Levels & Programs

Xcel Silver Requirements: Skills on Every Event

10 Min Read

Xcel Silver is the second of the six divisions in USA Gymnastics’ Xcel program, after Bronze. Like every Xcel division, Silver is optional gymnastics: the coach can build individual routines on bars, beam and floor within the division’s rules. Vault has two prescribed mat-stack options.

Contents

Those required elements are called Special Requirements. On each of bars, beam and floor, a Silver routine needs four of them, plus at least five “A” Value Parts—the skills counted toward its difficulty requirement. Vault uses its own rules. Compared with Bronze, Silver adds a cast to at least 45° below horizontal on bars, a 90° split jump or leap on beam, a 90° split leap within the floor dance passage, and a full turn on floor.

The requirements below are from the current Xcel Code of Points (the 2022 edition, extended to July 2028 and revised in August 2026) and USA Gymnastics’ 2026–27 Rules & Policies.

Xcel Silver at a Glance

RuleXcel Silver
Minimum age6th birthday reached
Score needed to enterNo prerequisite score; entry still depends on age and previous competition history
Skills needed (bars, beam, floor)4 Special Requirements and at least 5 “A” Value Parts per event
Start ValueUp to 10.0 on bars, beam and floor; each allowed Silver vault is valued at 10.0
Main restrictionsNo “B” acro skills; no “C” or higher skills; no giants or salto dismounts on bars; one salto or aerial at most on floor
VaultHandspring over a mat stack, or a ¼–½ turn-on with repulsion; both 10.0

Who Can Compete Xcel Silver?

The minimum age for Silver is six, reached by the day of competition. There is no prerequisite score, but turning six alone does not settle entry eligibility: under the Rules & Policies, a gymnast with no competitive experience may enter Xcel at Bronze, Silver or Gold, at her coach’s discretion. A gymnast coming from the Development Program can enter Silver from Levels 1, 2 or 3, after competing the all-around at that level in at least one sanctioned meet.

Returning Xcel gymnasts and athletes moving down from a higher division have additional entry or petition rules. The coach should check the athlete’s competition history against Chapter 8 of the current Rules & Policies. Age is a minimum, not a deadline to move up. Our guide to the Xcel levels from Bronze to Sapphire compares all six divisions.

Xcel Silver Vault

Silver vaults over a stack of mats set sideways, 24 to 48 inches high, rather than a vaulting table. There are two allowed vaults, and either one starts from 10.0:

OptionVaultStart Value
Vault 1Handspring over the sideways mat stack10.0
Vault 2¼–½ (90–180°) turn on, repulsion off to the feet, landing facing the mat stack10.0

Any other vault is void, and so is Vault 2 with an extra twist. An alternative springboard may be used, and a landing mat at least 6 feet wide, 12 feet long and 4 inches thick must be behind the stack. A Silver vault that doesn’t land feet first isn’t voided, as it would be in higher divisions; it takes a 2.00 deduction instead, which includes the fall.

Xcel Silver Bars

Special RequirementWhat it asks for
1. MountAny mount allowed in Silver
2. CastA cast to at least 45° below horizontal (not the mount or dismount)
3. 360° circling skillA skill that circles the bar, such as a back hip circle (not the mount or dismount)
4. DismountFrom the low bar or high bar, no saltos

The routine also needs at least five “A” Value Parts. Silver bars may not include “B” or higher skills, giants on either bar, or salto dismounts; a restricted skill costs 0.50 from the Start Value. Each gymnast gets 45 seconds of warm-up.

Xcel Silver Beam

Special RequirementWhat it asks for
1. TurnAt least a ½ turn on one foot
2. Jump or leapOne jump or leap with at least a 90° cross or side split (not the mount or dismount)
3. Acro elementOne acro skill without flight, such as a handstand or cartwheel; it must start and finish on the beam
4. DismountAny allowed dismount

Beam also needs five “A” Value Parts. “B” dance skills count, but “B” acro skills and anything rated “C” or higher are restricted. A split within 20° of the required 90° still earns the requirement, with a deduction of up to 0.20 for the short split. The routine has a 50-second time limit.

Xcel Silver Floor

Special RequirementWhat it asks for
1. Acro passAt least two directly connected acro skills, one of them with flight
2. Second acro passEither another two directly connected acro skills (with or without flight) or one acro skill with flight
3. Dance passageTwo different leaps, jumps or hops, connected directly or indirectly, one a leap with at least a 90° cross or side split
4. TurnAt least a full (1/1) turn on one foot

The two acro passes must be separate: Requirements 1 and 2 can’t be met in the same pass. Floor needs five “A” Value Parts; “B” dance skills count, but “B” acro skills and “C” or higher skills are restricted, and the routine may include no more than one salto or aerial. A dive roll doesn’t count as a flight skill.

The August 2026 revision cut the Silver floor time limit from one minute to 45 seconds. There is no minimum time.

How Xcel Silver Is Scored

For bars, beam and floor, judges calculate Start Value from 10.0. Missing Value Parts cost 0.10 each, missing Special Requirements cost 0.50 each, and a restricted skill costs 0.50; other applicable Start Value deductions, such as having no dismount, also matter. Execution and applicable artistry deductions come afterward. Vault is assessed under the separate vault rules above. The Code’s own Silver example: a gymnast who shows five “A” skills and every requirement, but also performs one restricted skill, starts from 9.5.

Our guide to how Xcel Start Value is calculated works through the arithmetic for every division.

Moving Up From Silver to Gold

USA Gymnastics sets no qualifying score to enter Gold; a gymnast needs to be at least seven, and her coach decides when she is ready. The scores start to matter one division higher: moving into Platinum takes a 32.00 all-around at Gold, or an 8.50 on an event as an individual event specialist (IES).

Gold asks for more on every event: an allowed Gold vault over the vault table instead of the Silver mat stack, a skill to a clear support at horizontal and two circling skills on bars, a full turn and a 120° split on beam, and connected flight skills on floor.

Common Questions

Can Xcel Silver gymnasts do a salto?

On floor, one salto or aerial is allowed per routine. Salto dismounts are not allowed on bars.

Is Xcel Silver the same as Level 3?

No. They are different programs with different routines. A gymnast who has competed the all-around in at least one sanctioned meet at Development Program Level 1, 2 or 3 may enter Xcel at Silver, but the divisions are not direct equivalents; see Xcel vs. the Development Program.

What score do you need to move up from Silver?

None. Gold has no qualifying score; the gymnast must be at least seven and ready, at the coach’s discretion.

Final Takeaway

For Xcel Silver, check bars, beam and floor against their own four Special Requirements and five-“A” Value Part minimum. The bars cast must reach at least 45° below horizontal; beam and floor have 90° split requirements, and floor includes a full turn and flight in the first acro pass. Vault is separate: choose one of the two allowed mat-stack vaults.

Silver has a minimum age of six and no prerequisite score. Previous competitive experience can affect entry, so use the eligibility rules as well as the skill checklist. A Silver gymnast may move to Gold from age seven without a mobility score, when her coach considers the move appropriate.

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