I'm a gymnast and considering joining the high school team. I would love to know what competitive level most high school gymnasts are at. Anyone with experience, please shed some light.
High school gymnastics typically have a range of skill levels, with variation across different schools and regions. However, it's common to see gymnasts competing at what would correspond to the USAG (USA Gymnastics) levels 6-10. Just as a reference, these levels indicate that a gymnast can perform more advanced skills, such as giants on bars or back tucks on beam.
Many high school gymnasts have years of club gymnastics experience and have reached these higher skill levels. However, high school teams often also welcome beginners or gymnasts at lower skill levels. Teams usually structure their line-ups in such a way that the more experienced gymnasts compete in more difficult events, while the less experienced ones can still contribute in areas where they are stronger.
It's important to note that high school gymnastics emphasizes team competition more than individual achievements, which is a bit different from club gymnastics. Therefore, athletes of all levels can contribute to their team's success.
In terms of training, high school gymnastics tends to be less intense than club gymnastics, with fewer hours and more focus on consistency and clean routine performance rather than pushing to learn the most difficult skills. But again, this can vary significantly depending on the particular school and team.
I encourage you to reach out to the coach of your high school's team to get a more specific idea of the level of their athletes.
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