High School Gymnastics

High School Gymnastics

High school gymnastics is broken down into recreational and competitive programs. Recreational programs make up around 90% of total gymnastics membership. Recreational programs are split into five categories by experience level, beginning with preschool and ending with high school. There are many subdivisions within the high school gymnastics category based on age and ability level. While not competitive, recreational high school gymnastics still involves a steady progression of more complicated techniques which require a strong foundation in basic form before advancing.

Competitive high school gymnastics programs must meet the requirements of an accredited gymnastics organization, such as the Unites States Gymnastics (USAG) Junior Olympic Program. Competitive high school gymnastics is physically and mentally demanding. Strong dedication is required to balance training with academics. High school gymnastics coaches are wary of this and often condition students both to be strong athletes as well as scholars in the classroom.

Palatine High School Gymnastics

The Palatine Park District Gymnastics Program is a popular high school gymnastics program. It trains and instructs boys and girls beginning at the preschool range up to the high school level. The training and conditioning gymnasts receive in elementary school helps prepare them for high school competition and makes them stronger competitors.
Palatine High School Gymnastics considers itself a club that focuses on providing gymnastics training for as many students as possible, and to give these students as much individual attention as is possible. Also, Palatine High School Gymnastics prepares its gymnasts for competition at USAG meets and within their own high school gymnastics team. The program features a recreational component as well as a competitive track.

High School Gymnastics Team

Learning to compete on a team is an important part of high school gymnastics. The USAG provides a ten level training system for competitive team play. Level 1 is Beginner and Level 10 is advanced. Players are eligible for team competition when they reach Level 4. The USAG requires that all competing team members be registered before they can enter a sanctioned competition. Gymnasts work out as a team, and the workout schedules differ in intensity depending on the level of competition. Level 4 Teams work out two days a week for on average four hours total. Level 9 Teams work out five days a week, and can expect to put in as much as 15 hours of training a week. An average high school gymnastics workout is two to three hours long.