Has your gymnast been invited to the TOPS Gymnastics Program? Or are you just curious what it is? I have been getting lots of questions recently about TOPS: what it is, what the requirements
TOPs Program
First, what is TOPs?
TOPs, or the Talent Opportunity Program, was created 22 years ago to find young talent.
From the USA Gymnastics Website,
TOPs (Talent Opportunity Program) is a talent search and educational program for female gymnasts ages 8-10 and their coaches.
And from the 2023-2024 USA Gymnastics Women’s Program Rules and Policies:
The Talent Opportunity Program (TOPS) is under the direction of the International Elite Committee (IEC). This program provides early screening and identification of talented athletes. The TOPS program offers State and National testing along with camp opportunities and educational materials for its participants. HOPES and TOPS program athletes are NOT classified as “Elite” athletes.
So as you can see from the quotes above, TOPs is a program USA Gymnastics uses to find gymnasts with a “special” talent for gymnastics. The goal is to have a strong national gymnastics team; I think the fact that it is under the direction of the International Elite Committee illustrates this point.
Since the goal of TOPs is to identify gymnasts with a “special” talent that if coached right, can become a very high-level gymnast, the program is focused mainly on strength, conditioning and flexibility. TOPs gymnasts also learn some specific gymnastics skills that are building blocks to other high-level skills. They learn these skills at a faster pace than is typical in the Development Program (gymnastics levels 1-10).
Gymnastics is a sport where gymnasts peak at a relatively young age; most gymnasts that make it to the Olympics go when they are only 16-17 years old. Since TOPs training tries to accelerate a gymnast’s progression, it is very demanding. This is why coaches only select a small percentage of athletes to train for TOPs. Even with coaches selecting gymnasts they feel may be eligible for the TOPs program, gymnasts must still be evaluated on their physical abilities by certified TOPs judges. Selecting the wrong gymnast for TOPs training could have a negative impact on the gymnast’s confidence and they could start to think gymnastics is not very fun and want to quit the sport. However, the right gymnast in the TOPs program can experience increased confidence and motivation.
What is TOPS Testing?
Gymnasts that are chosen by their gyms (not all gyms have gymnasts that train TOPs) to compete in TOPs are first evaluated at a state or regional TOPs test. Between September and November every year, gymnasts are evaluated virtually via zoom for their physical abilities. At a state or regional level test, gymnasts are only evaluated on six physical abilities (these are listed below).
Gymnasts may be evaluated in a variety of different registerable skills testings in specific meets, in February and March which are a mix of invitational competitions, Elite national Qualifiers, and selected Nastia Liukin Cup qualifiers across the United States. States are given the opportunity to host a TOPS qualifier at an invitational competition in their state as well. The variety of meets occur in February and March, currently including:
- TOPS Testing at Biles Invitational
- Buckeye Classic Elite Compulsory/TOPs
- Hill’s TOPS
- 2024 Metroplex TOPS
- Edgewater Classic TOPS
- Charity Choice TOPS
- Yellow Rose Invitational TOPS Qualifier
- TOPS Testing at Rocking the House Strauss
- TOPS Skills Testing
- Leperchaun Classic TOPS
- Magical March TOPs Skills Testing
If a gymnast scores competitively compared to other gymnasts in her age group, she may then be invited to the National TOP test. This test takes place in June or July. The athletes that score the highest at the National TOP test are invited to a National TOP Training camp in July or August.
To see what the testing is like, check out this video of Whitney, a gymnast on YouTube, at TOPs Testing:
What are the TOPs Requirements:
The Physical Abilities Testing Consists of 6 Tests:
- Rope Climb: Gymnasts must climb 12 feet with their legs in a pike position. The rope climb is timed and points are awarded on a scale.
- Handstand Hold: Gymnasts must hold a handstand for 30 seconds if 8, and for 1 minutes if 9 or 10, with correct body alignment. These may be performed on the floor or beam. It is scored on a scale with execution deductions noted.
- Press Handstands: Gymnasts must do 5 press handstands. They do allow a gymnast to start over if the gymnast tips over on the first attempt. This accounts for up to 10 points (2 per press).
- Leg Lifts: 8 year old gymnasts must do 5 half leg lifts immediately followed by 5 full leg lifts, starting and returning their legs to horizontal each time and 9 & 10 year old gymnasts must do 10 half leg lifts followed by 10 full leg lifts. The gymnast can receive deductions for each leg lift.
- Cast to Handstands: 8 year old gymnasts much do 5 casts to 45º of vertical and 9 & 10 year old gymnasts must complete 5 cast to handstand. Handstands must be within 15 degrees of vertical in order to be counted. Each cast accounts for up to 2 points and for the cast handstands, gymnasts will receive 1 point if the cast is above 45º with good form and 2 points if the gymnast achieves a vertical handstand with good form.
- Flexibility Test: The flexibility test is a sequence performed on beam including right leg split, left leg split, middle split, and bridge. This accounts for up to 8 points, 2 per skill.
You can see more information about the physical abilities tests here, including how they are scored.
What are the Advantages of the TOPs Program?
- It’s more focused: Training for TOPs is focused on exactly what you need to learn and master to become a very successful gymnast. Gymnasts that only compete TOPs don’t have to waste time learning compulsory routines. They focus on becoming very strong and flexible, and learning the exact skills you will need to learn in order to learn higher-level skills.
- It’s how most gymnasts get to the Olympics: If you are wondering how to become an Olympic gymnast, one of the ways is to excel at the TOPs program. All five members of the Fierce Five, the 2012 Gold Medal Winning Olympic team, competed in the TOPS program.
What are the Disadvantages of the TOPs Program?
- It’s not as fun: If I had a daughter in gymnastics, I would definitely be worried about burnout if she was competing TOPs. All you have to do is watch the video above to see that it doesn’t look like much fun. The testing is focused on strength and conditioning skills, and in order to master them guess what you have to do? Yep, condition constantly.
- Your gymnast might not get to compete: If your gymnast goes to a gym where they have their TOPs gymnasts also compete in the JO Program (Levels 1-10), then this won’t be a concern. But if your gymnast goes to a gym where their TOPs gymnasts don’t also compete, then she will miss out on this fun and potentially rewarding experience.
So, Should I do TOPS?
Even though TOPs is a program designed for those gymnasts with a “special” talent, I firmly believe that gymnastics is a great sport for all girls and that it has many benefits — raises self-confidence, keeps kids out of trouble, teaches them to lead a healthy lifestyle, they develop friendships, etc. I also think that most gymnasts will have more fun, and get more of these benefits by doing gymnastics through the Excel program, or through traditional gymnastics levels.
If I was a parent contemplating TOPs, I would probably be asking myself the question:
If I thought that she would want to really commit herself in the future to go far in gymnastics (many of the Olympic hopefuls are home-schooled and work out in the gym 30-40 hours a week), then she should try TOPs, assuming she is invited.
If I thought she just wanted to have fun, participate in a sport, compete, and have a life outside of the gym, then I would pass on TOPs.
View Comments (5)
How do you register for Tops?
You don't just 'register' for TOPS. A certified TOPS gymnastics coach must evaluate your child.
Too many parent's have higher dreams for an Olympic gold medal than a child does. Neither parent's nor children realize the intensity of the TOPS program and the long term psychological costs. For God's sake, let your kids be kids while they can. If you're a parent with dreams of gold, how about you enroll in a parent-type TOPS program and see how you like it first!
Our family moved and our daughter found her self on the TOPs team at our local gym. She had a lot of growing to do: skill, strength, and flexibility. Your site is outdated and I’d encourage any parent to go to the US Gymnastics website to see the new, and harder, standards. My daughter made the national team but I wasn’t confident during any of the process. She’s grown tremendously although her meet scores went down as she flew through the levels. In all, it has been a challenging yet rewarding season. Another thing to keep in mind, the gym will likely charge you more to be on the TOPs team/elite track. The coaches have to get your kid to a very high level so there isn’t much room for fear, tears, or a gymnast not feeling practice on a given day. Also, in my daughters case, the routines got a lot longer and harder. That meant a lot of really bad rips, tears, and injuries that we didn’t experience at the compulsory levels. Further, TOPs/HOPEs kids typically don’t practice in the evening so you may need to figure out homeschooling options if your public school doesn’t accommodate the schedule. There’s a lot to consider and factor in.
Wow, I had no idea there were so many details to consider when selecting a gymnastics program! As a parent of a young gymnast, I'm really happy to see the focus on safety and proper training methods. Can't wait to read more about it!