Parents Newbie advice?

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JessMom

Proud Parent
We were creating a Welcome To The Team booklet for our new team parents and it has grown to such an extent we decided to just go for an ebook version and make it available for everyone.

So I'm reaching out - What do you want new team parents to know? (besides to sit down and turn off their flash). What do you wish someone told you? Thoughts? Comments? Advice?

THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Of course there is a "support" section where ChalkBucket will be strongly recommended ;-)

Debbie
 
My DD is not on team yet, but there are things that I wonder about if she ever heads down that road. It would be great to know up front what the expected number of training hours for each level is (as well as tuition and extra fees). Off the top of my head, here are some more: a general breakdown of how many home and travel meets per year, how and when to best reach the coach when you have questions, how many volunteer hours parents are expected to serve, how often are team meetings or parent booster club meetings, is there a sick-leave policy, what are the requirements for equipment needed (grips, etc...), are there specific practice leos, specific hairstyles for meets, warm-ups, etc...
 
In addition to the previously mentioned:
The Mobility Policy
Is there a Booster Club?
If so, what is its purpose (what does it cover)
If there is JO and Xcel options... and are they treated as equals (or is Xcel the "red-headed step-child")
Scheduled days the gym is closed (any holidays or annual shut down)
Weather policy
Differences between summer schedule and school year schedule (increased hours? change in time of practice? required summer camps?)
Do different levels wear different competition leotards? (in case they wanted to get one from another gymnast)
How often are team leos and warm-up styles changed?
What to do if you are scheduled to be at a meet and your DD wakes up sick or you are having car trouble or you are lost (who do you contact)
 
Viewing policy. Is there a place for parents to sit and watch? Is it available to everyone or only at certain times ( once a month, last 10 minutes etc.)?
 
In addition to the previously mentioned:
The Mobility Policy
Is there a Booster Club?
If so, what is its purpose (what does it cover)
If there is JO and Xcel options... and are they treated as equals (or is Xcel the "red-headed step-child")
Scheduled days the gym is closed (any holidays or annual shut down)
Weather policy
Differences between summer schedule and school year schedule (increased hours? change in time of practice? required summer camps?)
Do different levels wear different competition leotards? (in case they wanted to get one from another gymnast)
How often are team leos and warm-up styles changed?
What to do if you are scheduled to be at a meet and your DD wakes up sick or you are having car trouble or you are lost (who do you contact)

I love this and would have appreciated it so much as a new team parent.
 
Thank you this is helpful and I didn't think if some of those things.

I plan to have a glossary section of terms, and other general Gymnastics team mom things to know. My husband asked me to even include suggested camera settings because he's always being asked what setting he has on him camera lol
I also explained how meets work with warmup vs competing .
Can you think of other general Gymnastics questions? Or things you wish you knew in General?

Thanks again!
 
Logistics- payments, how to sign up for meets, who to talk to if you have a conflict with meet schedule, etc. An explanation of who to ask for what questions and how to get a hold of those people. At our old gym the Booster Club handled all meet payments & registrations etc, but tuition was handled by office staff and meet "requirements" were determined by the coaches. New parents would get confused about this. Also, since the coach was the person they saw the most, parents would take up much of the coach's time asking questions that could be handled by others.
 
I made a sheet for our new boys on what to remember for a meet. It could be adapted for girls. The parents loved it. I know it wont format well, but here is hwat was on it

Meet Checklist


You are ready for your first meet! Here is a list of things to remember for your big day!


___ Singlet ____ Pommel Pants ___ Shorts


___ Warm Ups ____BLACK socks (1-2 pair) ____ Gym bag


___ Water Bottle ____ Non-messy/crumby snacks


____ tape (if needed) ____grips (if needed)



Parents, you will need some things too!


____ Money to get into the meet/ for snacks or drinks


____ camera(s)


____ Stadium seat (optional, but makes it much more comfortable)


____ Book or something to do (there is a lot of downtime between events!)



Most of all, remember to relax and have fun! Meets are a great celebration of everything you have learned!


Good luck!!!
 
For fun I was thinking of adding a section

Signs that you maybe turning into a crazy gym parent . . .

Thoughts? *insert evil laugh here
 
What about a list of basic skills to expect at each level and on each event? Did you include a short section about meet formats?
 
What about a list of basic skills to expect at each level and on each event? Did you include a short section about meet formats?

I have a glossary section for the back and yea, I cover all the different meet formats.
hadn't thought about skills for each level. That might be worth looking into. Thanks
 
While I like the idea of basic skills for each level, be careful so that it doesn't become a "checklist" for crazy gym parents to latch on to. Moving to different levels has so much to do with maturity and train ability as well as what actual skills the gymnast has or is working on. Little Susie may have all the skills or more that little Helen has but doesn't show up to practice, doesn't take corrections well and doesn't apply herself... So little Helen gets moved up but Susie stays put, kwim? It just has to be worded carefully, I think. :)
 
What about attendance policy? (full attendance meet week- any exceptions, etc)
Competition readiness policy? (must be able to perform the routine x number of times in the week of the meet or you will scratch the event or whatever it is)
Ideas for healthy, non-messy snacks for meets and practices
Meet Conduct - good sportsmanship... stay for all awards unless coach permission to leave early (in advance) - cheer for teammates - if your floor music stops, keep going.
Also, if you have individualized floor music, bring a back-up copy to meets (CD and mp3 / iphone / iPod versions because you never know what sound system they will have working)... This one comes from a HS meet I observed on Thursday. The away team had some music on CD and others on an iPod. The iPod reader was having issues, so the girls competed with the music played on the iPod with a microphone held up to the speaker part. If they had a CD copy, it would have been fine.
 
These can really help everyone. New parents can read through it and be prepared for things like money for comp leo's, warm up outfit, meet fees, travel costs, and volunteer ours. Just one thing I'd suggest...........

Make sure they know to read it!

Sure, you'd think handing somebody a copy of your handbook and telling them it was filled with information every parent needed about participation in the team program.

I had a child's parents invite me to their house for "a cup of coffee" because they wanted to talk about their dd and the team. I was surprised upon sitting down with them to find they were very upset with the entire team process, felt the financial obligations were unfair and extreme, and felt that my efforts at communication was very poor.

I spent the next 15 minutes trying to explain the purpose of each policy, and how the policy had evolved in a cooperative effort between previous team parents, the club owners, and myself. I went on to explain that these policies were each laid out in clear detail for every ones' benefit. Well, they told me they never had anybody do so much as to tell them these policies existed.

When I asked if they'd received a parent handbook they told me they'd never read it. Why?...... Because nobody had told them it was filled with information about competition related costs, which they assumed were covered by team fees. I don't know, it seems to me that between the two of them they'd find time while raising their only child to read through a handbook related to a 12 hr weekly activity.
 

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