~*~ Stick It! A thread for Gymnastics Parents ~*~

[carone0318]

"Here is a picture of DD in her competition leo (we had team picutes in December, this was a quick bun that I put in for the pictures), since she is level 3 she just has a no sleeve leo, we will need to move up to the long sleeve leo next year. I think I will be like you mom2cinderella and get into the middle of a 2 year cycle and have to buy a new leo the next year.

Barb

Your dd is very cute! I like her leo. Will the long sleeve leo basically be the same design and color? I think it is eye-catching!

 

[Terry36]

Just thought that I'd give you an answer. The picture below in my signature is her in Disney. Instead of doing hair wraps or anything, I do her hair like this and it's off her head and it's FREE! But, this is how she wears her hair at competitions, but she has it match her leo.

Thanks CARONE! I showed your daughter's picture to my DD last night and she loves it! I will double check w/the team captain tonight to see if this is okay and if so I will use black bands to match her uniform..

Barb - your daughter is so CUTE!

I can not wait!

Now this may be a silly question but is there an entrance fee for the spectators and parents?

 

[carone0318]

Now this may be a silly question but is there an entrance fee for the spectators and parents?

Yes, every meet I ever been to has had an admission fee. In NJ, how it works is for Invitationals it can be any amt that the host gym wants to charge. For Sectionals and States, the State sets the fee and it is usually like $5 or $6 per Adult and maybe $3 for child.

I've been to invitationals that have charged $10 per adult. Those are bigger invitationals though. I think that $5/$6 per adult is pretty standard, but wouldn't be too shocked if it were higher.

 

[Terry36]

Thanks again!

 

[mom2cinderella]

Now this may be a silly question but is there an entrance fee for the spectators and parents?

Not a silly question at all!

Our experience has been:
Entrance fee: $5 is a good average
Programs: Usually $3
Concessions: typical pricing i.e. $2 for hot dogs, pretzels, cokes, etc.
Parking: We haven't had to pay parking anywhere (yet)
Gifts for your gymnast: There are often leos, webkinz, etc for sale. A lot of parents do not buy anything, but I lack willpower.

Not all of these will be a factor at every meet; some places are cash only and some take credit cards. So it's good to be prepared.

Michele

 

[Terry36]

Not a silly question at all!

Our experience has been:
Entrance fee: $5 is a good average
Programs: Usually $3
Concessions: typical pricing i.e. $2 for hot dogs, pretzels, cokes, etc.
Parking: We haven't had to pay parking anywhere (yet)
Gifts for your gymnast: There are often leos, webkinz, etc for sale. A lot of parents do not buy anything, but I lack willpower.

Not all of these will be a factor at every meet; some places are cash only and some take credit cards. So it's good to be prepared.

Michele

Thanks Michelle!

Webkinz oh my...I will definately need to budget for this Saturday between this and the Hannah Montana concert I will be broke.

 

[missypie]

When I attended DD's first meet, I was shocked to see that there was an entrance fee. It was amazing that we actually had enough cash on us to get in. At dance competitions (for the other DD), there is no entrance fee, but programs are very expensive.

 

[dis4me]

When I attended DD's first meet, I was shocked to see that there was an entrance fee. It was amazing that we actually had enough cash on us to get in. At dance competitions (for the other DD), there is no entrance fee, but programs are very expensive.

I was too. It was a huge meet out of state and it was $12 to get in. I just about died. Then the programs were $5. THat is not the norm though. THey are usually $5-7 to get in and $1-3 for a program.

DD had her mock meet on Wed and it did not go well. 1st event was bars she did good but her first cast was virtually non exisistant. She got a 9.35 Next event beam she did a beautiful warm up then got up and fell on her bwo bhs. Then wobbled huge on her full turn. SHe got an 8.3 Worse score for her this year. SHe has been falling on the flight series but usually still gets at least a 9. FLoor is usually her best event and normally scores anywnere from 9.5 - 9.7. Well we had someone come in and "fix" our routines to the tune of $50 right before states. She did her routine.. no major mistakes .. She got a 8.95. She was devastated. The judege told her that her floor routine lacked dynamics. Any idea what that means? Her self esteem was really hurt by this mock meet. This is the 1st time we've done this but I really don't like it. Anyone else have any experiece with it?
Oh yeah and after all that time they never even got to vault which is her weak event.
Oh BTW this took 5 hours to do. All the optional girls participated and there was 1 judge who reviewed each event with them.
Hope everyone does well this weekend.Good luck

 

[carone0318]

DD had her mock meet on Wed and it did not go well. 1st event was bars she did good but her first cast was virtually non exisistant. She got a 9.35 Next event beam she did a beautiful warm up then got up and fell on her bwo bhs. Then wobbled huge on her full turn. SHe got an 8.3 Worse score for her this year. SHe has been faling on the flight series but usually still gets at least a 9. FLoor is usually her best event and normally scores anywnere from 9.5 - 9.7. Well we had someone come in and "fix" our routines to the tune of $50 right before states. She did her routine.. no major mistakes .. SHe got a 8.95. SHe was devastated. Thejudege told her that her flourinte lacked dynamics. ANy idea what that means? Her self esteem was really hurt by this mock meet. This is the 1st time we've done this but I really don't like it. Anyone else have any experiece with it?
Oh yeah and after all that time they never even got to vault which is her weak event.
Oh BTW this took 5 hours to do. All the optional girls participated and there was 1 judge who reviewed each event with them.
Hope everyone does well this weekend.Good luck

Sorry to hear that it didn't go well. Can't believe that the entire Optional team competed and it took 5 hrs - that's crazy and no vault! We don't necessarily have mock meets, but we do have a resident judge - who is actually our beam coach. Usually before big meets, she will judge the different girls on the different events. That is really the only experience that dd has had. She is usually a very tough scorer, so if the girls do well, they feel very proud of themselves.

 

[dis4me]

Sorry to hear that it didn't go well. Can't believe that the entire Optional team competed and it took 5 hrs - that's crazy and no vault! We don't necessarily have mock meets, but we do have a resident judge - who is actually our beam coach. Usually before big meets, she will judge the different girls on the different events. That is really the only experience that dd has had. She is usually a very tough scorer, so if the girls do well, they feel very proud of themselves.

If you don't mind my asking How many hours does your daughter train. Mine goes 5 days a week 21 hours 2 hours of dance.It just seems like a lot. I know you are close to me so I was just trying to compare. I know another gym close to here only does like 16 hours a week and 4 days. I love our gym but am starting to feel like my duaghter is getting lost in the shuffle as some girls homeschool and she does not.

 

[missypie]

If you don't mind my asking How many hours does your daughter train. Mine goes 5 days a week 21 hours 2 hours of dance.It just seems like a lot. I know you are close to me so I was just trying to compare. I know another gym close to here only does like 16 hours a week and 4 days. I love our gym but am starting to feel like my duaghter is getting lost in the shuffle as some girls homeschool and she does not.

A lot of it depends on the coach's and gym's philosophy. For a while we were at a gym that had "us" and "them" - the girls who trained 12-20 hours a week, and the homeschooled girls who trained 30. Our coach is pretty realistic and knows that it's a long shot that these girls will go to the Olympics, so she encourages 15 hours a week. We have a few girls who are in college on gymnastics scholarships.

Some gyms have 2 teams - the USAG team that requires 30-36 hours and the rec team that "only" requires 12-15.

 

[dis4me]

A lot of it depends on the coach's and gym's philosophy. For a while we were at a gym that had "us" and "them" - the girls who trained 12-20 hours a week, and the homeschooled girls who trained 30. Our coach is pretty realistic and knows that it's a long shot that these girls will go to the Olympics, so she encourages 15 hours a week. We have a few girls who are in college on gymnastics scholarships.

Some gyms have 2 teams - the USAG team that requires 30-36 hours and the rec team that "only" requires 12-15.

Thanks Missypie!
I think 15 hours sounds wonderful. My dd really wanted to do the play at her school or softball and there was no way she coudl do either.
Our homeschoolers do 30 if not more.

 

[missypie]

Thanks Missypie!
I think 15 hours sounds wonderful. My dd really wanted to do the play at her school or softball and there was no way she coudl do either.
Our homeschoolers do 30 if not more.

When DD was in 2nd and 3rd grade, she was begging to be homeschooled so she could train 30m hours. Fast forward to 6th grade and she wants it to be her last season. I'm very grateful that we've always had her in dance classes, too. That will probably be what she does in high school.

 

[carone0318]

If you don't mind my asking How many hours does your daughter train. Mine goes 5 days a week 21 hours 2 hours of dance.It just seems like a lot. I know you are close to me so I was just trying to compare. I know another gym close to here only does like 16 hours a week and 4 days. I love our gym but am starting to feel like my duaghter is getting lost in the shuffle as some girls homeschool and she does not.

My dd trains 20 hrs a week (M, T, TH, F 4-8 and Sat 12-4) she does go to regular school (Catholic). There is only 1 girl at our gym who is homeschooled and I don't believe it is for gymnastics purposes. Our L6 - L10 team has about 40 girls on it.

As for possibly switching, I would talk to your dd. Our gym is a pretty tough gym and the girls are definitely pushed. When times get tough some parents tell their girls that there are other options (other gyms) and their girls basically look at them and are like no way, this is the place to be. I guess what I am saying is that see what she wants. You might think the other option would work for her, but she might be appalled that you even suggested that she go somewhere else.

Just read the other post (missypie) about USAG and Rec, well in NJ there is JOGA. I don't know about your dd, but for me to even mention JOGA, she looks at me like I have 3 heads.

Our gym does max out though at 20 hrs. Whether you are L7 or L10, you do the same hrs. Our elite is a whole other animal. We tend to get a lot of high school girls coming to our gym when they are in their Freshman/Sophmore yr because our HC/O is known for getting girls scholarships. Last yr we had I think 6 Seniors and I think all but 1 had scholarships. 2 are doing gymnastics at Ivy League, so that leaves 3 that have full rides for gymnastics.

This is what my dd wants. She wants to get a scholarship for college to do gymnastics. (Big dreams - little girl, more power to her.) Yeah, I would like it too, but know it would be icing on the cake - not the reason for doing gymnastics to begin with. The thing at her gym though is that she sees it every year, so she really believes it is possible and not a rare occurence like at some many other places.

Everything comes down to what your dd wants and where she wants to go.

 

[missypie]

This is what my dd wants. She wants to get a scholarship for college to do gymnastics. (Big dreams - little girl, more power to her.) Yeah, I would like it too, but know it would be icing on the cake - not the reason for doing gymnastics to begin with. The thing at her gym though is that she sees it every year, so she really believes it is possible and not a rare occurence like at some many other places.

Everything comes down to what your dd wants and where she wants to go.

Yeah, my DD was talking about that as a 7-10 year old. At some point, most max out their talent, acquire chronic injuries, or just plain want a life. DD is tired of turning down sleepovers and school activities because she has gym. She's lasted longer than many, but she's lost her passion. It will be interesting to see how many of them last all the way through high school.

 

[dis4me]

My dd trains 20 hrs a week (M, T, TH, F 4-8 and Sat 12-4) she does go to regular school (Catholic). There is only 1 girl at our gym who is homeschooled and I don't believe it is for gymnastics purposes. Our L6 - L10 team has about 40 girls on it.

As for possibly switching, I would talk to your dd. Our gym is a pretty tough gym and the girls are definitely pushed. When times get tough some parents tell their girls that there are other options (other gyms) and their girls basically look at them and are like no way, this is the place to be. I guess what I am saying is that see what she wants. You might think the other option would work for her, but she might be appalled that you even suggested that she go somewhere else.

Just read the other post (missypie) about USAG and Rec, well in NJ there is JOGA. I don't know about your dd, but for me to even mention JOGA, she looks at me like I have 3 heads.

Our gym does max out though at 20 hrs. Whether you are L7 or L10, you do the same hrs. Our elite is a whole other animal. We tend to get a lot of high school girls coming to our gym when they are in their Freshman/Sophmore yr because our HC/O is known for getting girls scholarships. Last yr we had I think 6 Seniors and I think all but 1 had scholarships. 2 are doing gymnastics at Ivy League, so that leaves 3 that have full rides for gymnastics.

This is what my dd wants. She wants to get a scholarship for college to do gymnastics. (Big dreams - little girl, more power to her.) Yeah, I would like it too, but know it would be icing on the cake - not the reason for doing gymnastics to begin with. The thing at her gym though is that she sees it every year, so she really believes it is possible and not a rare occurence like at some many other places.

Everything comes down to what your dd wants and where she wants to go.

Carone0318 I know what gym you are at. Seveal of our girls left and went there with a particular coach who isn't there any more either.LOL Our Coach is very strict and my daughter wants nothing to do with another gym either. Sometimes it kills me because we pay a huge amount of money compared to local gyms here and the other gyms seem to do pretty well.
BTW DD thinks of JOGA like the plauge as well. Her friend does JOGA and loves it though.
OH And homescooling was never an option for my dd. She goes to public school and loves it. SHe would miss her outside friends too much if she left school.

 

[carone0318]

Yeah, my DD was talking about that as a 7-10 year old. At some point, most max out their talent, acquire chronic injuries, or just plain want a life. DD is tired of turning down sleepovers and school activities because she has gym. She's lasted longer than many, but she's lost her passion. It will be interesting to see how many of them last all the way through high school.

Agreed, which is why I always say Big dreams - little girl. I know they could change in time, but it nice to see the focus she has at this point. She's 11.5 yrs old and is half through 6th grade. The tough yrs are still ahead. Boys, high school - who knows what it will bring...

Outside of the gym, she also plays travel soccer (dh coaches, the only reason she can do this.) HC/O wants her to quit and has for awhile, but we chug along. This is the last yr for both though. Next yr she will only do gym. She will still be a member of the soccer team, but will only train with them on her gym day off and will probably only play in tournaments.

 

[dis4me]

Agreed, which is why I always say Big dreams - little girl. I know they could change in time, but it nice to see the focus she has at this point. She's 11.5 yrs old and is half through 6th grade. The tough yrs are still ahead. Boys, high school - who knows what it will bring...

Outside of the gym, she also plays travel soccer (dh coaches, the only reason she can do this.) HC/O wants her to quit and has for awhile, but we chug along. This is the last yr for both though. Next yr she will only do gym. She will still be a member of the soccer team, but will only train with them on her gym day off and will probably only play in tournaments.

Wow that's great that she can do soccer. Good for her.My dd did dance outside of gym the first year of level 4 but it got too complicated. Her recital and TOPS testing were the same weekend. Now that was interesting to juggle.

 

[carone0318]

Carone0318 I know what gym you are at. Seveal of our girls left and went there with a particular coach who isn't there any more either.LOL Our Coach is very strict and my daughter wants nothing to do with another gym either. Sometimes it kills me because we pay a huge amount of money compared to local gyms here and the other gyms seem to do pretty well.
BTW DD thinks of JOGA like the plauge as well. Her friend does JOGA and loves it though.
OH And homescooling was never an option for my dd. She goes to public school and loves it. SHe would miss her outside friends too much if she left school.

Ha-ha-ha funny, small world huh! Having said what you said, I have an idea where your dd might be from too.

Funny how the USAG girls think of JOGA as the plague! It really isn't, but they just don't see it as an option for themselves. I glad that there is something out there for everyone though.

 

[missypie]

Agreed, which is why I always say Big dreams - little girl. I know they could change in time, but it nice to see the focus she has at this point. She's 11.5 yrs old and is half through 6th grade. The tough yrs are still ahead. Boys, high school - who knows what it will bring...

Outside of the gym, she also plays travel soccer (dh coaches, the only reason she can do this.) HC/O wants her to quit and has for awhile, but we chug along. This is the last yr for both though. Next yr she will only do gym. She will still be a member of the soccer team, but will only train with them on her gym day off and will probably only play in tournaments.

I have a child who is a high school junior so I spend some time on a "planning for college" message board. The folks there always say you should only put on college applications things you did in high school-not before. However, even if these girls quit gymnastics in middle school, I still think it says a lot about them that they spent 8 years doing 15-30 hours in the gym instead of watching Full House reruns every day after school!