WAG Too young for Optionals?

[Magentax3x]

My daughter is 8, and competing lv6 this year. She competed lv3 last year and had a very successful season. (Top 3 AA all year). We are at a very small local gym and they skipped her several levels against my wishes for what I believe to be because they did not have very many optional girls. This jump has been horrible for her confidence, she is only scoring around 34 AA & only ever medals on beam. She is in the youngest age group at meets but the other girls are around 10-11. Anyone else have experience with younger girls in Optionals?

 

[rbearclaw]

I think level 4 and 5 have a huge value, not only in the basic skills they are perfecting and building for their whole career, but also for the confidence you are speaking of. I don't think the age is the huge factor, as I see girls do level 6 and 7 at age 9 and such and do fine, I think missing out on some of those basic levels is the hard part.

 

[twocurlygirlz]

It is not uncommon in our region to be 8 and to be in Level 6- often time the first year of optionals is tough regardless of age! I would say hang in there see how the summer goes - the jump to 7 is not too huge and really might be a nice stepping stone- no change in vault- minor changes in beam, etc. Are there safety concerns or just more self confidence issues?

 

[GymDad9.9]

I'd be curious to know what the coaches response to you was after you expressed your disapproval of the move.

 

[CameraShy]

DD didn't skip any levels, but she did move quickly. She just finished her L8 season as an 8 yo. Most of the time her age group is 12 and under which is difficult. We don't focus on place though, just personal bests and improving! She hasn't had a problem with it, but I think it's because we don't set it up to be about the placement/medals so she doesn't base her confidence on that. Have you expressed your concern to the coaches? What is their plan for her now?

 

[mariposa]

Sometimes the little ones just need more time competing to be polished. It's learned over time (though there are definitely naturals out there), if she skipped levels, she likely isn't as strong in her skills as girls who have been going them for years and is possibly having to focus on the skills and can't focus on all the little things yet. I've seen many young 6s repeat 6 and have a great year. Time is on her side. Hopefully they don't rush her. I've seen girls with talent quit because they were rushed and weren't doing well and felt like they weren't good enough.

 

[gymmomtotwo]

My young 9 year old is doing Level 6. She is doing well, but also competed 4 as a young 8 year old last year. It is possible they could advance her to 8 next year, as she is best on vault and is ready for flipping vaults. I would fully expect that she would earn less medals if they did that, but what is best for her future development? Noone skips 4 at our gym (but we don't do 3), even a girl that has moved to an elite gym and is now elite. Phenoms do Level 4 in the fall, test out of 5 and compete 7 in spring optionals. The ultimate goal is to move talented kids thru the levels quickly at a young age, not have them win medals. This may be your gyms goal. Your best bet is to explain how it is better to be a 34 level 6 at age 8 (against 10 and 11 year olds) than a 37 level 4 who wins medals . She is old enough to get that she is more accomplished the higher the level she is in. I doubt there is a negative reason your gym is doing this. They see talent and they want to move her along. I'd talk with them about their plans for her, and have them explain to her what she is accomplishing. It would certainly improve her confidence if they explain to her how good they think she is and why this is their plan for her.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

Scoring in the 34's shows that she does have a decent grasp on the skills. It's not the highest AA score, but it's definitely not a score that would make me think she wasn't at all prepared to compete at that level. I certainly understand your concerns and it sounds like they were trying to get her past compulsories quickly and into optionals. I definitely would ask if she can just go ahead and repeat L6, another year at L6 could make a big difference on polishing her skills while still hopefully up training for the higher levels. To me that would be a very reasonable request. Do you think they would consider this option for her?

 

[mariposa]

Your best bet is to explain how it is better to be a 34 level 6 at age 8 (against 10 and 11 year olds) than a 37 level 4 who wins medals . She is old enough to get that she is more accomplished the higher the level she is in.

Don't teach your kid this! This is totally wrong and teaching a kid this will lead to them thinking they are better than others or quitting when they eventually repeat a level or are no longer the youngest and those that they surpassed are catching up or surpassing them.

It all depends on the gym's philosophy and how they move kids through the levels. Some don't care about scores at lower levels, some do. Just doing the bare minimum at a higher level/or just having the skills doesn't mean you are better than a gymnast competing the only the best skills they can at a lower one. Most kids in gyms competing and scoring 37s at their level have skills for the levels above them and could compete at the next level and score 34s, it doesn't mean they are less accomplished than the kids competing in the higher level! Just that their gym's philosophy is to not compete things until they are super solid and have good form and will score 9s, etc.

I'd just explain to her that skipping levels is hard and that you are proud of her hard work! Reminding her that she's often competing against older, more experienced girls is fine, but don't put down other gymnasts in the process!

 

[thefellowsmom]

I think that this kind of move can work out well and sometimes not. It really depends on the kid and the coach and especially the coach's ability to train her through this and really understand how she ticks along with the experience and knowledge to lay down foundation for upper level gymnastics without the structure of the compulsory levels.

My dd made this same move when she was 9. It was a pretty rough year of competitions, but by the end of the season she was scoring mid 35s. But this was very intentional. Very little time was spent on routines and the focus was on training toward the future in the gym. Level six is such a great place for this type of thing. I love level six for so many reasons.

She then went on to very successful level seven and eight seasons and finished level eight with almost all of her level nine skills. It worked for her and she is still building momentum going into post season and spring training.

I think the biggest key to this working so well was that her coach was patient and waited until she was mentally ready for the big push. He has also helped her through the frustrations and fears as they popped up, slowed down and backed off when she needed it and built her up to believe she can accomplish anything. The focus is on building foundation and acquiring new skills when she is ready for them, not just because she is physically capable of them.

I feel very lucky that we have had such quality coaching and leadership up to this point.

This sport is so entirely mental the further you get along. I think a move like this can also go the other way pretty easily if it is done too soon when the child isn't mentally ready or because a coach has stars in their eyes, especially if they don't have a lot of experience developing young talent. The mental toll of a move like this can't be underestimated.

I have seen kids rushed through very young and burn right out sometimes quickly and sometimes years later. But, also this happens in this sport. Kids go out hot and then burn out, kids start slow and then explode onto the scene later, many kids do just fine and then decide they just don't want to any more at some point and some of the best gymnasts early on will have bodies that simply betray them either by injury or puberty or physical limits. As a parent looking from the perspective of a very young and relatively new gymnast it is scary and ultimately impossible to see what will come. You have to give over to the process and trust your mom gut and watch and listen to your child and do what you can to help her form a good trusting relationship with her coach. It is really an unsettling amount that is out of our control.

If she is happy in the gym and still progressing well and wanting to go work out and excited about what comes next but just frustrated about this years meet results then I would say there isn't much to worry about. I would focus just on what is happening in the gym and downplay competitions as just for experience. In the larger scheme of things her level six results mean very little.

If the move is causing her to stress and not want to go to gym or she is getting injured frequently or just feels not herself to you, then maybe a quick conversation with her coach to see if slowing down a bit is in order.

Good luck to you and your dd. Strap in for the roller coaster ride

 

[gymmomtotwo]

Don't teach your kid this! This is totally wrong and teaching a kid this will lead to them thinking they are better than others or quitting when they eventually repeat a level or are no longer the youngest and those that they surpassed are catching up or surpassing them.

It all depends on the gym's philosophy and how they move kids through the levels. Some don't care about scores at lower levels, some do. Just doing the bare minimum at a higher level/or just having the skills doesn't mean you are better than a gymnast competing the only the best skills they can at a lower one. Most kids in gyms competing and scoring 37s at their level have skills for the levels above them and could compete at the next level and score 34s, it doesn't mean they are less accomplished than the kids competing in the higher level! Just that their gym's philosophy is to not compete things until they are super solid and have good form and will score 9s, etc.

I'd just explain to her that skipping levels is hard and that you are proud of her hard work! Reminding her that she's often competing against older, more experienced girls is fine, but don't put down other gymnasts in the process!

You are right. comparing in this way probably isn't the best way. I don't know how to get across what I am trying to say. Gymnasts are faced at each meet with a very PUBLIC ranking of their abilities vs other gymnasts. It is a very demoralizing way of doing things if you aren't on the podium, and let's face it a repeating level 3 or 4 is more likely to walk out of a competition with a lot more medals, than a kid who is being moved through the levels. This child we are talking about would likely be scoring higher in 4 than she would be in 6, and earning more medals. So how do we explain it to her.? I am not really sure, but I assure you that the 7 year olds that fast track through to Level 7 and 8 in one year are better gymnasts than the typical level a year gymnast, yet they may have very little in terms of hardware or titles at the beginning to show for it. They are typically doing this at a very young age where they still care about physical awards. Movement through the levels is an accomplishment but there are no awards ceremonies for that.that was what I was trying to get across, not that you should tell the kid she is better than every one else. I guess figuring out how to show her what she has accomplished without comparing her is the way to go. Sorry if I made anyone mad. My kid is in no way one of the Phenoms I am referring to.

 

[LizzieLac]

When you say that is has been horrible for confidence, what do you mean? Is she upset that she is now scoring 34s and not medaling like she was? Or is she unsure of her skills? Making uncharacteristic mistakes in competition? Struggling in practice?

All of the questions indicate something different and so how you respond might be a little different. Is the still having fun? Even though she is progressing quickly, having fun is still important...especially at 8 YO!

Maybe slowing down and repeating could help her with whatever the bigger issue is. Good luck!!

 

[GymDad9.9]

You are right. comparing in this way probably isn't the best way. I don't know how to get across what I am trying to say. Gymnasts are faced at each meet with a very PUBLIC ranking of their abilities vs other gymnasts. It is a very demoralizing way of doing things if you aren't on the podium, and let's face it a repeating level 3 or 4 is more likely to walk out of a competition with a lot more medals, than a kid who is being moved through the levels. This child we are talking about would likely be scoring higher in 4 than she would be in 6, and earning more medals. So how do we explain it to her.? I am not really sure, but I assure you that the 7 year olds that fast track through to Level 7 and 8 in one year are better gymnasts than the typical level a year gymnast, yet they may have very little in terms of hardware or titles at the beginning to show for it. They are typically doing this at a very young age where they still care about physical awards. Movement through the levels is an accomplishment but there are no awards ceremonies for that.that was what I was trying to get across, not that you should tell the kid she is better than every one else. I guess figuring out how to show her what she has accomplished without comparing her is the way to go. Sorry if I made anyone mad. My kid is in no way one of the Phenoms I am referring to.

Maybe clubs should give out a really big trophy for kids who jump levels!

 

[mariposa]

I am not really sure, but I assure you that the 7 year olds that fast track through to Level 7 and 8 in one year are better gymnasts than the typical level a year gymnast, yet they may have very little in terms of hardware or titles at the beginning to show for it.

Most of the power gyms in our area do not rush the kids through to optionals. The kids have higher skills than they compete many times. They then hit optionals still pretty young and are scoring very well (37-38s) because they've been doing those skills in training for years and they are solid and polished.

Competition level is not a measure of their accomplishments because some gyms have kids that clearly shouldn't be competing the level they are, but they are out there and some kids train much higher skills than they compete!

Gymnastics isn't a race and it isn't one size fits all. Kids will and should move at different speeds and this will all depend on gym philosophy, too.

Honestly, kids really have to love gymnastics and be happy with the day in and day out of it all because they really have such short time they actually get to compete. Teaching them to set goals (in the gym) and be happy with the process is very important. Level, medals, scores, really don't matter in the end.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

My daughter is 8, and competing lv6 this year. She competed lv3 last year and had a very successful season. (Top 3 AA all year). We are at a very small local gym and they skipped her several levels against my wishes for what I believe to be because they did not have very many optional girls. This jump has been horrible for her confidence, she is only scoring around 34 AA & only ever medals on beam. She is in the youngest age group at meets but the other girls are around 10-11. Anyone else have experience with younger girls in Optionals?

Yep, but it sounds like she just isn't ready. Putting a young athlete out there is hard enough because they have to compete against older girls, putting them out when they are not ready is completely different issue. Hard to comment on that because we don't know what the issues are etc... I guess at this point (she is already through the season), if it's not a safety issue then you just need to stand your ground an insure that she be better prepared prior to moving up next year. In other words,,, she should repeat so she can have some success and master her skills (which are super important at this stage).

 

[bookworm]

My girls, especially my oldest, were young optionals ...but they did well, so they were ready. It would have been awful to move them up just to struggle..

 

[raenndrops]

DD didn't skip any levels, but she did move quickly. She just finished her L8 season as an 8 yo. Most of the time her age group is 12 and under which is difficult. We don't focus on place though, just personal bests and improving! She hasn't had a problem with it, but I think it's because we don't set it up to be about the placement/medals so she doesn't base her confidence on that. Have you expressed your concern to the coaches? What is their plan for her now?

Usually when someone says a level was "skipped" they mean it was scored out of instead of competing a full season.
You can't compete L4 until the age of 7. If you are in a state that has a fall season and a spring season and both compulsories and optionals are competed in both seasons and the birthdate falls just right, I could see "moving quickly" meaning competing L4 (fall age 7) and L5/L6 (spring age 7… because you are allowed to go back and forth), and L8 at age 8. Is that what your daughter did?

 

[JoyAvenueMom]

It's very possible for 8yo to do really well at L6, or higher. However, it is not typical. Gym philosophies are different, but Kipper's gym won't put any kid in a level where they will score below 36. (or at least have a great potential of scoring 36+.. sometimes things just don't come together.) Still, there are 2 8yo L6 and 1 8yo L7 who are doing well. The L7 is scoring 38+. However, they all competed L3 at 6yo and L4 at 7yo. Your gym might have had a good reason for moving her to L6, but that is a huge jump. Is this your only concern with the gym?

 

[mom2newgymnast]

I don't have any advice, but it sounds like she is doing very well to me. I could see how it would be difficult emotionally to go from winning to only placing in one event, but I still think the fact that she was able to skip 2 levels means she must be quite talented. My dd recently turned 8 and is training for 4 right now. She just finished her level 3 season and did great, but she is not at a gym that uptrains and skips levels, especially level 4 (some do skip 5 and/or 6). I can't imagine my dd as a level 6 the season after competing level 3. I am sure bars and vault would be especially challenging. Going from the level 3 vault to the front handspring vault against gymnasts who are potentially in their 3rd season competing it.. Ouch. Like, I said I think your dd is doing great! I hope you are able to help her feel more confident!

Good luck to your dd!

 

[meganliz77]

My DD is an 8 yo level 6. She competed 1/2 season (4 meets) as a Level 4 last winter/spring. She then began this fall as a level 4, competed 4 more meets and had a successful state meet. Following that, she tested out of 5 about 2 weeks later and then moved to Optionals/6 right after that. We are at the tail end of her meet season - state is this weekend.

DD has the skills and typically pretty great form. She was scoring typically 1st in just about every event as a Level 4 - that's A LOT of hardware. But she has taken the transition pretty well. She has struggled some, especially with bars the last few weeks, but has otherwise been placing pretty well (highest AA as a 6 was 36). But we don't put much stock into placement and medals. DD is understanding that this is going to be a different experience than what she had in compulsories. I don't feel that DD was rushed, despite all of this happening rather suddenly (she has been in gym for 3 years) but coach has been pacing her to make sure she has those fundamentals and form. I fully anticipate she will repeat 6, (but who knows... really, if she can overcome her present fear of BWO on beam, she could be moving ahead next fall - so much time to see what happens...) and I would be fine with that. Our kiddos need to learn that the medals are really not what is important at the end of the day. Super important to identify non-score/non-placement related goals. I think this comes down to maturity and for each kiddo it will be different.

You are right. comparing in this way probably isn't the best way. I don't know how to get across what I am trying to say. Gymnasts are faced at each meet with a very PUBLIC ranking of their abilities vs other gymnasts. It is a very demoralizing way of doing things if you aren't on the podium, and let's face it a repeating level 3 or 4 is more likely to walk out of a competition with a lot more medals, than a kid who is being moved through the levels. This child we are talking about would likely be scoring higher in 4 than she would be in 6, and earning more medals. So how do we explain it to her.? I am not really sure, but I assure you that the 7 year olds that fast track through to Level 7 and 8 in one year are better gymnasts than the typical level a year gymnast, yet they may have very little in terms of hardware or titles at the beginning to show for it. They are typically doing this at a very young age where they still care about physical awards. Movement through the levels is an accomplishment but there are no awards ceremonies for that.that was what I was trying to get across, not that you should tell the kid she is better than every one else. I guess figuring out how to show her what she has accomplished without comparing her is the way to go. Sorry if I made anyone mad. My kid is in no way one of the Phenoms I am referring to.

I would disagree with this... my child may have a fear that prevents them from moving forward as quickly as the next kid, but once my kiddo gets that skill she could be doing it beautifully... it's not fair to compare kiddos based on how quickly they move through levels. Some are phenoms. Some aren't. Some get stuck because they develop a fear. Some have no fear. It is so individual.

All in all, I think that our biggest issue was the fast pace of testing out of 5 and moving to 6 mid-season. Added a lot of pressure. But I don't think DD regrets it, nor do I. Good luck to your DD!