E
EmmasMommy
My daughter has found the last 2 years of gymnastics really easy, as she hasn't been learning any new skills. She has been expressing her growing boredom for a year now. We're moving, so there MIGHT be an option for her to skip a level (it would have been really easy to do so last year, but doing so this year could be a little tougher).
Reason her current gym doesn't have her in a higher level appears to be because they have a "system" there. Young girls always start at preteam (even if them are capable of team skills) and they only move up levels once a year, if they have the skills, and only up one level at a time. Even so, they ALMOST skipped her a level last summer, but then decided not to. The other moms on the team, while they love having us with them, I think are a bit confused why my daughter is placed where she is. There is one other girl who I believe also could have skipped a level last summer.
If she stays on the track she is on without skipping, she'll have another year of great competitions with high/top ranks. Except she doesn't care. She wants a challenge and believes she can eventually get those high/top ranks again after she's practiced the new skills for a while. If she moves up, however, she'll have 1 new beam skills to learn, 2 new bar skills to learn (she almost has 1 of them after trying it for one day--she is a natural on bars), and will have to move a skill she currently only does on the mat to on the floor. So that's basically 4 new skills she would have to learn in 8 weeks (over the summer). This means the most likely outcome is she won't get top/high ranks in competitions next year. She wouldn't do horrible (one she learns the skills) but instead of getting 1st-3rd place on events, I'm guessing she would score in the low to mid 8's on each event, ranking her lower. Then again, maybe I'm not giving her enough credit.
I've talked to her about this extensively and her determination cannot be deterred.
I explained that IF the coaches think she can skip a level, that means more training over summer at camp instead of play. She says okay, then she'll train more. I explained that IF she moves up, she'll be leaving her friends behind. She says she'll miss them, but that she'll make new friends. I explained she might not do as good at competition. She said she doesn't care and she'll just practice and do better next time. I don't think she's "in a rush" and just wants to learn skills and ignore form, but she clearly wants to learn new skills too.
It's pretty clear what SHE wants, but as her parents I need to decide what is best for her. Do I support her in her goals or hold her back? Again, even if I support her, she still has to gain the support from the coaches. I'm just torn. I don't know if it's selfish (because I enjoy seeing her do so well) or what. I will say that she watches all her videos from competition and even when she gets 1st place she asks what she can do different to do better next time, so for her, competition is more about improving herself and not how she measures up against others (I hope she keeps this attitude!).
I spoke to my dad (who was a coach for years). He knows her personal learning curve/ability AND he knows how much a gymnast can learn in the summer, so I figured he would know better than me (who only knows her personal learning curve and ability). He told me I'm underestimating her and underestimating what a summer in the gym can do for a girl like her. He also said that if she's able to move up and I hold her back, I risk her getting bored to the point of quitting, though I don't think she would because even though she's bored she still eats, sleeps, and breathes gymnastics. He thinks not only can she learn the skills in time, but that she could still do well at competition. Maybe I need to be careful when I talk to her that I don't seem like I don't believe in her; I just don't want her to be disappointed. She's young, so I don't think she can possibly fully understand a decision like this. However, she's made similar decisions before where her gymnastics was concerned and chose wisely.
The boredom factor is a big thing, too. She still LOVES gymnastics, but she doesn't love it like she used to because she says it's too easy. I always liked easy. Maybe I should be happy that at least she wants to be challenged. However, when she realized that there is a possibility of moving into a level that is working on new skills, her passion for gymnastics returned. So now she is trying to learn one of the new bar skills. I'm not worried about her being discouraged about learning harder skills, because no matter how many times she fails at something, she NEVER stops trying or get frustrated or upset. She just tries again and again and again. It's when she already knows how to do something and has been doing the same thing for 2 years that she gets bored. so that's not a concern.
However, I think it's GOOD to keep working on things that are easy and focus on form. That's why she does good at competition. But maybe 2 years working on the same skills is excessive if you can already do them well. I don't know. I leave it up to her coaches to know. Her current gym though moves girls in groups, once a year, only up one level at a time, where the new gym goes based on skill. This is why the skipping a level might be possible when we move. Of course, we won't know until they evaluate her.
I always thought repetition and boredom was part of the deal with gymnastics. You learn a skill, but then you have to perfect it. You can't always be learning tons of new things. But maybe there is a point where it's just excessive and holding a kid back, and maybe that point is when a child hasn't learned anything new in 2 years and is doing skills that are 2 levels ahead of the rest of her team. I'm so torn.
Sorry to write a book about it.
What would you do in this situation? Support her in her attempt, or insist/encourage her to stay on the track she's on and take another easy year with great competition scores?
Reason her current gym doesn't have her in a higher level appears to be because they have a "system" there. Young girls always start at preteam (even if them are capable of team skills) and they only move up levels once a year, if they have the skills, and only up one level at a time. Even so, they ALMOST skipped her a level last summer, but then decided not to. The other moms on the team, while they love having us with them, I think are a bit confused why my daughter is placed where she is. There is one other girl who I believe also could have skipped a level last summer.
If she stays on the track she is on without skipping, she'll have another year of great competitions with high/top ranks. Except she doesn't care. She wants a challenge and believes she can eventually get those high/top ranks again after she's practiced the new skills for a while. If she moves up, however, she'll have 1 new beam skills to learn, 2 new bar skills to learn (she almost has 1 of them after trying it for one day--she is a natural on bars), and will have to move a skill she currently only does on the mat to on the floor. So that's basically 4 new skills she would have to learn in 8 weeks (over the summer). This means the most likely outcome is she won't get top/high ranks in competitions next year. She wouldn't do horrible (one she learns the skills) but instead of getting 1st-3rd place on events, I'm guessing she would score in the low to mid 8's on each event, ranking her lower. Then again, maybe I'm not giving her enough credit.
I've talked to her about this extensively and her determination cannot be deterred.
I explained that IF the coaches think she can skip a level, that means more training over summer at camp instead of play. She says okay, then she'll train more. I explained that IF she moves up, she'll be leaving her friends behind. She says she'll miss them, but that she'll make new friends. I explained she might not do as good at competition. She said she doesn't care and she'll just practice and do better next time. I don't think she's "in a rush" and just wants to learn skills and ignore form, but she clearly wants to learn new skills too.
It's pretty clear what SHE wants, but as her parents I need to decide what is best for her. Do I support her in her goals or hold her back? Again, even if I support her, she still has to gain the support from the coaches. I'm just torn. I don't know if it's selfish (because I enjoy seeing her do so well) or what. I will say that she watches all her videos from competition and even when she gets 1st place she asks what she can do different to do better next time, so for her, competition is more about improving herself and not how she measures up against others (I hope she keeps this attitude!).
I spoke to my dad (who was a coach for years). He knows her personal learning curve/ability AND he knows how much a gymnast can learn in the summer, so I figured he would know better than me (who only knows her personal learning curve and ability). He told me I'm underestimating her and underestimating what a summer in the gym can do for a girl like her. He also said that if she's able to move up and I hold her back, I risk her getting bored to the point of quitting, though I don't think she would because even though she's bored she still eats, sleeps, and breathes gymnastics. He thinks not only can she learn the skills in time, but that she could still do well at competition. Maybe I need to be careful when I talk to her that I don't seem like I don't believe in her; I just don't want her to be disappointed. She's young, so I don't think she can possibly fully understand a decision like this. However, she's made similar decisions before where her gymnastics was concerned and chose wisely.
The boredom factor is a big thing, too. She still LOVES gymnastics, but she doesn't love it like she used to because she says it's too easy. I always liked easy. Maybe I should be happy that at least she wants to be challenged. However, when she realized that there is a possibility of moving into a level that is working on new skills, her passion for gymnastics returned. So now she is trying to learn one of the new bar skills. I'm not worried about her being discouraged about learning harder skills, because no matter how many times she fails at something, she NEVER stops trying or get frustrated or upset. She just tries again and again and again. It's when she already knows how to do something and has been doing the same thing for 2 years that she gets bored. so that's not a concern.
However, I think it's GOOD to keep working on things that are easy and focus on form. That's why she does good at competition. But maybe 2 years working on the same skills is excessive if you can already do them well. I don't know. I leave it up to her coaches to know. Her current gym though moves girls in groups, once a year, only up one level at a time, where the new gym goes based on skill. This is why the skipping a level might be possible when we move. Of course, we won't know until they evaluate her.
I always thought repetition and boredom was part of the deal with gymnastics. You learn a skill, but then you have to perfect it. You can't always be learning tons of new things. But maybe there is a point where it's just excessive and holding a kid back, and maybe that point is when a child hasn't learned anything new in 2 years and is doing skills that are 2 levels ahead of the rest of her team. I'm so torn.
Sorry to write a book about it.
What would you do in this situation? Support her in her attempt, or insist/encourage her to stay on the track she's on and take another easy year with great competition scores?