WAG Emergency Grips Help

[cbifoja]

Problem! Coach informed me that Bella needs new grips as her finger holes got stretched and now every time she gets to the part of her routine where she jumps to high bar, her grips have slipped off her fingers and begin flapping around while she's trying to finish her routine.

Coach has been using tape but apparently it's not working out great. I have ordered new grips but they won't be here until the day before we leave for Florida and obviously she won't have time to break them in so she can compete in them. That means we have to take the stretched out grips to Sand Dollar.

She can't compete without grips as she's become too accustomed to them. So I'm hoping someone has another suggestion other than taping fingers that I could mention trying to her coach (who hopefully won't be offended at my interfering!)

 

[gymgal]

find another girl with similar grips/hands. we have had to do this before. It's not perfect but it's better than what she is dealing with now. Also, you may be able to work on them on the way to Florida and maybe you can find a gym there where she can work them for a little while. Again, not perfect but may work...

edit:
also, is there a way to expedite shipping? Calling the distributor?

 

[Seeker]

That was the first thought that came to mind for me too...tape her fingers so that they're a little thicker. Maybe the grips will stay on better? At least for a few weeks!

 

[cbifoja]

find another girl with similar grips/hands. we have had to do this before. It's not perfect but it's better than what she is dealing with now. Also, you may be able to work on them on the way to Florida and maybe you can find a gym there where she can work them for a little while. Again, not perfect but may work...

edit:
also, is there a way to expedite shipping? Calling the distributor?

She's the smallest L5 and that's the level our gym starts using dowel grips so we're shut out on that front. I was looking at expedited shipping but getting them overnighted was going to cost $120!!!! As much as I know she needs them, I just can't swing that on a single mom/public school teacher/child already bankrupting me salary! *laugh*

I will say that I was really impressed with how fast Gibson is getting the grips. I explained our situation and they said with regular shipping the soonest they could get them to us was on Wednesday. Give that we ordered them late Thursday night, I'm really impressed with their effort!

 

[gymkat]

If your gym has a foam pit, get permission to take one foam block. Rip off 2 fairly small (maybe 1.5 inches long) pieces of foam and put them between Bella's fingers and the top of the finger hole (so the foam will be on top of her fingers). Keep a few more pieces as backups.

 

[catou]

I used to use an elastic for one of my gymnast. I'll try to explain it clearly... You pass the elastic trough the holes. Then one extremity of the elastic goes trough the other one. You should be able to pass the velcro or the buckles trough the loose end. Should look like this. It worked well with my gymnast, and it's easier to do than use tape each time.

 

[cbifoja]

If your gym has a foam pit, get permission to take one foam block. Rip off 2 fairly small (maybe 1.5 inches long) pieces of foam and put them between Bella's fingers and the top of the finger hole (so the foam will be on top of her fingers). Keep a few more pieces as backups.

I can't picture this. The foam sits between her fingers and the leather kind of in the bend of her finger? How do you secure the foam?

 

[cbifoja]

I used to use an elastic for one of my gymnast. I'll try to explain it clearly... You pass the elastic trough the holes. Then one extremity of the elastic goes trough the other one. You should be able to pass the velcro or the buckles trough the loose end. Should look like this. It worked well with my gymnast, and it's easier to do than use tape each time.

View attachment 3765

Hmmm.....this looks possible. I'll ask her to try this at practice tomorrow and see how it works for her.

 

[catou]

She can ask her coach, they probably know how to do this. You might be better to provide the elastics. Use ones that are pretty rigid. If they are too elastic they won't do the job. Hair elastics should do the job.

 

[my4buffaloes]

When our girls get new grips, the coach takes them over to one of the steel beams in the gym and rubs them back and forth on the edge to get them soft and loosened up. Dd says they work great from the start this way.

 

[DND]

My DD has small hands and she has foams pieces in the holes that her fingers go through and they stay in place...

 

[cbifoja]

My DD has small hands and she has foams pieces in the holes that her fingers go through and they stay in place...

I can see that working too. I assume you mean stuffed in the holes on the back of her fingers? How do you keep them from slipping out?

 

[DND]

She says they just stay once her fingers are in as it makes the fit "proper" for her ....they are just little rectangles and with the finger it is just tight...her words as she watches me type! LOL

 

[cbifoja]

If your gym has a foam pit, get permission to take one foam block. Rip off 2 fairly small (maybe 1.5 inches long) pieces of foam and put them between Bella's fingers and the top of the finger hole (so the foam will be on top of her fingers). Keep a few more pieces as backups.

Duh! You're saying the same thing that Margg is saying. I get it now!

 

[justanothergymmom]

We order our grips from DGS and they are usually here within 2 days...if I order in the morning they are usually at my house the next afternoon.

DGS -Gymnastics Grips, Gymnastics Mats, Gymnastics Equipment, Gymnastics Apparel - Search

I pay approximately $10 for shipping and they always arrive very quickly...they carry Gibson, US Glove and a bunch of other types.

I hope she gets them quickly!

 

[cbifoja]

We order our grips from DGS and they are usually here within 2 days...if I order in the morning they are usually at my house the next afternoon.

DGS -Gymnastics Grips, Gymnastics Mats, Gymnastics Equipment, Gymnastics Apparel - Search

I pay approximately $10 for shipping and they always arrive very quickly...they carry Gibson, US Glove and a bunch of other types.

I hope she gets them quickly!

Sure wish I had known that Thursday night! I was moaning my own bad luck for having to try to rush something over a holiday weekend right before we leave for an out of state meet. Kind of my own little perfect storm!

I will definitely bookmark this site just in case this happens again....and Murphy's Law suggests it will. *sigh*

 

[mariposa]

Definitely should think about having a back up pair, too. Our girls use the rubber bands sometimes, as pictured.

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[gymdog]

Just use the rubber bands, works fine, I always did that.

 

[eme777]

My DD liked using the foam...felt like it worked better than the tape.

Also, don't discount being able to borrow someone else's grips. Body size does not always reflect hand size. My DD is 5'5" & her grip size is 00 - narrow.

 

[marie83]

Even if the grips arrived in time, I'd be tempted to use the current ones for the meet as your dd will be comfortable in them. I was going to suggest the elastic method or stuffing the holes with foam!
It's always good to have a back up pair of grips though, wear them in then in case of emergency you have them ready!