Parents Is there any hope for a late starter?

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RainyPM

Proud Parent
I am so frustrated tonight. We just moved from California to Houston and have tried a couple of gyms and they make it seem like my daughter is a lost cause because she is too old. It's true she didn't start until she was 10 (she's not quite 12 now), and she isn't a prodigy or anything, but she made it to the top level of recreational gymnastics at our last gym in a year and a half and was hoping to be invited to their A-team/XCEL program soon.

Here's she's being told she has to go through the levels again. She is re-doing skills she's mastered. While the XCEL team girls are conditioning and doing real training, she's doing bumsies on the trampoline for a third of her class! I feel like she's just going to slip more and more behind.

From the beginning I told her she was starting too late to have a chance to compete but she just kept working at it and advancing. Now I want to support her dreams and dedication but I don't know how. It's breaking my heart to see her dealing with so much disappointment. Would it be worth it to pay for private coaching on her weakest skills and hope they'll advance her more quickly? Any tips?
 
I would set up a meeting with her coaches. Ask what skills she needs and how she can best acquire them in their gym. Be polite and honest. Your DD is not asking for elite training, just the chance to do Xcel. In the meantime she can stretch and condition at home if she wants, splits push-ups, V-ups pull ups on a pull up bar etc. I would also take her to open gym so she can practice the skills she does have, just maybe you could informally talk to a coach there.
 

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