Comments on: Koch, Liukin denounce gymnast age rules

By: World’s Gymnastics Results Book — Gymnastics Coaching.com

World’s Gymnastics Results Book — Gymnastics Coaching.com — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:25:19 +0000

[...] On that document you can check the official FIG Passport age of all competitors. (Ha!) [...]

By: Dana

Dana — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:31:56 +0000

After having a (barely) underage gymnast qualify for Olympic Selection in Canada in 2000, but due to her age, sit on the sidelines, I am vehemently against this age restriction. She may not have made the team in the long run, but she should have surely gotten her shot. Sadly, she didn’t continue long enough in the sport to try for 2004. Just didn’t have it in her. Shame on the system.

By: PERTO

PERTO — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:31:19 +0000

This is what I do not understand. Kids are still TRAINING these really difficult skills and learning them young. I know in this country, Marta requires that you have a certain skill set at a very young age – the TOPs A camp and HOPEs kids need to have elite level skills years before they will ever compete them. If we want to keep enforcing this high difficulty code, you either lower the age limit or you tone it down, because any halfway smart coach knows you can’t start training Yurchenkos and release moves at 14 and 15. It starts really early – 9, 10, 11 years old while the gymnast is still small and relatively fearless.

By: AM

AM — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:07:04 +0000

I know age restrictions are not always enforceable. But I worry, that letting younger junior age kids will phase out the older girls who are usually more interesting to watch. I’d hate to see gymnasts peak at 14 and retire at 16 having overdeveloped her still developing body.