new gym mom-confussed about rec and team

[crazygymstermom]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this whole gym mom thing and find the farther my daughter goes the more confussed I get.

Dd (4 yo) started at her gym about 5 months ago. Before that she did a couple sessions at our town rec center. Dd really wants to make a team next season, at our gym they only evaluate for team at the end of the competetive season. Our gym has a pre-level 1 team and then one for each level. We have been pretty much garunteed that she will make a team but she is hoping for level 2 and I am trying to figure out if that is a possibility for her.
Dd will be 5 this summer so she'll just be old enouhg for level 2 next season.
Right now she is taking rec classes 2 days a week. Our gym uses color coded (one color for each level) progression sheets to keep track of their progress. She started out in the preschool class and was only there for a couple months before they decided to move her up. It took about a month to find classes with openings to move her to the level 1 rec classes. She had a private lesson earlier this week (something she wanted) and her coach told us she only has a couple things left to be completed on her level 1 progression sheet and she actually started her and marked off a few things on her level 2 progression sheet at that lesson.
So I guess what I'm wondering is how what level one is is rec compares to what level team they would make.

 

[MaryA]

I would guess that level 1 is level 1. I suppose it's possible that your gym has its own set of "rec" and "team" requirements, but if that was the case, it would make a lot more sense to give the rec levels different names (colors, letters of the alphabet, animal names, whatever) to avoid confusion between the rec and team levels. The level 1 stuff is pretty basic, so it's not too surprising that a kid taking 2x a week classes would be able to check the stuff off fairly quickly.

For your own sanity, it's best not to expend too many brain cells trying to figure out what level your DD will be next year. It will never end. Start your Zen training early. "Whatever will be, will be." "The coaches know what they're doing and will put her at a level where she will be successful." "Ommmmm." Whatever it takes. If your daughter talks to you about wanting to be a level 2 next year, your response should be something along the lines of, "Your job is to be a good listener and to try your hardest at everything the coaches ask you to do. The coaches' job is to decide what level to put you in. So you do your job and don't worry about the coaches' job." Or something along those lines.

Good luck, and enjoy the ride!

 

[crazygymstermom]

They do have different names for the rec classes (weather ones) but they are still just broken down by level and given different names.
All season long she has been talking about making a team. I just don't want her to get her heart set on a certain one and then not make it but she is so determined to make that one.

 

[2G1B]

I'm not sure about our current gym; but I know that at our old gym the rec levels did not equal the team levels. If you really want to know about where she would end up, ask her coach. . You can also look on YouTube at some routines to see what is needed for each level.

 

[crazygymstermom]

We did talk to her coaches. Her coach from the preschool class (the rec director and lower level team coach) said she thought one maybe even 2. Her current coach is confident she'll make a team but she really had no clue which one

 

[crazygymstermom]

The whole process just confusses me

 

[crazygymstermom]

We were at a level 2 meet last weekend and the elements of their routines are all the things she is working on now

 

[GYM0M]

If you are worried about her not making a particular team, start talking up the level 1 team or even the preteam. Some gyms harp on those lower levels, especially for younger girls. We don't compete level 1 or 2 and our rec classes reflect these levels. So in our gym, level 1 & 2 are the same as comp level 1 & 2. It is also important to remember that being able to complete a skill is MUCH different than being able to compete a skill. I'm sure her coaches will make the best decision.

 

[MeetDirector]

Becca -
Please don't invest too much stress energy in these very early compulsory levels. The focus needs to be on the basics and having fun. Those early compulsory levels have no mobility scores; the first level that has a mobility score is going from 4 to 5. Those early levels also have some skills that lead absolutely nowhere in the bigger picture. The goal is to get through these levels and move on to the "real" compulsory levels. Sometimes levels 1 and 2 are just money pits; competition at these levels is not required.

 

[iwannacoach]

Becca -
Please don't invest too much stress energy in these very early compulsory levels. The focus needs to be on the basics and having fun. Those early compulsory levels have no mobility scores; the first level that has a mobility score is going from 4 to 5. Those early levels also have some skills that lead absolutely nowhere in the bigger picture. The goal is to get through these levels and move on to the "real" compulsory levels. Sometimes levels 1 and 2 are just money pits; competition at these levels is not required.

Keep in mind that, in addition to the above comments, there is a minimum age requirement for certain levels of competition, and it can be pretty frustrating to get all dressed up with no place to go.

Gymnastics peaks out in the teen years, and in those teen years kids will make 5 years of progress (of a younger kid) in just a year...... unless they've taken the fast track and are begging for a moment to catch their breath at age 14, but nobody listens because "she's a big girl now."

 

[billise]

Our gym has 3 levels of rec classes, beginner, intermediate and advanced (sometimes they are referred to as levels 1, 2, and 3). Once a child progress through those levels they MAY be invited to join level 1 Team. At our gym levels 1 and 2 Team are considered "pre-team". The girls participate in "in-house" meets. Our girls don't compete against other gyms until they reach level 3 Team.

My DD started gym at 4 years old and had worked her way through the rec levels by 5 years old at which time she was invited to level 1 Team (pre-team). She worked her way through levels 1 and 2 Team by age 6. This past December she finished her first "competitive" season (competing against other gyms) on level 3 Team as a 6 year old. She just turned 7 and is working on level 4 skills but will most likely compete level 3 again next season.

It was confusing to me too but my advice to you is to just encourage your DD to have fun, work hard and be a good listener in class. I know my DD just wanted to "make the team" too, but as soon as she did she was already talking about wanting to make the next level. I have really had to encourage her to just enjoy where she is. She is just a LITTLE girl after all. Best wishes to you and you DD!

 

[Clover]

At our gym the skills in the rec classes are the same as the skills on team for each level, but the form, strength, and flexibility are much different. Because of this we don't see girls going from Rec Level 3 to Team Level 3. Instead they would go from Rec Level 3 to Team Level 2. As another poster said, just because a child has a skill doesn't mean she is ready to compete that skill. Things are much pickier on the Team side.

Welcome to gymnastics and welcome to Chalk Bucket!

 

[gymdog]

We did talk to her coaches. Her coach from the preschool class (the rec director and lower level team coach) said she thought one maybe even 2. Her current coach is confident she'll make a team but she really had no clue which one

It probably depends on all the other girls trying out because they have to decide how to allocate spaces based on numbers. So there's no way to know, most likely. I know it's frustrating.

 

[crazygymstermom]

Thanks everyone! The correlation between rec and team had me so confussed. I just wanted to make sure she is on track to reach her goal and it seems like she is

 

[Sasha]

Others have pointed out the primary difference between rec and team isn't skills, but form, which comes with strength, conditioning, and maddening repetition.

I had to learn this myself (I was clueless also a year ago) when my DD tried out for team from the rec path. I expected and hoped she would be L3 based on skills, but she was placed L2. At first I didn't understand, but now that I have seen the difference in form elements (not just toe points), it makes perfect sense to me, and she will now rock L3 since she has had a year to work on the form elements.

Enjoy gymnastics!

 

[Ruth]

Congratulations on your dd's progress. Some difference between level 1 and 2 can be very easy to learn like floor. But you never know how long it will take to learn bars or vault. My dd finished level 1 and it tought her so much forms and techniques.