Parents To Wear or Not To Wear? That is the ?

[Deleted member 18037]

Now the kids that stand up before their name is called for first and start strutting to the podium, THAT will get me worked up

Sometimes the folks doing the awards ask the child who had a really good day to not sit down.

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We watched a young girl refuse to shake the hand of the woman who was handing out ribbons to the kids who placed 4-8 in a meet this year and it showed her how terrible it looks to be so ungracious after a meet that doesn't go your way.

My kid and I would be having a huge problem if she pulled that nonsense.

To me, if a child earns the medals and wishes to wear them, she should not feel guilty for doing so. She is learning to win with grace....important life lesson.

On the meets where my DD has walked out of meets with a naked neck, it's tough. It sucks. It stings. There were tears on the car ride home. But DD never thought her teammates or competitors were rubbing her losses in by wearing their medals. After a good night's sleep, she is happy that they won. She is learning to lose with grace...important life lesson.

My opinion is that if my child is hurt because of someone else's success, then that is something I need to work with one on one with my child rather than asking strangers to temper their joy/pride. As long as a winning child isn't exhibiting poor sportsmanship, it just isn't my place to try to change their reactions.

Especially this. Grace in both winning and losing. And we can't control others and their reactions just our own. Lots of lessons there.

 

[samsmama]

Interesting topic! I never thought about this either. DS had a meet where he didn't win any and many meets where he won lots. He usually kept them all on, as did the other medal winners from what I recall. He was upset when he didn't win anything, but I don't think others having the medals on made it worse.

DS is much more concerned with whether he feels he "deserves" his medals -- at one meet, he was unhappy with his performance and didn't want to keep the medals at all, let alone wear them. If he feels he did well and "deserved" his medals, I have to pry them off him at bedtime.

 

[cbifoja]

Similarly, our team also will stay out on the floor until all competitors are done. Often there's one rotation that's behind the others and will still have girls competing. Our kids will stay to ensure they support the other athletes. I see both things as respect for the other competitors.

I am SO glad. I find it phenomenally rude when people walk out right after their kid is finished. It's disruptive and gives the impression that no one else matters but their gymnast. I get that they just have to run to awards so they can drape their coats across the first three rows to make sure they get a thousand pictures of their precious snowflake winning her medals but sheesh....show just a modicum of consideration for the little girls you are walking out on and consider the possibility that it might be distracting to have a bunch of people rushing from the award in the middle of their routines.

 

[cbifoja]

Is it wrong that I have never thought about or noticed this one way or the other?

Nah...I'm the same. I never thought that someone might take it as a show of disrespect when my DD takes off her medals. She is just weird about stuff touching her skin. Half of our post-award team photos don't include her because at some point she can't stand having her leo on anymore and has to get to the bathroom and rip it off. I guess I never considered that someone might see her behavior (running out the second awards are over) as poor sportsmanship because I understand that it's just a sensory thing.

 

[profmom]

I don't pay much attention to the medal wearing/not wearing. The attitude, though, is really clear. There's a visible difference in the kid who's been told jokingly to stay close by after the first event's medals and complies out of reflexive obedience and the one who's strutting up to the podium before her/his name is called to accept the crowd's homage. Of course by the time they've been at it for a while, they know who will be on the podium for AA and pretty much know the order after event medals have been granted. But there are ways to know this and still exercise good sportsmanship. I always like the ones who congratulate each other, though everyone should be aware that this may not happen if the child doesn't have much experience standing up on one of the high steps.

Our teams, too, are not formally released from the competition floor until the last competitor on any team has finished, nor are they permitted to leave the awards ceremonies early. It's all about respecting your competitors.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Our teams, too, are not formally released from the competition floor until the last competitor on any team has finished, nor are they permitted to leave the awards ceremonies early. It's all about respecting your competitors.

That is our teams also.

 

[mom2agymnast]

Interesting perspective. My daughter says that her coaches specifically tell them not to wear their medals during awards. They must take them off and put them on the ground or in their gear bag, so that if they are called up on the podium again, they will only be wearing one medal at a time.

I have no idea of the logic for that, though.

After awards, many put them on and take photos, while others just leave them in the bag.

I have not seen any issue between girls with more/fewer/no medals - I don't think this is the reason coaches instruct them to take them off between awards.

Maybe the clinking is considered disrespectful? So that you can hear the names of all other gymnasts being called?

My dd's gym does the same thing. They are only allowed to wear one medal up on the podium at at time. If they place in multiple events they are to take the 1 medal off and put it in their bag..at the end when all the awards have been given out they are allowed to put them all back on and do what they want with them.

We have actually had parents from other gym's ask us whey the girls take them off. I'm not 100% sure the logic of it, but our gym is very strict on how they girls stand on the podium, make sure to give the girl to your right/left a congratulations and a high five, no wearing street shoes/clothes on the podium, etc.