Parents They made her quit.. :(

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GymAunt

Well my niece has officially quit gymnastics. :(

Her coach refused to let her repeat Level 5 so she could polish her skills and get back into shape after missing time last season for an appendectomy, a pulled calf muscle and a pulled groin muscle. (the last two I attribute to poor training since the coaches at her gym didn't pay attention to HOW the girls were doing tricks and they seemed to develop bad (aka dangerous) habits.

She missed the first two meets @ Level 5 and only competed 3 PREP Op 2 meets after Level 5 state. Her gym did compulsories in the fall and PREP Op in the spring. After an explosive start with all 9's in Level 3 and PREP 1, she skipped Level 4 and was doing great in practice on Level 5 until the appendix issue. She was one week away from her first L5 meet when she was hospitalized and was out of the gym for 6 weeks. She came back and scored mid/high 8's after only having 2 weeks of gym time to prepare for HER first meet.

The leg muscle didn't cause her to miss any meets but did affect her practices and the groin muscle issue made her miss the end of the Prep season and Optional State.

She wanted more time to prepare before moving on and asked her coaches to let her compete Level 5 again. This is a common thing as there was a girl on her L5 team who had competed for 3 years at that level before finally moving on (she consistantly scored low/mid 9s unless she was mad at her mom - who was one of the coaches and a judge).

The coaches refused. They said she had to move to Level 6 then immediately score out to Level 7. They don't have a Level 6 team because the gym owner hates complusories and wants to get everyone into Optionals as soon as possible (which is why they all do PREP Op in the "off season"). Ash told them she didn't want to score out. The coach told her she either moved up or found another gym.

I could see it if Ashleigh was scoring 9s... but she wasn't and her routine needed some serious work. She lost alot of her strength during the time she was out and had confidence issues with the back walkover and back handspring on the beam and the back tuck on the floor. She could do it, but hadn't done them enough to get her confidence up. How can a coach push a kid to Level 7 when she's afraid of those skills?

And Ashleigh isn't the only one they ran off. At least two more girls that were on her team quit because they didn't want to move that quick either. Sad.

But she's moved on... she's playing soccer now and plans on running track at her new middle school. Just seems odd seeing her go from flipping and flying to running and kicking.
 
That is terrible. After all she went through and working so hard to get back into the sport after set backs. That just isn't right. Hugs for all of you. I hope she finds passion for something else or a gym that will treat her right.
 
I am glad that she seems happy now she has moved on. Her old club doesn't sounds so healthy. I know leaving gym is very hard, but sometimes mental and physical health are so much more important.
 
You were right to be concerned about the training... that is a clear cut example of when NOT to skip competing a level. I am sure it was a sad time for her to leave the sport, but how awesome for her to stay active and involved in sports. As for only running and kickiing, I have seen quite a bit of acrobatic work in soccer :p
 
So sorry to hear how your neice was treated. What a mature young lady to say she was not ready to move up and wanted more time/help at L5. She would be a coach's dream at many gyms. So many are just fixated on moving up and not really mastering the skills.

Glad to hear she has found other sports that she enjoys. Maybe one day she'll find her way back to a gym(certainly not the same one!) and have some fun with gymnastics. Don't know if they have high school teams in your area, but that could also be an option for her---or some tramp/tumbling program.
 
You know - that really is a shame. These girls know themselves, what they are or are not ready for. My dd had a teammate the coaches wanted to skip level 6 and go right to 7. She actually wanted to repeat level 5 because she didn't want the pressure (she was having some trouble keeping up with the schedule and her school work). The coaches respected her decision - she did awesome as a 2nd year 5. Now she has qualified out of 6 and is mentally ready to compete level 7. She actually has all her level 8 skills, so she might even compete that this year. When you don't push, they very often find their way in their own time. Kids are resistant by nature - push too hard - they push even harder back.

I hope your niece is happy with her decision and enjoys playing soccer. My dd2 used to do gymnastics & cheer - and now plays soccer and loves it. And I agree with gym law mom - she really sounds like she has her head on straight - very mature for her age.
 
This is pretty out of hand, and the term " flaming pist " would not describe how angry I would be.

It's perfectly common for a L5 to repeat L5. Especially, if they didn't even have a full season of L5. I can understand their issue on L6, if they don't have any other 6's. At least they could have let her continuing training skills and not worry about competing. By no means, should an athlete be mandated to compete a level...

Especially if they feel they are not ready.

Especially if they missed most of the season.

Especially, if they are very little competitive experience ( some L3, no L4, not much of L5. That is basically one season, if that )
 
That is just horrible. I would be tea total ticked off if it were me. It is a shame to have run her out of the gym for her choice. I hope she decides to look for another gym home and continue the sport if it is something she would desire.
 
She wanted more time to prepare before moving on and asked her coaches to let her compete Level 5 again. This is a common thing as there was a girl on her L5 team who had competed for 3 years at that level before finally moving on (she consistantly scored low/mid 9s unless she was mad at her mom - who was one of the coaches and a judge).

They told her to find another gym when her Mom is one of the coaches? That makes no sense.
 
I'm speechless right now.... I can't even form words to say how angry I am. That is just terrible. I hope now that she is doing better and is happier with soccer and track. I wish her the best of luck! And, I liked that sentecne at the end....."Just seems odd seeing her go from flipping and flying to running and kicking." So true.
 

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