Competitive gymnastics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you sign up for pre-team on the competitive track in gymnastics or ar you "tapped" to join the pre-team? At the gym my DD goes to the pre-team info is not posted anywhere.

It will not be open sign up. The coaches will select the children they feel are suited for the pre-team program. However some kids can slip through the cracks so if your daughter can do a great cartwheel and handstand, good roundoff, bridge kickover, and pullover on the bars, it's worth asking for an evaluation.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is in competitive gymnastics at 4-Star Gymnastics in Williamsport, MD. These kids do such a super job, considering the large number of girls compared to the number of coaches. I know they do not always rank number 1 in MD, but we are proud of our girls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As for sports after gymnastics, diving is a natural fit. Or competitive cheering. Other than that, it can be hard because everyone else learned their sport while your DC was learning gymnastics, so it's hard to break into a sport (especially a common one like soccer, softball/baseball, basketball) when you're in middle school and everyone else has been playing that sport since age 5.

my friend made the switch from swimming to diving and got a college scholarship. It was an easy sport for her to learn once she got used to going in head first which goes against every instinct a gymnast has!

[Anonymous]

Is there a rough comparison between levels in the Mason-Dixon league and levels with USAG? For example, would MD Levels C and D be roughly equivalent to USAG Levels 4 and 5?

[Anonymous]

Casting Gymnasts for Documentary Series
Have you devoted your life to competitive gymnastics? Do you know firsthand the hard work, sacrifice and dedication that it takes to thrive as an elite athlete?
If this sounds like you, or someone you know, we want to hear from you! We're looking for talented teen athletes to be featured in a documentary television series about the world of competitive gymnastics. Tell us about yourself, your story, and what drives you to be the best. Email us ASAP at [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

Try acro gymnastics. All the strength and flexability benefits, can accomodate bigger body types. Smalls go to tops. Bases have to be big. More social and enjoyable for the kid. Always in a group or pair. Less dangerous. Usually put on large group shows with lots of dancing. Beautiful to watch.

[Anonymous]

Who offers acro gymnastics?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who offers acro gymnastics?

There are several gyms in the area: Xtreme, EAGC, First Class, and another one that I can't recall at the moment. I do agree that it is beautiful, but I don't agree that there are less injuries. I have an acrobat and can tell you that the injuries are plentiful. Also, if one of the pair, trio or quad gets injured, none of the kids in the grouping can compete, which causes a lot of heartbreak.

[Anonymous]

acro tops are exposed to quite serious injury during high throws if the bases head is/are not in the game. Also the need to form groups that work together technically as well as aesthetically comes with a whole host of issues on and off the mats , especially between the parents!

[Anonymous]

Looks like some of EAGC gymnasts were part of AcroArmy who got to the final on Americas got talent. Some great videos on utube.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try acro gymnastics. All the strength and flexability benefits, can accomodate bigger body types. Smalls go to tops. Bases have to be big. More social and enjoyable for the kid. Always in a group or pair. Less dangerous. Usually put on large group shows with lots of dancing. Beautiful to watch.

As a former competitive artistic gymnast, I would rather have my kids do artistic than acro, because I think acro has the potential to be MORE dangerous. Tumbling and trampoline can also accommodate a body type that is more muscular and not necessarily tiny, and that is where I would go before acro.

[Anonymous]

In first place for most risk of serious injury i would have Vaulting, bars, and beam which come under artistic gymnastics. In second place I would put acro tops, high level floor work and trampoline. In third place acro bases. Then finally 4th and safest has to be rythmic.

Whatever discipline of gymnastics you chose don't enter into it lightly especially if your your child shows aptitude. I dont know of any other sport that requires the high number of pure training hours that gymnastics does to reach compedative level. Coupled with very low possibility of reward in the form of medal places it can be, as a previous poster said, heartbreaking.

[Anonymous]

If gymnastics were easy, it would be called football...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In first place for most risk of serious injury i would have Vaulting, bars, and beam which come under artistic gymnastics. In second place I would put acro tops, high level floor work and trampoline. In third place acro bases. Then finally 4th and safest has to be rythmic.

Whatever discipline of gymnastics you chose don't enter into it lightly especially if your your child shows aptitude. I dont know of any other sport that requires the high number of pure training hours that gymnastics does to reach compedative level. Coupled with very low possibility of reward in the form of medal places it can be, as a previous poster said, heartbreaking.

If the risk of serious injury is so high, why are seemingly intelligent and caring parents throwing their young children into gymnastics? I'm just becoming aware of the extreme frequency of these injuries. Why are these coaches forcing the kids to do things clearly beyond what's safe for them?