Parents Can someone define xcel

[Haismom]

Ok so we came from a strict JO program where she was a new level 3 training level 4, she just got her back handspring... Our new gym, because of when we moved, put her on their pre-bronze team... Because their state meet was the week we started there,so now as summer comes we have been moved to bronze.
What does that mean? What are the routines? I was hoping she would be competing level 4 this year, but don't quite understand all this? If this has been explained I apologize, I am just very confused

Thanks

 

[munchkin3]

We do JO, but from the little i know, the nice thing about XCEL, is that she would have her 'own' routines, optional style. Her floor would be to her own music etc. The skills are similar to JO but with some leeway. IOW if she has a BWO on beam, then she could use that instead of CW.
Routines can omit certain 'problem' skills. For instance, if the FHS is no good, then she could do a back tumbling series instead......Just more options and flexibility.

 

[Haismom]

Wow that's a lot cooler than I thought it would be... I was worried since we came from a very strict follow the USAG routines gym... So it was very confusing... But luckily our season isn't until spring so she has even more time to work her skills

 

[MeetDirector]

But remember, there is no mobility between Xcel and JO. Futher, if your dd's dreams/goals are of higher level gymnastics, Xcel won't get her there. The only path to college gymnastics is through the upper JO optional levels.

 

[Haismom]

Yeah It seems that the gym switches to JO for optionals... Seemed a bit strange but she is liking the coaches and I am liking the facilities versus other gyms in the area they probably have the best physical facility

 

[gymgal]

But remember, there is no mobility between Xcel and JO. Futher, if your dd's dreams/goals are of higher level gymnastics, Xcel won't get her there. The only path to college gymnastics is through the upper JO optional levels.

If her profile is up to date, the OP is in Region 8, where many gyms use xcel in the lower levels and switch to JO for 6+. Their programs are set up so that the gymnasts will be successful transitioning to JO. They will just have to score out of 4/5, which is easy enough to do when they are ready.

to the OP: Level 3 coincides more with silver than bronze. I would talk with the HC about the decision to have her work bronze. I saw that she took some time off so maybe that is why but it is still worth a conversation, especially if she had come from a good gym that uptrained her.

 

[raenndrops]

You can switch from Xcel to JO at a later date. A lot of gyms do this. They wait until the girls are ready for L4 or higher (in which case, they score them out of L4).
Just because there "is no mobility" between the two does NOT mean that you CAN'T switch. It just means that you can't use Xcel Scores in any division to "demonstrate" that you are ready for a certain level.
Here is some info that I have given to others:
What skills would she need to compete Xcel Bronze? Can she compete Xcel Bronze and then move to JO 4 when she's ready?
Every gym is different in their requirements. Some gyms want their gymnasts to be competing MAXIMUM routines while others will allow gymnasts to compete as long as they meet the MINIMUM requirements.
Examples of MINIMUM Routines:
Bronze Bars: Pullover, Cast (hips just have to leave the bar), Back Hip Circle, Cast push away Dismount.
Bronze Beam: Mount, 1/2 turn on one or 2 feet, straight jump, lever (hands down on beam, one foot comes up like a Handstand), straight jump dismount.
Bronze Floor: 1/2 turn on one foot, Round off- rebound-back roll, Cartwheel, leap-step-jump, and cutesy fill-in stuff.
Bronze Vault: Straight jump onto a 16" mat, then kick up to handstand and fall to flatback.

General information about the Xcel program in
Comparison to JO Levels:
JO... has levels 1-10... the first REQUIRED level is L4. Some gyms compete L1 and L2 or start at L2, but a lot of gyms start at L3.
L1-L5 are Compulsory Levels (everyone in the country in a level does the SAME routines on all 4 events and has the same music). L6-10 are Optional Levels... individual routines designed to meet the requirements and showcase the gymnast's strengths while downplaying weaknesses.

Xcel... has 5 Divisions: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond.
All 5 divisions are Optional as opposed to Compulsory... individual routines designed to meet the requirements and showcase the gymnast's strengths while downplaying weaknesses. For simplicity, some gyms choose to have all of their Bronze do the same basic routine... and the same for Silver... and less often for Gold (I have only seen 1 gym have all Gold use the same routine - it worked well for one girl... not so much for the other one I saw).
Bronze - equivalent to roughly L1-L3 in JO, but can do some L4 skills too.
Silver - equivalent to roughly L2-L5... but the vault is the L3 vault OVER the L4-10 Vault Table to the mat stack (I HATE this VAULT)
Gold - equivalent to roughly L3-L7, but they MUST dismount from the high bar on bars... Has the same vault options as L6-7.
Platinum - equivalent to roughly L4-L8. One "B" skill is required on each event (very similar to L6 in requirements).
Diamond (not competed everywhere) - Equivalent to L6-L9. Requires 5 "A" Skills and 2 "B" Skills on each event (similar to L7, but "C" Skills are allowed on all events). On Vault, they have the same options as L8, but Start Values are either 9.6 or 10.0. The basic Handspring is worth 9.6. In L8, the SV range from 7.0 to 10.0, with a handspring being a 9.0.

Requirements:
Cast requirements are lower for Xcel, and there is an "A" cast. In JO, if it isn't Cast Handstand, there is a deduction and if not close to HS, you don't get the "B" credit and there is no "A" option.
Split requirements (split jumps and leaps) are lower for Xcel (a max of 150º in Diamond). In JO, from L6-10, it has to be 180º.

Form:
Form is JUST AS IMPORTANT in Xcel as it is in JO. But in JO Compulsories, the judges know what the routine is SUPPOSED to be... PERFECTION has been established. In Xcel, even if one gym has all of their Bronze girls do the EXACT same routines to the same music, the judges can't compare one girl to another. They have to compare each routine to the requirements... did she cover all of the requirements is the last thing they check. During the routine, they are recording form and other deductions while "marking" the routine in judge's shorthand. After the routine, they see if the requirements were covered to establish the Start Value, then they take the deductions from that Start Value.

I hope this helps you.

 

[Haismom]

I definitely see she is past bronze minimum skills, I also have been told they will see where she competes when we get there January is a long way off... Also since she has been on their pre bronze team, it might be confusing to the current bronze girls if she skipped right past them...
Just the other day she did her handstand flat back vault using the vault table.
She has her front hip circle on bars, and is getting her kip better and better
Her beam, she hits her cartwheel about 60% of the time, and has a great handstand dismount
Floor is her nemesis she just Tuesday did her back handspring unspotted on 3 separate occasions her BHS was one of the skills she lost in her year off... But she has a front tuck and a front layout on tramp and tumble trak...
So I am sure since we just got back a great coach who was away at college, (now graduated and back full time) things can only improve...

 

[Pickle]

Our gym has the girls compete at the higher end of each xcel level. DD was a bronze, and she competed a ROBHS on floor, a cartwheel on beam with a handstand side turn dismount, the level 3 bar routine and the level 3 vault. Our silver girls do a robhsbt, bwo on beam, kip on low bar, bhs, squat on, kip on high bar, dismount.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

simply, excel is an easier gymnastics program and done at a slower pace. less hours required due to the difficulty requirements being less when compared to JO level 7-10.

 

[munchkin3]

Definitely there is mobility between XCEL and JO, and many gyms here in Region 8 use XCEL for the lower levels. It is a good thing because not all kids are gung-ho about gymnastics or are going to make it to JO. By the time she is hitting Silver and Gold, you will know how committed she is, and if she wants to do REAL JO optional.

The other nice thing about XCEL is that it gives older gymnasts who dont want to do JO a place to do gymnastics and have fun with less hours. A good friend of mine's daughter got to level 9, she was 15. She got into college early due to academics, and she just decided to cut way back but not quit. Her gym allowed her to switch to XCEL with a few other girls and they are SOOOO Happy.

Less in fighting than in JO.....team gets pretty competitive with one another during the season!!! UGH!!!

 

[MeetDirector]

My point about no mobility between Xcel and JO is just as said above - you can't compete Xcel gold or platinum and expect to jump right to JO Lvl 7; you still have to go thru the JO levels starting with Lvl 4. Of course, the gymnast could rapidly score out of these levels. Don't misunderstand what I said - there is a place for Xcel, I get that. Its just if your dd has bigger goals down the road she will have to switch back to JO and all it brings.

 

[munchkin3]

Agreed.....the switch happens usually at L4 and the gyms around here score out of 5.
DD is in JO so its a non issue. She is doing L4 at a meet in July, and I am hoping L5 for the fall.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I definitely see she is past bronze minimum skills, I also have been told they will see where she competes when we get there January is a long way off... Also since she has been on their pre bronze team, it might be confusing to the current bronze girls if she skipped right past them...
Just the other day she did her handstand flat back vault using the vault table.
She has her front hip circle on bars, and is getting her kip better and better
Her beam, she hits her cartwheel about 60% of the time, and has a great handstand dismount
Floor is her nemesis she just Tuesday did her back handspring unspotted on 3 separate occasions her BHS was one of the skills she lost in her year off... But she has a front tuck and a front layout on tramp and tumble trak...
So I am sure since we just got back a great coach who was away at college, (now graduated and back full time) things can only improve...

These sound like bronze skills, at least at our gym. It varies pretty widely. There are plenty of girls who switch from xcel to JO, so that is possible.

 

[Haismom]

Thank you all I think I have a slightly better grasp of what is going on...