Parents What is your current level 6 doing next year with the changes?

[snowboardergirl]

Since level 6 can stay at the "new" 6 or go to level 7? My daughters gym says they will decide based on skills. Of course my daughter would rather go to 7 but I wonder if she'd be better to stay at the new 6. She didn't have a great year (she skipped Level 5) It wasn't awful but she wasn't a superstar, her skills were fine it was the perfection of things in the routines that got her. I'd be worried if she moved to 7 that she'd be skipping again and never catch up (perfection wise). Would you worry about this? I will just trust the gym but I was curious what the other girls are doing. She's 10....so age wise she'd be fine in either level. She's not overly old or young. (At least at our gym most level 6's are 11/12, she was one of the younger ones this year).

 

[Empowered]

There are several of the larger gyms in this area that currently say they are choosing to not participate in the new level 6. They are going to either keep girls in 5 or make them jump to 7. These gyms say this watered down optional level is too much like Xcel.

I don't agree and my daughter's gym isn't one of those gyms, but this is what I am hearing a lot here. I have a feeling this may change depending on what they end up doing with the vault. There are not many girls around here who could jump from just 2 years of a front handspring vault to flipping a vault so that might be tricky, but we'll see.

I am sure either way she'll be fine. She'll get a taste of optionals and her own routines which is what they all love.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Trust your coaches but also let them know in a joking manner, that you are totally fine with her staying in 6 next year.
I am a coach and we push through optionals at stages depending on the child, and it's always wonderful to hear from the parent when they are totally okay with taking it slow. (usually it's the opposite, so your comments will be welcome).

 

[sglemon]

From what I heard, but not set in stone, the current level 6 s will either go to new level 6 or 7 based on their skills. Our state will be running a level 6 state meet next year ( from what I heard, LOL ). Until the schedule 13-14 season, is posted, anything can change. Current level 5 s, my dd, will compete new level 5 next year.

 

[Gymmommy71]

What happens w/ DD will depend mostly on the bars requirements between the new L6 and the new L7. They are due out next month I believe. She is weak on bars, but pretty strong w/ current L7 skills on floor and beam.

 

[UnoMas]

My DD is going to do new 6. She didn't have a fabulous L6 season this year, but doesn't need to "repeat" it, so I am hoping that new 6 will be just the thing for her. I hope.

 

[Seeker]

My DD's coach is planning to have her skip new 6 and go to 7, but this will depend on skills and how they map to the new requirements. We don't compete again until December, so there is a long time to train. She will probably evaluate them in late summer/early fall to see where they match up.

 

[dmytv]

With our gym, we have had all the level 5s who could, score out of the current level 6 so that they have the option of doing 6 or 7. For our area both 6 and 7 will have a winter/spring season( with states in spring) I have thought about this alot and the requirements I think will be Level 6/ 7- Vault- Good handspring vault/ twisting vault, Bars- Good clear hip/ Giant, layout flyaway, Beam- BWO, BWO series/ BHS Series, Floor- Fhs-ft/ Back lay out. would love to hear what others are planning.

 

[htimcj]

Our gym is mostly waiting to see exactly what the requirements are before making any real decissions but about 1/2 her team is gong for new 7 and the other half will do new 6. Coach as said that if DD gets her giant she'll do new 7 if nothing terribly surprising happens with the special requirements. DD and I are perfectly happy either way.

 

[Natasha]

Our gym will do what they do every year, train every gymnast over the summer with whatever progressions and skills they are ready to train and then evaluate where each gymnast is at the end of the summer and decide what level they will plan to have each one compete. Until all the requirements are released for the optional levels the gym is not making any predictions.

 

[LizzieLac]

Our gym will do what they do every year, train every gymnast over the summer with whatever progressions and skills they are ready to train and then evaluate where each gymnast is at the end of the summer and decide what level they will plan to have each one compete. Until all the requirements are released for the optional levels the gym is not making any predictions.

This is our gym exactly. They will wait until they have all of the information about the new levels as well summer training before making a decision. Decisions are based on where the athletes are individually at that time. We have a large, strong, well-rounded level 6 team, as well as a level 5 team with 5 girls who competed level 6 for a few meets who are strong on floor and beam (still good on bars and vault, but there are their weaker events).

I think some of the girls could go to level 7. Assuming the new 6 will be a little "easier" than 7, some girls would probably do that. One or two would probably repeat (so do new 5). I think the biggest unknown is what to do with our strong level 5s.

 

[DisMom]

Since level 6 can stay at the "new" 6 or go to level 7? My daughters gym says they will decide based on skills. Of course my daughter would rather go to 7 but I wonder if she'd be better to stay at the new 6. She didn't have a great year (she skipped Level 5) It wasn't awful but she wasn't a superstar, her skills were fine it was the perfection of things in the routines that got her. I'd be worried if she moved to 7 that she'd be skipping again and never catch up (perfection wise). Would you worry about this? I will just trust the gym but I was curious what the other girls are doing. She's 10....so age wise she'd be fine in either level. She's not overly old or young. (At least at our gym most level 6's are 11/12, she was one of the younger ones this year).

What happens w/ DD will depend mostly on the bars requirements between the new L6 and the new L7. They are due out next month I believe. She is weak on bars, but pretty strong w/ current L7 skills on floor and beam.

I'm in the same place. My daughter skipped 5 and competed 6 this year. As a 2-time State Champion, she did NOT have that same level of success as a 6 who skipped 5. Like you said, she got all of her skills and did ok. But certainly nothing Earth-shaking.

That being said, her coaches are already calling her an (old) L7. Right now, today, she is considered a L7 in our gym, but we have not converted yet.

And yup, her placement is going to be dependent on bars as well. Waiting for those requirements....

 

[Natasha]

Since level 6 can stay at the "new" 6 or go to level 7? My daughters gym says they will decide based on skills. Of course my daughter would rather go to 7 but I wonder if she'd be better to stay at the new 6. She didn't have a great year (she skipped Level 5) It wasn't awful but she wasn't a superstar, her skills were fine it was the perfection of things in the routines that got her. I'd be worried if she moved to 7 that she'd be skipping again and never catch up (perfection wise). Would you worry about this? I will just trust the gym but I was curious what the other girls are doing. She's 10....so age wise she'd be fine in either level. She's not overly old or young. (At least at our gym most level 6's are 11/12, she was one of the younger ones this year).

I think that is a very valid concern, especially since she already skipped L5. Part of the reason for having the new L6 is so that there will be 3 levels of optionals before gymnasts get to L9 (Which is really hard!) So, while she may be able to go to L7 and do okay (since the new 6 probably won't be much of a jump from the current 6) she may eventually need to "catch up" and repeat L7 or L8. So, it could very well be that she could do L6 or L7 next year and very likely still end up at L9 or L10 in the same amount of time regardless.

 

[cbifoja]

At our gym NO gymnast knows what level they will compete next November yet. This includes our 6s. We've scored a couple of kids out of L6 and all of our last year L6s have met mobility requirements. But our coaches use the summer to uptrain and teach like madmen and women!

The only thing we know for sure is that no one in our gym will be competing the new L5. We aren't going to have that level. If you aren't ready for optionals, you'll repeat at L4 come November. If you are ready for optionals, you'll be either L6 if you're "weak" or L7 if you're "strong". But again, who knows which kids those will be???

 

[Gymmom495]

To be honest the changing of levels is so confusing especially for someone like me who has not been a part of the competitive world of gymnastics for years and years. Our gym bases everything on skills and precision. They not only want their gymnasts to be able to compete a skill but do it with grace and beauty. From what I understand and have been reading from the above posts (and I may be wrong) but the new level 7 vault will consist of a full twist??? My daughter is also like many training as a level 7 and as of now has all of the skills except for landing that twist on vault. She actually landed it on floor a few days ago but now needs to transfer it to vault. I had no idea these were the skills until I read them in a prior post. Hopefully she can transfer that skill to the vault, not sure how hard that is to do. She is on the younger side of 7 years old so I'm not to worried about her getting it as she is. I just think these changes are all so confusing.

 

[Natasha]

Actually the special requirements for optionals have not been released yet, so no one knows for sure what the L7 vault will be. Right now it is all speculation.

 

[cbifoja]

Actually the special requirements for optionals have not been released yet, so no one knows for sure what the L7 vault will be. Right now it is all speculation.

And SO MUCH speculation!!! LOL

Right now, our coaches are going about business as usual. Teaching the next progression of new skills, going back to basics of body shaping, working strength/flexibility, etc. No one is doing any kind of routine work right now, not even our optionals. Coaches aren't even talking about music for the girls that they know will be going up to optionals. Just basics....even our optionals were working the simple roundoff this week.

 

[Gymmom495]

Yeah in our gym we are doing a LOT of conditioning and up training. I think it's that way everywhere.