Parents Level 4 Season Update

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We have just completed our 3rd meet of the season. DD is doing very well for her first year comepting. We just need to find a way to keep her on the beam. She has one fall each meet on her beam routine. It is killing the entire team. I just hope she is saving that one beam routine that she doesn't fall on for states. Mind you she NEVER falls in practice. I swear she is such a mental case.

But here are her meet updates

First meet ages 6-7 year old
Vault 2nd 9.3
Bars 4th 8.825
Beam 3rd 8.4
Floor 3rd 9.1
AA 2nd 35.625 (2 out of 28)

Second meet ages 6-8 year olds
Vault 3rd 9.2
Bars 1st 8.950(highest bars score of all level 4 age groups)
Beam 2nd 8.850 with a fall on the scale
Floor 1st 9.4 (highest floor score of all level 4 age groups)
AA 2nd 36.400 (2nd out of 25)
First place was a 2nd year 8 year. The 1st place was 36.450. We were very proud since she was going up against girls that were 2 years older than her. Also her AA score was the second of the entire level 4 meet all ages. :) That brightened her spirits. She also had team high score on all 4 events and AA high score. So she was on cloud nine.

Third meet ages 6-7 year olds
Vault 5th place 9.3 The top 14 girls had nothing below a 9.0
Bars 1st 9.3
Beam 7th 8.7 with a fall and 2 bobbles. We saw in warmup it wasn't going to be great. She was shakey and it was the last event for her.
Floor 1st 9.375
AA. 1st 36.675 (1st out of 49)
We didn't even see that coming, since her beam was so low. DH said to me and others we would be lucky to place in top 3. I had calculated her AA just so we knew where she landed based on her AA. When they announced her AA score I had a bunch of "I told you so" from our team mates. DH and I were shocked that DD had finally got her AA 1st. DD was so very proud of herself. She was all grins. She received her first trophy and was on cloud nine. She was even excited that they said her name correctly.

Now to just get that beam score to come up. We have two more weeks till our next meet and it is going to be a HUGE one. I am praying that she and her coaches can tweek the routines a bit help her gain a few more tenths. We have a couple of privates to help "perfect" everything. Her level 5 coach is taking the lead to help get her over the 9.3 she is stuck on for the vault. Her coaches exact words were we are not going to win with a 9.3. So I know that they are going to push her harder on that event and work her going over the vault table more to get the pop she is lacking. She has been working so hard this year and has had such success I am just praying it continues. We still have 4 more meets before states.

DD was reading her team hand book and saw that they have to consistently have a 36.0 to go to the next level along with having all of their skills for Level 5. She looks at me and says Mommy I didn't get a 36 on that first meet does that mean they won't let me move up? She then says well if I start to get 37's or 38's they will forget all about that 35 from the first meet. I had to laugh at her way of looking at it. Of course she isn't seeing she is the only level 4 that is training level 5 weekly and has all of the skills for the next level. :p

Thank you for letting me share how very proud we are of our little gym monkey.
 
She is doing so well, especially considering how young she is. Having an amazing season. Those are great beam scores with a fall. It will all come together for her. Sending her sticky feet beam fairies for her next meets.
 
What an amazing little Monkey you have there! Already scoring in the 36's and only through meet 3?... Great job.

I send you Super vault fairies to get over that 9.3...

Good luck!
 
WoW! She is doing fantastic, and this is her 1st year competing. You must be very proud of her accomplishments! Sounds like it will be a wonderfull season.
 
What amazing placings. I'm guessing she's going to have an awfully exciting time at her first state comp!!
 
These are great scores for her first season!! Good for her :)

I noticed in the first couple of paragraphs that you mentioned her falling off on beam is hurting the team. I hope the coaches didn't say something about her falling off the beam and it hurting the team scores because that could be why she is doing them at the meets and not practice. That extra bit of pressure trying to please the team could cause a mental block.

At Pixie's gym they do not emphasize the team scores at these early levels. And I am glad of it. Maybe it's because our team is so small compared to the bigger gyms but I wouldn't want her to have to deal with the added pressure of hurting or helping the team with her scores. That would be a huge load to shoulder for such a young one.

Pixie goes through cycles on the beam. And it appears that one fall can cause doubt until it's worked out. She, in fact, just went through a downward turn on beam but she feels like she's worked out the kinks. Once your gymmie gets her confidence back on beam, during the meets, she's gonna be off and running! You watch!! With those scores she's gonna be unstoppable :D
 
She knows her scores are a large portion of our team score. I am not really sure how much pressure it is adding to her she doesn't say a whole lot about it. I am not sure if it was said or not but we lost 1st as a team by .10 which DD says was because she fell on beam. At our gym they really emphisize the "Team" aspect. Her coach is really BIG on the team score and placement. It is actually very sad she is beautiful in practice and when she gets to the meet there is always something. I am just telling myself she is keeping it till the last meet of the season.

Thank you all DD has had such a great year so far I am just hopeing it continues for the rest of the season. Now it is just to work on the little things and try to pick up a .10 here and there. I think that is going to be the hardest. :)
 
She knows her scores are a large portion of our team score. I am not really sure how much pressure it is adding to her she doesn't say a whole lot about it. I am not sure if it was said or not but we lost 1st as a team by .10 which DD says was because she fell on beam. At our gym they really emphisize the "Team" aspect. Her coach is really BIG on the team score and placement. It is actually very sad she is beautiful in practice and when she gets to the meet there is always something. I am just telling myself she is keeping it till the last meet of the season.

Thank you all DD has had such a great year so far I am just hopeing it continues for the rest of the season. Now it is just to work on the little things and try to pick up a .10 here and there. I think that is going to be the hardest. :)

1st let me say, your dd is having a wonderful season. Super start to her gymnastics career.

For a minute I thought you might be at our old gym, but they don't do L4. You have to stop this "its all because of her fall that we didn't get 1st place" RIGHT NOW. If she was the only girl on the team, then yes, that .1 would have made the difference. How many other girls are on the team? You can lose a .1 in so many places---bent knees, flexed feet, big step on a dismount, bent arms. If these coaches stress TEAM then its about all the scores and not just a single 6yo. My gymmie put the weight of the world on her shoulders as a L6---if the team didn't win, it was her fault. Coach didn't care---all he wanted to do was win to make himself look good. She ended up really being miserable the entire season.

You need to let her know she is part of a group and some days the group will all do really well and some days they won't. With her AA scores, what your dd does should be the least of the coaches worries. I can tell you from experience that if that mindset doesn't change and your little one feels she is the reason a whole group lost, she'll be gone from this sport by the time she's a L6.
 
Wow!! She is having an AWESOME meet season so far. IMHO, saying that your 6 year old "is such a mental case", is pretty harsh. I mean, come on...most six year olds are just learning to tie their shoes let alone do a whole balance beam routine without falling off. Beam is a very tough event and don't worry--she will improve those scores by States.

I also totally agree with stopping the whole mentality of "it's all because of her fall or her mistake that cost us first place". You have NO idea how much pressure that puts on kids and totally wrecks their self esteem. Kids make mistakes and they are not perfect, you cannot ask perfection from kids or anyone. The only thing you can do is to hope they do their best and leave it up to the judges.

This sport is truely a marathon. There are no shortcuts. If you pace your child the slow and steady way they may hit that "wall" at mile 20, and have a shot of finishing the whole race, but if you ask them to sprint too early, they will hit the wall at mile 5 and NEVER finish the race.

Your little one is doing so well for being so young! Those scores and placings are amazing!! Congrats and her beam will come along in due time.
 
Your DD is doing great for being a young level 4. Beam confidence also comes from time and experience competing. My DD is very smiliar with the beam. She looks beautiful in practice but falls apart in competition. She's fallen on the cartwheel on the beam at every meet this season. She puts alot of pressure on herself. She does great cartwheels in practice. My DD wants to score well and I think that she over thinks the beam trying to get a good score. We try to put zero pressure on her for the cartwheel since she already puts pressure on herself. My DD's new thought is that if she works on perfecting everything else in the beam routine then if she falls on the cartwheel she can still get a good score. I hope that works to decrease the pressure she feels to stick the cartwheel. Your DD certainly feels pressure from multiple sources including herself to do a good job. Maybe you could try decreasing the pressure and not focusing on scores or placing for the beam and see if that makes a difference.
 
I think her scores are amazing for her first year as a level 4. They should be happy that her scores are helping the team to win,but I agree at the other poster pressuring a bunch of 6,7 year olds to win as a team and that they have to stay on the beam is too much. I really think they should focus on the positive things that she is accomplishing like 1st all around for a 6 year old in her 3rd level 4 meet. At my daughters gym at that age and level they just want them to have fun and get them used to competing.
 
Oh it sounds like your dd is having a wonderful L4 season! I am glad she is enjoying herself and having fun!

How many more level 4 meets does she have before states?? My dd has one more L4 meet next month but has been training strictly level 5 since december. It's so cool to see them excited about competing and then again about moving up to the next level.
 
These are great scores for her first season!! Good for her :)

I noticed in the first couple of paragraphs that you mentioned her falling off on beam is hurting the team. I hope the coaches didn't say something about her falling off the beam and it hurting the team scores because that could be why she is doing them at the meets and not practice. That extra bit of pressure trying to please the team could cause a mental block.



I have to agree with this, Sunshine al of the sudden started having ROBHS issues in the middle of the season, turned out it was pressure from the coach for Team scores, once the pressure went away, so did the problem.

Sounds like your DD is doing wonderful and very focused she will figure it out I am sure.
 

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