mom of 7 year old level 4

[mkbalsamo]

Hi! So happy to have found this site. Looking forward to learning alot of info. My daughter has only competed in non sanctioned meets so far. She will start the sanctioned meets in September. She has all of her skills in level 4, she just needs to get them more consistent. She will be practicing about 15 hours per week this summer.

 

[sara74]

Hi there!

I'm new too, with a just turned 8 year old level 4 myself. She's got one more meet this weekend as a 3, and then practice for 4 the next morning! She's so excited to not be on the 'youngest' level anymore!

We're only training 7.5 hours this summer. Her gym is pretty low key and relaxed, which suits us just fine. I think she'd go 15 hours if they would let her, but I'm not sure I could take it!

Sara

 

[UnoMas]

Welcome to the CB! Have fun reading, learning, and laughing!

 

[mkbalsamo]

So happy for your daughter!

 

[starmaker]

Hello and welcome to CB! Seems like we have a bunch of new level 4 parents here!

My dd finished her first season of level 4 and just turned 7. She been loving the uptraining and has most of her level 5 skills. She is currently training 15 hours and in summer will train 18 hours.

 

[mkbalsamo]

You are so lucky your daughter will get to practice 18 hours. My daughter will practice 15 hours this summer which includes a 1 1/2 hour semi-private lesson each week. The gym owner will not offer any additional hours. I really feel the more hours the better.

 

[sportyfam5]

You are so lucky your daughter will get to practice 18 hours. My daughter will practice 15 hours this summer which includes a 1 1/2 hour semi-private lesson each week. The gym owner will not offer any additional hours. I really feel the more hours the better.

I found this interesting because I remember reading once that Shawn Johnson practiced about 1/2 the time of other Olympians. It stated that she used all her time wisely and didn't need to train longer. so longer may not always be better.

 

[mariposa]

Welcome! I have a 7 year old that just finished level 4. She is now officially a level 5. She did 2 years at level 4. She practiced 10 hours a week as a 4 and will practice 14 hours a week as a 5. I wouldn't mind if she stayed at 10 hours a week.

 

[bogwoppit]

You are so lucky your daughter will get to practice 18 hours. My daughter will practice 15 hours this summer which includes a 1 1/2 hour semi-private lesson each week. The gym owner will not offer any additional hours. I really feel the more hours the better.

Oh gosh I cannot imagine that for a L4 more than 12 hours is really necassary. WHat about burn out or other interests?

More is not really better, quality is what counts!

 

[mkbalsamo]

My daughters gym has recently hired a new coach and he added trak and tramp time for the first time. This has really helped her skills. She has been going to trak and tramp for about 7 hours per week. She can now do a triple back handspring and a front tuck on the tumble trak. Over the summer they are not offering the trak and tramp time. I am worried about the loss of time. With the additional hours her skills have improved dramatically vs. just going to team for 9 or so hours per week. She wants to nail all of her skills so she excels when she starts the sanction meets in September.

 

[mariposa]

Really, be thankful for the hours being lower right now. I have seen gyms with lower hours do better than gyms with mega hours. It is all in what they get done during practice and how much they focus on all the little things in a routine. My daughter did 10 hours a week for the past 2 years, at age 6 she had an okay year, mostly because the gym she was at had too many coaching changes and very inconsistent coaching. This past year, she still did 10 hours and did great. All while still having plenty of time for other things. Pretty soon, there isn't much choice with how many hours they do, it goes up if they stay in the sport. Enjoy the lower hours/level while you can. Even 14 hours for my 7 year old (who turns 8 in the summer) seems like too much to me.

All that to say, more isn't necessarily better! Too much stress at level 4, which is meant to be an introduction and fun, can lead to girls burning out before they even get a chance to enjoy gymnastics! It is easy to get sucked in and want it all at the beginning. You will hear it here over and over, gymnastics is a marathon, not a sprint.