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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m the gymnastics mom and just want to commiserate. We have to deal with level move ups and that part sounds similar. The girls have to have all of their Level X skills to compete, but during the time when they prep for the season you will only ever hear chatter about the skills that the girls have. The moms will never volunteer that Larla is struggling with her back tuck- it’s always that Larla already has her giant and does my child have their giant? My favorite was the mom who had to update her payments with the front desk when her daughter was moved up and announced to them “we’re level 3!”. No, your daughter is Level 3 and you are the grownup who pays for it.

These activities attract the crazies, I think because they can be measured and leveled at a young age in a way that ball sports can’t until kids are far older. They also have a pretty high initial talent barrier to entry, so there’s an acute awareness of how good a kid is from Day 1.

Even a deliberately healthy environment- like our gym when it first opened- will eventually see this toxic behavior when parents bring their kids over from other places. I think it’s the parents, not the activities.[/quote]

NP here. I have a 6yo who likes dance and cheer. She is a total beginner and likes to dance. She is cheerful and excited to do dance. She has never done gymnastics. I know dance also includes gymnastics.

Is the talent really recognizable Day 1?

I have a friend with a Level 7? gymnast. She looks amazing in videos. Another friend simply seemed unimpressed with her Level 7 status. I thought they were jerks.[/quote]

Yes, talent is recognizable on Day 1 and in both activities children are quickly tracked. My DD is moderately talented and currently becoming aware of the reality of prodigy teammates- the kind who are like Simone Biles and are plucked from open gym one day and inserted into the team structure a week later.

The most competitive gymnastics in the US is the Developmental Program run by USAG. It uses numbered levels (although NGA does, too- but that’s a different post). It would be hard to get to Level 7 without an amount of talent that wouldn’t be obvious in a beginning rec gymnastics class. Someone who is poo-pooing a Level 7 either is the parent of a level 9, 10 or elite and super snobby, an ignorant casual fan, or just being a contrarian jerk. Even if they’re not the best Level 7 or have so-so form, the skills involved can’t be obtained through just hard work and perseverance. [/quote]

Pp here. I am not athletic. I do not think my daughter is especially talented in dance. She has done ballet since preschool, just started hip hop and did one cheer class. I don’t need or even want her to be a competitive dancer. It would be a hobby.[/quote]

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