Parents Level 8 ...where it all starts to change?

[KipNurse]

Question (that I may probably already know the answer)...
If a kiddo starts to struggle on the biggie: BARS (and maybe a little vault), does this ever truly get any better? If a kid isn't truly able to connect a full level 8 bar routine a couple meets into the season, isn't this concerning?
I've been told this is the level where a TON fall off...the separation of the truly good ones begins. That floor and beam often come easily, but if a kid struggles on bars and vault, it doesn't necessarily change? Either they stay in 8 or move on to the track/volleyball/cheerleading team?
Or...have some of you seen a kid struggle at level 8, only to rally...get it together and move on to the upper levels?
Asking for a friend ....
Thanks much and hope this made sense.

 

[aerials]

My dd is a first year level 8 this year. She is struggling with floor and vault. Bars and beam have always come easy for her. We will see how she progresses throughout the year but floor is really bothering her right now. I have heard (and seen) that the vault is what gives most level 8s issues. In terms of leaving gymnastics, the age most girls at level 8 is a time when school is getting really important so that may be another reason why so many leave at this time. I know that my dd gives up a lot of after school fun clubs to be in gymnastics.

 

[MBJ974]

Level 8 for my DD's came/is coming at such a crucial time in their physical growth and development that it affected/will affect their season.

ODD started her level 8 season with a girl body and ended the season with a woman body! She has always struggled on vault and at the beginning of her level 8 season, it was no different than any previous year. It wasn't until she got some "meat on her bones" that her vault really started to come along. Vault is still her weakest event as a repeat level 9, but it has come a very long way since her first season at level 8.

My YDD is currently a level 8 and is going through a major body change. Currently, both her bars and vault are weak right now as they have been in the past. However, I'm guessing (having been through this before) it will be a different story at the end of the season. In the meantime, I keep encouraging her at home and that is reinforced at the gym.

Stick in there OP there are green pastures ahead...well not really, it's gymnastics! Enjoy the ride!!!

 

[Texasmomof3]

I think level 8 is where they can no longer "bluff" their way through certain skills. You can do 6 and even 7 on bars without a cast handstand or a giant. You can even do it and still score in the high 8s. But those are foundational skills to have, and you can't build on them if you don't have them. You can't pirouette for level 8 without a solid, controlled handstand. So if someone starts level 8 weak on bars, the level 8 requirements just really highlight that weakness.

You can also do well on level 6 and 7 beam without a bhs on beam. I have seen girls score 9.5 or better in beam at level 6 with a cartwheel and a couple of leaps. Dd had a teammate last year win beam at more than one meet without having learned a bhs. She score high enough to move up to level 8 this year, but she is repeating level 7, because she is only now learning the bhs and isn't ready for a connection with flight.

And it is also quite a stretch to have to learn and compete a flipping vault after having done the same fhs vault for four levels.

So one question is, how ready was she for level 8? If you start level 8 without really strong level 7 skills, it can take a second year at 8 to perfect it. The skills are harder and they take longer to learn. This doesn't mean they won't come. But they might not come sufficient to move up every year.

Or, it could mean that the skills have just gotten too hard, and level 8 is going to be as far as she goes. And in this case, there is still no reason to quite gym. You can always continue at 8. Or move to xcel, where lack of progress on one apparatus doesn't slow them all down quite the same way.

 

[KipNurse]

I think level 8 is where they can no longer "bluff" their way through certain skills. You can do 6 and even 7 on bars without a cast handstand or a giant. You can even do it and still score in the high 8s. But those are foundational skills to have, and you can't build on them if you don't have them. You can't pirouette for level 8 without a solid, controlled handstand. So if someone starts level 8 weak on bars, the level 8 requirements just really highlight that weakness.

You can also do well on level 6 and 7 beam without a bhs on beam. I have seen girls score 9.5 or better in beam at level 6 with a cartwheel and a couple of leaps. Dd had a teammate last year win beam at more than one meet without having learned a bhs. She score high enough to move up to level 8 this year, but she is repeating level 7, because she is only now learning the bhs and isn't ready for a connection with flight.

And it is also quite a stretch to have to learn and compete a flipping vault after having done the same fhs vault for four levels.

So one question is, how ready was she for level 8? If you start level 8 without really strong level 7 skills, it can take a second year at 8 to perfect it. The skills are harder and they take longer to learn. This doesn't mean they won't come. But they might not come sufficient to move up every year.

Or, it could mean that the skills have just gotten too hard, and level 8 is going to be as far as she goes. And in this case, there is still no reason to quite gym. You can always continue at 8. Or move to xcel, where lack of progress on one apparatus doesn't slow them all down quite the same way.

Thanks for the input. Good stuff.
This kiddo has all the skills...extremely mental right now if that makes sense. Flips vaults...has the bar skills (floor and beam all the skills...no fudging ever) And technically no fudging on the vault/bars. Just...scared. And one day hits everything...the next only wants to do a FHS vault. I guess I was more wondering...since the mental stuff seems SO strong...does that only get worse and the head game is what separates the kids at this level as well. Make sense? Foundations actually pretty strong. I mean relatively speaking...never had to fudge skills I guess is what I mean.

 

[my4buffaloes]

Well hopefully she will get more comfortable with time. Many repeat level 8 and move up to 9 and eventually 10 successfully.

 

[UnoMas]

My daughter did finish her career at L8 and did move on to cheer...sort of.
She didn’t have a consistent giant or CHS in 7, but had them and the pirouette fairly consistently in 8. However, when she started twisting tumbling and yurchenkos she hurt her back before her L8 season and she never truly recovered from it and got weaker and more behind. Her scores in 8 were much worse than 7, and I really think it was maybe just her limit physically.
I have seen many many kids repeat 8. It is a very tough jump for all but the uber talented and injury free kids from 7 to 8 and again 8 to 9. I would not worry one bit about a not so consistent bar routine just starting L8. I wish you both the best!

 

[gymgal]

I think this is fairly common going from 7 to 8. I think a lot depends on how much the gym uptrains and how many years in advance that they work on a skill. If a gymnast is drilling for flipping vaults starting at the beginning of training for L7, then they are in a much better position (in general) than a gymnast who starts drilling/training the flipping vts after L7 season ends. Same with most of these upper level skills across events.

In general, yes, gymnasts can get past the confidence issue if they truly have the skills. They usually just need time and experience. A lot of the confidence issues stem from the fear that something will go wrong with the added anxiety that comes in competition. In L7 and below, you can typically recover from a fall pretty quickly because it is usually a simple fall. L8 up is completely different with increased potential for really scary falls. Some gymnast never seem to be bothered by this. They just go into competition cool as a cucumber and then others are just frozen by the fear. Thankfully most are somewhere in the middle.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Anything is possible so long as the basics are worked along with the level up.

 

[Texasmomof3]

The skills do get scarier and scarier the higher up they move. My dd never had the fear issues with tumbling or flyaway or giants or basic forwardsa nd backwards skills on beam. But when she first had to start flipping off the vaulting table? She was terrified. Add in the fear of a back tuck on beam and twisting tumbling and a CHHS on the high bar (she suddenly realized how high in the air she was) and suddenly she was a hot mess for a while there. I think it is completely normal.

 

[gymmutti]

Not sure about my gymnast but I feel like I'm living in a constant state of fear about injuries. DD made it through L7 with nothing more than a twisted ankle and Osgoods. But puberty and injuries hit the summer after L7 and she's missed the last two seasons due to severe injuries. As we get closer to the start of the season, I am petrified that she's going to get injured again and miss another meet season. Her love is this sport and she has stuck with it when many others would have decided it was time to retire. I don't know if she'll ever make it past L8. Her vault is strong (surprise!) but everything else is a big question mark. Fingers crossed!

 

[KipNurse]

Not sure about my gymnast but I feel like I'm living in a constant state of fear about injuries. DD made it through L7 with nothing more than a twisted ankle and Osgoods. But puberty and injuries hit the summer after L7 and she's missed the last two seasons due to severe injuries. As we get closer to the start of the season, I am petrified that she's going to get injured again and miss another meet season. Her love is this sport and she has stuck with it when many others would have decided it was time to retire. I don't know if she'll ever make it past L8. Her vault is strong (surprise!) but everything else is a big question mark. Fingers crossed!

Bless your heart...it hurts watching your kid hurt like NO OTHER, huh? And vault is no small feat at these higher levels from what I understand so....sounds promising to me! Fear blows....I understand that on many levels. I fight it (and my kid fights it) every day it seems. Prayers for no injuries and peace for you both.