equipment used for our state meets, we store it the rest of year. It's not a big money maker for the host gyms, they do it bc we have an awesome bunch of gym owners in this state who do the work required to put on amazing meets for the kids in this state. We have creative themes, lots of fun decorations, photographers, vendors, it's just a fun special weekend for the kids.

For the compulsory kids and their families it's a big deal and I for one and more than happy to have as many kids as can safely compete be there to share in the moment. It's fun, it's a great experience, it's memorable to their families and well frankly why limit it. If they aren't a high scorer who cares, they won't be the winner, but their being there certainly doesn't ruin it for the winners lol!

It's also a bonding moment for coaches and owner and parents whose kids are at different clubs to get together and just enjoy this sport we all love. Idk it's just a good time. It's foreign to me to think it should be exclusive. IMO that's old fashioned and part of whats wrong with this sport. It's already competitive enough, there are already going to be winners and losers, why limit it any further?

 

[fruitcake]

It depends on the level. For level 8 it is a percentage of each age group. For 9& 10 it is either a 32 aa or 34 aa

 

[Aussie_coach]

In my state in Australia, we have state championships for level 4-10.

to qualify they must compete in regional championships (in Australia regionals is a lower level than states, the states are so big that they are spilt into regions). They must also have passed their level badge and got a minimum score at a qualifying competition.

at level 4 it is 50.4, at level 5 it is 50.6 at level 6 it is 50.0. We use the FIg open ended scoring so most routines are out of about a 15. So you aim to be averaging 13's to make states.

 

[gymgal]

After reading the posts of how others view a state meet - a get together of all gyms, a big special meet to end the season - I can see how others feel a low qualifying score is best, but then again, if it is supposed to be a special celebration, then everyone should be invited, regardless of scoring. The reality is that the ones not making the score likely have been competing like this the entire season. Why stop them from coming to an end of the season celebration?

 

[skschlag]

The boys is like this. All boys go to state here...no qualifying score for state. They do have to meet a score to go to regionals.

 

[thefellowsmom]

Well it sounds like our state has a pretty complicated system for compulsory levels. Many parents get confused because the terminology is weird and it isn't consistent from level to level. I am just referring to spring season. Fall is different and I know nothing about it so I won't comment.

For Optionals, you need a 32 to qualify for state. Level 8 to regionals is a percentage. Level 9/10 you need a 34 to regionals.

XCEL and Level 3 you just need to compete in a meet.

For level four you have to have a 31 to go to sectionals (there are four sections in our state). You must have a 33 to go to state. At state they put all the scores, regardless of age, in order and then break it into thirds. The top girls compete against the top girls, the middle girls against the middle and the lower end against the lower end. It usually takes a high 35 or low 36 to get into the top group although this would vary from year to year. They also take the top 20 girls, regardless of age, from each sectional meet and they get an opportunity to compete in a special sectional team meet that is Sunday afternoon of state. This is a huge honor and they get trophies and leos and the whole shebang

I guess it is kind of the best of both worlds. Most kids qualify, although some don't as 33 is not easy for those kids that are struggling with execution or a specific skill, and those that have done really well get rewarded.

For level 5, you need a 31 to qualify to sectionals and then they take around 60% to state. I think I heard it is like the top three in each age group and then they order everyone and put the cutoff where they need it to be for numbers (around 280 gymnasts).

For level 6 you need a 31 to qualify to sectionals and a 33 to get to state.

The rules, especially for level 4, seem to be a moving target. They change almost every year.