WAG Xcel gold requirements question

[Ali'sMom]

I know there are some threads that have this info, but when I do a search I can't find the one I'm looking for.

Can someone tell me what skills are:
a) required for Xcel gold
b) usually used in Xcel gold
c) preferred in Xcel gold?

Thank you so much to anyone who can spell it out for me!

 

[MILgymFAM]

For which event? Usually used and preferred are going to be all over the place from gym to gym and place to place. I mean a REALLY braid range. The requirements are even pretty broad.

 

[MILgymFAM]

For instance, my DD on bars does a kip, cast, bhc, squat on jump to the high bar, kip, cast, shooting star. There are girls who do a flyaway and girls who don't kip at all or do anything on the high bar (including the jump up there) except the L4 dismount. On floor we see from layouts to single BHS. Beam we see BHS to handstands. Vault is always a fhs but there are other choices- we just haven't seen them. Do you have a specific question?

 

[Ali'sMom]

Wow, I knew it wasn't as cut & dry as J.O. but I didn't realize it was really such a broad spectrum in just one level.

I'll explain why I'm asking, and that might help...

Our level 4s have 2 options for next year. Either score out of level 5 in april or october, and compete 6 in spring, or, if a girl isn't ready for that, then do Xcel gold for the year (rather than a year of L5 in an area that doesn't compete a lot of L5), and work towards 6 or 7 for the following year.

I know "enough" about Xcel to know that the requirements are less stringent than compulsory J.O. (to us, that's easy... each girl has to do this, this and this). I "believe" my own dd will be on the 5/6 track, but I also know a few girls that we believe won't be quite ready. Talking with the moms, they know "nothing" about Xcel, so I thought I'd help a little.

If you know L4 and L5 requirements per event, could someone compete Xcel Gold with those skills, and nothing more?
Could beam be done without a BWO?
You answered that bars can be done without a flyaway.
Could floor be done without front tuck or back tuck?

Can the girls who don't have the higher skills still get higher scores if they are cleaner than the routines with the higher skills?

Thank you!

 

[MILgymFAM]

Yes, you could compete with L4/L5 skills only, and the routines can even be used/adapted. For beam you have to have a skill that passes through vertical. You can do cartwheel, round off, BWO, bhs, handstand forward roll.. There are a ton of options. You also need a connected jump/leap series and a full turn. For floor you need a connected flight skill, so anything from robhs to robhsblo would do it, and then a second (different entry or exit) pass OR a stand alone salto. So yes, you could meet requirements without a front or back tuck.

 

[Ali'sMom]

Yes, you could compete with L4/L5 skills only, and the routines can even be used/adapted. For beam you have to have a skill that passes through vertical. You can do cartwheel, round off, BWO, bhs, handstand forward roll.. There are a ton of options. For floor you need a connects flight skill, so anything from robhs to robhsblo would do it, and then a second pass OR a stand alone salto. So yes, you could meet requirements without a front or back tuck.

Thank you so much!!!

Some of the moms who think their daughters are going to go this route are confused, so I wanted to be able to help the knowledge base ;0

 

[MILgymFAM]

You're welcome... I think xcel *can* be an absolutely fantastic option for the right girl and the right reasons. I know of other people who will use gold to bridge compulsories to optionals, so it's not uncommon at all. The thing to remember with xcel is that it isn't easier per se. It's just that the judges only judge what they see- not what they know they should see- so often times the simplest and easiest routines, done cleanly, will win. It can be frustrating for girls who do harder skills, but it seems a good preparation for optionals too.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I think the great thing about Xcel is that the levels are so broad. My DD is using Gold instead of compulsories. It's great for her because she seems to get skills in weird orders. Like she is struggling with the kip, so she competes the pullover but does a fly away. And she has the opportunity to compete her BHS on beam and ROBHSBT on floor, which she wouldn't be able to do if she had repeated 3 because of the darn kip. @MILgymFAM is a great reference, as you have already seen, as is @raenndrops . I'm not as fancy as them, but I'll help you if I can! You might want to download the Xcel code of points. I think it's $40, but totally worth it. Also, there is an Xcel group on here that you might want to join! Good luck!

 

[Ali'sMom]

I think the great thing about Xcel is that the levels are so broad. My DD is using Gold instead of compulsories. It's great for her because she seems to get skills in weird orders. Like she is struggling with the kip, so she competes the pullover but does a fly away. And she has the opportunity to compete her BHS on beam and ROBHSBT on floor, which she wouldn't be able to do if she had repeated 3 because of the darn kip. @MILgymFAM is a great reference, as you have already seen, as is @raenndrops . I'm not as fancy as them, but I'll help you if I can! You might want to download the Xcel code of points. I think it's $40, but totally worth it. Also, there is an Xcel group on here that you might want to join! Good luck!

Thank you!

I don't believe DD will be in the Xcel group (but never say never...), she is on a complete mission to be 6. But I wanted to be able to give a couple of the moms a little info, and moreso, the pros of Xcel for the transition. I think the girls who I believe will use this transition will definitely benefit greatly from it. All of our L4 girls are moving up. Either 5/6 or Gold. This way, they are ALL getting to move up together into the Optionals leotard, and their own floor music. Nobody is getting left behind, which makes me really happy! And I'm glad that our gym has this as a plan!

 

[Ali'sMom]

For instance, my DD on bars does a kip, cast, bhc, squat on jump to the high bar, kip, cast, shooting star.

What is a shooting star?

 

[MILgymFAM]

I believe the real name is either a straddle sole circle or an under swing dismount. It looks like this, then they swing under and release the bar...

 

[momof2gymmies]

It can vary so much. Our gym tends to have the kids compete the max skills allowed, but we compete against a lot of gyms that don't do the max skills. At our gym the kids have to do a flyaway for gold, but don't think that is required. They also have to kip - they actually have to have both low bar and high bar kips for silver. On beam they either do a bow-bwo or a bhs. I think most, if not all do a cartwheel bt dismount. At least that is what DD told me, but she is only a silver so she could be wrong. With that being said, we have seen lots of girls at meets who di not have the same requirements as our gym. Some of the kids in silver that DD competes against are doing almost the smae floor routine, and the exact same bars and beam routine as YDD who is a bronze. I think you can make it what you want to make it.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

It can vary so much. Our gym tends to have the kids compete the max skills allowed, but we compete against a lot of gyms that don't do the max skills. At our gym the kids have to do a flyaway for gold, but don't think that is required. They also have to kip - they actually have to have both low bar and high bar kips for silver. On beam they either do a bow-bwo or a bhs. I think most, if not all do a cartwheel bt dismount. At least that is what DD told me, but she is only a silver so she could be wrong. With that being said, we have seen lots of girls at meets who di not have the same requirements as our gym. Some of the kids in silver that DD competes against are doing almost the smae floor routine, and the exact same bars and beam routine as YDD who is a bronze. I think you can make it what you want to make it.

Yup. The silvers (from another school) were doing kips, but my Gold doesn't (yet!!!maybe next meet...) In platinum they have to kip. Definitely a wide range of skills!

 

[Ali'sMom]

I believe the real name is either a straddle sole circle or an under swing dismount. It looks like this, then they swing under and release the bar... View attachment 5389

That is an awesome picture!

 

[MILgymFAM]

Thank you! I love taking gym pics of my girlies! My hobby is photography but the pictures used to never include people. Ever since my girls started gym I have made an exception. Ha ha!

 

[coachmolly]

Our Golds cover a wide range. I would say they are generally level 4 skill level BUT with a few skills or even whole events that are beyond that. So it is a good option for kids not quite ready for level 5 to compete the more advanced skills they do have. We have kids who can't flyaway on bars but are still able to compete their bwo on beam and back tuck on floor.
The level 4 routines, just running them through my head quickly, would meet most of the requirements for Gold with the exception of a full turn on beam, so your girls would be ready as is for Gold. But they would have the option of adding other stuff as they work their way to level 6.

 

[wgymmom]

I think the great thing about Xcel is that the levels are so broad. My DD is using Gold instead of compulsories. It's great for her because she seems to get skills in weird orders. Like she is struggling with the kip, so she competes the pullover but does a fly away. And she has the opportunity to compete her BHS on beam and ROBHSBT on floor, which she wouldn't be able to do if she had repeated 3 because of the darn kip. @MILgymFAM is a great reference, as you have already seen, as is @raenndrops . I'm not as fancy as them, but I'll help you if I can! You might want to download the Xcel code of points. I think it's $40, but totally worth it. Also, there is an Xcel group on here that you might want to join! Good luck!

She seems like such a talented girl! Are you able to share any videos? I'd love to see some!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

She seems like such a talented girl! Are you able to share any videos? I'd love to see some!

Thank you! She's very dedicated. I will say though, that she is the loves-the-big-skills-but-needs-to-work-on-form kid though! But HC is working on it!

 

[Ali'sMom]

Thank you all!!

 

[rsm]

I think the great thing about Xcel is that the levels are so broad. My DD is using Gold instead of compulsories. It's great for her because she seems to get skills in weird orders. Like she is struggling with the kip, so she competes the pullover but does a fly away. And she has the opportunity to compete her BHS on beam and ROBHSBT on floor, which she wouldn't be able to do if she had repeated 3 because of the darn kip. @MILgymFAM is a great reference, as you have already seen, as is @raenndrops . I'm not as fancy as them, but I'll help you if I can! You might want to download the Xcel code of points. I think it's $40, but totally worth it. Also, there is an Xcel group on here that you might want to join! Good luck!

Very cool that she can go at her own pace for the different skills. Just curious more than anything because I haven't seen a gold routine without a kip and I'm trying to visualize. Can you share the elements of her bar routine? Does your DD do a pullover on both the low and high bar? Is it something like pullover, cast, squat on, pullover, cast, tap swing, flyaway? I've only seen the kip on the high bar for our gold gymnasts, so I'm curious about the alternatives.