The Most Exciting Time in Gymnastics
Upgrade season is here — and if you’ve never experienced it before, buckle up. This is the time of year when the gym feels electric. Skills are flying, confidence is building, and gymnasts are buzzing with the kind of excitement that only comes from trying something new.
Competition season may be full of sparkles and medals, but upgrade season? That’s where the magic happens.
Join Zoey and the rest of these mighty warriors as they push themselves farther than they have before.
Why Upgrade Season Feels So Different
Competition season is all about routines: clean lines, consistency, and doing the same skills repeatedly until they’re sharp enough to shine under bright lights.
Upgrade season flips that script.
Suddenly, gymnasts are:
- swinging higher
- jumping bigger
- connecting skills they’ve never tried before
- laughing more
- falling more (in the good, learning way)
- celebrating tiny wins that only gym families understand
The gym becomes a playground of possibility.
The Energy in the Gym Changes — and Kids Feel It
There’s something special about walking into the gym during upgrade season. You can feel the excitement.
Gymnasts are:
- cheering each other on
- spotting new shapes in the foam pit
- trying skills they’ve been dreaming about all year
- running over to parents saying, “Guess what I did today!”
It’s the season of bravery. The season of “almost got it!” The season of “did you SEE that?”
And honestly? It’s the season where gymnasts fall in love with the sport all over again.
Why Upgrade Season Matters So Much
Upgrade season isn’t just fun — it’s essential. This is when gymnasts build the strength, confidence, and technique they’ll need for next year’s routines. For Zoey, it’s honestly not her cup of tea. At 8-years-old it’s a bit difficult for her to understand the monotony of repeated drills. She’s more of the I came for the party than early set up. Despite this she realized it’s important but just wants to get the skill. We always remind her; core strength is SO important not just to perform the skills but excel at it.
1. They Get to Explore
Gymnasts try skills without the pressure of perfecting them for a meet. They get to experiment, play, and discover what their bodies can do. Bottom line, try the thing that seems too hard. Do what makes you look silly. Here is the opportunity to embrace the suck as they say. Further, you never know, you may not only impress yourself, but everyone else as well.
2. They Build Strength
More conditioning. Shaping. Drills. Power. This is the foundation for next year’s success. Concurrently, I think we can all agree upgrade season isn’t always a ton of fun. New skills, yes. Drills, no. Such is life. As a grandparent watching them grow the skills is so much fun. I truly hope Zoey takes a mental note of where she started at the beginning of upgrade season and where she performs next competition season. Markedly my guess, all gymnast have achieved SO much more than they expected.
3. They Learn to Be Brave
Trying new skills teaches courage — the kind that carries into school, friendships, and life. While this is hard for most of us, it’s important to remember you only have to be brave for 2 seconds. That’s it. Just go. Trust yourself. Believe you can do it and go. A lesson that will empower them for the rest of their lives.
4. They Grow (literally and figuratively)
Many gymnasts hit growth spurts during this time. Upgrade season helps them adjust to longer legs, changing balance, and new strength. Considering the tween to full teen years, a lot is going on. Not just physically, but mentally. Such a beautiful think to have time to adjust, reset and start again. Taking full advantage of this moment can certainly recapture the “I can do this” attitude every gymnast needs.
5. They Bond as a Team
There’s nothing like celebrating a teammate’s first kip, first back handspring, or first giant. I don’t know about your gym, but upgrade season is when the bell keeps ringing. Not only do the gymnasts cheer, but the parents do as well. Such a blessing to see so many people happy for your accomplishment.
The Best Part? Joy.
Upgrade season is full of:
- squeals
- high‑fives
- “Coach, watch this!”
- proud smiles
- new confidence
- big dreams
It’s the season where gymnasts realize they’re capable of more than they ever imagined.
And for parents and grandparents? It’s the season where you get to watch them grow — not just as athletes, but as people.
How Families Can Support the Fun
You don’t need to know every skill name to cheer them on. This is humorous to me because Zoey often forgets we don’t really understand scoring or skill names. Are we constantly in the gym? Yes. Do we hear coach? No. Here’s what helps most:
- Celebrate effort, not perfection
- Ask what they’re excited to try next
- Fuel them well (upgrade season is hungry season)
- Encourage rest — new skills take energy
- Remind them that progress isn’t linear
Your support makes this season even more magical. Parent, I know you are going to want to coach but fight the urge. It’s counterproductive and all the gymnast really needs is support. We all need a soft place to land. A simple, “I’m proud of you” goes so much further than you could ever imagine.
The Bottom Line
Upgrade season is the heart of gymnastics. It’s where gymnasts grow stronger, braver, and more confident. It’s where they discover what they’re capable of. And it’s where the joy of the sport shines brightest.
So, here’s to the falls, the tries, the breakthroughs, the giggles, the “almost,” and the “I DID IT!” moments.
Upgrade season is here — and it’s going to be amazing.
If today was hard, tomorrow is a fresh start!