WAG When to hit Puberty?

[SuperGirlmlm]

There's an 11 year old gymnast moving from level 8 to 9. I've seen her around, and she's TINY. Like, shorter than the vault tiny. And not only that, but she's really skinny, too. For example, when she does kips on the low bar, she doesn't need to straddle or pike, it's like a long hang kip for her. When she was a level 8 (last season), she did very well, and placed in the top 3 on floor pretty much every meet. She's obviously really talented. And it really helps that she's to small, that when she vaults/tumbles/dismounts, she has a ton of extra air-time.
So this got me thinking, I know puberty is a really tough time (I'm in the middle of it right now) both physically and mentally, and since this girl obviously hasn't hit puberty yet, but when she does, it will be extremely difficult for her. And this got me thinking some more, would it be easier to hit puberty earlier rather than later, since there's no escaping it, so would it be easier to get it over with earlier, in a lower level, where you have not as many skills to re-learn and not as much pressure?
Like if you hit puberty as a level 10, and you have to re-learn double backs and stuff, as opposed hitting it as a level 7, when you only have to re- learn more simple skills like cast to handstands, clear hips and layouts.
I know you should want to delay growing, but wouldn't it be easier to just learn all the skills once at higher levels?

 

[CoachGoofy]

Early & late both have their issues. I had the slowest, least dramatic puberty ever & I had slow, moderately unsettling changes for YEARS. It was a consistent annoyance, everything was sliiiiiightly different. Constant adjustments.

As opposed to my teammates with the big and rapid who would have spurts of things working and spurts of things not working. Then they;d have spans of time where everything worked because they were used to themselves.

The timing didn't seem to be as much a thing as people make it out to be. None ever appeared better, just different.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

dangerous to mess with Mother Nature...everything happens for reason.

 

[Flossyduck]

Damn, why did I never realise there was a choice?!

 

[Aussie_coach]

It won't nessesarily be a problem, for her at all. I was like that, always really tiny and then when I went through puberty I only grew a tiny bit and never developed much and it made to difference at all to what I was doing. I'm in my 30's now and still have no need to straddle when I kip.

 

[iwannacoach]

If puberty hits you, no matter when, resist the urge to hit back. Just go with it and enjoy everything you can, and forget about the rest.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

attempting to alter puberty didn't work out so well for East Germany, Soviet Union and Romanian gymnasts back in the day.

 

[cbifoja]

attempting to alter puberty didn't work out so well for East Germany, Soviet Union and Romanian gymnasts back in the day.

Dare I ask?

 

[Amusibus]

Yes, ask! Ask!!

 

[BlairBob]

I know a Romanian gymnast, teammate of Nadia. I'm sure I've talked about her before and with a bit of google you could figure out who.

Anyways, she often has thought that her physical training in those days hurt her chances to have kids later in life. She managed to have one but might have had a hard time conceiving or had some miscarriages.

One of my old gymnasts last I checked still hadn't had her first one at 17 last year which is pretty crazy. She got it in her head to go kind of diet crazy and was falling apart (because diabetes ran in her family aka Mexicans eat lots of carbs and fat and get fat). She definitely wasn't fat, pretty solid and already developed yet hadn't had her first period.

Last I heard she got off the veganism kick and started eating a bit more though she drum rolled out of the sport. I personally think her dumb self imposed diet was one of the reasons she wasn't recovering but she had some nagging injuries (an overlooked wrist injury that was fractured not a sprain).

And yes, it was a bit awkward for her to tell me this (from my POV) but she did.

There was at least one of the East Germans who took so much anabolics she later got a sex change because she no longer identified with being female anymore.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

they did things that were unspeakable and not for reading on this site. there are some things better left unsaid and such that children shouldn't learn about it till they are older. like 50...

 

[wallinbl]

they did things that were unspeakable and not for reading on this site. there are some things better left unsaid and such that children shouldn't learn about it till they are older. like 50...

I've read about it, and while I'm not female, I have daughters, and that was sufficient to make me nearly pass out from reading about it. If anyone did those things to my child, I would wind up in jail.

 

[Faith]

I've heard the stories too. Some of the medical procedures weren't too far from Nazi experimentation.

i did read some research which seemed to conclude that many high level female gymnasts have fertility issues from the way the UB were set up. Close together, and hip beats were a big feature. The repeated trauma to the pelvic region caused damage to the reproductive organs..

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I've heard the stories too. Some of the medical procedures weren't too far from Nazi experimentation.

i did read some research which seemed to conclude that many high level female gymnasts have fertility issues from the way the UB were set up. Close together, and hip beats were a big feature. The repeated trauma to the pelvic region caused damage to the reproductive organs..

NO! this is false. tell that to my wife. just no truth to that whatsoever. that was a speculative and ambiguous piece of research that was not born out of any research. understand? it's just not true.

 

[Faith]

[/B]

NO! this is false. tell that to my wife. just no truth to that whatsoever. that was a speculative and ambiguous piece of research that was not born out of any research. understand? it's just not true.

I did wonder if it was a cover for what really caused the infertility issues, but I've never really looked into it. Don't really want to, even if it is published somewhere, which I doubt.

 

[BlairBob]

infertility issues

Malnutrition (in general lower body fat levels) will turn off the menstrual cycle because the body senses that it does not have the energy to support carrying a pregnancy.

It was kind of a quandary for us as I ended up knowing more and more female crossfitters who despite lower than average female body fat levels were able to get pregnant and carry without issue. We chalked it up to the fact that though they were trying hard while trying to concieve, their diet was spot on and in no way lacking in necessary protein, carbs, and fats. Note, the ones I know had enough sense to curtail training during pregnancy though you'll see and hear plenty about pregnant crossfitters continuing to train during pregnancy at moderate and high intensities.