WAG Questions about JOGA

[MILgymFAM]

So I came across a meet that offered usaigc, jo, Xcel, and JOGA. I looked up JOGA and saw that it's (NJ only )similar-ish program to Xcel, but that all levels train 5 hours a week. I then noticed that they had a page of NCAA athletes- and there were a number of D1. Curiosity piqued I looked at some videos to understand the levels and then looked up a few of the more recent athletes that went D1. Some had no meet scores online anywhere and others had a mymeetscore profile that had only JOGA meets on it... I was under the impression that D1 means JO L10, young, etc.. these girls competed JOGA 1 at 16ish... the routines I found did not seem D1 level. What am I missing?

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

Maybe they were training skills they didn't compete? Also, are it 5 hours of training with as much conditioning as they want or does it include that? That can make quite a difference

 

[MILgymFAM]

Honestly I am not sure, but the videos I saw in NO way made me think "D1" and these girls were winning (according to their videos). I guess I've always heard the chalkbucket party line- the ONLY way to NCAA gymnastics is via JO, L9 at the very least. I'm genuinely confused. Admittedly that doesn't take much though. Ha!

 

[Jard.the.gymnast]

I went on and did some research, and gyms do more. Paramount does 9. Diamond gymnastics academy does 7:15. There are certainly gyms who do even more

 

[ayyyrial]

A lot of the athletes listed on the JOGA college page are "club" athletes - meaning they're probably competing NAIGC, not NCAA, which doesn't have any level or skill requirements. Also I think probably some people who compete in JOGA may simultaneously compete in JO, or make the switch at some point.

 

[CoachAlex]

JOGA uses high school rules and the levels go backwards - JOGA 1 is the highest - many JOGA 1 & 2 athletes were USAG JO 9/10s who maybe wanted to do less hours but keep competing. Yes, most JOGA programs train fewer hours than JO, but that doesn't mean that the skill level is always lower.

 

[MILgymFAM]

JOGA uses high school rules and the levels go backwards - JOGA 1 is the highest - many JOGA 1 & 2 athletes were USAG JO 9/10s who maybe wanted to do less hours but keep competing. Yes, most JOGA programs train fewer hours than JO, but that doesn't mean that the skill level is always lower.

So are girls ultimately going from JOGA 1 (I figured out it was counting down) to NCAA?

 

[CoachAlex]

Theoretically they COULD - I believe at level 1 & 2 they are allowed to also be members of USAIGC because that has the college-bound meet (JOGA is only in NJ so there is no national meet where they could potentially be "seen" by college coaches) - but yes a JOGA 1 gymnast would have the skills to compete at the NCAA level; I don't know how many do though.

 

[coachmolly]

I think labeling it "NCAA Competitors" on the website is perhaps a little misleading as it looks like many of the girls actually competed for NAIGC teams rather than NCAA. I would imagine the girls who actually did go from JOGA to a true NCAA team were kids that competed JO level 9/10 then dropped down as high schoolers to enable them to compete in high school gym (which is pretty competitive in some parts of NJ). So they would have been doing JOGA hours combined with high school practices.
It also looks like the majority of the girls who did compete NCAA were on lower ranked teams 7-10ish years ago when competition for a place on the lower ranked D1 teams as well as D2/3 was much less intense. The level of gymnastics has improved dramatically on those lower ranked teams over that time, so it would be much less likely to happen now. For girls who have made it happen more recently, my guess would be that they are walk ons who have 1-2 very strong events as well as something else the coaches find very desirable (great work ethic, top academics that will bolster team GPA, etc).

 

[3rd_time_around]

My niece is in a JOGA gym, and I had no idea what she was talking about! I was visiting and watched 1 of her practices, and I asked the front desk person to explain it to me. It sounded like an Xcel-type program. And it costs my SIL a whole lot less $$$ than I've been paying all these years! I'm glad my niece can train and compete, because without this program, they could not afford for her to do it. She's a pretty decent gymnast, too. I think she trains more than 5 hours a week, though.

 

[CoachAlex]

It is similar to Xcel in that it is all optional and usually has less hours, HOWEVER, the lowest JOGA level (6) is about the equivalent of Xcel Gold/Platinum. So for younger very beginner competitive gymnasts, Xcel is better. There are a few gyms that do Xcel and then have the higher JOGA levels for girls who progress beyond the last Xcel level. They actually work well together.

 

[gymgal93]

I've known a few athletes who have gone from JOGA to NCAA over the years. They definitely trained more than 5 hours/week while in high school; most were going 20 or so just like their JO counterparts. From what I understand, it is an avenue that lets girls train less, specialize more, and compete for their high school teams if they wish (many JO programs don't let their athletes compete in high school gymnastics). The highest level of JOGA is probably similar to Level 9, but some athletes go above and beyond the requirements and get noticed by lower-ranked colleges.

Some examples of NCAA routines done by former JOGA athletes that I could find (they seem to do quite well on floor!):

 

[MILgymFAM]

I've known a few athletes who have gone from JOGA to NCAA over the years. They definitely trained more than 5 hours/week while in high school; most were going 20 or so just like their JO counterparts. From what I understand, it is an avenue that lets girls train less, specialize more, and compete for their high school teams if they wish (many JO programs don't let their athletes compete in high school gymnastics). The highest level of JOGA is probably similar to Level 9, but some athletes go above and beyond the requirements and get noticed by lower-ranked colleges.

Some examples of NCAA routines done by former JOGA athletes that I could find (they seem to do quite well on floor!):

Thanks for sharing.. I have to say good for them for bucking the system. Ha. The videos I had found from JOGA just didn't have good form really, so I guess it's just a matter of what I saw not being indicative.

 

[gymgal93]

Thanks for sharing.. I have to say good for them for bucking the system. Ha. The videos I had found from JOGA just didn't have good form really, so I guess it's just a matter of what I saw not being indicative.

To be fair, these probably aren't indicative of JOGA as a whole either. These are kids who were the best of the best in the system, winning state titles and such. Like Xcel, there is definitely a wide range of how gyms use it. At some, it is the "ugly step sister" to JO, while others (Surgent's comes to mind) don't have a JO program and everyone does JOGA.