USAG Age Requirements

[flippersmom]

A pictures worth a thousand words . . . .

 

[MdGymMom01]

a pictures worth a thousand words . . . .

ditto to that!!!!!

 

[gymdog]

A pictures worth a thousand words . . . .

And my eight were "I really like those leos and their hair."

 

[gymnut1]

And my eight were "I really like those leos and their hair."

me too! I love that picture! Your gym should blow it up and have it by the entrance as people go in. It says everything.

 

[MdGymMom01]

This picture is awesome!!! Like the other posters said--you should blow it up and hang it in the viewing room with a caption like..."In the end...it's all about the friendships formed" or something like that...

Actually--I have a GREAT idea Teamdad...Let's have a Chalkbucket caption contest!!!!! Bog--are you up for headding this up since you are an admin????

We could all submit captions and then we all vote on the best one, and then it can be made into a poster with the caption on it!!! That would be so awesome!!!! I would definitely buy it and hang it in my daughter's room!!!

So, what do you all think???

 

[TeamDad]

I thought this was a great picture.I love how the imposing image of the judges are slightly out of focus. I can't take credit for it, I'm always in charge of video

How about 'Best Friends Care'

 

[flippersmom]

Champions and winners are not just measured by trophies, medals and ribbons.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

I, too, just love this photo. It says so much w/o saying a word. It's so lovely.

-Lynn

 

[TeamDad]

To get back on topic here, I have to admit that I knew nothing about gymnastics before DD started team...probably still don't know much She's now competed levels 4, 5 and is now competing L6. I can't say that we've ever had a plan for her and we take it one year at a time.

I think what I've really noticed in this thread is that there appears to be a huge disconnect between the original poster and the rest of us who have been responding to her, and well, trying to encourage her to just be patient.

While the OP seems to know what she wants from a gym and for her DD, I just realized that she really doesn't have any competition experience at all. I mean just a few months ago her DD was in L2. Well she's on the fast track now, so I guess she'll have to learn on the fly. I've read some great advice here on these pages, but it makes sense to me because I've been through several competitive seasons with my DD. Hopefully in time the words on these pages with start to ring true to her as she starts to have her own experiences, successes and difficulties.

 

[gymdog]

Well in the interest of accuracy, as far as I know Shawn's daughter competed AAU L2. However I will note that even for very talented gymnasts there is going to be a transition at a certain level and some will track a fairly steady (but not exceptional or super fast) path of progress, and some will go through slow times and fast times, but rarely (probably never) does anyone continue to go super fast, even if the main sticking point is injuries, it's going to be there. The introductory levels are easy if you are good at gymnastics. This is just something that is going to be an obvious concept. Level 5 is harder. The routines are longer. It demands more diversity of skill. There's more of a learning curve. The learning curve gets steeper with each thing.

Even basic skills, if a gymnast is aiming towards optional success, are going to be a challenge because they are going to have to be achieved with perfect technique. I can and have taught a layout to girls who will never progress much farther quickly. But if we're talking about a 9 year old L7, the goal should be something more than just "able to be described as a layout and performed safely." It needs to be done with good technique, and she'll have to keep working on that layout, as a level 8 and above as well to get it stronger, better set, RO BHS to achieve optimal power. Requires lots of drilling. Lots of effort will go into basic skills she can do, and "getting" a brand new skill completely alone and with no mats will be more rare. Some skills will actually take years from the introduction to being complete, even for a very good gymnast. So it's good if she is doing drills and training some L7 skills now, but if L5 is the correct level now, then you're still on track. And she may still benefit from some competitive experience at the lower levels before moving on next spring, even if all the skills are in place. This could be another major factor in the coaches decision. It's important that the gymnast learn to perform progressively difficult skills in a limited warm up format and sometimes a few more lower level competitions are a little better for doing that than setting up situations in practice. It also gives them a chance to be successful and get judged on the routines, see their progress, etc. It can be really more fun and meaningful to them than just training and doing one competition to get the minimum score.

It's hard to tell exactly how this progress will track. Some girls will take a long time to get giants, and then suddenly pick up a ton of other bar skills in seemingly no time (this was true for me). It didn't take me forever (probably about six to eight months of serious work), but it was longer than my coaches expected for me and led to a lot of frustration and confusion. They expected I'd have it fairly soon after being introduced but failed to account for how behind I was on just the concept of bar basics (having come from a rec program that didn't do as much bars). I was strong enough to do cast handstands easily, but I didn't know how to tap and I hadn't been introduced to giants in strap bar early enough so I didn't have a lot of confidence. We had to go back and it was frustrating because it seemed like I should have been farther along than I was. But once I got it things fell into place pretty quick...it took me only a very short time to get a double back dismount for instance. But for awhile it looked like I wasn't even going to be able to compete L7 bars. It's hard to tell how things will happen, but they usually do more or less happen in the end. So I'd caution against viewing any one situation as a major problem or setback...it's when it becomes a pattern of negative things and an overall unhappy situation for your child that you have a major problem. If you think the coaches are still engaged in her progress and paying attention to the progress she is making, then things will probably happen the way they should.

 

[kiwiflyer]

Shawn, am I right in understanding that the reason that you are upset is because it appears that the coaches have made a decision that affects the whole team based on the fact that one gymnast is not old enough to competer? I can see why this would be frustrating, especially when you'd already talked with head coach about a plan. However, I also agree with one or two of the other posters who suggested that there is probably more than one factor as to why the coaches made this decision, and that it'd be worthwhile to talk to them and/or head coach... From the sounds of things, I would be surprised if the head coach didn't have a different plan for your DD that would ultimately result in the same outcome i.e. just veering off course a bit. I'm a big believer in having a target for an outcome and being flexible with how I get there simply because life deals out too many variables to have a fixed plan. It may mean there are some frustrating bits, but there'll also be good bits. I hope everything works out for your DD, and I'd like to know how you get on if you talk to head coach

 

[TeamDad]

Gymdog, I posted this as a reply to Shawn in a different thread several months back. Rather than re-write my response to basically the same situation, I cut and pasted my previous reply here. Maybe this will help you understand where I'm coming from:

As a parent, I find that I always want my kids to excel. But, as a parent, I have a bigger responsibility to make the executive decision as to what is best for my children. When a child shows a special gift in an area, my belief is to get the best possible resources available to help that child realize their gift whatever it might be. To that end, there is also the possibility that a child might be pushed to far to fast.

This is where it gets tough as it can be very hard to discern what is to far and to fast. It can also be impossible to know what problems might arise in the future due to a decision that you might make now. As an adolescent, building self confidence through accomplishment is a great benefit, and the sport of gymnastics goes a long way to this end. It builds physical strength through conditioning. It builds coordination through repeated physical movement. It builds character, discipline and lasting relationships through the spirit of team competition.

Even as a member of a team, you must compete as an individual. While the joy of winning is always your first goal, you must also route for your team members and show good sportsmanship in success and failure - while you might win, your team might lose and when you might lose, the group as a whole might win - You will learn to face your fears and conquer them. This is a great life lesson as you will learn that the only failure is not trying.

These are the things that we should strive for our children to get out of gymnastics. While it might be easy to get caught up in the hype of pushing a young child to leave her peers behind to compete with the older athletes, much will be lost as well. The age of six just seems so young to be pushed ahead by an eager coach. It's easy to let these coaches get in your head as they are likely telling you how amazing your child is...something as parents we already know, but like to hear anyway.

I would love to see you take a deep breath and step away from the situation for a moment and seriously consider the possibility that it's too soon. If she's that talented, a year won't make a difference. Maybe there are examples of kids who traveled this route and went on to be very successful, but it is helpful to step back and consider at what cost. You're only young once. Some kids will sacrifice much just to please their parents but ultimately it is our responsibility to make the executive decision as to what is best for their well being.

 

[Blackie6]

I'm sure I probably responded to this post before or did a "Thank You"...but this is the best advice I've ever read on a message board. I wish I could engrave this and hang it up in our gym! Well said Team Dad! Thanks!

Gymdog, I posted this as a reply to Shawn in a different thread several months back. Rather than re-write my response to basically the same situation, I cut and pasted my previous reply here. Maybe this will help you understand where I'm coming from:

As a parent, I find that I always want my kids to excel. But, as a parent, I have a bigger responsibility to make the executive decision as to what is best for my children. When a child shows a special gift in an area, my belief is to get the best possible resources available to help that child realize their gift whatever it might be. To that end, there is also the possibility that a child might be pushed to far to fast.

This is where it gets tough as it can be very hard to discern what is to far and to fast. It can also be impossible to know what problems might arise in the future due to a decision that you might make now. As an adolescent, building self confidence through accomplishment is a great benefit, and the sport of gymnastics goes a long way to this end. It builds physical strength through conditioning. It builds coordination through repeated physical movement. It builds character, discipline and lasting relationships through the spirit of team competition.

Even as a member of a team, you must compete as an individual. While the joy of winning is always your first goal, you must also route for your team members and show good sportsmanship in success and failure - while you might win, your team might lose and when you might lose, the group as a whole might win - You will learn to face your fears and conquer them. This is a great life lesson as you will learn that the only failure is not trying.

These are the things that we should strive for our children to get out of gymnastics. While it might be easy to get caught up in the hype of pushing a young child to leave her peers behind to compete with the older athletes, much will be lost as well. The age of six just seems so young to be pushed ahead by an eager coach. It's easy to let these coaches get in your head as they are likely telling you how amazing your child is...something as parents we already know, but like to hear anyway.

I would love to see you take a deep breath and step away from the situation for a moment and seriously consider the possibility that it's too soon. If she's that talented, a year won't make a difference. Maybe there are examples of kids who traveled this route and went on to be very successful, but it is helpful to step back and consider at what cost. You're only young once. Some kids will sacrifice much just to please their parents but ultimately it is our responsibility to make the executive decision as to what is best for their well being.

 

[MdGymMom01]

I totally agree Blackie! And thank you again TeamDad for your words of wisdom and insight!! I think the hardest thing for us parents to do is to step back, take a deep breath, let go and look at the big picture.

 

[gymdog]

Gymdog, I posted this as a reply to Shawn in a different thread several months back. Rather than re-write my response to basically the same situation, I cut and pasted my previous reply here. Maybe this will help you understand where I'm coming from

I agree with you, I was just noting her daughter has some competitive experience which is probably what allowed her to pick up the L5 routines fast. I was just expanding on the idea of progress through the competitive levels. Compulsory parents can be fixated on a "move up at the end of the season" type mindset because it has been that way before. In optionals it can be a couple weeks before the first meet and people still don't know what they're competing. There's a much less defined "decision" because it just depends on whether all the skills are in place. Even when a kid could do more, the coaches may choose a lower level because they need to refine the basics before pushing through the competitive skills. So another few meets of L5 (if you're going to skip 6 I guess) may be deemed necessary even if most of the L7 skills are there. I would want a full season at L5, although it sounds like that is what they're doing (the whole fall/spring season thing is a little confusing).

Personally I think it's hard to tell at the youngest competitive ages how things will turn out. Some kids suddenly get good, some kids stall out, most can continue through L9/10 if they started at 6, have the strength and want to keep doing it. But it's going to be a lot of years. Things will happen. I think around 10 or 11 you can usually evaluate better how a kid is tracking progress in the sport. With injuries and burnout, nothing is a given there still, but you have a better idea.

 

[TeamDad]

I agree with you, I was just noting her daughter has some competitive experience which is probably what allowed her to pick up the L5 routines fast. I was just expanding on the idea of progress through the competitive levels. Compulsory parents can be fixated on a "move up at the end of the season" type mindset because it has been that way before. In optionals it can be a couple weeks before the first meet and people still don't know what they're competing. There's a much less defined "decision" because it just depends on whether all the skills are in place. Even when a kid could do more, the coaches may choose a lower level because they need to refine the basics before pushing through the competitive skills. So another few meets of L5 (if you're going to skip 6 I guess) may be deemed necessary even if most of the L7 skills are there. I would want a full season at L5, although it sounds like that is what they're doing (the whole fall/spring season thing is a little confusing).

Personally I think it's hard to tell at the youngest competitive ages how things will turn out. Some kids suddenly get good, some kids stall out, most can continue through L9/10 if they started at 6, have the strength and want to keep doing it. But it's going to be a lot of years. Things will happen. I think around 10 or 11 you can usually evaluate better how a kid is tracking progress in the sport. With injuries and burnout, nothing is a given there still, but you have a better idea.

For the record, I agree with you too In fact, our experiences so far have are pretty much in line with what you have said. In our case, we decided to take advantage of the lesser training requirements and demands of the lower levels by supplementing DD's gymnastics with dance....something I've advocated here on the Chalbucket before.

While we had a feeling that she might be talented, it was impossible to tell for sure and it didn't really come together for her until after she turned 10. At that point, she started to have some good success until the injuries started. She wound up sitting out for the last three months of her L5 season and was cleared to return to practice one week before states.

After a real gutsy performance at States (2nd AA), our coach mentioned that they might want to score her out of L6, but that she needed to train through the summer. We decided that she should spend her summer being a kid and that was pretty much the end of that. She's off to a great start of her L6 season and is finally pain free for the most part. It's her thing and if she says that she's to tired to go to practice, then it's her choice to stay home. She's a natural competitor and knows what it takes to compete at a level that meets her expectations.

In hind sight, I'm glad that we traveled the road that we took. Sure, she could probably be in optionals by now, but as a builder, I also understand the importance of a solid foundation.

 

[TeamDad]

....oh, and BTW, after looking at the title of this thread 'USAG Age Requirements' I should probably point out that it's the USGA that is our governing body and not USAG

 

[gymkat]

?? It's USAG... USA Gymnastics.

I've been involved with gymnastics for 15 years as a gymnast (L9 USAG, college club), coach, and judge, and I would be wary of any coach who promised anything about having a firm plan... because those plans fall through more often than not. Gymnastics is not about zooming up levels; it's more like climbing a mountain. Some kids race to the top... some try to race up to the top and fall off the mountain... some are like me and progress at the speed of a turtle but surpass most of the zoomers in the long run. It's hard to see beyond now or next season when you're in the moment, but one year means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Personally, I think that you can absolutely tell physical talent at a young age. However, you have no clue about how they will develop mentally, if they'll burn out or lose interest, if they'll be injury-prone, etc. I see absolutely no good reason to push kids up the levels before they're ready because 95+% of gymnasts will quit before they graduate from HS, and at least half of them will not get scholarships for gymnastics. While I dislike spending hours correcting text in routines, I think it's necessary to spend extra time on the basics, making sure that they have a strong foundation for future skills. I do not think that pushing kids with squatty FHS or crunchy BHS to add more skills now is a good idea. Spend that extra time to correct bad habits now; it'll save time in the long run.

 

[TeamDad]

OK, I'm confused. Can you help explain the different responsibilities of the USGA and USA gymnastics? For some reason i was lead to believe that the USGA is the governing body and sets the rules and regulates the sport.


COMPETITION LEVELS:
USGA (United States of America Gymnastics) is the governing body of gymnastics in the United States. It regulates everything from level 1 through the Olympics.

Their job is to promote the advancement and success of gymnastics in the United States. The Junior Olympic Program is the competitive program for the USGA. They set rules for the competition including a code of points for scoring.

In addition, coaches must be certified as a USA Gymnastics professional member in order to participate in the Junior Olympic Program. The gymnast must also be an athlete member of USGA and must be able to successfully perform all of the skills for their particular level. The program provides skill progressions for pre-competitive levels 1-3 and compulsory routines for beginning competitive levels 4-6. The optional program, where gymnasts are able to perform their own unique routine, is from level 7 - 10. The USGA still mandates skill requirements and guidelines for each level that must be adhered to by the gymnasts. The final level, is an Elite level, for those who may be capable of competing Internationally or at the Olympics.

Gymnasts MUST be invited to join competitive teams at a gym. Selection is based on the overall potential of the gymnast, work ethic, ability to accept criticism and use it to their benefit as well as age.

LEVELS 4-6 (Compulsory Teams)
Compulsory teams will provide an introduction to a more disciplined and dedicated approach to gymnastics. The gymnasts will be given the opportunity to work through the USA Gymnastics Achievement programs. It is the goal of the instructors at this level to prepare the child for the competition therefore emphasis is placed on training. Level 4 is the first level of competition. Compulsory routines are in vault, floor, bars and bean (girl's events) and vault, floor, high bar, parallel bars, and rings (boy's events). There are certain skills that must be mastered before the child is promoted to the next level. Each level requires increased strength and flexibility to meet new challenges. Most children remain at the same level for 2-3 years

LEVELS 7 - 10 (Optional Levels)
The optional levels are where the gymnasts show off their talent and creativity by making up their own routines. Their routines are created to enhance their strength. These routines must consist of requirements that are regulated by the USA Gymnastics program. There are certain skills that must be mastered before the child is promoted to the next level. Each level requires increased strength and flexibility to meet new challenges. Most children remain at the same level for 2 -3 years. Once your child reaches level 8, the gymnast competes optional routines only and must be invited to join the team. This level has restrictions on difficulty and has modified rules with easier requirements than level 9 or 10. At level 9. the gymnast competes optional routines only. This level has restrictions on difficulty and has easier requirements than level 10. Competitions for all these levels include Invitationals, State Championships and Regional Championships.

 

[gymkat]

The governing body is USA Gymnastics (USAG). USGF (United States Gymnastics Federation) was an older name for USAG, so basically if you see USGF, it's the same as USAG. I have never heard the term USGA. However, look at the acronym "USGA" in your article-- it refers to "USA Gymnastics." Seems like an odd decision to change letters in the acronym... United States Gymnastics of America?