Novelist looking for information on gymnastics.

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Catherine Meyer

Hello! I'm an up and coming novelist who's next project is a middle grade (10-14 year old readers) novel about two gymnasts that get mixed up in a fairy tale and have to get out before their next big competition. I will be setting a large number of scenes at their gym because I have learned that elite or elite hopefuls spend almost all their free time at the gym. Even with the technical information I am learning from the internet, I am really curious about actual experiences pre-teen and teenage gymnasts have. Even though my book has a fantasy element to it, I want the gymnastic aspects to be true to life.

My characters are going to be two 13 year old girls -- What level should they be at if they are top in their age group at the gym/possibly Olympic hopefuls? Would it be more realistic to have them at level 9 or 10 instead? I plan on them preparing for the Junior Olympics. I'd absolutely love any stories about preparing for the Junior Olympics or a big national competition from parents, coaches, or gymnasts themselves.

I'd love to hear from young gymnasts about their favorite aspect of being a gymnast, how they work with their coach, how they balance school and training. Or, if you're a parent, what you know of about your gymnast.

I'd also really appreciate any fun anecdotes about gymnasts, faux-pases that a newbie like myself might make, stories about gymnastic politics or anything else that might expand my understanding of the life of a gymnast.

I really, really appreciate any and all help that you might be able to give me. This is a book I've been wanting to work on for a long time but have held back because of my fears of getting the gymnastic aspect wrong. Again, thank you if you can help me!
 
The Junior Olympics is maybe not the right venue for a gymnastics story. I know that the USAG program for kids is called the Junior Olympic program, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the AAU Junior Olympics. And, while there is gymnastics in the JO's, I don't think it's considered a particularly important meet. Certainly it's not important compared to USAG Nationals. And it's not a pathway to the Olympics.

If your athletes were Olympic-bound 13 year olds in the US, my guess is that they would be either Junior Pre-Elite or Junior Elite. Junior Elite National competition in the US is at the Visa’s (same as Sr, just earlier in the day). They don’t compete internationally (at least not representing the US).

This page gives a good outline of the progression:
Progression of a Gymnast to Elite
 
The Junior Olympics is maybe not the right venue for a gymnastics story. I know that the USAG program for kids is called the Junior Olympic program, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the AAU Junior Olympics. And, while there is gymnastics in the JO's, I don't think it's considered a particularly important meet. Certainly it's not important compared to USAG Nationals. And it's not a pathway to the Olympics.

If your athletes were Olympic-bound 13 year olds in the US, my guess is that they would be either Junior Pre-Elite or Junior Elite. Junior Elite National competition in the US is at the Visa’s (same as Sr, just earlier in the day). They don’t compete internationally (at least not representing the US).

This page gives a good outline of the progression:
Progression of a Gymnast to Elite


I think I have to disagree just a little...AAU gymnastics may not be the path to the Olympics or to the World Championships, or even to anything in the USAG world, but I don't think that it makes it "unimportant"...My daughter competes power tumbling through USTA and AAU, and holds 6 national titles: 3 x USTA national champion, 2 x AAU JO gold medalist, and 1 x AAU JO silver medalist. These meets are very important to her and she has worked very hard to accomplish what she's done (as a 7 year old)...

Now, don't get me wrong - I "get" it, it really do. The only path to the olympics in this country is USA Gymnastics. And "not important" wasn't meant the way I described, but rather to clarify for the OP. I really do understand that. I am not offended by what you posted, and I hope that you are not offended by my response. But I think lots of people who are caught up in gyms that only compete usag, flaunt their TOPs program, fast or elite track the little ones, don't get AAU at all. I've heard lots of negativity toward AAU, and I just don't understand. It isn't "below" usag, in my opinion, it's just a different path. If you're talking about standards and quality of gymnastics, still, I'm not seeing it. There are very very talented, hard working gymnasts that compete in AAU. Some of the best power tumblers in the world compete AAU as well as USAG (my daughter trains with a member of the usag tnt world team). And some of the best gymnasts in the country. The reality of USAG as I see it is...if your kid isn't in TOPs, or isn't at a big name gym, isn't being tracked by the USAG powers that be, your kid isn't going anywhere....like to the olympics, or worlds, or wherever. USAG might be the only path to the olympics, but it certainly is not the only path to a college scholarship...
 
Now, don't get me wrong - I "get" it, it really do. The only path to the olympics in this country is USA Gymnastics. And "not important" wasn't meant the way I described, but rather to clarify for the OP. I really do understand that. I am not offended by what you posted, and I hope that you are not offended by my response. But I think lots of people who are caught up in gyms that only compete usag, flaunt their TOPs program, fast or elite track the little ones, don't get AAU at all. I've heard lots of negativity toward AAU, and I just don't understand. It isn't "below" usag, in my opinion, it's just a different path. If you're talking about standards and quality of gymnastics, still, I'm not seeing it. There are very very talented, hard working gymnasts that compete in AAU. Some of the best power tumblers in the world compete AAU as well as USAG (my daughter trains with a member of the usag tnt world team). And some of the best gymnasts in the country. The reality of USAG as I see it is...if your kid isn't in TOPs, or isn't at a big name gym, isn't being tracked by the USAG powers that be, your kid isn't going anywhere....like to the olympics, or worlds, or wherever. USAG might be the only path to the olympics, but it certainly is not the only path to a college scholarship...

You are absolutely right. It was incredibly insensitive for me to write that the Junior Olympics is "not a particularly important meet" (even though I really ONLY MEANT in terms of getting to the International Olympics) because obviously it is tremendously important tothe very talented athletes who compete there. Honestly, I am woefully ignorant of AAU (which does not have a presence in my state) as I think this novelist is as well, so I appreciate your taking the time to educate me on it.

All I meant was to dispel her thinking that the Junior Olympics was somehow a precursor to the International Olympics and say that maybe Visas Junior Elite would be a better setting for a story about olympic hopefuls.

However, knowing almost nothing about nothing about the Junior Olympics, perhaps it would be an awesome setting. It certainly sounds fun. And congrats on your daughter's success.
 
If I were to choose "an important meet" for your characters to be preparing for, I'd probably pick the Visa Championships. This is a qualifying meet to be in the Junior National Team. Gymnasts must qualify to compete in the Visa Championships by qualifying as a junior or senior elite at any elite meet. At alternate "important" meet is the Covergirl Classics. This meet is the last meet aspiring elite gymnasts can qualify to compet at the Visa Championships. You can have your characters also be preparng for any elite qualifying meet with their goal to qualify as a junior international elite with hopes of getting on the Junior National Team. If they are aspiring elites, then they could be either Level 9 or 10. Level 10 gymnasts are probably more prepared to transition over to elite. But a talented Level 9 with good uptraining can transistion over too. If you have one of your characters a Level 9, you may incorporate more adveristies and more obstacles or a harder work eithic necessary for the character to make it than one of a higher level. Well good luck.
 

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