B
Billy
There has been a lot of discussion lately about very young gymnasts at very high levels, often before they are really ready. So my question is, given that the obvious things (skills, form, maturity, etc.) are in place, what is the "perfect" progression? I have heard that a gymnast wanting NCAA needs to be a solid level 10 by her sophomore year because that's when the college coaches start really watching and looking for their next recruits. And I've heard that elite gymnasts need to be experienced elites before they are seniors (age 16) if they want to make the national teams and get assigned to international competitions. So they should probably make elite by say 14 or 15. And it can often take a year or two after level 10 to qualify as an elite gymnast. So, what age is the ideal age for each level for a gymnast wanting NCAA and/or elite? If you were to plan the perfect progression (that fits in with the current system), what would it be? What age should she start? How quickly should she move through the levels? How old should she be when she reaches level 10? When she qualifies to elite? If you were the coach, how would you progress your talented gymnast?