Competitive gymnastics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dynamite has Mason Dixon as well as USAG. Their MD team practices 2 or 3 days a week, you can choose, for 4 hours each day. My DD is getting ready to move up the their level A team which won the championship meet this year. They have several different coaches and I was told that my DD could compete in USAG if she had the requisite skills, although I don't think that we want to go that route -- too much off a time commitment and too intense. You may want to look at several gyms to see if there is a good group for your DD and that she likes the coaches.

Is level A the first level? Do you mean she is getting ready to compete?

Not this PP, but yes Level A is the first competition level in the Mason Dixon league... Then the levels go up to B, C, D, and E.

[Anonymous]

Competitive gymnasts are unlikely to have eating disorders. Proper nutrition is imperative to maintain such an aggressive practice schedule. A child with an eating disorder wouldn't last a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Competitive gymnasts are unlikely to have eating disorders. Proper nutrition is imperative to maintain such an aggressive practice schedule. A child with an eating disorder wouldn't last a week.

I don't want to turn this into a discussion on eating disorders, but it is absolutely possible to be a competitive gymnast and have an eating disorder. Google Christy Henrich. But knowledge of eating disorders and proper nutrition has advanced since then, and I would hope that parents and coaches would notice a gymnast with disordered eating and work to get her the help she needs before it goes too far.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dynamite has Mason Dixon as well as USAG. Their MD team practices 2 or 3 days a week, you can choose, for 4 hours each day. My DD is getting ready to move up the their level A team which won the championship meet this year. They have several different coaches and I was told that my DD could compete in USAG if she had the requisite skills, although I don't think that we want to go that route -- too much off a time commitment and too intense. You may want to look at several gyms to see if there is a good group for your DD and that she likes the coaches.

How old are the girls when they start competing in Mason Dixon at Dynamite? Someone said that Dynamite only has older girls in Mason Dixon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dynamite has Mason Dixon as well as USAG. Their MD team practices 2 or 3 days a week, you can choose, for 4 hours each day. My DD is getting ready to move up the their level A team which won the championship meet this year. They have several different coaches and I was told that my DD could compete in USAG if she had the requisite skills, although I don't think that we want to go that route -- too much off a time commitment and too intense. You may want to look at several gyms to see if there is a good group for your DD and that she likes the coaches.

How old are the girls when they start competing in Mason Dixon at Dynamite? Someone said that Dynamite only has older girls in Mason Dixon.

Don't know how old the girls are when they start competing MDL at Dynamite, but it appears that Dynamite only competes in MDL at the lower levels (A and B). This past season, they didn't field a competition team at the higher MDL levels (C, D, and E). So if they only have their "older" girls competing at MDL, they're only at the lower levels.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Eating disorders...haven't seen it. We have after meet get togethers and the girls are eating more than most of the adults... My DD will happily polish off a full adult steak or ribs dinner given the opporunity and she's 11.

Yes, that's because they are throwing it all up in the bathroom (Bulemics are very very good at hiding it. Very good). Google "gymnastics eating disorders" (pages and pages). http://search.aol.com/aol/search?s_it=webmail-searchbox&q=gymnastics%20eating%20disorders. I was a competitive gymnast. I know. Same with ballet - there is tremendous pressure on these young girls not to gain weight because it makes the routines more difficult; makes them grow and become too tall; starts puberty; and is not aesthetically pleasing to the judges.

And later in life comes the arthritis, the gastro. issues from bulemia, and the osteroporous due to lack of adequate calcium during teen years.

[Anonymous]

"Competitive Gymnasts at higher rate of Eating Disorders" http://www.elementsbehavioralhealth.com/eating-disorders/gymnasts-at-higher-risk-for-eating-disorders/

[Anonymous]

Yes, I too can do a Google search and find web sites from treatment centers that want to help...with your "fill in the blank" problem. I'm not saying the issue doesn't exist, but really not the best sourcing of info...

[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.

So is it better to pursue another sport instead? My child is only interested in gymnastics, ice skating and swimming. No interest in anything that involves a ball.

[Anonymous]

9:33, 15:13 says this:

Competitive gymnasts are unlikely to have eating disorders. Proper nutrition is imperative to maintain such an aggressive practice schedule. A child with an eating disorder wouldn't last a week.


Which is a ridiculous statement. I know both the ballet world and the gymnastic world (professional). OP wants advice. My advice is to proceed only if she has the correct body type, wants to do it, understands it will stave off puberty, and that she will become obsessed about her weight. You do know that all ballet companies but one have weekly weigh-ins for the women? Anorexia, bulemia and "cabbage soup" diets abound.

Would you prefer "scholarly articles" since you think I have a "fill in the blank" problem. I really don't have the time to do that and was just trying to help OP, but if you want to find fault with a listing of "Women's gymnasts have higher eating disorder", I certainly can provide that. Or I can provide the names of the doctors who have to treat these girls? What do you want? What level of scholarly study DO you want since you are being critical while I am trying to be helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:33, 15:13 says this:

Competitive gymnasts are unlikely to have eating disorders. Proper nutrition is imperative to maintain such an aggressive practice schedule. A child with an eating disorder wouldn't last a week.


Which is a ridiculous statement. I know both the ballet world and the gymnastic world (professional). OP wants advice. My advice is to proceed only if she has the correct body type, wants to do it, understands it will stave off puberty, and that she will become obsessed about her weight. You do know that all ballet companies but one have weekly weigh-ins for the women? Anorexia, bulemia and "cabbage soup" diets abound.

Would you prefer "scholarly articles" since you think I have a "fill in the blank" problem. I really don't have the time to do that and was just trying to help OP, but if you want to find fault with a listing of "Women's gymnasts have higher eating disorder", I certainly can provide that. Or I can provide the names of the doctors who have to treat these girls? What do you want? What level of scholarly study DO you want since you are being critical while I am trying to be helpful.

Is this true of girls who are between 6-10? That is the age range I'm most interested- not the elite gymnasts at 16.

[Anonymous]

Here's an article about young gymnasts and eating disorders. http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/girls-gymnastics-when-a-bright-spotlight-casts-a-dark-shadow

[Anonymous]

Another excellent piece about the "dark side" of gymnastics. Incidentally, all I am doing is plugging in "young gymnasts eating disorders" - but since 9:33 has chastized me for that source perhaps she can provide some more "scholarly" pieces.

http://www.gymnasticsrescue.com/eating_disorders.htm

[Anonymous]

From a Dr. of Psychology at Vanderbilt University:

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/gymnasts.htm