At my gymnastics club this season we have many “first year” competitors.
First year in a new age / ability category.
I find that first year competitors work hard and make rapid progress. They are motivated to prove they should have “moved up“.
Sports Girls Play has an excellent post, however, on the other kind of season: The Confidence Season:
Sometimes the road to success is not the fast lane. …
… Each season we end up with a group of athletes who excel – they have mastered their skills, are relatively consistent in their performances, regularly place in the top third during awards, and are learning the next level skills with excitement. We also have a group of athletes we call “bubble kids†– they are making it through their routines, getting average or lower than average scores, are not getting called up for awards, and are not as ready for the next level skills. Sure we could push them ahead anyhow, but that often leads to discouragement, low self esteem, and the development of fears.
When the placements for the next season come out, many of the parents of our “bubble kids†get a little anxious. They worry that their child is being left behind, won’t be with her friends or will be bored. But more often than not, when we have these athletes stay at their current level, one year later we hear from the parents that it was the best decision they did not get to make! …
original – flickr – Sarah_Hawkins
more photos by Sarah_Hawkins tagged “gymnastics”
The decision on whether or not to “move up” next season is very individual. There are many variables.
It must be decided case-by-case.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 