What I think vs What I say...

[MaryA]

What I think:

"What do you MEAN you've lost your fly-away a week before your first meet? You've had your flyaway since JUNE! It was the first level 6 skill you GOT! How could you possibly have lost it NOW????"

What I say:

"You'll get it, sweetie. And if you don't, it won't be the end of the world if you have to scratch on bars at one meet."

Heavy sigh. :sigh:

 

[2gymmies]

I feel your pain! It seems like gymnastics makes us moms bite our tongue and smile all of the time!

Hang in there...

 

[justanothergymmom]

Sorry to hear it Rest assured, it will come back...the timing just stinks! It is so frustrating to watch them work so hard and last minute experience a glitch in the plan. I have been through this over the years with my girls where all the stars seemed to line up, but a last minute injury or illness smacked them in the face. I now believe that managing set-backs is as much a part of the sport as the training, and at this point I just expect that things like this will come and go. UGH!

Lots of times I have that whole "what I think vs. what I say" thing going on too-LOL...I bite my tongue more than you could imagine! How does Kathy seem to be handling the set-back?

 

[MaryA]

Sorry to hear it Rest assured, it will come back...the timing just stinks! It is so frustrating to watch them work so hard and last minute experience a glitch in the plan. I have been through this over the years with my girls where all the stars seemed to line up, but a last minute injury or illness smacked them in the face. I now believe that managing set-backs is as much a part of the sport as the training, and at this point I just expect that things like this will come and go. UGH!

Lots of times I have that whole "what I think vs. what I say" thing going on too-LOL...I bite my tongue more than you could imagine! How does Kathy seem to be handling the set-back?

Yeah, you know, I'm always the first to respond to this kind of post. "Don't worry. It will come back. This is just part of the sport." But that doesn't keep me from being frustrated when it happends to MY daughter!

She was pretty confident about it until after yesterday's practice. I think now it's close enough to meet day that she's getting worried. She says that she "skipped a step." Apparently her coach has told her that she didn't do enough timing drills while she was learning it (she actually learned it at Woodward) and that's why the timing aspect of it is coming back to haunt her now. I guess I get that in theory... a strong foundation, blah, blah, blah. And yet part of me is thinking, "if she's been doing the skill for four months, surely she had the timing of it down." I do think she's had a bit of a growth spurt, so that is likely part of the issue as well. Her spot when they line up from shortest to tallest has moved one spot up just since she started at the new gym five weeks ago.

 

[justanothergymmom]

Yeah, you know, I'm always the first to respond to this kind of post. "Don't worry. It will come back. This is just part of the sport." But that doesn't keep me from being frustrated when it happends to MY daughter!

She was pretty confident about it until after yesterday's practice. I think now it's close enough to meet day that she's getting worried. She says that she "skipped a step." Apparently her coach has told her that she didn't do enough timing drills while she was learning it (she actually learned it at Woodward) and that's why the timing aspect of it is coming back to haunt her now. I guess I get that in theory... a strong foundation, blah, blah, blah. And yet part of me is thinking, "if she's been doing the skill for four months, surely she had the timing of it down." I do think she's had a bit of a growth spurt, so that is likely part of the issue as well. Her spot when they line up from shortest to tallest has moved one spot up just since she started at the new gym five weeks ago.

Awww, Mary! I hope I don't sound unsympathetic! I actually really can empathize with you. My girls have been through a lot of these types of issues in their training. It absolutely pains me to watch them go through it, but what I can tell you is that when they do come out on the other side it is with a renewed love and respect for the sport that drives them to work even harder. But yes, I agree, when your DD is in the middle of this type of situation it STINKS! Both of my dds have been there recently (with some incorrect training progressions, and having to relearn skills).

Best of luck to Kathy! I know she will get it back Hang in there, Mom!!!

 

[MaryA]

Awww, Mary! I hope I don't sound unsympathetic!

Not at all! I always know I'll get a great message from you!

 

[Empowered]

Mary I feel your frustration and I know it doesn't help much to hear that it happens to everyone, they get past it, blah, blah, blah... BUT here's my daughter's story anyway... She lost her bwo 2 weeks before her L6 season started after having had the skill for well over a year. I wanted to kick something. It was so frustrating and I felt so helpless watching her stand up there frozen.

What I can offer as potentional good news for your daughter is that in the process of re-learning the skill and getting past the fear, my daughter ended up with a much, much, MUCH better bwo. It is more consistent and her form is better. In addition to the skill improvement, her pride for conquering the fear and moving past the situation has spread to the rest of her beam. It is now her best level 6 event by far and her confidence is so evident.

So maybe in tackling this icky old flyaway yet again your daughter will end up with an improved bar routine and some extra confidence for her L6 six season!

 

[MaryA]

Thanks, Sharks. That is a good story! And I do think that going through the progression at her new gym, where they actually do very careful progressions, as opposed to her old gym where they mostly just seemed to have them do a skill over and over again until they "got" it, is likely to help her... probably not only with the fly-away, but with all of the other bar dismounts that grow out of the flyaway (which, after level 6, is pretty much all of them, isn't it?).

I hate bars.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

I feel your pain! It seems like gymnastics makes us moms bite our tongue and smile all of the time!

Hang in there...

and this is precisely WHY coaches have stubs for tongues...

 

[notjustgym]

Mary - you say that your DD went through a growth spurt recently. My DD seems to 'lose' her Flyaway or bar dismount every time there is a sizeable growth spurt. She has been doing a flyaway fro 6 years now! and after state last year didn't do a flyaway for a month..

I know how hard it is to watch them struggle (and trust me my DD has struggled with skills.. ) and I know how easy it is to tell someone 'not to worry, they will get it'. but hang in there.. I know she will get it back.

does she feel more comfortable when a coach spots her? Normally my DD just needs a couple times of her coach standing there to get over the block.

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

This sport is stressful for everyone i think. sometimes i feel likr the queen of bite my tongue. it will be ok. is coach willing to spot her @ this meet so she doesnt have to scratch?

 

[MaryA]

The problem is that she is hitting her toes, so I don't know if that's something that can be "spotted" away. Waiting for her at gym as I type, so we'll see if there was any improvement tonight.

 

[UnoMas]

Hope she finds it before the meet...or at the meet? My older DD "lost" her FHC the week before her first level 4 meet and found it again AT the meet...you never know. Poor thing! Keep biting that tongue, mom!

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

The problem is that she is hitting her toes, so I don't know if that's something that can be "spotted" away. Waiting for her at gym as I type, so we'll see if there was any improvement tonight.

sounds like she is doing one of several things. tucking to early, letting go of the bar before she is at the top of her tap swing or not pushing the bar away as she releases.

sending some bar fairies !

 

[Granny Smith]

It will come, it will come! It probably wouldn't matter to you if it wasn't a few weeks before a meet. Everyone wants their kid to go out and perform AA & the fact that you know she can do the skill... ya it's stressful as a parent. Hitting toes is a scary thing to the girls and I'm sure her issue is not with the skill, but her confidence in doing the skill. She just needs to get to the point that even if she is scared, she'll still go for it. After doing it a few times with no hits, her confidence will come back!

I had to laugh when I read OPs "What I think v. What I say..." I am soooooo with you OP. My dd is coming back from an injury. Due to her injury she is repeating the level she did last season. Scary part for me is she has not vaulted since May 7th.... Well, HELLO January will be here before you know it - do you think you might start vaulting soon! I know it's a slow come back and she has told me that she has done RO straight jumps for vault, but no one seems to progressing her along. She has been cleared from her Dr since August 3rd and I knew she wasn't going to come back overnight, but there is no Dr that is going to come in and say "ok sweetie, you can now do this." She has to trust her body at some point and start to progress.

So when I read your post all I could think to myself while I'm chuckling is: What I think is (when will you start vaulting again, January will be here before ya know it) v. What I say (when will you start vaulting again, January wil be here before ya know it).... If no one else is gonna say it to her, I might as well be the one! She's older and can take the words - if she were a few years younger, I'd bite my tongue too! I do try to say it with a smile though as to not show my frustration level...

 

[gym monkeys mom]

Ah what we say versus what we think...I agree with Granny Smith this changes depending on the age of the gymnast. I try to stay out of coaching and be supportive BUT sometimes I know my DD (15yrs) better than anyone and my words are what is needed. i know how to ush her sometimes when she will not herself and coach cant.

Their are some skills over the years that seem to come and go, and come and go again..... flyaways, BWO, Wendy dismount, BHS giants.....and on and on....how we help out kids to deal with fear is part of growing as a gymnast.

At Level 6 DD coach pleaded with her at the last meet asca Level6 please just do your beam dismount his one last time...LOL

Hoping things get better soon hang in there.

 

[Deanna]

Aww. It will be okay Momma. She will get it back. She has so much going on right now. New gym..new coaching style...growth spurt..relearning how to do the flyaway. Best of luck to her. Keep us posted on how she does