LEVEL FLOW
Learn about our team system
Need To Know
While there be more of an explanation here with time… the basic “need to know” info about our team is here now.
Levels We Do (& Don’t)
- We only compete certain levels as a team –> Xcel Bronze >> Xcel Silver >> Level 4 >> Level 6 >> Levels 7 thru 10
- We do NOT compete the following levels at all: Xcel Gold, Xcel Platinum, Xcel DIamond, Xcel Sapphire, Level 2, Level 3, Level 5 (mobility in rare cases)
Championship Meets We Do (& Don’t)
- Wisconsin State Championships
- We compete at the State meet with Levels 6 & up
- We do NOT compete at the State meet with our Xcel Silver or Level 4 Teams
- Region 4 Championships
- We compete at Regionals with Levels 8 & up
- We do NOT compete at Regionals with our Level 7 Team, Level 6 Team, Level 4 Team, or Xcel Silver Team
- Level 9 Western National Championships
- Westerns is required for our Level 9’s that qualify
- Level 10 National Championships
- Nationals is required for our Level 10’s that qualify
Seasons We Do (& Don’t)
- We compete in the spring season
- Regular season meets are December thru March
- Championship season meets are the end of March thru beginning of May
- We do NOT compete in the fall compulsory season
TOPS / Hopes / Elite
- We do have experience within these programs and will do them with some heavy reality checks in mind
- TOPS will only be considered if an athlete has already competed Level 7 and is in the proper age bracket
- Hopes will only be considered if an athlete has already competed Level 9 and is in the proper age bracket
- Elite will only be considered for if an athlete has already been successful at Hopes or Level 10
6 STEP PROGRAM
About
Our company mission is to help create happy… healthy… confident young people through fun & fitness. Our competitive team goal is to provide quality gymnastics training that gives athletes what they need for upper level success.
Our girls team is a high performance gymnastics team. We believe that hard work is fun. Our athletes start at Xcel Bronze & Silver (instead of Level 2/3) as it allows for a less intense introduction to competition. Our athletes then progress into Developmental Level 4 & 6 and then progress to our optional program (Levels 7 – 10). We do not participate in the Xcel program past Xcel Silver at this time.
We run a 6 step team program. As the athletes move through the program… they will be grouped according to these 6 steps. We do this so the athletes… coaches… and parents are all on the same page. Below are the 6 steps to our program.
Bronze Team
Step 1
Bronze Team Information
This is our first competitive level at Midwest Twisters. We substitute Xcel Bronze for Level 2 as we believe that our own system is simpler and more beneficial and fun for the athletes.
Our Bronze Team is for athletes age 4½ through age 5 during tryouts. Athletes turning 7 before the end of season (March 2025) will be trying out for our Silver team instead.
We compete our Bronze team in the spring season (January – March)… in fact… we compete all of our teams in the spring season so all of our teams can be on the same training cycle.
Our Bronze athletes work on foundational skills… strength… and flexibility to allow them to progress to our Silver Team.
Bronze Team Year-round Schedule
- Monday & Wednesday: 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Silver Team
Step 2
Silver Team Information
This is our second competitive level at MWT – Hartland. We substitute Xcel Silver for Level 3 as we believe that our own system is simpler and more beneficial to the athletes. We compete our Silver Team in the spring season… in fact… we compete all of our teams in the spring season so all of our teams can be on the same training cycle.
Our Silver athletes uptrain towards our Level 4 Team. The primary skills that athletes need to achieve to progress to our Level 4 Team is the kip on bars and the ability to tumble on floor (repeated back handsprings in a row).
Athletes will stay at this level until they are ready to progress to our Level 4 Team.
Silver Team Year-round Schedules
The 3rd day of practice is on Fridays in the summer and on Saturdays during the school year.
Silver Team Schedule #1
- Monday & Wednesday: 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
- SUMMER – Friday: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
- SCHOOL YEAR – Saturday: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Silver Team Summer Schedule #2
- Tuesday & Thursday: 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
- SUMMER – Friday: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
- SCHOOL YEAR – Saturday: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Level 4 Team
Step 3
This is the third step in the MWT competitive program. This is the first level that MWT competes in the USA Gymnastics Developmental Program (formerly JO). We believe this level helps form a solid foundation of basics for the future.
We compete our Level 4 Team in the spring season which means we do not attend the Wisconsin State Championships in the fall. We have found that this is very beneficial to the athletes and program for a few reasons…
- All of our athletes train on the same basic training schedule (Level 6 – 10 Wisconsin State Championships is in the spring season). In other words… our athletes are all either “in-season” or “out-of-season” at the same time. When it is “routine” time in the gym it is “routine” time for all… when it is “uptraining” in the gym it is “uptraining” time for all.
- Our Level 4 Team competes as a team at almost every meet they attend. This is different than the fall season meets where the sessions are broken down by age group. (For example… in the fall season 10 athletes may compete in 3 different sessions split by age. In the spring season all 10 of them will typically compete together in the same session as a team.)
- Our main goal is high level performance… not winning the lowest levels. Focusing on winning the lowest levels increases both athlete and coach stress levels greatly. By eliminating the State meet at this level… we instantly reduce the stress that our lower level athletes are exposed to and transform the level into one that is more about progress and learning than winning.
As athletes progress through this level they will learn our Level 6 requirements so they can advance to our Level 6 Team. MWT does not compete Level 5… instead… they are mobilized through Level 5 when they have achieved our Level 6 standards
Level 6 Team
Step 4
Level 6 Team Information
This is the third step in the MWT competitive program and the first level in which we attend the Wisconsin State Championships.
Athletes in this level are focused on both performance at Level 6 and trying to progress to our optional team.
Moving from our Level 6 Team into our Optional Team program can be very hard. The kip cast handstand on bars is just one of the difficult skills that the athletes must achieve to move into our Optional Team.
Level 7/8 Optional Team
Step 5
Level 7 & 8 Team Information
Athletes at these levels learn the basic foundational skills of advanced gymnastics.
Level 9/10 Optional Team
Step 6
Level 9 & 10 Team Information
We have the ability to train athletes at any level. Midwest Twister athletes have become National Champions as well as moved onto college gymnastics over the years!