WAG Does your gym allow event specialists?

[kandkfunk]

We just found out that our gym will not be allowing event specialists. We have a couple teenagers who were hoping to specialize next season, but our new coaches (been there for a year now so maybe not so new anymore) have decided that our gym will never have specialists. This decision might mean the end of my DD's career as she just can't keep up on bars.

Just wondering if your gyms have specific policies on event specialist?

This decision makes me really sad as I think it's going to push some of our older girls out of the sport, but maybe that's the ultimate goal. Maybe it's time to make more room on the team for the younger girls.

 

[Gymishome]

If a certain injury is keeping them from an event they can specialize

 

[Gymettemom]

No event specialist at our gym.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

no

 

[stxrdusty]

Given special circumstance (so basically just me and my ankle injury) my coach may allow event specialists. But other wise no.

 

[raenndrops]

We don't have "event specialists" per se... but we have, in the past, had girls that would only compete 2 events and scratch the other two (usually the scratches were on vault and either floor- for injuries or bars-for a number of reasons). One girl DID compete vault once (4.900) and competed bars a couple of times (5.150 high score), but scored 9s on beam and 8s on floor. She was old L5 at the time. She was coming back from injury and had developed fears. She WAS going to compete Xcel Gold for us this season, but was frustrated with vault... hated the handspring vault and coach wanted everyone to have a handspring to fall back on... HC also thought a "Roundoff vault" was not allowed. We are talking a 1/4 - 1/2 On - Repulsion Off vault... which IS allowed for Xcel Gold and Platinum and L6-L7. And THIS is the vault she saw on You Tube that she wanted to compete.

 

[profmom]

We have one, but it's a special circumstance. She's a L9. There was a guy a few years ago who was planning to be an event specialist on the boys' side, but the injury that caused him to pursue that path ended up being too difficult to rehab for gymnastics. We now have a boy who is hoping to qualify for JO nationals on vault as a specialist, but he competes all around.

 

[emilykatherine]

My gym allowed me to be under special circumstances, I had good reason, but I don't think they will let anyone else just unless they have an injury and have lots of reasons to be one. If one of my old teammates had come back she would have been an even specialist because of her wrist injury.

 

[vagymmomma]

Very rarely and primarily due to injury that prohibits competing all four events. They did let one senior who had a killer L9 vault (but not L9 bars and beam) compete as an IES on vault and floor. It was well into her senior year though.

 

[LizzieLac]

No, they will only let you scratch events if you are injured and can't compete them. But the expectation is to make well-rounded gymnasts.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

No.

 

[kandkfunk]

Thanks everyone for your replies. It sounds like the overwhelming number of gyms do not allow specialists. We do have quite a few in our area that allow them, so I just wasn't sure if that was the norm or not.

 

[cbifoja]

Our gym allows, but doesn't encourage, ESs. It always seems to be that the gymnast leaves out bars though. However, our HC has apparently told the girl that she will not ES next season so I'm not sure what will happen. I mean the girl is an L8 on her events, an L7 on another but like an L5 on her fourth event. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she quits out of frustration because of her fourth event being so weak.

 

[sfts]

cbifoja, In our gym that girl would be a prime candidate for Xcel where the technical requirements are a bit more flexible.

We do not have event specialists, barring temporary injury situations. Girls who just can't "get" that one event are encouraged (though not forced) to switch to Xcel (formerly to PrepOp). Sometimes it is for a year, primarily in cases of fears or the resulting frustration; sometimes it is permanent, if skills are just not going to come.

ETA: It probably helps that we have Xcel up through Diamond and each Xcel level shares coaches with the Optionals of the same level (e.g. Diamond shares with the L8+) so switching is not seen as a big demotion.

 

[kandkfunk]

I did mention Xcel to my DD, but that isn't going to fly. Our Xcel team is less than a year old and the coaches are pretty inexperienced (but they try really hard and they are always looking to learn). We only have Bronze and Silver, so there really isn't anywhere for her to go there. The coaches wouldn't even know how to progress her skills. Plus, one of the coaches is only a couple years older and like a brother. She would not be comfortable in that situation.

 

[gracyomalley]

NO event specialists - but if girls have 4 of 5 events to level (solid) and are progressing on the other - they may move up and simply take the low score (if safe to compete). Its very case by case. No Excel option either here. However, I've never seen a girl who couldn't at least get a 7 on her week event - and most scratch it into state. Don't know how many L9 and L10 older girls have quit over this, though...

 

[HoldThePhone]

Our gym had a level 9 last year, she was a senior and didn't want to compete all 4 events, so they allowed her to compete just one. I do know she did one meet on all 4 events to qualify for states, but I'm pretty sure she just competed the one event at state. I don't know if this is the norm for our gym, but she'd been there a long time, and since she was a senior, I'm glad they allowed it. She got to experience all the joys of her last year in high school and gymnastics, without having to spend so much time in the gym working on every event.

 

[Quadqueen]

No.

 

[kitkat]

Yes we have 4 or 5. I think one is level 9 and a couple of level 6 or 7. I think a couple of them don't compete but wanted to come back to have fun

Our club never had event specialists in the past but this year decided to. I think part of it was that in the past we just didn't have the room for them and we do now.