Parents Just a vent about sandbaggers!

[Deleted member 18037]

If you have a super talented athlete it is important to pace them. Rushing through the levels to hit optionals as young as possible, means continually increasing their training hours before their bodies may be ready to handle it.

If this kid is going to be 10 in January 2017, that means she will be too young for the 2020 Olympics. If her goal is the highest level of the sport then she will need to wait until 2024 to do this. That is 8 years away, pacing her now will ensure she is more likely to still be in the sport in 8 years.

Most logical thing I have heard in awhile. Why rush, it's harder on the body, harder on them mentally. And they will get to where they need to be.

 

[Sasha]

Most gyms in our area don't do L6, so if you're not ready for the 5/7 back-to-back season, then you do a full season of L5 (ending in Dec) and don't compete again until the following Optional season (generally starting in Jan), so it's a full year w/o competition.

That's a reasonable strategy, for sure. I have found, though, that there are particular gyms who would rather have the girls not take a full year of non-competing, and so level 5 is repeated if not ready for 7. I can't say I know why. Maybe they just like to always field a reasonably sized team. Or maybe they just think the more competition experience the better, or that girls will want to compete more and not wait a whole year. Not sure of the reason. Maybe a coach at a 5/7 gym can chime in here?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

If L5 and L6 are not in the same session (or even if they are) you are upping coaching fees and time coaches are at a meet. Not surprising they would rather do just one level, either/or.

 

[Seeker]

In our state, the Compulsories compete in the Fall and the Optionals in the Spring, so you have to work within that structure. For those not doing a back to back L5/L7 season, then you may see some of them competing a few L5 meets in the Fall to shake off the rust....then they'll do a full season of L7. There aren't any L6 meets in the Fall, so they either wait the full year to compete or do a few at L5.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Sounds like the gym is doing everything right for this talented young lady!!

We don't compete L6. If not ready for L7, you do a second season of L5. Compulsories and Optionals both compete winter/spring season here, not fall. I believe the option is there to compete compulsory during fall but hardly anyone does according to our HC...

 

[triplethreat+1]

If L5 and L6 are not in the same session (or even if they are) you are upping coaching fees and time coaches are at a meet. Not surprising they would rather do just one level, either/or.

Now that makes sense. I can see that most gyms wouldn't want to deal with the logistics of another level just for the odd girl who really wasn't (shouldn't be) a 5 or 7