prep optional help!!

[shadow]

after state this season, our gym is having a few girls move to the prep optional program from level 5 and i get to coach these girls. i have never coached prep optional before i do not know what i'm doing basically.... i know the basis on how it works and i have the requirements from the USAG website. i have a ton of questions about this, like, do skills have the same value as level 7 and 8 and what are the restrictions? i know these girls are going to compete silver and thats about it. so if anyone knows anything about this or has had some coaching experience, advice would be greatly appreciated^^

thanks in advanced!!!

 

[gympanda]

Prep Op requirements are different by region or state, and it appears you are in Region 5, so I can definitely help

Skills are all valued the same as what is shown in the Code of Points. However, at the Silver level, skills in the L4-6 routines will also count as A's. As an example, a straight jump on floor is not worth an A according to the Code of Points. But, since there is a straight jump in the L4 floor routine it will count as an A for Prep Op.

At silver they can compete Bs, though they are not required. They will get a .1 bonus for doing a B...but only once. So, score wise it doesn't benefit them to have multiple Bs. Anything above a B will result in a deduction.

Less is more, especially on bars. If bars is a challenge, the L5 bar routine with only one tap swing will come with a 10 start value (as long as at least one cast is to horizontal.)

The hold element on beam doesn't have to be a scale, I see a lot of forward leg holds with the leg in attitude...holding the leg. Much easier and very hard to deduct on. Use a split jump for the leap/jump requirement and you'll get the .1 bonus for a B. The dance connection on beam is the requirement most often not achieved, so if you have jump connection challenges, you can always connect two straight jumps and it works. A handstand doesn't have to hit vertical to achieve an A since the L4 skill is a 3/4 handstand. It would count as one of the acro skills. Typically we see handstands, cartwheels or backwalkovers for the two acro skills.

On floor, dive rolls work for the forward acro skill requirement (as do handstand roll downs if you are in a bind). Remember that SRs are only worth .2, so not having one is better than doing one badly...i.e. front tucks that sometimes land and sometimes don't

I may have rambled, so if you have any specific questions just let me know.

 

[shadow]

thank you so much!!!!! this helps a lot. it answers the question about the dance connection kinda.. so all it is a jump series? and the acro skills dont have to be connected right? you just have to have them some where in the routine for beam... i have a question about the forward acro requirement. could that count as a tumbling pass? say a front tuck is a tumbling pass? and also do you have to have a back salto in a pass... thats all the questions i can think of right now. im sure that i'll have more later.^^

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

My DD does Prep Silver in R8. She has two tumbling passes. ROBHSBHS & BHS RO. not sure if same is ok where you are.

 

[shadow]

im not sure if it is the same either. im in R5 and i dont know any of the technicalities of this program...

 

[gympanda]

thank you so much!!!!! this helps a lot. it answers the question about the dance connection kinda.. so all it is a jump series? and the acro skills dont have to be connected right? you just have to have them some where in the routine for beam... i have a question about the forward acro requirement. could that count as a tumbling pass? say a front tuck is a tumbling pass? and also do you have to have a back salto in a pass... thats all the questions i can think of right now. im sure that i'll have more later.^^

Dance connection - it can be any connection of dance skills, but two jumps is by far the easiest and most effective way to get the requirement.
Acro Skills on Beam - Nope...they don't have to be connected!
Forward Acro Requirement - It can be used to fulfill both the fwd acro skill requirement and an acro series...however, the series must have at least two skills, so just a front tuck wouldn't work. (It would still fulfill the fwd acro requirement & the salto requirement...just not the tumbling pass requirement)
Back Salto - Not specifically required. There is a special requirement for a salto, but it can be fwd or bwd.

Floor can be kind of confusing because one pass or skill can fulfill multiple requirements. For example, if you did a front handspring front tuck it would fulfill 3 special requirements (tumbling pass with 2 flight skills, fwd acro element & salto) Most of my Prep Op silvers aren't doing that series...since sometimes its a little harder They will do a single front tuck, a round-off bhs & a front handspring step out round-off. These fulfill all the tumbling requirements. Add a leap pass and a full turn and that's your PO Silver floor routine

 

[shadow]

thanks^^ floor was a little confusing. we had a PO silver a few years ago and i was trying to remember what she did for her routine, but rules change and she was more advanced than these girls. i do have a few more questions though... on bars, can they do a mill circle if their front hip circles are not the best? and also can a level 5 dismount work? i think i have everything now i just wanted to clarify some things^^

 

[shadow]

I have a question that i can't find the answer to... we have a girl that did prep optional for a year, went to level 7 for a year and then she quit. she was talking to me yesterday about coming back and doing prep optional again. i know in the indiana rules for this, the gymnast has to make level 5 state before the can move up to prep optional gold. so, does anyone know about going to level 7 and not making it to level 5 state? i would like her to go to gold but since she kinda skipped level 5 and don't know how that works..
thanks!!

 

[gympanda]

I didn't see your earlier question about the mill circle vs front hip circle. I would recommend not doing either! My prep ops do: kip, cast squat on, long hang kip, cast to horizontal, back hip circle, underswing, counterswing, flyaway or L5 dismount. This routine starts at a 10 in Region 5 for prep op silver. I think back hip circles are much easier than front hip circles or mill circles. If you have a kid who isn't going to the high bar, then your challenge is getting 7 skills on the low bar. But, since you are asking about the L5 dismount, I'm guessing you are going to high bar. The L5 dismount does count (we had some confusion about this last year, but it has been clarified.)

As to if a kid who did L7 can do prep op gold, here are the rules I found: http://www.indianausag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010__PO_rules_revised_910.pdf

If you check out #4 under General Rules, it looks like you'll have to petition the state committee for her to compete gold, rather than platinum.

 

[shadow]

this is great!! thanks again. im new to this so i want to clarify everything i can before we actually begin the program and im trying to see what the girls can do with what skills they already have. i am very excited for this even though i dont know exactly what im doing yet^^

 

[gympanda]

I'm a major advocate for prep op, and I think in Region 5 we do a great job with it (like everything else!) If you have any more questions, feel free to PM me I'm more than happy to help with routine development and composition.

 

[shadow]

thanks im sure that there will be more questions when the season starts or also when we actually start. i'll have to see what the girls can and cant do first

 

[JBS]

Here is the Region 5 PREP-Opt. site:

Region 5 Prep-Optional Program revised September 2010

 

[shadow]

thanks but i already got what i needed from there^^ i think i have everything that i need to start.

 

[shadow]

i just found out today that i have more girls that we are moving to prep optional and now i have to rethink how im going to do this... i think im going to put some of the girls into bronze instead of having them compete all silver because some girls came from level 4. im pretty sure i have bars figured out and maybe beam but im totally not sure on floor. for tumbling passes can they do round off 2 back handsprings and a front handspring? what would be their 3rd pass or do they have to have a third pass... also do they have to have a leap pass or could the leap be by itself? i dont know much about bronze in prep optional.. this brought up some more questions.

 

[gympanda]

They only need one pass with two skills (ex. roundoff bhs, front handspring roundoff, front handspring dive roll) and a front acro element (ex. front handspring, handstand roll down, dive roll, front walkover). There is no need to do an additional pass. I wouldn't put a third pass in a prep op silver routine either.

The leap requirement is the same as the JO levels, it requires a dance passage with a leap directly or indirectly with another Group 1 element. But remember, the L4 leap pass will count, since all L3-5 elements count as an A, so the step hop is a skill.

The only other thing they need is a full turn. They only have to have 5 skills. Roundoff, BHS, fronthandspring, full turn, leap and hop = 6 elements! More than enough!

You can't do Bs in Prep Op Bronze, but a side leap is an exception.

 

[shadow]

great, thanks!! sometimes this gets confusing...^^

 

[shadow]

i guess i'm still confused about level 7's going to gold or any other level in prep optional. this girl did not make level 5 state, competed a year in prep optional silver, competed in the level 6 move up meet for level 7, competed level 7 for a year then quit. would i still have to petition the state about her going gold because she competed level 7 or would she stay in silver because she didn't make level 5 state? i just read over the rules and i'm so confused!!

 

[gympanda]

I would just contact your state chair, because those rules will be state specific. Just email you state chair and explain the situation. They'll be able to tell you if you need to petition or if you are already good.

 

[shadow]

thanks a lot!! im sorry i have so many questions but i just want to make sure that i know everything before we start so im not lost during the season...^^