For Parents Meets on Fridays?

[nettyinpa]

My dd has her 2nd meet next weekend. I figured we'd be busy either Saturday or Sunday. Well, turns out the Level 4 girls are scheduled to compete on Friday, starting at 4:30. That's fine but we have to be there at 3:30 and I live about 2 hours away from the host gym. I will have to take her out of school at 1:30 in any hopes of getting there on time. Also, I'll have to do her hair the night before and she'll go to school with it up for the meet. Has anyone had to take their dd's out of school for a meet? She's only in 1st grade but still. I will need to write her teacher a note, I guess.

 

[gymgirl0805's Mom]

I had to take Chelsea out of school several times last year for meets. And next weekend she's got a meet in St. Louis (we're in Memphis) She doesn't actually compete until Sunday but we're staying with some friends of ours so I'm gonna take her out of school early Thursday and she'll miss Friday. We didn't have any meets that were only 2 hrs away. 3 1/2 was the closest place we went last year (with the exception of the two that were here in town)

Anyway, what I'm getting at is yes, I've had to check her out/her miss school for a meet.. and if your daughter stays in gymnastics then it probably won't be the last time she misses for a meet either LOL

 

[bluefeet]

Yeah, every once in a while. My daughter's first meet a couple weeks ago was on a Friday morning...out of state! Just got word on her second meet; another Friday morning

Does happen at the larger meets, but over the years we've only been hit a few times. No doubt SHE has no problem with it!

 

[gym_mom2one]

My daughter competed in her first meet on a friday. It was local but we had to be there at 4:15. She was nervous and excited so she couldn't get to sleep ontime the night before so I let her stay home that day. I'm sure it won't be the last time. Plus she didn't want to go to school with rollers in her hair. LOL

 

[catesmom]

Our first meet of the season was on friday at noon, Next wekend we go again on friday at 12 but this time we are out of state, a 4 hour drive. As was said by others this does seem to happen a few times each year, and as the girls get older and we travel further it comes more often. I have always been upfront with my dd's teachers and it has worked for us. When we go out of town early I also pull her younger sister to go with us.

I try to let the teachers know as soon as the time is determined, and give them time to reschedule any tests, projects that might be given. Most often we have until after the weekend, every so often teachers want things before. Either way we go with what the teacher says and it all works out fine. Every week a few children are out of school for vacations, so I don't feel it is any different.

For next weekend I am taking them out for two days, we will head out on thursday at noon, that way we will get in in plenty of time to have a good dinner and get the girls to bed, after doing hair. With a max of 7 competitions a year it is just part of the game, we actually enjoy these mini-vacations.

 

[melmonette]

We have been lucky and so far this year and last year all our meets where either on Saturdays or Sundays . Our State meet last year was on a Friday 3 hours away from us but we were lucky is that it was spring break at the time. This year our State meet is the week after Spring Break but it is in town about 10 miles from us with another local host gym hosting it. Our level 4s aren't having to go anywhere far away this year. All the meets are close by at other local gyms.

 

[gymnomore]

Friday meets will happen more often than you think. One time, our gym had three Fridays in a row out of town, so some of the parents elected not to let their daughters compete the last one so as to not miss school again. The girls like Friday meets of course, and the teachers have been very understanding, but there comes a time when you have to say no if it gets too much. This past season, our dd was in a grade when she would really get behind if she missed a day, so we didn't go to the two meets out of town where it would have been necessary to miss school. Not only that, but we travel as a family and I don't like for any of our kids to miss. Just make the choice that works best for you, and remember, it's only a sport.

 

[gymgirl0805's Mom]

some of the parents elected not to let their daughters compete the last one so as to not miss school again. so we didn't go to the two meets out of town where it would have been necessary to miss school. Not only that, but we travel as a family and I don't like for any of our kids to miss. Just make the choice that works best for you, and remember, it's only a sport.

Did ya'll pay for the meet and just not go? we had to pay for it waaaay before we know what day she'll be competing on so if I pay for it, we're going no matter what LOL

 

[hunde2]

We have a meet comming up on Friday.Lucky us the kids are still on their break.We only had to take her out of school early once last year.We also have to pay way ahead of the meets and do not know the exact day or time until shortly before.Which is bad sometimes because I have to ask for time off at work 4 weeks ahead of time.

 

[catesmom]

I agree that it's hard to make home and gymnastics schedules match. I tend to burn more vacation days in Jan thru March for gymnastics than I wuld like.

Actually I can't stand it when we compete on Sunday afternoons more than fridays. By Sunday night the judges are all tired, and the meet organizers just want to get it over, and if you are out of town, Monday can be a struggle, I take more days off for that than any other reason.

 

[gymnomore]

Did ya'll pay for the meet and just not go? we had to pay for it waaaay before we know what day she'll be competing on so if I pay for it, we're going no matter what LOL

No, we were lucky last year that we didn't have to pay for the meets we didn't attend. One of the meets was a "travel meet", 12 hours away, and I told the coach at the beginning of the season not to sign up my dd because there was no way to avoid missing school. The other one was a meet that for some reason or another, our gym had not yet sent in the meet fees until very late. After we found out that we were scheduled on a Friday, I simply asked that my dd be scratched. In doing so, the gym did not have to pay for her and the money stayed in our account. This probably won't happen often but it did for us that one time. But, many parents have lost the meet fee for not attending which to me, is not that big of a deal. OK, you lose say $100 for the meet fee, but you save by not going out of town and paying for a hotel, plus travel expenses, meals, etc. In the scheme of things, the loss of the meet fee is minor. Again, it's a decision, and you have to weigh your options. It's a sport, and school is more important.

 

[nettyinpa]

Did ya'll pay for the meet and just not go? we had to pay for it waaaay before we know what day she'll be competing on so if I pay for it, we're going no matter what LOL

That's the problem. You pay for these meets like 2 months in advance but don't know what day you're competing until the week before. If it was only $10-$15 I wouldn't care so much but when you're shelling out $75-$85 per meet it's a little harder to swallow. Plus, we paid a fortune for the team leo and I really want her to get the wear out of it before she doesn't fit in it anymore! LOL

 

[Blackie6]

I think I would enjoy a Friday meet once in awhile, (get to sleep in on Sat!) although with 2 other kids other than my gymie it might be hard to take everyone out of school. Right now all L4/5 meets are within a 2 hr radius of our gym and most on Sundays. Once they move up though we could be going to other states and it would be hard missing too much school. Some of our team will be going to NJ States on a Friday night & I would give anything to trade. We have an 8am Sunday session and the gym is over an hour away. At least she is off school on Monday for Martin Luther King Day, yeah!

 

[coachamyamerican]

We have several that require competing on Fridays or travel on Fridays. I just have a good relationship with my dd's teachers and let them know ahead of time and get the work early. Its never been too much of a problem. She goes to school with her "gym hair" too. The kids all know that its for a meet and she gets lots of high fives and good lucks to get her ready for the meet!

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

I think some of the kids had a meet last night! but there are a ton of kids still not in school yet!! if it were mine they would have been taken out!!

 

[Aussie_coach]

We don't tend to have competitions on a friday ever, unless it is the school holidays. Most comps are just saturdays and sundays. Our dancers sometimes have comps during the week for very big events though. We have found that the schools have been very supportive of the kids activities. Gymnasts tend to have higher levels of dedication, committment and discipline in their school work aswell, missing a day here and there is alright for a competition. It is the kids who frequently take days off for innapropriate reasons that drive the schools wild.

For my own kids, if we had a meet on fridays, I would not send them to school. The kids spend the day running around, playing sport and so on, mixed with the excitement of having a comp that afternoon and they would be exhausted. The kids I coach, I leave it up to the parents. They know their own kids and their priorities. But my kids don't take many days off, only if very sick.