Parents Your gym's requirements for moving up a level

[kimmypie1]

Just curious how other gyms do it. Our gym just does testing in between fall and spring competition seasons and then based on the skills required for the levels moves them up. However, DD did not have her BH or FHC when she was moved up from pre-team to L3. I guess our gym thought she had enough time to get those skills prior to her competing.

I have heard other gyms in our area require certain scores on each event before letting them move up.

What is yours like? Also when I hear people say gymmies spend 1 year in a level, do they mean actual years, or just competition seasons?

 

[wallinbl]

A few weeks before the first meet registration is due, there's a "put up or shut up" day where you have 3 chances to show that you have each of the skills necessary for the level you want to compete. Do them and you get to be that level. Come close, and you might get an extension. Fail, and you'll repeat. Even if you repeat at the first meet, you'll be allowed to move up if you get your skills later.

Really, it's pretty straightforward, and I'm not sure why so many gyms make it complicated.

 

[Firefly]

There is only one meet season/year for us (November to March/April) so yes, one level per year means spending one meet season on a level. I'm confused about all of these posts that talk about spring season versus fall season. Is that common? Does that mean you are able to squeeze two levels into one year? I guess this must all vary by region.

 

[mandkmom]

Last year it was a coaches decision and some of the criteria seemed vague. There was a bit of uproar when some kids moved and others didn't. So this year they have stated 36 in 2 meets. I don't think they will stick to that as there are girls who have skills in practice but are getting nervous and not executing at the meets. I'm sure more uproars are coming.

Our gym does preliminary move ups in January after our season is done. Then in May you have to have all or nearly all the skills to stay in that level. We do not move up during the season.

 

[kimmypie1]

Yes, girls do move up in between seasons. So you can be an L3 in fall and an L4 in spring. We don't have girls move up during a season though.

 

[Ali'sMom]

Our season is Sept-April, so for the most part, our girls do one level a school year.
To move up, they need to have the skills for the next level, or be darn-near close to having them, with coach's approval. (i.e. DD was moved up to level 4 training in the summer before she fully "got" the kip, and then stayed Level 4 in August, even though it was sketchy. If her other events weren't good, coach would not have had her stay, and would have had her repeat L3.)

 

[wgymmom]

We don't have stated requirements. Compulsories do fall and optionals do spring, but nobody has yet done a double season.

 

[IreneKa]

In our gym the move ups are decided at the end of August based on skills. A gymnast needs to have all or almost all skills to move up.
For us competition season = a year, it goes from fall to spring. So, if someone says that they competed a year of a certain level, it mean the entire competition season. Sometime they allow moving up mid season. My DD was moved up from L2 to L3 at the end of December last year, so I say that she competed half a season at L2, and half a season at L3.

 

[mobeans]

An example with my DD this past year.

States were in March for her level 2 season. Once that was complete they started working on level 3 skills-although they also worked them here and there during the year.

In May kids get their notice as to what level they would compete the following season. To move up to L3 you had to have a ROBHS, FHC, beam dismount, and splits all the way down in at least one leg. The perfecting of the skills took place from June (first new level practice) until the first meet in late Fall. Of course there is a variation of skills among the kids but they had to have the basics, for safety during meets.

 

[Anna's_Mom]

Gymnast needs to have an AA of 36 in at least one meet during the season and demonstrate "proper commitment" after that -- meaning you can't hit the 36 and then coast through the rest of the season without doing your best. We only compete in the fall (all our gymnasts are still at compulsory levels), so no chance to move up more than once a year. Gym doesn't start training skills for new levels until after the competitive season so no chance to move up during the season, though I doubt the coach would allow it anyway.

There are invitational meets in the spring that I suppose we could start to attend if there was a push from parents, but I'm not eager to double our meet fees for the year!

 

[kayjaybe]

Ours are skill-based. You need the skills that the gym requires (which might be beyond what the level requires) to move up.

We do allow mid-season move-ups, but once we are about 1/2 way into the season, there is a good chance you'll finish the season at that level. Otherwise it would be too hard to qualify for states.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Our gymnasts must have all the skills required for the next level to move up, if there is a skill missing then they don't move up. Also they must be able to consistently do these skills safely on their own.

As well they must fulfill the state a national requirements to move up, so they need to have earned their badge at a competition by getting a minimum score.

They also need to prove to us that they are ready for the increase in hours.

We do most move ups at the start of the season, but we will move gymnasts up mid season as well. In my state there are competitions for all levels from March to November. So with a 10 month competition season there is not too much difficulty doing two different levels.

 

[poodlemomma]

Our handbook says you must have a 36 AA in two separate meets and have all the skills for the next level before moving up. I do not know how much they stick with it though. We just switched gyms this past summer and many of the girls did NOT have their skills for level 4 even though they were training with that group. Maybe they would bump them back down if they didn't get it by a certain cut off date? I think we still have one girl who isn't quite there with her kip. Our first meet is in 2 weeks and she is still with Level 4 group. So I guess there are guidelines, but in the end it is up to the HC.

 

[sportsmommy]

My dds gym has no set rule. It is the coaches discretion. I think sometimes this causes confusion and even hurt feelings. In the end, the coaches plan usually works. For example girl 1 and girl 2 both competed L4 and received roughly the same scores. Girl 1 did not have the L5 skills but the plan for her was to train L5 skills and score out and compete L6. Girl 2 had all L5 floor skills and some L5 bar skills. She had fear issues on beam. She repeated L4. Both girls had successful seasons.

 

[gracyomalley]

handbook says 2 36+ scores and all the skills for next level....lots of coach discretion, and mid season move ups are allowed. Each kid taken as an individual, and kids from other gyms (where there is locally at least very little uptraning) not held to the 36 scores if they've already repeated, but must do the skills - soooo.. DD (lots of high scores as a L7 last year) was on the fence for L8 due to not having the height on her vault table (old coach made some poor choices....) so not safe with her flipping vault, but her friend who never scored over a 34 as a 2nd year L7 got a pass to L8 because she could safely compete it - and she wasn't afraid, while DD was. In the end, this seems like good coaching - and both kids felt the choice was right - DD training L8 and not competing, friend competing but not worried about scores. Both kids doing what's safe and in their best interests (not what would "win" for the gym - which would probably have been the exact OPPOSITE decision....or forcing DD to compete L7 again, which she felt uncomfortable with both because she perceived it as unfair to the other kids, and because coach said it only made sense if she competed all the allowable L8 skills there - in which case she felt the fears sneaking in....)

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Our gym requires 34 AA, which in this region shows proficiency at the level. Plus, showing the work ethic and skill set to be able to handle the next level up. So, just because you make a 34, doesn't necessarily mean you will automatically move up.

With the new levels, hc is letting girls get the required state score of 31 in new level 5 to go to new level 6, but the girls must show the 34 earned in either level 5 or level 6 before going to 7. For instance, we had two girls who started the fall season as new level 4's, did one meet at level 5, got 33 ish something ( so, not the 34, but the state's requirement of 31 met) and are going to compete L6 in Jan-March. Some of the mom's in my dd's group are a little mad about this bc our girls had to get the 34 at level 5(old) and level 6(old) to move up to 7. Didn't bother me, bc my dd skipped new 6 entirely. The way I understand it, new level 5 and new level 6 have basically the same skill requirements, just one is compulsory and one is optional, yet you must score out of 5, but you don't have to score out of 6. In this state (and from most, I've heard) scoring is notoriously harsh at new 5, just like it was in old 6. Easier for them to do level 6. They are still doing the same amount of levels.

 

[wnl256]

Last year it was a coaches decision and some of the criteria seemed vague. There was a bit of uproar when some kids moved and others didn't. So this year they have stated 36 in 2 meets. I don't think they will stick to that as there are girls who have skills in practice but are getting nervous and not executing at the meets. I'm sure more uproars are coming.

Perhaps 36 as a prerequisite, but hopefully not as the only requirement. A gymnast can have a 38 and state championships at one level but that says very little about her ability to do the skills required at the next level.

 

[wnl256]

What is yours like? Also when I hear people say gymmies spend 1 year in a level, do they mean actual years, or just competition seasons?

If our coaches have requirements for moving up they don't share them with the parents. I know that if a particular gymmie isn't going to move up the coach usually has a meeting with the parents to explain the situation and what the reasoning is. So for our gym its mostly when the coach thinks the gymnast is ready. And I am absolutely fine with that.

1 year is 1 year. In compulsories some of the girls did two seasons in a year and a few moved up between the seasons (i.e.: mid-year). But those tend to be the exceptional gymnasts. Most of our girls move up no faster than one level a year.

 

[raenndrops]

Since the Ohio YMCA Coaching contingent had a meeting at YMCA Nationals in July, we no longer have MANDATE scores (where girls HAD to move up).
Pre-Meeting Mandates:
L3 to L4... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 33.0 AA with a minimum of 8.25 on each event in the same meet.

L4 to L5... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 34.0 AA with a minimum of 8.00 on each event in the same meet.

L5 to L6 OR L7... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 33.0 AA with a minimum of 7.75 on each event in the same meet.
L6 to L7... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 34.0 AA with a minimum of 8.00 on each event in the same meet.
L7 to L8... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 34.0 AA with a minimum of 8.00 on each event in the same meet.
L8 to L9... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 34.0 AA with a minimum of 8.25 on each event in the same meet.
Not all districts compete L10, so there was no Mandate from L9.
Xcel had a Mandate in SOME districts:
Silver to Gold... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 34.0 AA with a minimum of 8.50 on each event in the same meet.
Gold to Platinum... 2 regular season meets in which they scored 34.0 AA with a minimum of 8.50 on each event in the same meet.

They realized that even though Ohio gymnasts make up approx 20% of gymnasts at Nationals, they only won about 5% of the awards because of these mandates. Our team witnessed L6 competing Fulls on the floor and L7 doing BHS-BHS on Beam.

Several of our girls HAD Mandated up... the ones in L3 and L4 WANTED to move up, so they did. The L6 and L7 all chose to repeat to work on upgrading skills.

Post Meeting:
To move up:
L3 to L4...
After 1 year of L3... have ALL the skills or be close to all skills and had qualified for Nationals in L3
After 2 or more years of L3... be close to all the skills, had qualified for Nationals both years, and be at least 12 years old.
L4 to L5...
After 1 year of L4... have ALL the skills or be close to all skills and had qualified for Nationals in L4
After 2 or more years of L4... be close to all the skills, had qualified for Nationals both years, and be at least 12 years old.
L5 to L6...
Score a 31.0 twice during the season... if you were on the Middle School team, you MAY move up mid-season (and use your Middle School routines). If you are not yet in Middle School (or CHOOSE not to move up), then you compete the entire season as L5 and move up the next year.
L6 to L7...
Have all the skills and score 36.0 twice during the season at L6 and WANT to move up.
L7 to L8...
Have all the skills and score 35.0 twice during the season and WANT to move up.
We have no L8, so moving up from there is irrelevant right now.
Xcel Gold to Platinum...
Have ALL the skills and score a 34.0 twice in a season with 8.5 in each event in the same meet.
Platinum to L6 or L7...
Score out of L5 in a Score Out Meet immediately after Districts. In the future, if a girl who had gone from L3 to Gold decides to transition back into JO, she would have to score out of both L4 and L5 at the score out meet.

 

[thefellowsmom]

No move up requirements are communicated with the parents, but there is definitely a plan. Like others, some confusion and hurt feelings are inevitable in a process where every child is treated as an individual and their needs are the only ones considered when it comes to the plan for them. It is a hard process for some parents. Gymmies don't usually have an issue with it

We have had girls skip, repeat, move mid season, one level a year. Whatever works for that kid really.

There really isn't much communication about levels until right before the season starts and the coaches must commit to the level at the first meet. But if you watch and pay any attention you can usually get a feel for what is going on with each kid. They stop working upgrades or start practicing parts of routines or start pushing an upgrade skill hard.

The coaches always have a plan and are rarely wrong. Not to say never wrong but they are experienced and have a system within their program and think about the plan for each girl and the team in deep and thoughtful ways. When we first started out I struggled until I realized they were right and I was crazy. I now have great confidence in our program and our coaches. Sometimes I still find myself confused or worried or wondering why they don't just do that, but I have learned to take a deep breath and trust.

That being said though, I think I would have a hard time living in a system where competition scores were the only thing looked at and prohibitively high or a single day try out months before the season started was the sole determination of level. What if one kid scores 34 last season and then has a maturity and skill explosion over the summer and is all of a sudden capable of competing the next or even two levels up and one kid scores a 37 in the same level last season but is struggling with the next level skills or goes on a long vacation over summer or gets a minor injury or is simply reaching her ceiling. How would it be fair to move the second girl up and not the first one? I have heard stories of exactly this type of thing happening or a kid misses one skill on "try out" day and has to repeat even though they haven't missed it once in practice for weeks and scored a 38 at state last year.

The thought of these kinds of things makes me very thankful for my confusing and elusive world. I will take best for my kid over clearly communicated guidelines any day.