Spirit Gymnastics has Level 3-10 Junior Olympic (JO)and Xcel teams that participate in USA Gymnastics sanctioned meets in Minnesota and sometimes out of state. Girls are invited to the team from the recreation program.

What’s the difference? USAG JO vs USAG Xcel

Gymnasts are invited to the Xcel program or invited to choose from JO or Xcel. Families with this second opportunity should choose the program that fits their daughter’s gymnastic goals and the time and financial resources of the family.

JO

USAG Junior Olympic (JO) gymnastics competition has two distinct competitive programs referred to as Compulsory (levels 1-5) and Optional (levels 6-10). Each level (1-10) has its own set of unique rules that ascend in difficulty level to level. Compulsory gymnastics basically means that all the athletes perform the same routines, unique to each event. These routines were chosen by USAG to develop a strong foundation in comprehensive gymnastics basics, strength and flexibility. Optional gymnastics is more advanced and allows gymnasts to perform unique routines on each event. To advance from one level to a higher level, the gymnast must achieve, in competition, the USAG minimum All Around score. “All Around” refers to the sum of the scores achieved on each event (Vault, Bars, Beam, Floor). Level movement is, ultimately, per the discretion of the coaches.

At Spirit Gym, JO gymnasts begin competition at Level 4. Spirit Level 4-5 girls practice three days a week for a total of 10 hours per week and Level 6-10 girls practice five days a week for a total of 16 hours. Practice times are increased in the summer months for the Level 6-10 girls. Participation on the JO team is a year-round commitment.

XCEL

USAG introduced the Xcel program in 2013 as an additional way to involve more girls in competitive gymnastics. Prior to this introduction, many girls were not given the opportunity to compete due to the rigor and requirements expected in JO. The Xcel program has five levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Girls compete at the level that matches their skill set, which is why they can compete almost immediately. There are no mobility scores required to compete at the Bronze level. Movement from Bronze to Silver is at the discretion of both the coaches and the decision of the families. Moving to Gold, Platinum and Diamond requires the gymnast to achieve, in competition, the particular minimum All Around score in their current level. Movement is, ultimately, at the discretion of the coaches.

At Spirit the Bronze team practices two days a week for a total of 5 hours. The Silver team practices three days a week for a total of 7.5 hours, and the Gold and Platinum girls practice three days a week for a total of 9 hours. Participation on the Xcel team is also a year-round commitment.