Parents help deciding between JO and X-cell

[Pickle]

Our gym has a seprerate JO and X-cell track. The girls are able to tryout for x-cell each spring. The JO kids are usually picked from the preschool classes, start preteam at around 5, and then move to L4. There is almost no movement between X-cell to JO. Some of the JO girls decide they don't want JO and do move to X-cell. Most of the kids on our L4 team are 7. There are a few 8 year olds, and 1 9 year old.

ODD is on the x-cell team. She is not the most natural gymnast, but she is a hard worker, and loves being on team. She is there 6 hours a week, and would go every day if she had the chance. She is 9, and has done very well at her meets so far.

YDD just turned 7, and is my wild child. She changes her mind on what she wants on a daily basis, and has yet to find anything that she loves. She is in a rec class 2X a week. YDD is the child who will just do what she wants - if she feels like running and hugging her sister in the middle of class/practice, she does. For some reason, that I have yet to figure out, the coaches think she is funny, and don't get upset. I have told them I am fine if they send her out of the gym for misbehaving. She can sit with me and watch class till she is ready to listen. But that doesn't happen. She has decided that she wants to be on team next year - I think she likes ODD trophies. She is actually good at gymnastics when she wants to be - she has very pretty form, can do a ROBHS with straight legs, can do the L3 beam and bar routines pretty well, but def does not have the passion and dedication that ODD has. For YDD it is just fun. (today - might not be tomorrow)

So I was talking to her teacher, who also happens to be the head x-cell coach, and said that little DD wants to try out for team, and could they encourage her to behave a bit better, since team girls are good listeners. Her teacher said that they have their eye on her for L4 for the fall.

So, I really think that JO is not the right track for my little one, but DH disagrees. ODD would be upset that YDD is doing JO, but would get over it if it is the right thing for YDD. X-cell practices 6 hours a week, L4 practices 16 hours a week. I asked if she could do a year of Xcell and then move to JO, but was told that she would be too old for JO the following year. She would be 8, turning 9 in January. So, if we want JO for little DD, it needs to be next year.

Any advice on how to choose the right one for YDD?

 

[Bess]

I have a question about xcel. I see where you have to be at least 5 to compete bronze. I also see where someone mentioned you could do a robhs in bronze. Is it possible for a child to essentially do the level 3 routines as a bronze?

 

[MILgymFAM]

Why would she be too old? Is that just team policy? There is a single girl at our gym who I was told competes L4- I hadn't realized there were upper age limits. Maybe I am confused though.

 

[Pickle]

No, I think it is our gym's policy. They have a very successful optional team, and like to start them in JO young. Otherwise they go to Xcel, which is also successful in our gym. The head coach feels that there would not be enough kids in her age group at meets if we wait another year.

 

[raenndrops]

@Pickle You know your daughter. If you feel that Xcel is the better route for her, then she should do Xcel. A girl who is as you describe may have trouble succeeding at meets in JO (everything has to be "just so" or it is a deduction). Also, from what I see on mymeetscores.com, there are plenty of girls in the 8 - 9 - 10 age groups in L3 and L4.
@Bess She could do L3 routines (basically) and even leave out some of the extra frou frou stuff to create her Bronze routines.

 

[Sasha]

Sounds like DD7 must be quite talented to be learning L3 skills with good form in rec, and be tagged for L4 without going through the standard pre-team process you described.

I understand why you're torn.

JO is a huge commitment in time and money, especially as the levels increase. If she isn't showing a strong and dedicated passion, I would hesitate to go down that path. Personally, I resisted the JO path, originally steering my DD into XCEL at 7, but my DD's passion couldn't be denied, and as parents, the ultimate joy is seeing your child happy! So we go to great lengths and sacrifice for that passion and she is pursuing her JO dream (wherever that leads her). But she was and is the driver.

Choosing XCEL will mean letting go of the possibility of her achieving the very high levels of gymnastics. But the number of girls reaching those levels is very small, percent-wise, so the numerical odds are that yours or mine will not be among the highest of ranks. And without serious passion, those odds go to zero. True, she might develop passion and dedication - she is still very young at age 7! If you really feel that's the case, then follow your heart and let her try! But if she is happy in XCEL, and it fits your family's time and budget, and that means she can do other sports and activities that are also fun for the next 10 years instead of giving up nearly everything for the rigor of JO, that might be the right place.

good luck!

 

[gymdog]

Put her in JO and move to Xcel later if it's not working out. It's sooo hard with your situation with your older daughter, but that happens all the time and I don't think you should let it affect the decision for your younger daughter, who sounds uncommonly talented.

 

[Krystan]

It would really bother me that your more driven, hard-working dd is not being given a chance at JO just because she's 9. I would absolutely move gyms for that, but that's me. Especially if my dd had the motivation and dedication to practice long hours and get to the higher levels.

Aside from that, I agree that you should go JO. You can always switch her to Xcel. It seems much harder, if not impossible at that gym, to go in the other direction.

 

[Seeker]

With all due respect to your coach, that is a bunch of hooey. There are PLENTY of JO kids in that age-group at all the L3 and L4 meets I've ever been to. When my DD competed L4, there was a girl who was 14 on her team! That age group was definitely smaller, but never once was she competing alone or even with less than 5 kids. Even so, if it is a smaller age group -- what's the big deal?

That being said, it is far easier to move from JO to Xcel than the other way around, so if it were me I would start there and then drop back if it becomes too much. Good luck!

 

[Moxiegrl83]

^^ what seeker said. I'm fairly certain that 7 yr old L4's are not the majority. I saw girls competing L2 at meets who might have been able to drive themselves there. There is a big range of ages for every level, but competing L4 at 9/10 yrs old is much more common around here then 7 yr olds.

 

[curlygirls]

I would consider looking at other gyms that would give older dd a chance at JO if that is what she wants. Last year, 9 year olds were the most common age in our area and 2/3 or more of the girls competing L4 were 9 or older.

 

[gracyomalley]

Just left a big invitational meet - DD wanted to watch her teams L4s so we did (some...there are 16 of them!). Our largest age group for that level was 10 - and that was the largest age group for that level of the whole meet! There were about 9 total girls in the 7-8 yo age group. I also know that DD was 8 for old level 5 and ALWAYS in the youngest group....

Now I know it varies geographically, and I know there are teams that "write the ever so slightly older kids off"....but I would at least think about what is best for BOTH of your girls...If the older is happy with x-cel, then GREAT... and if you love the coaches and team spirit there, then it would be worth it to put the younger in JO as it sounds like at this gym that's her "only chance" - and her attitude may change alot in the next few years...

I'd change gyms....and let them both do JO if they want, but less intensely, that way the hard worker can get wherever her work will take her (and that may be farther than you think) and the younger one can shine....It would be easy to go "back" to x-cel later...