Previous season Results:

2003 -2004

Meet Tips for Parents -Suggestions

If your daughter is an Optional gymnast all of the things here will be very familiar to you, but reminders are always useful. These tips are suggestions from parents who have experienced several meets, they are helpful hints to refer to during your first years as a "competitive gymnast's parent."

Getting to the Meet on time!

• Plan to stay over the night before for early start meets.
• Book an early morning alarm call.
• Lay out everything you need the night before.
• Make a trial run from the hotel to the meet location.
• Double check Meet warm up time and meet start time.
• Check with your coach to find out how soon before the meet start time your gymnast should arrive. Usually 30 minutes before the scheduled warm up.
• Plan to arrive early, hair done and ready to go.
• Allow time for traffic hold ups or missed highway exits, have an alternate route planned in case of delays.
• Take a pillow for the car journey.
• Allow time for slow breakfast service or hotel checkout.
• The night before a meet, make sure your gymnast gets enough sleep and drinks plenty of water. Pasta is a good meal choice the night before a meet, avoid fried foods. For Breakfast cereal or bagels are good or non acid fruits such as bananas, cantaloupes, grapes, and melon.
• Depending on how long the ride is to the meet, you may want your gymnast to put on her competition leo and warm ups. Or for longer journeys wear a cozy pair of pants (pjs or sweat pants are great!) and a sweatshirt and change into her leo and warm ups as you get closer to the gym. Changing facilities sometimes have lines so plan to arrive at the gym looking like an MGTC gymnast.
• Do not coach your gymnast on the way to the meet. It is best to have your daughter focus on "having a good time and doing her best." She is already nervous enough, and will probably forget what you say. Her coach will already have prepared her for this meet and will have some last things to say at the gym. Don't overload her with anything extra.
• If you are nervous for her try not to show it – nerves can be infectious!

Things to take to the Meet:

Gymnasts Bag Checklist

• Bag - with name on. Joanne Fabrics and Michaels sell stick on letters so you can add your daughters initials easily.
• Leo
• Grips – Wrist Bands
• Hair Tie
• Drink – water or Gatorade
• Snack – healthy stuff, carbohydrate snacks they like, in small containers that are resealable - Choose items that are bite-sized, no gooey fillings. For example: bread sticks, oyster crackers, dry cereal, crackers, pretzels, carrots, grapes, small chunks of bagels, celery, wheat thins, teddy grahams, granola bars, popcorn, et.
• Screw-top water bottle - do not wait until you get to the meet and hope they have water there.
• Warm up suit – with name inside
• Hair gel/spray (mini)
• Flip flops
• Athletic tape
• Warm up Leo
• Personal hygiene items

Parents Bag Checklist

• Camera – flash turned off
• Video
• Water
• Notebook to record scores
• Hairgel/spray (large). The cement hair effect is preferable to the wispy effect!
• Hair Ties and Grips
• Cash for Meet goodies or the new leo they simply MUST have! In addition to the food concessions, some gyms sell T-shirts and gymnastic pins.
• Cell phone
• Activities to keep siblings happy – you may decide to leave little ones at home, there is not always a lot of space at meets, and they can distract the gymnasts.
• Nail varnish remover – gymnasts are not allowed to wear nail polish on fingers or toes!
• Tylenol / Ibuprofen
• A book to read it’s going to be a long day
• Stadium seat cushions to prevent bleachers butt!

What to expect

• Entrance fees can vary from about $2.00 - $10.00 per person
• Once your gymnast enters the gym for a meet, they become the responsibility of the Coach.
• As soon as your gymnast arrives she should find her coach and check in.
• ‘Check in’ – find the check in table or room, each gymnast has a number, this is usually written on your gymnasts hand by staff or volunteers from the host gym.
• There is very little or no opportunity to contact your gymnast until the conclusion of the meet.
• Ask any questions before the meet, you should not try to signal or contact your gymnast or coach during the meet.
• Parents should not speak with or approach any judges at any time – if you meet one, treat them like a goddess!
• The gymnast will not be able to go and buy food or snacks during a meet. Make sure they have what they need in their bag.
• Meets normally last between 4 and 5 hours.
• Buy a program – they usually have a place to write the scores for your gymnast, things move quite fast, it helps to keep track of scores for the rest of the team too.
• Flash photography is prohibited during a meet. This is a safety issue.
• On arrival look for a seat with good visibility for each apparatus, but be prepared to move for a better view.
• Meets are often hot – dress in layers for comfort.
• ‘Walk in’ – Normally the gymnasts are introduced in teams as they walk in line on to the gym floor.
• Events - There are four events in women’s gymnastics: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Find out which event your team is starting on.
• Rotations - A gymnastics meet is divided into four “rotations”: vault, bars, beam and floor, they always stay in that order. Each team competes on one event at a time for example while MGTC is competing on bars, another team will be on beam and another on floor. Find out which event your team is starting on. When they have finished they rotate to the next piece of apparatus.
• Warm ups – depending on the meet style these may be done on each apparatus in turn prior to the meet start – or individually between rotations. The gymnasts will move with their coach from one piece of apparatus to the next.
• Judging and Scoring - The skills or moves incorporated into each gymnast’s routine (for each event) have a value, that when combined, lead to a “start value”. Start values are typically 10.0 or 9.9. Deductions are taken when skills or moves are not performed correctly (for instance, weak form, bobbles, and falls). A fall during a routine results in an automatic 0.5 deduction. The judge(s) score each event. At the end of each gymnast’s routine, the score is shown on a raised display board.
• Cheering is encouraged, but coaching from the bleachers is not allowed. The best times to go crazy, Sing, or flash signs are during change-overs between rotations, when all the gymnasts are on the move and on their pre-routine warm-ups as a group.

After the meet

• At fun meets there is often a handstand competition done in age groups.
• Awards – There may be awards for each event, and then ‘all around’ for individuals and teams. The number of places awarded will depend on the size of the meet. These may be done on the gym floor, or in a separate area or room. Be prepared to stay with the team for these.
• Allow time to go out eat. The girls will be starving and have often made plans to meet up at a restaurant on the way home!