Gabby Makes USAG L3 Compulsory Team

Gabby had just been told she was promoted to move up to the USAG L3 compulsory team approximately one month before our move to CA. I knew how excited she was about this, and how important gymnastics was to her, so I started the scramble to find a gym that had a competitive program like the gym she was enrolled at in Washington. There were a few options, and we let her try a class at each gym with the level 3’s so she could tell me which gym she felt was the best fit. The bummer about transferring to CA from WA, is that in California, the competition season for L3’s begins at the end of August and ends in November. In Washington, the L3’s compete December - February. So, all the CA girls had been practicing the L3 skills and routines for months. There was not way she’d be able to transfer right onto the team here. She would have to tryout in December at open tryouts.

Gabby was obviously devastated to learn that she wouldn’t be able to compete this year, and it broke my heart to hear her cry. But, I tried to spin it to her that this would just allow her the time to perfect her skills and blow everyone away when she would tryout in December.

So, it was a bit of a rough start, as we had to initially sign her up in CA for a recreational gymnastics class. She was used to doing gymnastics 6 hours a week. So, attending one 1.5 hour class a week just wasn’t going to cut it for her. She was insistent on signing up for several back to back classes, which basically put her up to 6 hours of practice a week.

And, in all honesty, knowing that the L3’s practice 9 hours a week… I selfishly wasn’t ready to have her at the gym for that long each week. And, I felt that having just moved and starting at a new school, 9 hours or practice a week would be a bit much with all the transition and change. 

She did get a little bored with the recreational classes, and she definitely missed the camaraderie of her teammates and being on a team in general. But, she also agreed that she was going to do great come December’s tryouts.

Tryouts for L3 were the first week of December, and my baby girl nailed each and every skill. I was very proud FOR her and of her. She was ecstatic and new she did well at the tryouts, so it was no surprise when she was extended the L3 invitation. 

She started practicing 9 hrs/week with her new teammates the first week of January, and she was thrilled.