WAG Is this sport seriously that nitpicky?!

[alsmom]

My dd is one of those 6 year olds competing l3 this year...she is the only 6 year old on her team. They did move some other 6 yo's up to l3 but decided not to have them compete this year due to form issues, etc...so while she is competing that level it is not common.

 

[momofthreegirls]

I think a lot of having a younger team vs. older team depends on the gym's level structure and coach's preference. For instance at our gym, we don't start competing until old 4/new 3. Kids in the preteam are chosen by the head coach/owner, who prefers a young team. He picks mostly 4-6 year olds for the preteam, so our old 4/new 3 team tends to be very young.
We have about 20 new L3s this season, and almost all of them are 6 and 7 years old.

On our new L4 team, most of the girls are 7 and 8 years old. We are usually the youngest looking team at the meets we attend. Sometimes the youngest age groups are made up of only our team.

I have a very young new L4 (she is 6, but will turn 7 in time to compete in November) and while good form/tightness/toe point comes naturally to her, it is taking her a lot longer to memorize all the little details of the routines when compared to the older girls on the team. My older DD (9) is also a new L4, and she is memorizing the routines easily, but form is not natural to her. If I had $1 for every time I've heard the coaches telling her to fix her form, I'd be rich.

 

[momofthreegirls]

Oh and about the original topic - yes it's very nitpicky. I am currently coaching the L3 training team, and the routines have an unbelievable amount of tiny details to perfect.

Good tumbling alone won't create high scores. All last season my young "old" L4 consistently beat out teammates on floor who were awesome tumblers, even though my DD had a weak ROBHS. DD's dance and form were precise, which seemed to matter more than simply having an amazing ROBHS.

 

[mouey77]

Thanks, everyone! Ok, it sounds like it's not super common for 6 yr olds to compete at the higher compulsory levels. I did ask finally, and yes, our gym definitely only moves kids up one level per year. They make the decision based on the child's overall score at the state meet at the end of meet season. So, I sure hope DD gets her form down. Maybe it won't bother DD, but I personally might not make it through two years of level one. .

 

[Krystan]

I think it's geographic. I've never heard of a gym competing L1 or L2 around here. And really, I wouldn't worry too much about scores at this level. And the LAST thing I think a level 1 parent should do is take a look at the Code of Points. That's a ticket to getting obsessed. I would just sit back and enjoy watching her have fun, let the coaches worry about the scores. The details will come. Have fun!