Parents 1st meet ever!

[dancingimmie]

My DD has her first ever meet this Sunday, she's level 3. She's feeling really confident, so are her coaches. I'm a nervous wreck!! Do you have any advise on what I should pack in her bag? How does the age breakdown usually work? I truly have no idea what to expect.

 

[skschlag]

Just go and have fun Not sure what to pack in a girl's bag, but in my son's bag we pack water, snacks, extra socks, all uniform and equipment pieces (pants, shorts, grips, wristbands, etc).

Have a great time!

 

[AgingHippie]

Oh, how exciting! Bring water, snacks and everything possible needed for her hair like hairspray, booby pins, hair ties etc. In L3 my daughter also put a good luck stuffed animal in there. Oh and tissues, just in case they get a messy sneeze or something.

Have a blast, I still remember the excitement of our first meet.

You may want to pack a change of clothes for after in case the team decides to go out to eat and she does not want to stay in her comp leo.

 

[2gymmies]

Have a great time! Be sure to take pictures and don't let her know you are nervous!

 

[beachgirl]

Water, non-messy snack, extra hair supplies, but remember once she leaves you, she won't be back for hair help, chapstick. If it's a meet that goes through a meal I bring a thermos with something quick for her to eat right when we get to the venue. Also, even though she's feeling confident now, it may change the morning of the meet. I made a big breakfast for my daughter's first meet several years ago and she threw it all up. She claimed she was too sick to go, but I knew it was just nerves and off we went. Usually the awards are broken down by age at some meets they take the number of L3s and organize it from youngest to oldest and divide it so there about 20 per age group and sometimes it's done strictly by age, so some age groups are big ( 8 year old level 3s) and some are small. In our area 1/2 the girls get an award, but I'm sure it's different elsewhere. Best of luck to your daughter and I hope you both have fun.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

Good luck to your daughter! We always pack a hairbrush with extra ponytail holders just in case. Some athletic tape in case of a rip. And of course water and a snack. =) The age groups will vary from meet to meet but I would say you can expect to be in an age group with about 12-30 girls of similar age to your dd, most of the meets we attend give 100% medals on the all around and on events they give 50%. From reading here though, I know that that's not the case everywhere. I hope she has a wonderful first meet, be sure to update us!

 

[MomIdidit!]

Oh how exciting....Dd has her 2nd meet Friday afternoon so I'm totally inexperienced but I would recommend a camera and a water for both you and your dd. If she wears grips, bring a spare pair.

I will be bringing my cell phone and hope to track her scores throughout the meet. I was shocked when they called her name several times at the awards. I think I will do better if I had an idea if she placed so I could get the camera ready. I don't have great podium pics since I had no idea.

Have fun, stay calm and enjoy. Best of luck to dd!!

 

[l.c.o]

Bring something to do for any siblings/cousins who are attending the meet. They're long and boring for other kids. Depending on the venue, snacks can get very expensive, so know that in advance. While some compulsory entrance fees hosted in-house at local gyms are minimal ($5-8), some entrance fees are pretty high, as well (can reach $15-20). Big spring invitationals that are held at conference centers tend to be the priciest. And bring cash - not all meets take plastic.

My DD has been the queen of the night-before freak out. So, be on the lookout for potential nerves yet. I hope your DD is the type that just takes it in stride and doesn't worry (my DS is, so there's hope!).

At level 3, depending on the meet, they tend to only award AA and give the girls event ribbons. Bigger invitationals may award events at level 3. My DD was so excited to finally receive event medals at level 4, but now sort of misses the ribbons.

Age groups will vary widely meet to meet - it's literally unpredictable. We've even experienced a wide variety of age groupings at state, depending on the host gym.

Pack what others have said, and maybe add in some pre-wrap, lotion, shoes or fuzzy socks to wear around venue, safety pins, band-aids, spare set of meds your DD may need in case she forgets to take it when you're running around before leaving, tiny scissors/nail clippers/tweezers (Claire's used to sell cute tiny kits that had all three), and nail polish remover for an oops. We've never needed the last two items, but have always had them packed.

Most of all, relax, enjoy it, and GOOD LUCK!!! She'll only have her first meet season once!

 

[Musicmama]

Dd's first meet was last week. On my list for dd's gym bag this weekend are:

Snacks: Mini-Ritz crackers with cheese in the middle are a favorite, grapes or blueberries (with instructions never to BITE the blueberries, but to pop them whole into her mouth), granola bar, peanuts, dried apple slices, and of course water. I send her with plenty of snacks partially so she can easily share if anyone else doesn't have much or if their parents forget.

A cloth napkin (a paper towel would do just as well) and a couple of individually wrapped wet wipes like those given out at BBQ restaurants just in case her hands get sticky from the snacks.

A plastic grocery or produce bag to put any food trash in so it doesn't mess up anything else in her bag.

Hair supplies: Clips and extra ties are all I put in her actual gym bag because I gel and spray it really well ahead of time and there's not much space.

A mini-notebook in case she wants to write anything down. She doesn't keep track of her scores during the meet, so it's mainly for if someone says something memorable or the judges tell her something she wants to remember.

Last time it was simpler to keep her flip-flops with me, but there was space for them in her bag.


For me, I'm going to bring:

My iPad to video her (can also provide something for me to do if needed), a book to read, a notebook (I'm a writer so I bring notebooks everywhere), water, a snack, and cash.

 

[Tigtimes]

For her:
Gatorade or water
Small snacks: goldfish, gummies, energy bar cut into bite size pieces

For you:
Emergency hair supplies
Have no expectations
Listen to loud music on way to meet, no talking about what to remember
Pray to not start on beam
Try not to throw up when they start on beam
Know that nerves/adrenaline sometimes gets the best of them, especially first meet of the season
Realize you will never really understand how vault is scored
Understand there will always be "the gym" with repeaters
A successful meet often has nothing to do with scores

Whatever her outcome remember she is at the very beginning of her journey

 

[Deleted member 18037]

When you drop her off keep it light/general. I tell my girl, give it your best, have fun, I love you..............

When you are at the meet, remember nearly every spectator has someone they love competing, keep any non postive commentary of other teams/kids to yourself.

For the bag....... water, extra hair stuff (bobbys, pony holders, travel gel, travel hairspray, brush), first aid kit (bandaids, Neosporin, hand lotion, tape, tape grips if you have gotten that far). Snacks (we don't do nuts, as we have gymmies with nut allergies) that are mess free. Grapes, banana, cheese sticks, crackers, apple slices, egg whites) Change of clothes, for the ride home.

Awards. For us L3 really varied. Top 3-5 usually medals. AA perhaps a trophy or a medal.

For you. Have a note set up on your phone to record scores. Set up a bookmark for meet scores on line (in case they are using that) Cameras, cash, credit card in case you want to buy the sweatshirt or photos.

When its done, praise effort and skill, not scores and placement......... Nice recovery on beam. Your presentation on floor was awesome. All that hard work on bars really showed today.


And seriously its about how your kid does compared to last time, so this is your baseline..................... Every meet is one meet in what will be a journey of whole bunch of meets. Keep perspective.

Breathe and if that fails, drink (said tongue in cheek, unless you don't have to drive )

 

[lilmisssunshine]

We had our first meet last month (boys), and I think that the other girl parents have covered a lot of what your daughter will need, but I'd stress bringing a few extra drinks/snacks for yourself as well. The first place we were at was a large convention center, and snacks were like $4 for a bottle of water and $5 for a soft pretzel. I was really sick and hungry and thirsty, but I had already spent $8 for my younger daughter to get water and M&Ms and I just didn't want to spend more. It was rough. Other places have had more reasonable prices, but I was totally caught unaware.

 

[Flounder]

Good luck to your daughter!

 

[Peanut]

Good luck to your DD!

 

[Anna's_Mom]

I think everyone has had good suggestions for her bag. The one thing that caught me by surprise was the need for CASH. I almost never carry more than a couple of bucks but learned quickly that on meet days I had to stop at the bank! All of our gyms charge a spectator fee (usually between 8 - 15). Some charge extra for a program (1-5). They sell candy/gifts that they will deliver to your daughter before awards. The first time you hear any girl say "my mom never sends gifts so she must not like my gymnastics" you'll figure out that those are not always optional and usually run 1 - 5 (you might want to set the expectation for getting these or not with your child ahead of time). Then there is the snack bar for you if you don't bring your own...

The other thing that is absolutely essential to think about is younger siblings, if that applies. Please have something for them to do. This is 3-4 hours of sitting in one place (and usually uncomfortable at that). They won't watch the meet for more than a few minutes. Most gyms will not allow them to run around or play on equipment. Everyone around you will be grateful if they have a game, video (use headphones, please) or whatever works. Even with older kids these things can be less than exciting. We usually ask our son to go to one of his sister's meets and for the rest he stays home. If you can swing a sitter, it will be well worth the investment. I can't tell you how many times I've been with moms that miss the 30 seconds their daughter is on the bars because small child needed attention.

Above all, relax and enjoy it for what it is.

 

[gymmiemom]

Good luck to her and you! I vividly remember our first meet! So fun!

My DD always has extra hair stuff, a water bottle, z-bars (her favorite snack), she used to pack around her lucky monkey.

I always also slip in a little good luck/I'm proud of you note that I know she will find. Of course 4 years later it isn't a surprise to her but it still makes her smile.

Bring lots of cash in case they don't take credit cards. Some meets sell Leo's, hoodies, etc.

Have fun!

 

[dancingimmie]

Thank you everyone for your advise and well wishes!! I will remember to breath and have fun, I hope my dd remembers that too!! I made a list of things to put in her bag. I hope it all fits!! I'll update you with results.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

we always pack a spare leo, we had one child on the team that used to always wet themselves and since then have always had a spare.....

 

[dancingimmie]

we always pack a spare leo, we had one child on the team that used to always wet themselves and since then have always had a spare.....

That's a good one!!!

 

[Anna's_Mom]

we always pack a spare leo, we had one child on the team that used to always wet themselves and since then have always had a spare.....

Goodness -- at the price of the comp leos I think that one would be out of my price range! My DD is terrified that she will start her period at a meet, so she always carries the little kit that she got in "hygiene class" at school. She'll be 13 next month (OMG!!!), but at 70 pounds and very little development I don't think she's anywhere close. Still, it makes her feel more secure, so in it goes. Maybe that is the teen's equivalent to the stuffed animal?