I just joined this group, but have been reading the forums for a little while. I am just looking for a little guidance/advice from seasoned parents as this is a new world for me!
I have a 7 year old daughter competing at AAU level 4 this year. She competed as a Level 2 last year and did very well, but was often in small groups (3-10 gymnasts at her age level). I didn't pick her gym with the goal of competing, she just did a preschool tumbling class and loved it so we have stuck with it. The gym is very small which is good in some ways, only four girls on the team, lots of one on one coaching, lots of time on the equipment, etc. But, it is very disorganized and no one has ever talked with me about any short or long term goals for her. Since I have zero experience with gymnastics, I don't even know what to ask!
I guess my question is at what point should I be thinking about her competitive future? I see references to TOPS, optionals, etc but don't really know what it means. Is there a path that I should be guiding her on? She loves the gym and coaches, but the teams seem to fade out around Level 6 so I know I will probably need to find something different at some point if she wants to continue. I do think she has some talent and I have to drag her out of the gym after practices, she has gotten some of the skills beyond 4- doing multiple back handsprings, back tucks, she was very excited about her baby giant yesterday-though I have NO clue what that is! One thing I do notice, though, is that she does not always point her toes, have tight arms, etc and I feel like that should be a big deal to the coaches at this point?
Sorry for such a long post, Thanks for any input for a confused mom!
I have a 7 year old daughter competing at AAU level 4 this year. She competed as a Level 2 last year and did very well, but was often in small groups (3-10 gymnasts at her age level). I didn't pick her gym with the goal of competing, she just did a preschool tumbling class and loved it so we have stuck with it. The gym is very small which is good in some ways, only four girls on the team, lots of one on one coaching, lots of time on the equipment, etc. But, it is very disorganized and no one has ever talked with me about any short or long term goals for her. Since I have zero experience with gymnastics, I don't even know what to ask!
I guess my question is at what point should I be thinking about her competitive future? I see references to TOPS, optionals, etc but don't really know what it means. Is there a path that I should be guiding her on? She loves the gym and coaches, but the teams seem to fade out around Level 6 so I know I will probably need to find something different at some point if she wants to continue. I do think she has some talent and I have to drag her out of the gym after practices, she has gotten some of the skills beyond 4- doing multiple back handsprings, back tucks, she was very excited about her baby giant yesterday-though I have NO clue what that is! One thing I do notice, though, is that she does not always point her toes, have tight arms, etc and I feel like that should be a big deal to the coaches at this point?
Sorry for such a long post, Thanks for any input for a confused mom!