rec to pre-team

[lisavarma]

Hi Everyone,
I just joined this site! My daughter is 8 years old and has been taking rec classes for about 4 sessions now.
Are there certain skills she needs to be pre-team? Or would she learn them once she is there?


Thanks!
lisa

 

[cher062]

Most pre-teams I know of aren't looking for specific gym skills. They tend to look for a "coachable kid" do they listen, can they follow instructions, do they seem like they will want this. Is the parent willing to go down the team track and so on. Yes if they have some good form to that helps

You should ask your gym what they are looking for to persue that avenue and let them know you are interested in your DD going down that path.

 

[2gymbratz]

I've been coaching Pre-Team and Level 4 for about 4 years now at our YMCA. We do have required skills for going onto Pre-Team just like moving up thru any other level. Ours are: Floor-Handstand roll down, back walk over, bridge in correct form, splits, backward roll straight arms, good round off rebound. Vault-be able to hit the spring board correctly. Bars-pull over, cast, back hip circle, cut over, glide correct. Beam-Straight jump, Tuck jump, Scale, arabesque, handstand (3/4) on low beam, Side handstand, half turn, cartwheel on low beam. As well as making sure that the child and the parents want to go the Pre-Team/Team route. It is a major dedication for all involved. But we love the sport! I'm sure that all gyms are different but maybe this will help. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[GymnastJoy]

I agree with Cher. Most gyms are looking for a coachable kid who has the interest and some ability.

I would ask the teacher of your dd's class or someone else at the gym (front desk, coach, etc). Letting them know that your dd is interested and motivated can make all the difference. Who doesn't want a kid on their team who really wants to be there. You can then find out what is entailed as far as skills and schedule.

Good luck and welcome to CB!

 

[gymmutti]

I think it depends on the gym and what level they begin to compete. My dd gym begins competition at L5 and she joined pre-team from the rec side right after turning 8 years old. She had made it clear to her rec coach that she was interested in "making team" and would ask her coach what she needed to work on. Because she really wanted to move over - the coach worked to make sure my dd was learning skills with the right form (ie., no kickovers with bent legs or bent legged cartwheels allowed). Girls at our gym joining the pre-team are around a L3/L4 skill-wise which meant they needed to have a back hip circle, chin-up pullover and good cast on bars, handstand, bridge-to kickover and strong roundoff rebound on floor, tuck jump, straight jump and comfort on beam. We do have a lower version of pre-team that are for girls who may not have skills but show early above-average strength or flexibility. But Cher hit on the most important thing - coachable kids. Coaches want kids who listen and can act on corrections and are motivated (and parents who can commit to the increased time commitment that competitive gymnastics brings).

 

[lisavarma]

thanks!

thanks so much for your answers -they are very helpful!
My daughter definately cannot do all the skills listed in the posts.
That brings me to another question - If I can get her to the PreTeam level, does that mean she will be learning more skills? It it taken 'more seriously'?? I guess I feel that I have been paying for these rec classes but not really seeing much improvement - I know my daughter is not naturally good at gymnastics, but I would think with practice eventually she should be able to get some basic skills down...are rec classes good at learning new skills or is it very laid back in rec classes?

maybe i'll post this in a new thread about rec classes?


thanks!
lisa

 

[jen1957]

Welcome to CB! I agree with the others above. From what I've seen on here, preteam seems to vary from gym to gym. I would make sure your DD's coach knows she's interested in preteam/team and ask questions. My DD is 9, she moved from rec to preteam almost a year ago. It was right around her 8th birthday that she learned about team from some other girls and decided she wanted to go that direction. We let her coach know and then (sooner than I thought she would) she moved to preteam. Preteam at DD's gym is L2 and L3, the skill level of the girls coming into preteam seems to vary. Good Luck!

 

[cher062]

thanks so much for your answers -they are very helpful!
My daughter definately cannot do all the skills listed in the posts.
That brings me to another question - If I can get her to the PreTeam level, does that mean she will be learning more skills? It it taken 'more seriously'?? I guess I feel that I have been paying for these rec classes but not really seeing much improvement - I know my daughter is not naturally good at gymnastics, but I would think with practice eventually she should be able to get some basic skills down...are rec classes good at learning new skills or is it very laid back in rec classes?

maybe i'll post this in a new thread about rec classes?


thanks!
lisa

rec classes are usually once a week for about an hour. Where the Pre- team and Team programs usually have more time and more days depending on your gym and the level you are at. Will she learn more - yes becasue she will be there more and have more time to practice. But keep in mind more hours means more cost too.

I think your next step is to talk the the gym owners or whoever at your gym makes the Pre-team /Team decisions. Let them know you want more and would your DD be eligible for Pre-team. She may not be as I know of the pre-teams around me they usually are the 3yo - 6yo kids that go to pre-team. this could be different for your gym.

You need to talk to the gym and see what your options are. May be you won't want to commit to the team programs It does become a life style and most of the family time is spent as they move along the program revolved around your gymnast. You might just need maybe a second day of rec class to get what you were hoping for in your Dd's gymnastics.

 

[gymboymom]

I have to agree that it varies from gym to gym. My ds definitely did not have most of those skills mentioned above when he moved to preteam, but he has great flexibility and upper body strength. There are also a lot of building skills that go into gymnastics, so sometimes it is hard to see or judge progress. Our gym holds open tryout for the girls for preteam/team in May.

 

[lisavarma]

thanks for all the answers! this site is so helpful!

 

[Krystan]

I agree with others that it greatly varies. For our gym, the kids moved to pre-team have almost all the level 4 skills, good flexibility, and upper body strength. Our pre-team really has two groups divided by age. Many of those brought to pre-team are still working on back handspring, front hip circle, or mill circle, but are usually on their way. They learn the level 4 routine over the year of pre-team (or two years, depending on age/progress), conditioning, and perfecting basic skills. When they're ready, they are moved to either L4, L5, or PrepOp (dependent on age, ability, potential, etc).

 

[gymgal]

As you can see from the posts here, every gym is very different in how they handle their pre-team. The best thing to do is sit down with the head coach.

Pre-team does not always mean that you will be learning more skills. Infact, in dd's gym, the all-stars and higher level rec girls have more skills than the pre-teamers. but the pre-teamers have much better form and the practice is run with more of a team atmosphere (lots of drills, stations, breaking down higher level skills into parts they can learn now). the rec classes tend to be more laid-back but starting at pre-team, you need to be ready to work every minute of your practice.

 

[jcs]

Hi and welcome to the CB! I would probably talk to the coaches about the skills she would like to learn rather than talking about pre-team or different classes. I know at our gym, pre-team is invite only, and it is only for people who would like to compete someday (or at least have the intention of working toward that.) As someone else said, it's not necessarily skill but form and doing those skills the correct way and also a lot of conditioning. My DD was invited to pre-team at the beginning of the summer and she couldn't even do a cartwheel. That being said, we have taken a step back because she didn't really seem to want to be going 2x for 1.5hrs a week at this stage (she just turned 5). She would get mad if she wanted to go the park and couldn't "because you have gymnastics" and then start on an "I hate gymnastics" rant. After two rough classes of not listening, the coaches suggested she try the rec class so she can regain her happy gymnastics place again.

I guess the question I have is, is your DD happy where she is or does she want more? Is she frustrated that her skills haven't come faster or is that something you are noticing? She might think everything is just fine and is having fun with her friends.