Parents Meets from a Parents point of view

[JMACAZ]

I also really like going to meets. Especially now that there are so many girls on older DD's team-so many to cheer for. I also really like taking pics.

 

[Committed]

It's a mix for me.
Yes, it's fun to see her compete and do her routines the very best she can. However.... my booty doesn't like them at all! It was so painful (mentally and physically) to sit through a 6 hour meet during the Super Bowl.

 

[MaryA]

I rarely sit during a meet (except for States last year when I was sick as a dog). Too much nervous energy. When there are bleachers, I usually stand against a wall in the back. If there are seats on the floor, I usually walk around. Better video recording that way too. And so much sitting in the car before and after too!

 

[gymmiemom]

We've only got 1 meet season under our belts, but I LOVE meets. I love them more when DH stays home with the other 3 children DH gets so into it, that he stresses me out and the other 3 kids really don't like to sit for that long and watch the same routines over and over and over again. When its just me and DD I really love the quality time spent in the car together. She's at the gym so much that I just don't get the weekly quality time that I get with my other kids.

I love the atmosphere, sitting with other parents from the gym and cheering for all of our girls, and the anticipation that comes at the beginning of each rotation. I am so ready for it to begin in a few short weeks. But I was also glad for the travel and the endless spending of money to be over by the time state rolled around. I sort of wish we lived someplace with a shorter season. Nov-March is a long period of time.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

hmmm, I hate them. I hate the stress, the uncomfortable seats, the noise, the lack of daylight, the horrid gym lighting, the really annoying people I seem to sit by, the drying air, the music murdered by bad orchestration, bad Hifi and bad acoustics...............Bah Humbug

 

[seoulmama]

I don't hate meets but I don't love them, either. They are exciting but stressful-I am too much of a worrier to just sit back and enjoy. They are often crowded. I dislike sitting in chairs because you can never see if you're not in front. I dislike sitting in bleachers because my back and behind hurt after 10 minutes. I can't stand listening to the floor routine music over.and.over.and.over. I don't enjoy the stress of finding a new place, figuring out how much time to leave before the meet starts, making sure dd has everything she needs, making sure ds is all set for the day since he choses not to come most times. Or the stress of making sure I am not working a Saturday that a meet could potentially fall on since we usually don't know the schedule of exact day/time.

I do enjoy the chance to connect and cheer with fellow team parents. I try to remember why I am there-to support my dd and show her how much I love watching her!

 

[juststartingout]

I honestly don't enjoy meets at all, they completely stress me out. I really hate when the meets are later in the day since my daughter is young and so I worry about her being tired. Of course they are excited on meet day so they won't nap. I worry that dd will mess up, not because she won't place but because she'll be upset. Last year at her last meet she messed up on floor. When she got off the floor she started crying, I wanted to go hug her but couldn't. It was the first rotation which made it even worse. She ended up 2nd on floor that day and 1st AA so it ended up fine but for those few moments my heart was broken for her and I was so worried that she still had to perform 3 more times. My older dd was an allstar cheerleader the last 3 years and that was stressful also but not quite as bad since you won or lost as a team and so the kids weren't singled out.

 

[Ex member]

hmmm, I hate them. I hate the stress, the uncomfortable seats, the noise, the lack of daylight, the horrid gym lighting, the really annoying people I seem to sit by, the drying air, the music murdered by bad orchestration, bad Hifi and bad acoustics...............Bah Humbug

I can understand that, we traveled all that way leaving under the cover of darkness and arriving at the town the meet was held at lunch time, had 1 hour to eat then straight down to the gym, after that we went straight down to the hotel and didn't leave until after breakfast then straight down to the gym again for 8am then after the meet we had to start the long drive home. It was such a shame not to see the place we were staying in properly. The gym was hot and we did hear the same few pieces of music loads of times as these were compulsory routines and don't get me started on the horrible uncomfortable plastic bleacher chairs - ouch!! can still feel it now lol

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Mind you Bournemouth in October - hmmm you didn't miss much ! Lol, used to live there so I can be scathing

 

[Gymdad2]

And some day it will all be over and you will look back and remember the excitement and the proud way dd walks off the floor after a successful routine or her happy salute after a good beam routine and her smile when she gets a medal or trophy, and you will forget those hard bleachers and compulsory music, and you will find that you kind of miss it now. DD is far away now doing D1 gymnastics and I don't get to go to any meets anymore. Enjoy it while you can.

 

[Bajanswife]

That compulsory music is one of the reasons I am so happy that DD is now in optionals!

 

[GymBee97]

oh boy to be a newbie again LOL. Well lets see between DS and DD's meets I have been warming the bleachers and uncomfortable seats for a good 16 years now. I do love the away meets as usually only my DD and I go to those so its a mommy and me weekend in a good hotel. Yup I do enjoy the hotel. The meets I like are the ones that have vendors at them so I can go shopping at the meet. I watch my daughter in her session and her team but other than that I can think of someplace else I'd like to be. I do video my DD at meets because she wants me to and I can show the grandparents her meets.

DD enjoys the meets and the mom and me weekends (thank god she still wants to spend time with me).

I have been at meets where the other teams parents haven't been so nice (to put it mildly) and I have been at meets where everyone was nice.

It just depends on the meet, the teams and the location if I still "enjoy" going.

 

[wgymmom]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who re-watches videos!

 

[htimcj]

I love going to meets. I just wish they weren't in the middle of winter! It make getting to them a bit less stressful. We have to drive 3-4 hours for each one. I also love to record DD routines and watch them again later. DD just watched all of her routines from L4-6 again yesterday!