Parents Sandbagging

[LJL07]

If she's getting skills, she's happy, the gym seems like a positive environment, she's safe, and seems to have a future there, I wouldn't worry too much.

Agree. If it is the state I think it is and the gym I think it is, you have her at the best place. This gym does not compete level 6. They are one of the few that competes 5 and then the girls move on to 7. I agree a year on level 1 is silly, but the options are almost nonexistent around here.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

OP, I understand your concerns, but it does sound like they do a lot of uptraining, so as long as your dd is not bored or getting burned out on doing nothing but routines, and if she is happy, she should be ok for now. I"ve seen several gyms that do L1 and them move a lot of the girls straight to L3. If you are wondering what the typical path is, or what the plan for your dd is, it never hurts to ask. I know none of us want to be "that mom" but it's common for new parents to have questions.

We are in R8 too, so I'm curious as well as to which state everyone is talking about. It seems a bit generalized to say an entire state of gymnasts are not getting good basics or proper strength training, true that some states may be weaker than others in the region but that doesn't mean there are no good programs to be had in the entire state.

 

[LJL07]

@cadybearsmommy I just PMed you.

 

[reluctant]

Unfortunately, no intense strength training or great basics is happening in this state. If that IS happening along side of level 1&2, I don't have a problem with level 1. I do have a problem with polishing level 1&2 routines to death for the sake of winning without doing the appropriate strength training because it really isn't a predictor at all of future gymnastics.

What state is it? I know it's not Florida, NC, or Georgia.

 

[jessifrostR]

I appreciate everyones input. I was beginning to feel that her competing level 1 this year was a wasted year but right now she is still just excited to be competing and doing so well at her meets has definitely boosted her confidence..even if it wasn't overly challenging. I am going to try to trust that her gym has the gymnasts best interests at heart and see how it goes for now.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

First your daughter is uptraining and not languishing just doing L1 stuff on her personal gymnastics level that’s fine.

Next, if your daughter truly has high gymnastics aspirations. I would be inquiring how the gym you are at moves girls. Perhaps they use L1 to get them used to meets and competing and then levels them more appropriately Great.

Finally to answer the is this sandbagging question? JMO. Levels 1,2 and 3 are not required levels. It is the gyms/coaches discretion to compete them. Again JMO, if a gym keeps gymnasts who are quite capable of doing L2 and/or L3 in L1 and nearly all the girls are scoring 38s and higher. Yes that’s sandbagging.

Regarding a 38 Level 1 being the highes one of the higher scores at the whole meet. Not unusual. A 38 is much easier to achieve in general at a lower level. Scores frequently go down as the levels get harder.

And yes there are of course exceptions to that last statement.

 

[jessifrostR]

I am with you and agree kids should not be held back for a gyms benefit. It sounds like you have goals set, now you must determine if your current gym is the best place for her. What do you think?

For your reference, My DD is 10 she is competing Level 7. She is not yet a great gymnast, average at best. She is fearless and has some acquired many high-level skills, but She does not seem to care about the little things yet. It is her journey I do my best to keep her grounded and support her. I personally would not let my DD compete level 1 if she had skills for higher levels. I believe to be great you must challenge yourself train up and compete against the best.

I want to advocate for her and say something about her advancing and maybe skipping level 2 but I don't want to be that crazy mom who thinks her kid is better than what she is. I just want her to be able to reach her goals long term even if that means lower meet scores.

 

[RTT2]

I want to advocate for her and say something about her advancing and maybe skipping level 2 but I don't want to be that crazy mom who thinks her kid is better than what she is. I just want her to be able to reach her goals long term even if that means lower meet scores.

At 8 with the skills it sounds like she already has skipping L2 seems very reasonable.

 

[jessifrostR]

At 8 with the skills it sounds like she already has skipping L2 seems very reasonable.

I also worry they will put her in excel because they pull their excel girls from their level 1 team also it seems. I guess I will just have to be patient and see what they decide to do with her. I know every parent thinks their kid is talented lol but I really think once she is in a higher level, that extra push will really show her full potential in the sport.

 

[suebee]

What I’d want to know about your dd’s gym is what is the typical path for a gymnast (is there one?) and how many of those level 10s are homegrown, meaning they came up through your gym from level 1? How many of them were 8 when they did level 1?

Dd’s gym also starts at level 1, but their level 1s are 4-5 years old. Her gym is probably one that wouldn’t let an 8 year old do level 1. They would probably start an 8 year old in Xcel Bronze and if she seems to pick up skills quickly, allow her to switch to JO at level 3 or 4. But all gyms are different, and you need to know what your gym typically does.

 

[jessifrostR]

What I’d want to know about your dd’s gym is what is the typical path for a gymnast (is there one?) and how many of those level 10s are homegrown, meaning they came up through your gym from level 1? How many of them were 8 when they did level 1?

Dd’s gym also starts at level 1, but their level 1s are 4-5 years old. Her gym is probably one that wouldn’t let an 8 year old do level 1. They would probably start an 8 year old in Xcel Bronze and if she seems to pick up skills quickly, allow her to switch to JO at level 3 or 4. But all gyms are different, and you need to know what your gym typically does.

I do not have any of the answers to your questions. I don't know much about the higher level girls. Would it seem weird to ask the coaches this? They don't tell us much. We got a letter when they were invited to be level 1s and considered us part of the excel program. The girls picked for team either go to to level 1, go to to excel bronze or go to level 2. But the level 2 girls look younger than level 1. But the bronze girls look older than the levels 1s. We were told vaguely at the parents meeting our girls would probably either move up to bronze or level 2, or wherever. It wasn't specific as to how they decide who gets moved where. I sort of feel like they put the girls in level 1 who they aren't sure about if they want in excel or JO

 

[suebee]

I do not have any of the answers to your questions. I don't know much about the higher level girls. Would it seem weird to ask the coaches this? They don't tell us much. We got a letter when they were invited to be level 1s and considered us part of the excel program. The girls picked for team either go to to level 1, go to to excel bronze or go to level 2. But the level 2 girls look younger than level 1. But the bronze girls look older than the levels 1s. We were told vaguely at the parents meeting our girls would probably either move up to bronze or level 2, or wherever. It wasn't specific as to how they decide who gets moved where. I sort of feel like they put the girls in level 1 who they aren't sure about if they want in excel or JO

I’d probably search mymeetscores.com first. Look up your gym. Look at the current level 10s and see how long they’ve been at the current gym and what level they started. Look at the level 3s and 4s. Did they start at level 1? How old are they now? State meets often make age divisions by actual age, so unlike other meets that might use jR A, JR B, SR A, etc, you might see ages groups like 9A, 9B, etc. at states, so you can know how old they are.

 

[jessifrostR]

I’d probably search mymeetscores.com first. Look up your gym. Look at the current level 10s and see how long they’ve been at the current gym and what level they started. Look at the level 3s and 4s. Did they start at level 1? How old are they now? State meets often make age divisions by actual age, so unlike other meets that might use jR A, JR B, SR A, etc, you might see ages groups like 9A, 9B, etc. at states, so you can know how old they are.

You can actually look online to find out what level the girls started at? I will have to try to figure that out..

 

[suebee]

You can actually look online to find out what level the girls started at? I will have to try to figure that out..

It’s not perfect. Not all meets are listed and some kids have multiple listings. And I don’t know how far back it really goes, and level 1 was level 2 back when any current level 10s were younger, etc. But you can get an idea.

 

[jessifrostR]

It’s not perfect. Not all meets are listed and some kids have multiple listings. And I don’t know how far back it really goes, and level 1 was level 2 back when any current level 10s were younger, etc. But you can get an idea.

Wow thank you! I just browsed on the site for a little while and it appears that we had 4 level 10s last year and many of them started out as level 2s. Level 1 is a newer thing at our gym. Some of the.level 10s ended up skipping multiple higher levels later on. And the level 4s we have now started as level 1s. And some of them did skip level 2. I feel like I know so much more now so thank you!

 

[jessifrostR]

It’s not perfect. Not all meets are listed and some kids have multiple listings. And I don’t know how far back it really goes, and level 1 was level 2 back when any current level 10s were younger, etc. But you can get an idea.

Also, looking at the level 4s that started as level 1s at our gym, it looks they were if they were in the 9 and 10 year old divisions they skipped level 2 and went to level 3, then 4. None of them started as a level 3.

 

[John]

I want to advocate for her and say something about her advancing and maybe skipping level 2 but I don't want to be that crazy mom who thinks her kid is better than what she is. I just want her to be able to reach her goals long term even if that means lower meet scores.

She has goals and dreams should you decide its family appropriate to help her strive for those goals the next step should be determined. Maybe that next step is evaluating gym plans, deciding what gym has the appropriate training routine to fit your child's needs. I worry about looking crazy and I can admit to letting that fear induce me into not making necessary changes for my daughter earlier.

Good Luck enjoy the journey and keep us updated.

 

[reluctant]

Also, looking at the level 4s that started as level 1s at our gym, it looks they were if they were in the 9 and 10 year old divisions they skipped level 2 and went to level 3, then 4. None of them started as a level 3.

If you are happy with the current gym, there is no reason to thrash around looking for another gym. This is your first year competing. Enjoy it.

 

[sce]

Can you request to meet with the coach to discuss the plan for your dd and to share what her hopes are? Once you know what the gym is thinking then you can decide if their plan is what you want or if you should take her elswhere.

 

[Madden3]

I agree with sce. I think it might help to have more clarity from your daughter's coach.

I want to advocate for her and say something about her advancing and maybe skipping level 2 but I don't want to be that crazy mom who thinks her kid is better than what she is. I just want her to be able to reach her goals long term even if that means lower meet scores.

I do not know much about WAG as I have boys (and a girl but not on team) but I think we parents do ourselves and possibly our kids a disservice when we fear talking to the coaches. Put it this way, I have never regretted asking my son's coaches reasonable questions about my sons' progress etc. But I have regretted "hanging back" and then being unpleasantly surprised by something.

Your thoughts seem entirely reasonable to me. From what you can see, your 8 year old daughter is capable of doing level 3 skills (and more) and is competing level 1. I do not think your noticing this indicates you thinking your child is super talented, (even if she is) it just seems like a reasonable observation.

So, I think it makes sense to have a conversation with the coach, and ask them what the plan is and why your child would be placed at one level rather than another. For example, if they say she will do level 2 next, maybe, rather than saying "I think she should be in level 3" you can ask why they think she should be in 2. Ask the pros and cons of being 2 rather than 3, etc. Just keep asking polite questions until you have a clear idea of what they are doing. Then you can use what the coach tells you to gain a more complete understanding of their reasoning, strategy, approach, etc. and see what you think after hearing them out.