WAG Why not elite for Young level 9s and 10s?

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gymmomtotwo

Proud Parent
Just turned 11 Level 8. Just curious for those that have 10 year old 10s and 9 year old 9s. Are they on the elite path, and if not, why not? The one gymnast at our gym that ever showed that sort of progression is now a junior international elite. She left our gym at around level 9 to go to a gym with elites. We are a good JOgym in our state, and most of our good state champion type 11 year olds will be 7s or 8s this year. What does a 10 year old 10 do if they don't go elite? I am genuinely curious, as we just don't see that kind of gymnast very often.
 
Just turned 11 Level 8. Just curious for those that have 10 year old 10s and 9 year old 9s. Are they on the elite path, and if not, why not? The one gymnast at our gym that ever showed that sort of progression is now a junior international elite. She left our gym at around level 9 to go to a gym with elites. We are a good JOgym in our state, and most of our good state champion type 11 year olds will be 7s or 8s this year. What does a 10 year old 10 do if they don't go elite? I am genuinely curious, as we just don't see that kind of gymnast very often.

I was also curious about this. :)
 
Hypothesis #1: 10 yr old L10s that don't go elite get injured and take significant time off or have to retire before graduating high school.
Hypothesis #2: 10 yr old L10s that don't go elite are at gyms that don't train elite and they or their families can't relocate to a gym that does.
Hypothesis #3: 10 yr old L10s that don't go elite can't make that extra jump in skills to succeed as elites.

I have no clue, but these seem like logical hypotheses based on what I do know.
 
Hypothesis #4:)
They or their parents understand that the elite world is extraordinarily difficult, expensive, brutal on the body, possibly lonely, a big rolling of the dice, and fleeting if they get there.

Hypothesis #5
The gymnast just isn't interested in that path and the parents are wise enough to listen!
 
Hypotheses # 6 . They don't want the extra hours, stress, lack of opportunities to compete with friends , involved in elite. They enjoy learning new skills, going to school and having some time with friends and family.

Edited to change to 6. Essentially the same reasons as above. In the US many potential elites take this path.
 
Please forgive me if this seems ignorant/uninformed, I'm new to this gymnastics world. But, if a child reaches level 10 by age 10, what is the motivation to stick with the same level for the next 7-8 years? I completely understand perfecting routines but do they offer some "elite" skills to train without having to go down the path? I just wonder if other new life experiences will begin to take over the "old hat" experience of gym, especially given the hours a level 10 gymnast trains.

I do understand not having a child pursue elite. I really don't think I'd ever consider it honestly. Just wondering how you keep a child excited about gym for so long since they seem like the type of kiddos who could earn a scholarship and compete in college. (Maybe that's not the goal either.)

And of course a child can do it with no goals in mind, just the love of the sport. From what I hear though, level 10 takes a certain special something and I find it difficult to believe a gymmie who reached 10 by age 10 isn't a goal oriented, driven kiddo. :) Also incredibly talented!
 
I was curious about this too. Dd is at a gym that doesn't compete elite, but does have level 10's that are getting scholarships. I don't think we have any that are that young though. I think 13 seems pretty typical. I understand being able to upgrade level 10 routines, but 7-8 years as a level 10 does seem like a lot.

I also was surprised about how many young level 9/10's there are on here. I thought that was much rarer than it apparently is. It's very impressive!
 
I was curious about this too. Dd is at a gym that doesn't compete elite, but does have level 10's that are getting scholarships. I don't think we have any that are that young though. I think 13 seems pretty typical. I understand being able to upgrade level 10 routines, but 7-8 years as a level 10 does seem like a lot.

I also was surprised about how many young level 9/10's there are on here. I thought that was much rarer than it apparently is. It's very impressive!
lol, don't let CB fool you. We, as a community are not truly representative of ALL gymnastics families. Younger girls at higher levels are actually more likely to have parents who seek out a community like this, just as a lot of new parents are.
 
I was surprised after reading the post about ages and levels. I thought a 9 year old level 9 was an exception, but apparently on CB it's the rule.

I too was shocked at some of those ages and levels. Just another wake up call that my state is just not very competitive when it comes to gymnastics (along w/ all the posts about gyms requiring 38's to move up in compulsaries, or even getting a 38 to begin with ;)). In my area a 10 year old L8 is extremely young, and I can't even imagine a L10 that young. Most 10 year olds around me are lucky to be L5's.
 
Interesting! For my DD, Elite is the goal. Will she get there? Who knows. Is she "training elite?" I don't know how that's any different than training anything else. Does she go an ungodly number of hours? Yes. Does she Homeschool? Yes. Does she practice the hopes/elite routines? Yes. Has she been to training camps at the Ranch?Yes. But she does still compete JO- incredibly successful.... NO! [emoji854] When she's ready she will compete Hopes/Jr.Elite. For now, we enjoy the journey, trust the path, and continue to love the sport.
Are we crazy? [emoji848]Yes, I think so!
 

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