Parents Knowing if the gymnast is ready

[Lilou]

Interested in hearing how other gyms do it. Our new gym is very strict on being ready for meets. A week before a meet, the kids must be at all practices and make a certain number of full routines or they're not allowed to compete that event. For example, if they miss their 6 bar routines, they take the number of missed routines for that day and add them to the next practice. Let's say they miss a skill in 2 of the routines, the next practice they have to make 8 in order to compete. Essentially, they have to be 'on' at all practices up to the meet.

Our gym said they will scratch kids right up to the event time, bad meet practice on beam- scratch beam right then and there. They routinely scratch kids who they don't think are ready and tell them (and parents) the night before. I've heard similar things to this at other gyms but mostly at the optional levels where the skills are much harder and not safe if the gymnast doesn't do them consistently before a meet. In this case, we're talking Level 3.

I don't mind if my child doesn't compete an event because she's not ready, but their system is demeaning in my opinion and I feel like they should definitely know if a kid is ready or before the night before a meet.

How do your gyms do it? Readiness?

 

[SMH]

My daughter is a level 3 with teammates all degrees of ‘ready’ and I’ve never seen them have a kid scratch an event. We have girls who are scoring all 9’s and girls who still are iffy on skills, but are working hard to achieve and perfect them. Everyone competes.
They are required to be at all practices in the week leading up to the meet, and if they are putting in effort during practice, they compete.
No requirements beyond that.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Dd's gym definitely does not do anything like that. I don't know about optional levels yet, but at compulsories they very rarely scratch someone from an event. When they do it's usually because they are/have been injured and can't safely compete that event. My dd did scratch her very first level 2 vault because she didn't have the vault yet. They tried during warm-ups and she couldn't do it without a spot so she didn't compete it. In her 4 years competing so far, I've only seen 1 unexpected scratch and that was because the gymnast suddenly refused to do her back tuck during warm-ups due to fear after a fall at the last practice before the meet.

They do have to go to all practices the week before a meet and they do practice routines and have a number they are supposed to complete succesfully, etc. The coaches do get upset when they have bad practices and warm-ups before a meet and it does increase the pressure on the girls. But never threats to scratch them just because of a bad practice. The coaches know they can do all the skills or they wouldn't be in that level. I would definitely not be a fan of the threat of scratching or, even worse, actually scratching just because of a bad practice or warm-up.

 

[John]

I thought DD gym was tough but your gym is over the top. At DD's gym, they have some of the same ideas. No missed practices leading up to a meet, unless hurt or deathly ill. The girls get assignments every week on the number of routines they need to make. At the end of the week, they meet quickly with the coach to discuss how the assignment went. He seems to know before they talk about it but its part of the process I guess. For meets, we have had only one, it seems the coach will determine if a gymnast is struggling with any skills and attempt extra work and adjustments in the week leading up to the meet. If the routine is not safe the gymnast will scratch the event.

This is optionals.

 

[Lilou]

Interesting. So it seems making sure you're at all practices the week prior to the meet is pretty common. We have practices late on Saturdays for 8am meet times on Sundays (at meets two hours away). So that's been challenging but doable.

I feel like our gym's policies are punitive and not constructive. It's very black or white, if the kid doesn't make all of the bar routines, to pull from my earlier example, they are automatically scratched from the event. No discussion. This is happening to my child. She can do the routines, but had a tired practice, bars at the end of the night and missed two routines. The coach said she has to make all routines at the next two practices and those two she missed or she's scratching bars. No wonder my DD, who LOVED bars before joining this gym, has done a 180 and now says she's terrible at them and sometimes doesn't even want to try.

 

[raenndrops]

Our girls compete all around unless there is a reason for them to scratch (injury or sudden illness).
One team we compete against has rules that require the girl to have solid routines the week before the meet (with the exception of 1 "gimme" skill that they are working hard on, but it just isnt there). If they struggle on more than one skill on an event, they will scratch. They know about it in advance and so do their parents. They regularly have at least 1 scratch per level on bars or beam. They also have scratches on vault and floor, but not as often.

 

[amiandjim]

Yes, it seems like your gym is punitive. There is no reason to scratch a kid because she missed 2 shoot throughs (or whatever she missed) in a week!! That’s silly. It’s one thing to scratch for safety issues, but just bc you miss 2 skills/routines. That’s a great way to ruin a young child’s confidence and love of gymnastics! In my opinion, if a gymnast is part of the team, at a certain level, they should be allowed to compete as long as it’s not unsafe....otherwise, why are they ok having her on the team/taking your money.

 

[duyetanh]

Seems a bit much (ok a lot much) for compulsories. Honestly even for optionals.
The whole point is to learn that failure is the first step to success. Not the other way around.

 

[Lilou]

This is exactly how I feel.

Yes, it seems like your gym is punitive. There is no reason to scratch a kid because she missed 2 shoot throughs (or whatever she missed) in a week!! That’s silly. It’s one thing to scratch for safety issues, but just bc you miss 2 skills/routines. That’s a great way to ruin a young child’s confidence and love of gymnastics! In my opinion, if a gymnast is part of the team, at a certain level, they should be allowed to compete as long as it’s not unsafe....otherwise, why are they ok having her on the team/taking your money.

 

[Lilou]

What a great point you make. Thanks.
I honestly wasn't sure if this kind of process was commonplace or not.

Seems a bit much (ok a lot much) for compulsories. Honestly even for optionals.
The whole point is to learn that failure is the first step to success. Not the other way around.

 

[amiandjim]

Seems a bit much (ok a lot much) for compulsories. Honestly even for optionals.
The whole point is to learn that failure is the first step to success. Not the other way around.

This is a great point! It’s basically saying that it’s never ok to mess up! Imagine how a gymnast from that gym would feel if they fell at a meet...which WILL happen! We are supposed to teach them to fall, get back up, and keep going!

 

[gymmomx2]

Agree with all the above and wanted to add that late night practice before 8am competition the next day is not smart either. Our girls get the day before either off or have a very light practice (comp warmup, a couple of routines on each event, stretch and no conditioning).

 

[John]

How are you feeling now? Time to revert to the old gym?

 

[SMH]

Interesting. So it seems making sure you're at all practices the week prior to the meet is pretty common. We have practices late on Saturdays for 8am meet times on Sundays (at meets two hours away). So that's been challenging but doable.

Our compulsory kids practice Friday night until 7pm but often have a 8am Sat meets. They are required to attend at least half of practice, but then can leave early to drive up to a hotel or whatever, since most of our meets are 2+ hrs away.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Agree with all the above and wanted to add that late night practice before 8am competition the next day is not smart either. Our girls get the day before either off or have a very light practice (comp warmup, a couple of routines on each event, stretch and no conditioning).

Our girls never practice the evening before a morning meet. They rearrange the practice schedule if necessary so that there isn't a 2-3 day break between the last practice and the meet, but there is always a small break and time to travel. Occasionally they might have a 4-6 practice on Friday and then compete Saturday at 5:00 or something like that. But definitely not a full practice until 8:00pm and then compete in the morning. Especially since most of the compulsory meets are 2 to 3 hours away.

 

[Lilou]

OMG- Yes! Grass is not greener! haha I mean the old gym had its issues, and those are still there, but I think I've learned a lot ( still learning in the gym world) enough to say the old gym actually was trying to work with us and was a better fit. I just wish we could go back mid-season, but we can't from what I'm learning. No gym moves mid-season is what I'm hearing.

How are you feeling now? Time to revert to the old gym?

 

[Lilou]

I asked about this, leaving early to drive up, and our gym said no.

Our compulsory kids practice Friday night until 7pm but often have a 8am Sat meets. They are required to attend at least half of practice, but then can leave early to drive up to a hotel or whatever, since most of our meets are 2+ hrs away.

 

[Lilou]

Ours does a full on normal 4.5 hour practice the day before the meet. No light practices or any changes. It's tough but we've been doing it because it's non negotiable there.

Agree with all the above and wanted to add that late night practice before 8am competition the next day is not smart either. Our girls get the day before either off or have a very light practice (comp warmup, a couple of routines on each event, stretch and no conditioning).

 

[amiandjim]

Why in the world do your level 3s practice 4.5 hours at a time anyway? That’s seems a little crazy I’m itself!

 

[duyetanh]

OMG- Yes! Grass is not greener! haha I mean the old gym had its issues, and those are still there, but I think I've learned a lot ( still learning in the gym world) enough to say the old gym actually was trying to work with us and was a better fit. I just wish we could go back mid-season, but we can't from what I'm learning. No gym moves mid-season is what I'm hearing.

I respectively beg to differ. I know of girls who have left mid season. Some got to compete, some didnt. But they still got the heck out of what was an unhealthy environment.