WAG New Parent to Forum with a question

[x98peterson]

Hi everyone, I have been lurking around here for the past 6mo or so.

We are new to gymnastics, my daughter started in beginners in September, she is six.

I had a level question as I know the levels just changed.

The gym she goes to is pretty layed back and they don't really communicate much with parents so I just stay out of the way and let them do there thing, I have prompted them a couple times to test her when I thought she was ready to move up and then they do move her.

Right now since it is summer we just cut back to one 3 hour class a week and an hour private each week, and an optional 2 hr open gym. I don't get to watch lessons because I work so the whole communication thing is mostly my fault.

So, my question is, these are the skills she has down listed below. She is in a pre team class and do you think since team starts in the fall she will be ready for it?

Floor: Back handspring (almost ready to combo it - but she still has a little pause in there)
Front handspring (on floor but lands it on a thick in floor mat)
Tick tock
Back sommersault into handstand
4 second hand stand
Almost can do splits
Front and back tucks on tramp only

Beam: Handstand, and needs spot to do handstand roundoff dismount but can do on lower beam
Cartwheel with very little spotting
Full turn
(she has down the level 3 routine)

Bars: Front and back hip circles (basically has the level 3/4 routine down pat, this is her strength area)
They haven't started working on the Kip yet?

Vault: Jump on
Handstand to flat back on mat

So what level is she at? They had just moved her to level 2 appx 2 months ago, would you say she is level 3 and almost level 4? Just curious b/c I don't want to push her to make team if you don't think she is going to make it on by September? I figured they won't move them to team mid season?

Now that she almost has her backhandspring combo's do things tend to move pretty quick as far as progression after that?

Thanks everyone, sorry this is so long. We are just very green at all of this.

Mendy

 

[wallflower]

I'd say she sounds close to the new level 3, but I don't know the standard of her skills obviously. Doing a skill and a skill being ready for competition are 2 different things for some gyms. I'd just ask. It's always good to know where they stand and what the goals are of the gym.

 

[bogwoppit]

Just to answer you question about progression after getting BHS's. Well that is like asking how long is a piece of string. Every gymnast is different, some may never get further than a BHS and others may fly ahead. It is difficult for us to guess which one your dd is. Plus having a BHS is not the same as having a competition ready BHS.

My only other comment would be why a weekly private? Those are unusual things for a child not on team, and a relatively unusual thing for a team kid who is having no issues with a skill

 

[EastCoastGymMom]

Most gyms have the kids move up to preteam (and/or up to the next competition level) once a year. Usually kids are on preteam one year, some more and some less. I'd say she is new level 2/3 depending on how polished her skills are now. It varies at each gym, but if she is 6 years old and just moved to Level 2, then she will probably be on pre-team/Level 2 for a year and move up next year.

 

[MeetDirector]

Agree completely with Bog on the Private; why? There is so much time ahead of your dd in this sport that at her current age she needs to be having fun; privates at that age and not on a competing team are, frankly, a waste of money. This puts way too much pressure on young ones to "get a skill" when they should be focused on the fun factor. My current Lvl 9 dd had maybe 2 privates in her whole career and as I recall it was for the dreaded kip and was needed because her team was so big that they didn't get a lot of time to work it. My advice to anyone at your stage in this crazy sport is let the system work; don't try and accelerate things, let the coaches do that. You have to start developing the trust that the coaches have your daughter's best interests at heart and will progress her at the right pace.

Good Luck.

 

[x98peterson]

Thx for the advice. Didn't mean for advice on private. It is too long to explain. She has a disability and she wants them. They do not push her at all. They usually just let her play and work on skills. She asked for them. If it were my choice she wouldn't.

 

[bogwoppit]

Oh people often get advice on here about things they didn't ask about. You either use it or ignore it, but that is the joy/downside of forums eh!

 

[x98peterson]

No problem at all! . I agree it is ridiculous to do them weekly.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

No kip= Level 3

And, there's now an optional kip in Level 3. She needs to be working her kip IMO.
*ETA this is "new" Level 3 I am referring to*

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Giving us a list of skills doesn't actually tell us that much, unless we have some way to gauge the quality of her technique. There's a HUGE difference between "having" a backhandspring and having a roundoff-backhandspring that is 1) ready to compete and 2) ready to build on.

EDIT: Sorry, I think that came out sounding a bit more gruff than intended. I'm merely trying to say that when a kid says they "have" a skill and when a coach says a kid "has" a skill, it doesn't necessarily mean the same thing.

 

[cbone]

Sounds like she's basically new 3 to me.

 

[x98peterson]

So, last week after one of her sessions, I was finally able to watch and corner the coach, she said she was at "2.7" new level, so almost old level 4. They did start working on her Kip, she has it with a "heavy spot" only. She did get to practice a "tumbling pass" finally- so she has down the roundoff backhandspring per her coach- no pause, mom was proud!

She said she wants to get her ready to compete level 3 in August! So, I don't know if that is officially team or not. She is going to do some more checking with the team coach and put some buzz's in their ear that she is so close.

She got her Mill circle finally last week too and her cartwheel on beam w/o a spot.

Either way I won't push her to compete level 4 until next year, so thanks to all of you for pushing me to just corner the coach who btw is awesome with her.