Parents Introduction and Question

[GymnastJoy]

Hi! I'm new here and fairly new to the world of gym. My dd Joy competed last year as a 7yo L4 and this year is competing as an 8yo L5. She is a wonderful, happy, smart girl and I'm so proud of her. So glad to join this forum of knowledge parents who all seem to have their children's best interest at heart. Which brings me to my question. All of your children seem to be high-scoring gymmies who place consistently AA. My dd LOVES gym and competing. She did OK last year, consistently did better as the season went on, and made it to States. She occasionally placed in events. This year the jump to L5 is obviously a big one. She had only a few meets so far and is not really improving yet. In fact, she has come in last AA in every meet. She is somewhat aware but is happy to compete regardless of scores/placing. My question is wondering if all of the hours she spends at the gym and all of that time spent away from her friends at school missing playdates, bday parties, etc. is in her best interest. I'm not making any changes right now as she would be heart-broken to leave her coaches and teammates. And she and I are so proud each and every meet regardless of placing. I guess my concern is that I wouldn't want to look back and regret all that she has sacrificed to be in gym. Though she has gotten SO MUCH out of it. And she's just 8. Only parents who have gymmies would understand. My friends in real life think I'm crazy for dd spending 16 hrs/wk at gym + meets on weekends!

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

If she seems happy and enjoys it I would not worry to much. Other people like to throw their 2 cents in but unless you are actually involved in the sport it is hard to understand. The sport requires a lot of practice time unless you do rec and your gym is not the only one doing those hours and your child is not the only one missing things. Do not let others make you feel bad ecspecailly if your daughter is enjoying herself. Not all kids place in the top AA it just seems like that because a lot of parents are happy when their kids do well. By the way 4 to 5 is a big jump and your daughter is doing well if she moved up, a lot of girls repeat levels and a lot of them might be 2nd year 5 that your daughter iscompeting againest. I have seen a lot of girls who are scoring great quit so scoring well is not everything.

 

[MaryA]

I'm pretty new to all of this too. My DD is a 9-year-old level 5. One thing I've learned about gymnastics, and really parenting in general, is that as soon as you decide things are one way, they change. Level 3 my dd was O.K. Placed occasionally but not often. Level 4 started off slow but by the end of the season, she rocked! Transition to level 5 has been hard... first meet she scratched on bars and needed a spot on vault (meet #2 is on Saturday... fingers crossed!). Beam used to be her absolute worst event, and now it's where she really shines. So I would say that you have no way of knowing how far she will go with gymnastics. She may be doing just so-so now, but may really shine in a month, or in a year, or when she gets to optionals, or whatever. Just like that girl who seems to get 1st place AA at every meet could grow six inches next month, get frustrated, and quit. I would say that as long as she loves it and you feel like she's benefiting from it, stick with it!

 

[Kiwi]

If she is enjoying it and still wants to do it, I would let her do it and I wouldn't worry about placings. If she really loves it, I think she is unlikely to regret it later, she'd be more likely to have regrets if she gave it up.

 

[mariposa]

Not everyone here has gymmies that are getting high AA scores or placing well at all their meets. My DD was a 6 and 7 year old level 4 and now is an 8 year old level 5. Her first year at level 4 she had 28AA-32AA and her 2nd year she started at 33AA and peaked at 36AA, but her average was a 35AA. She had one level 5 meet so far and doesn't have more till January. She got all 8s and a 33.5ish AA. I don't expect her to be much higher when she starts up again. She tends to need time to improve and that is okay! Some girls improve a point a meet or so and get to those high AA scores, but not all girls, do, in fact I would say most don't. They have their ups and downs for awhile and it takes time to be consistent on all events and then improve on them all at the same time.

If she is happy I wouldn't worry. My DD does 13 hours a week and she skips for fun things sometimes like b-day parties, etc. I wouldn't mind if she skipped just because once in awhile, though she hasn't wanted to yet, we all need a break sometimes! She doesn't mind missing things for meets and knows that being in gymnastics sometimes means missing things, it is worth it to her because she just loves being in the gym and loves being out there competing.

The jump from level 4 to level 5 is huge. It takes time. I told my DD to think of this first year of level 5 as a practice year and hopefully next year she can rock! As you will see written here many times, gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint! And also, each gymnast is on their own journey. Try not to compare her progress to others, it is hard sometimes, but they are all so different and progress at different rates.

Welcome to the Chalk Bucket. It is a great place!

 

[Bobby]

... she has come in last AA in every meet. She is somewhat aware but is happy to compete regardless of scores/placing. My question is wondering if all of the hours she spends at the gym and all of that time spent away from her friends at school missing playdates, bday parties, etc. is in her best interest. I'm not making any changes right now as she would be heart-broken to leave her coaches and teammates. And she and I are so proud each and every meet regardless of placing. I guess my concern is that I wouldn't want to look back and regret all that she has sacrificed to be in gym. Though she has gotten SO MUCH out of it. And she's just 8. Only parents who have gymmies would understand....

I'm a former gymmie with a couple of beginner gymmies of my own. I think your DD is so lucky to have a mother who understands and supports her.

I was a "late bloomer". I had some atrocious results in the beginning, but a couple of years down the track I think it's fair to say my parents had some serious bragging rights (I wasn't an olympian, but I did get to the high levels and do really well there).

Not that it's the be-all-end-all, but your DD may be one of those who blossoms later. Passion, dedication, and commitment go a really long way in gymnastics!!

 

[bogwoppit]

There are lots of parents of gymmies here whose kids are not big scorers. My own are not superstars, but they love, or have loved, gymnastics. Big scores aren't what count to me, working hard in the gym, making new friends, having fun whilst reaping the benefits of gymnastics are key.

Even though there are lots of different types of parents and gymnasts here, it is our love for them, and the sport, that brings us here. Your child is lucky to have a mom that gets her sport and the fact that you can see the benefits without huge scores.

Things can change though, sometimes a child who scores low in compulsories can really shine later on and vice versa.

I do let mine skip gym for important things, a childhood in important. But they also know that they have a commitment to a team and that is very important too. Balance is key in parenting, trying to make sure your kids, and family, have what they need to be fulfilled.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

Both my two gymmies can be up and down, neither consistently have huge scores, normally they finish around the middle of the pack. Are they aware of this? Yes. Does it seem to bother them? No.

They are seven and ten, they love gymnastics, love the training, love that it has given them a diffferent group of friends (of varying ages and backgrounds) and they get so much more out of gymnastics than just the scores. They both do improve as the competition season goes. Their coach has them set individual competition goals, such as staying on the beam or dismounting from p bars with straight legs, and they are happy to strive for and meet these goals.

Gym has taught them the value of striving for a goal, to stick at things, that hard work pays off, attention to detail is important. All valuable lessons for outside the gym as well.

 

[MdGymMom01]

My dd is not a high AA scorer either. She will turn 12 in January and is repeating Level 5 (Level B) this year. She does an "optional" league here so they go by letters for the level instead of like USAG. She has had good meets and not so good meets throughout her career. She has strong events and other events that she constantly struggles on, but she loves it and gets so much more out of the experience of gymnastics than any medals, placings, high scores or 1st AA could bring. It is about the experience and how she feels about herself that is important in her gymnastics. Hang in there--your dd will improve before you know it. Some kids take longer to "peak".

 

[Granny Smith]

Welcome to CB. My one thought of advice is.... do not compare your gymnast to any other gymnast! You will simply drive yourself mad. Do not compare her meet scores to everyone else because it's just a given day. Your child can be on 1 day and do great, score-wise/placement-wise at a meet. Then the next meet she's off and she doesn't have that great of scores/placements. Like a PP said, she could also be going against other gymmies who are doing a 2nd yr.

If you gymmie is happy, healthy and enjoying her journey don't 2nd guess just let her enjoy.

Oh, my second thought of advice is... do not talk to non-gym parents about gymnastics. Like you said, they will never understand any of it.

 

[Swiftli]

Not all flowers blossom at the same time. Just keep nuturing and loving her and she will bloom when the time is right.

BTW...my DD first AA meet score was a 23.something something. LOL I just think we aren't so quick to share the bad results as the good results. But they will improve in time.

Hang in there and enjoy the ride.

 

[my4buffaloes]

There is more to it than where they place AA. My daughter got an 8.5 on vault at the first meet. She is level 5 and now has to actually go over the vault and land it. We were thrilled all summer when she started making it over consistently. At the first meet? We were beyond excited with the 8.5 because it was a full point higher than her level 5 meet last year. She ended up placing 11th though. But we didn't care, we were just proud of her for improving, regardless of where she fell in the standings.

As long as you both are happy and she is improving then stick with it. Good luck!
jennifer

 

[cathiann]

Let me jump in with everyone else---as long as she's loving it, then keep up the great work! It's so easy to get sucked into placements/awards, etc., but concentrate on how much fun she's having. If she gets bugged by placing last, then see what she can do to improve (talk to her coaches to see if they have thoughts), but I wouldn't push it unless she's upset (don't want to give her the idea that there is reason to be upset!).

And in my experience with the internet (not just gymnastics!), far more kids are "superstars" on line than are in real life. Take things people post with a grain of salt ;-)

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

I know it can be hard to read about all of these super talented gymmies always on the podium, or first place and with huge AA scores. I agree with the other poster who said not to compare your gymmie to others, but that is much easier said than done.

My DD is 10 and L5, but currently competing Prep-Op Silver in our state. She has only had two meets and has done well w/ 34 & 35 AA. It is hard on her sometimes because she has some very talented teammates that consistently score 36 & 37 AA. she is just beginning to take notice of this. we are working on setting goals that are not score related. things like straight arms on her kip etc.

As long as your child is enjoying gym and it is still fun for her, don't worry about it. Most of our children are not going to the Olympics, so does it really matter if they score a 29AA or a 38AA in L5 ???? or do 2 years at a level, or 3 because they afraid to BHS on beam or do a flyaway on bars ?? No, what matters is that they are having fun, growing as person, learing important lessons like 'practice makes perfect (or almost)' time management skills, that you have to work for something if they really want it. Things don't come easy............

Just because a child does not place well in L5 does not mean she won't be an awesome L7. Or, maybe she won't. There are more important things than placings & medals. Sure, Meet Bling is great, but it is not everything.

 

[lilgymmie7]

I just want to say, enjoy your little one's experiences. I can't help but smile everytime I see mine at practice or performing at a meet. Her joy just exudes from her every pore and when I look at her, I can't help but smile so big! Many times she smiles after a fall and that's when I chuckle! These kids are just so brave and hard working, one can't help but enjoy watching them. As long as your DD is having fun, that is all that really matters!

 

[emorymom]

Perhaps there are a lot of high scorer parents on here because the parents of girls who show promise are more likely to invest themselves independently in learning about the sport?

I'm not the parent of a high scorer. I think she is about old enough to care somewhat this year but last year it did not bother her. However she is repeating this year and will do better.

7yo dd is still at a lower level and does not have to sacrifice much. She would prefer to be in the gym more.

I home school and that gives her more free time and more time to pursue her other interests.

 

[Empowered]

Just wanted to add another response from a parent of a gymnast who is not a high scorer. My daughter competed L4 last year, barely qualified for States and got no medals while she was there.

Though she's placed better on bars this year as a L5 she again barely qualified for States. After 2 years competing in gymnastics she has still never scored a 36AA and never even sniffed a 9 on floor.

My daughter may go to States again this weekend and leave with no medals but you know what? It doesn't matter!! I still think she's wonderful and her coaches are supportive enough to remind us all as parents that our kids are so much more than just their placement at a meet. Her bar coach summed it up one day by saying, "A meet is like a test in school, and some kids just don't test well, but that doesn't necessarily speak to their ability as a gymnast."

I have no doubt how much my daughter loves gymnastics when she comes running off the floor begging to stay for open gym despite having been there 4+ hours already.

Just an FYI too, the most unhappy, miserable child on my daughter's team is the one that consistently wins. Whenever I watch that child with 5 medals around her neck crying because of something or another that didn't go her way, I am reminded quite loudly that winning is most definitely not everything.

 

[10.0]

Another thing to add is that a lot of the posts you see here are "brags". There are a ton of members and a ton of meets that go on each weekend and you don't see everyone post.

I don't think it matters how well your kid scores if they are having fun, I doubt she will have regrets looking back, plus she has plenty of childhood left if gym stops being fun and she wants to do other things she will let you know, until then enjoy the ride!

 

[lhmom]

When my daughter joined her level 4 team this past spring, I really wondered if she would be ready to compete. She got alot of her skills late in the summer. I cringed watching her work on her ROBHS because she would crash without a spotter. She struggled quite a bit and had to push hard to be ready for Judges' Cup. What we have tried to do with her is to stress what she accomplished in that particular meet (doing a solid backhandspring, getting her front hip circle on the bars), not the placement. I confess that I was prouder of her doing the skills that she struggled so much with than what the score was. Our belief is if our girl learns the importance of perseverance then doing gymnastics has been well worth the cost (no matter what the placement). I've always thought that is what sports should be about anyway.

 

[BRB]

There are lots of parents of gymmies here whose kids are not big scorers. My own are not superstars, but they love, or have loved, gymnastics. Big scores aren't what count to me, working hard in the gym, making new friends, having fun whilst reaping the benefits of gymnastics are key.

Even though there are lots of different types of parents and gymnasts here, it is our love for them, and the sport, that brings us here. Your child is lucky to have a mom that gets her sport and the fact that you can see the benefits without huge scores.

Things can change though, sometimes a child who scores low in compulsories can really shine later on and vice versa.

I do let mine skip gym for important things, a childhood in important. But they also know that they have a commitment to a team and that is very important too. Balance is key in parenting, trying to make sure your kids, and family, have what they need to be fulfilled.

I totally agree with everything written here.

Mine is around the same age and level as yours. She generally is not a high scoring "all arounder" either, but she loves, eats, sleeps, and breathes gymnastics.

If she is happy, healthy, and loves gymanstics, I think it is worth it. There are many great life lessons that our kids will learn from gymnastics, as well as the friendships they will make, etc., that are more important that just what the placements show.