WAG relocating to mid-missouri

[gympeeps]

hi guys....after some time off and a relocation, my sweet girl want to put her toes in the water and return to the gym world.
out for about 18 months, coming from an awesome gym experience and my sweet girl is nervous about all these small gyms
Gym A: very small, no pit, xcel team only at the moment, but highly qualified coach on staff
Gym B: still small but they have a pit. the only vault is by the pit....not sure if this would affect the ability to practice sticking the landing at meets. young coach/owner with college experience, lots of exposed concrete on the floor, makes me nervous, but the girls are all near the right age group and level...throwing some big skills
Gym C: lots of optionals, older gym, more equipment but no pit. the vault runway is actually raised up which ive never seen. very very young coaches, possibly college aged, girls all seemed edgy, no a/c,


I'm inclined to lean toward gym A......am I crazy?

 

[Flyaway]

Have you looked them up on mymeetscores.com?

 

[gympeeps]

yes. Gym A's xcel team scores are quite high. Gym B looks like they are just a young team...scores are rough(compared to what we are used too...they might be considered great here, i dont really know.). Gym C has a one or two high scorers. I suppose I need to learn more about xcel.

 

[gympeeps]

i should include she "retired" at age 10, level 9 and is currently 11years old. Was pretty intense, but a non-gym injury had her call it quits for awhile.

 

[gfgymnast]

if she was successful level 9 then she will most definitely need a pit to get her skills back and to move onto level 10, if since she is only 11 and level 9 then college could be an option for her or even pushing for elite if that's what she wants, and going to an xcel gym would not allow her to do either of those. but if she has no interest is college or elite then it could be an option. i'm from a nearby state and compete in missouri and against teams from there all season, they have some very tough gyms i would suggest looking into driving a little ways if those are your nearby options.

 

[gympeeps]

gfgymnast thank you for the input! we are definitely not sure what to do. She's had a tremendous amount of early success and we are hesitant to put in her in a high pressure scenario.....but, I have to admit, even I have considered a drive to be inevitable if she becomes serious again. College would be more likely.....she told me the other day it would be cool to go to college with girls she met at camp. Shes been down the elite pathway and although she has some talent, I just dont think we are ready to return to that lifestyle.

 

[raenndrops]

gfgymnast thank you for the input! we are definitely not sure what to do. She's had a tremendous amount of early success and we are hesitant to put in her in a high pressure scenario.....but, I have to admit, even I have considered a drive to be inevitable if she becomes serious again. College would be more likely.....she told me the other day it would be cool to go to college with girls she met at camp. Shes been down the elite pathway and although she has some talent, I just dont think we are ready to return to that lifestyle.

The Xcel only gym... How high does their Xcel team go?
Do they have Diamond? That is the highest Xcel division (and the one she should be in). If she decides she wants more after a year, you can see if the gym is ready to add JO or consider a different gym.
For just coming back, Xcel may be just what she (and your family) needs.

 

[gympeeps]

they have Diamond I just dont know anything about Xcel....my thought was similar to yours though....she could say, load up a beam routine, but take her time on bars if necessary, right?

 

[bookworm]

If she has "been down the elite pathway", I don't think that Gym A will be a good fit with no pits and Xcel as her only option. If the gym had a JO and Xcel option, maybe but where she was level 9, even getting back into it, she will be better served by a gym with a pit and options for team. If I were you, I wouldn't want to have to change gyms again if she decides to get back in whole hog and outgrows her gym in a short time.

 

[raenndrops]

they have Diamond I just dont know anything about Xcel....my thought was similar to yours though....she could say, load up a beam routine, but take her time on bars if necessary, right?

Yes.
At Diamond, they need 5 A and 2 B Value parts on each event (So basically L7). However, they are allowed to do any C skills in the code and up to 1 D skill.
On Bars:
1. Cast to 45º from Vertical (like L7… but in Xcel, there isn't a deduction for not hitting Handstand as long as she hits the 45º … and a cast between 45 and 20º from vertical is credited as an A cast)
2. Minimum of a B Circling skill (like L7, but no requirement to be in Group 3, 6, or 7 - so more options)
3. Minimum of a B skill - either a Release, Pirouette, or 2nd different Circling Skill (the same Circling skill on the other bar makes it different)
4. Salto Dismount from the High Bar (like L7)

On Beam:
1. Minimum of a Full Turn on one foot
2. Dance Series - 2 skills (same or different) AND one Jump or Leap with 150º cross or side split (can be included in the dance series)
3. An Acro Series (with or without flight) excluding mount or dismount AND one Acro flight element
4. Dismount - Salto or Aerial

On Floor:
1. Two separate acro connections each with a minimum of 2 directly connected acro Flight skills.
2. Two different Saltos within the routine (isolated or in series), one must be a minimum of a B (may be included in SR#1)
3. Dance Passage with a minimum of two different Group 1 skills (directly or indirectly connected), one of which is a LEAP with a 150º cross or side split.
4. Turn on 1 foot, minimum of a B.

On Vault:

I hope this all helps

 

[gympeeps]

hmmmm that seems fairly easy for her....she went to a few open gyms recently and even after being out could do these requirements. Vault - she had a yurchenko LO but was tucking into the pit at open gym.....Beam: front and side aerials, standing back tuck/pike, BHS LO LO, working arabian.....could throw quite a lot on the low beam at open gym...not the series though....was throwing BHS BHS on high. Her leaps and jumps are low from being out of shape. Bars - i can never remember all the names, but here is where shes lost the most from being out. She did have clear hip to hand, stalder, etc, blind full, bail, front giants, double-back dismount,etc....working a pak and several high bar release and some unusual grips...eagle???? maybe.... idk - i doubt she can do much other than kips and giants at the moment....she needs a good coach who will take the time to spot her a few so she gets the muscle memory back....Floor - i think she did 1.5 punch front and double backs, plus a front pass. she pretty much had much of the the hopes routines..

shoot. I was thinking going with the most experienced coach was the best option....thinking they could work to her level....but Xcel might not be enough. Possibly they are willing to take a few of the girls JO....I would hate to switch gyms so soon after moving. i wish she had decided this sooner, i wouldve loved to see her return to her old gym. i think we are struggling because nothing quite measures up[emoji31]

 

[gympeeps]

would it be unethical for her to compete the Xcel for a year even though it will likely be easy for her? I just feel like the lower hours might be an easier transition.

 

[wandrewsjr]

Are you sure the gym with the raised runway doesn't have a pit? That is usually the reason for raising a vault runway, to put a pit at the end without having to dig.

 

[raenndrops]

would it be unethical for her to compete the Xcel for a year even though it will likely be easy for her? I just feel like the lower hours might be an easier transition.

It is not unethical. Remember, these are the MINIMUM requirements. She can do as many C skills as she wants. She is only limited when it comes to D skills.
For beam, she could do her front aerial or side aerial as her D if she wanted.
On bars, she could start the season with a basic routine and as she gets skills back, she could change the routine…
Maybe start with Kip-Cast-Clear Hip-Kip- Squat On -Kip-Cast-Giant-Flyaway
then upgrade along the way.

As for vault, a Tucked Yurchenko and a LO Yurchenko are both worth a 10.0 SV in Diamond

She can even still train the harder skills (if she can train them safely).
Our gym does not have a pit and we have girls training for L8/9.

 

[coachmolly]

I think the big question, at least for me, is do the coaches have experience with a gymnast at that level? Have they coached level 9/10s before? Are they comfortable with the higher level skills- releases, flipping vaults, etc? I think sometimes when less experienced gyms get a crazy talented kid they get stars in their eyes and get a little crazy- making for an unsafe and detrimental situation for the child.
As far as Xcel vs. JO, Diamond is a growing level in the Xcel program but much smaller in some areas than others. A quick look at the Missouri State results for this year show that she wouldn't have a whole lot of competition. So that's also something to consider. If she really does want to get back into the gym just for the fun of it, see what she can do, do a few meets for fun- it could be a great fit. But I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up competing against herself at meets.

 

[bookworm]

Looking at what you say she can do now and the Xcel minimums, other than the hours, I don't see this as a fit for her because if she has all the skills you list with just a few open gyms, she's definitely goung to get more of her skills back.

And while she may "end up competing against herself" in Xcel in your state, part of me would worry that she's going to have a rough transition into the Xcel program at the gym from a social standpoint....might the other families wonder what the heck a gymnast with her skills is doing in Xcel versus level 9/ 10...some may even remember she did HOPES.....she'd definitely be a ringer so to speak...the gym can be a lonely place without friends. Maybe she wouldn't experience this but you never know what kids will think, or what their parents will say to them ("I remember her, she was a 9 testing HOPES and is bumping you off the podium" blah, blah)....not saying this is right, but other parents may think it's unethical (to use your word).

 

[MeetDirector]

OP -

Prepare for bluntness - YES, you are crazy for wanting to put a former Lvl 9 that wants to make a comeback in Xcel. Can you say bored out of her mind? If she truly has the passion back and wants to give it a go, find her a place where she can safely train the skills needed for Lvl 10. Does she need a pit? Yes. But, she also needs coaches (plural) that know what it takes to train a high-level gymnast. And, if college gym is out there for her, an Xcel-only gym will do her no good.

 

[gympeeps]

OP -

Prepare for bluntness - YES, you are crazy for wanting to put a former Lvl 9 that wants to make a comeback in Xcel. Can you say bored out of her mind? If she truly has the passion back and wants to give it a go, find her a place where she can safely train the skills needed for Lvl 10. Does she need a pit? Yes. But, she also needs coaches (plural) that know what it takes to train a high-level gymnast. And, if college gym is out there for her, an Xcel-only gym will do her no good.

unfortunately you are probably right....i hate to admit it, but unless she wants to swap gyms within a year, i guess that means i consider a drive [emoji31]. lots of fire in her at the moment but I dont know if we could commit until we knew she was serious. its a huge sacrifice.

 

[gympeeps]

Looking at what you say she can do now and the Xcel minimums, other than the hours, I don't see this as a fit for her because if she has all the skills you list with just a few open gyms, she's definitely goung to get more of her skills back.

And while she may "end up competing against herself" in Xcel in your state, part of me would worry that she's going to have a rough transition into the Xcel program at the gym from a social standpoint....might the other families wonder what the heck a gymnast with her skills is doing in Xcel versus level 9/ 10...some may even remember she did HOPES.....she'd definitely be a ringer so to speak...the gym can be a lonely place without friends. Maybe she wouldn't experience this but you never know what kids will think, or what their parents will say to them ("I remember her, she was a 9 testing HOPES and is bumping you off the podium" blah, blah)....not saying this is right, but other parents may think it's unethical (to use your word).

thats why i was thinking it just didnt seem right.....but then what if she doesnt have enough skills back to go JO....do they just drop back a level or just scratch the event until its ready?

 

[Flyaway]

I hope you're able to find the right fit. I will say, if you see the fire in her, then now is the time to go all in. Better to start somewhere where she has room to grow, rather than a place where she can already touch the ceiling. To mix my metaphors, you wouldn't buy shoes that were already too small, right? Best wishes to you and your dd!