Women 1st NAIGC meet tomorrow!

[Pirouette]

Good vibes and positive energy welcomed! DD18 and one of her college club teammates are off to Ohio tomorrow for their first NAIGC meet! (they are competing as individuals because not enough of the team was able to attend -- it's their school's spring break)

Scores will be very low for her because it's scored on a level 8 scale, and she is nowhere near level 8 skills! But she knows going in that it's about the joy of competing and showcasing her love of the sport. She's so excited!

I'll report back later this weekend with details on how this type of meet works and how it went!

Remember -- gymnastics doesn't have to end with a high school diploma!

 

[MILgymFAM]

How exciting! My daughter got exactly one naigc meet before covid. Ha. She loved it though! She had more meets in the UK than she will in her American college all years combined, but she’s gonna go to as many as she can next year.

 

[superflipgirl]

Wow, good luck to your daughter! I am a former NAIGC gymnast and it was one of the most fun experiences I had in college! I was also nowhere near the "level 8 scale" but like you say, it was so rewarding to just be able to continue my love for the sport and set my own personal goals at an age where I thought I would be done with the sport for good!

 

[Pirouette]

So we're back!

What an amazing experience! When I asked DD and her teammate about what their favorite part of the day was, they both answered "the atmosphere." DD said it was so relaxed, not competitive, very encouraging, and just plain fun. No coach to be disappointed when she fell off the beam (which she did, twice), no medals to stress over (they gave candy bars to top 6 instead of medals), and everyone 18 and older, many nearly her size!

She competed her Platinum skills and fit in just fine. Did not score high enough to place Top 6 on any event, but since she had zero expectations, it was okay! There were ladies there who were competing what we would consider Bronze level routines, and others with double back dismounts off bars. Any competitor could compete in either the men's or women's events, and one woman even competed all 10 events and got a special mention and a plastic gold medal for completing the "decathlon." The men who competed a woman's style floor exercise were the hit of the day! The team spirit of many of these teams was also so much fun to see.

They rotated with the Alumni group. These were 4 ladies who have graduated from college and are still competing for love of the sport. I believe all were in their mid- to late-20s and they were inspiring to see.

The meet was held in a YMCA with a small viewing balcony for spectators. It was very crowded up there! Great to see so much support for these adult gymnasts. No admission fee for spectators, and I think it was $30 per gymnast to compete.

DD and teammate were chatting with one of the alumni, who it turns out has a sister at their college who is considering the club team! Alumni gave DD the sister's email address, and DD has already connected with her about working out with them!

Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about DD's experience yesterday. The girls are headed to another meet this coming weekend, so it'll be interesting to see if they have a similarly good time.

Please pass the word to anyone you know who is or was a gymnast and might want to do club gym in college. Check out naigc.org for details, and also their Insta has a lot of great info (per DD) about rules, regs, dates, events. It's a great way to keep in shape, have fun, and enjoy a sport that they may have thought was in the past for them.

 

[txgymfan]

Thank you for sharing your daughters meet report. I absolutely love reading about gymnasts having a blast and enjoying camaraderie at all levels.

 

[Tiger93]

So we're back!

What an amazing experience! When I asked DD and her teammate about what their favorite part of the day was, they both answered "the atmosphere." DD said it was so relaxed, not competitive, very encouraging, and just plain fun. No coach to be disappointed when she fell off the beam (which she did, twice), no medals to stress over (they gave candy bars to top 6 instead of medals), and everyone 18 and older, many nearly her size!

She competed her Platinum skills and fit in just fine. Did not score high enough to place Top 6 on any event, but since she had zero expectations, it was okay! There were ladies there who were competing what we would consider Bronze level routines, and others with double back dismounts off bars. Any competitor could compete in either the men's or women's events, and one woman even competed all 10 events and got a special mention and a plastic gold medal for completing the "decathlon." The men who competed a woman's style floor exercise were the hit of the day! The team spirit of many of these teams was also so much fun to see.

They rotated with the Alumni group. These were 4 ladies who have graduated from college and are still competing for love of the sport. I believe all were in their mid- to late-20s and they were inspiring to see.

The meet was held in a YMCA with a small viewing balcony for spectators. It was very crowded up there! Great to see so much support for these adult gymnasts. No admission fee for spectators, and I think it was $30 per gymnast to compete.

DD and teammate were chatting with one of the alumni, who it turns out has a sister at their college who is considering the club team! Alumni gave DD the sister's email address, and DD has already connected with her about working out with them!

Honestly, I cannot say enough good things about DD's experience yesterday. The girls are headed to another meet this coming weekend, so it'll be interesting to see if they have a similarly good time.

Please pass the word to anyone you know who is or was a gymnast and might want to do club gym in college. Check out naigc.org for details, and also their Insta has a lot of great info (per DD) about rules, regs, dates, events. It's a great way to keep in shape, have fun, and enjoy a sport that they may have thought was in the past for them.

It is very nice to hear how great her experience was. I did club gymnastics in college, more than a few years ago, and I am glad that the atmosphere has only improved over the years. I do remember once getting the biggest crash award from my non graceful bar dismount and the award was a tube of Bengay.