As my “About Me” page states, I have coached recreational and competitive girls gymnastics for more than twenty years. One of the things I have learned during that time is that girls gymnastics is often a mystery to the gymnast themselves and their parents as well. I am going to begin to discuss miscellaneous tid-bits of gymnastics information in the hopes of helping to demystify the sport of girls gymnastics for you and you little gymnast.
Where to begin? If you (or your child) are currently enrolled in a girls gymnastics program, at a minimum you should be aware that there are four events that young ladies perform on – floor, beam, bars, and vault. Let me qualify that previous statement. Those events apply only to artistic gymnastics and not rhythmic gymnastics. Rhythmic gymnastics is a whole other ballgame that I won’t be addressing. Depending on the age and skill level of your child, they will be placed into a class (typically level one or two, or maybe a pre-competitive program). Keep in mind that this placement is not arbitrary, but instead follows guidelines laid out by the United States of America Gymnastics (USAG) association. These folks carefully develop guidelines and standards that help to ensure the proper placement of your child into any girls gymnastics program. Having said that I need to clarify that this is how it should work. Not all girls gymnastics centers adhere to these guidelines, so it might not be a bad idea to ask your gym if they follow the USAG program. The bottom line is that gymnastics is a great way to promote building self confidence in children of all ages, and I have seen it work wonders over the span of my 20 year career in kids. I hope this information helps you get your daughter into a sound USAG girls gymnastics program.
Now get out there and stick it.
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