Parents 2nd level 2 meet of the season

[LoriLou]

This one was a little rougher on me than it was on my gymmie. I definitely learned some lessons. We were competing against 12 other teams this time. DD was pretty nervous, but she didn't really show it too much. She started off on beam and did pretty well (8.925). Next was floor, which she normally does well on. She did great (9.475) and placed 2nd in the event. Yay!! Next was vault. This has always been an issue. I don't think she understands exactly what it is supposed to look like. She did pretty well though (8.850). Then came bars. I had been watching the leader boards, so I knew she was tied for 3rd at this point. Bars is always a pretty high score for DD, so she had the potential to move up significantly after this event. She did a beautiful pullover and back hip circle. Then she fell!! She over-rotated the hip circle. She got right back on and did her dismount better than I've ever seen her do it. She ended up scoring a 9.150 even after the fall!! Without the fall she would have won the event and taken 2nd all-around. At the end of the day she did pretty well though. She placed 4th AA and was pretty pleased. I thought she would be upset about the fall, but she wasn't at all! She immediately wanted to know where we were going to celebrate.

So the lesson I learned was this: DON'T WATCH THE LEADER BOARD!!! I realized the reason she wasn't upset is because she didn't know what her standings were. She didn't realize that she had been tied for 2nd and 3rd at certain points. So next time I don't think I will keep myself informed on this either. I think knowing that she could have been on the podium made it harder to watch that fall. I don't want to do that to her or to myself again. So lesson learned. Don't watch the board and just enjoy the meet.

Thanks for reading! Next meet is in January, and she could not be more excited!

Final standings:

Vault - 8.850 4th place
Bars - 9.150 5th place
Beam - 8.925 7th place
Floor - 9.475 2nd place

AA - 36.400 4th place

 

[Quadqueen]

Great meet for your DD! I have never seen a leader board at a meet....and from what I read on CB, placings are usually down-played in the low levels like L2...??

 

[AlexsGymmyMom]

She had an awesome meet! I know when Alex competed level 3 they mostly gave a ribbon for what range of score she recieved. I have never seen a leader board at a meet. That might be cool but could also put more pressure on the girls if they are watching it.

 

[nameless]

12 other level 2 teams??! wow, we barely see other level 3's at meets around here.. just another gym or 2 here and there, which is kinda lame.. it must've been a pretty big meet or a fancy schmancy gym because even at our HUGE meet we don't have leader boards.. idk if i'd like that or not..

those are awesome scores, she did great! next time you'll do just as well!!

 

[LoriLou]

Well, the girls couldn't see the leader boards at all. There was a huge TV on one side of the gym that showed standings as the meet progressed. If you wanted to see results you could walk over and look at it. Next time I will opt out.

It was a pretty large meet. We had to drive 6 hours from home to get there. VERY long weekend for me because DH was working. It was just me, the kids, and the long open road.....not a good time!! lol

 

[gymgal]

We have gone to several meets that use the standing board. And many of them use realtime online updating so you cam get it on your smartphone. It can be very stressful watching the standings during the meet. But I'm a natural born numbers crunching gal and can't help but keep track.

 

[DisMom]

6 hours for a L2 meet?!?! Wow! That doesn't happen in this area...

 

[Quadqueen]

6 hours for a L2 meet?!?! Wow! That doesn't happen in this area...

yeah, that is crazy! Our gym just added L2 this year. They only do meets at our gym and one or two others at another gym 15 minutes away. That's pretty crazy for L2!!!

 

[krisnkids]

I'm glad your daughter did so well, but I have to agree with the others about travelling so far for a level 2 meet. I would be leery of a gym that asked me to do that as well.

 

[gym law mom]

We don't have L2 in my state. Going to a meet 6 hours away is just insane. Congrats to your dd though.

 

[ellabella]

Agreed. Travel for L2? Crazy. Even level 3 is not a competitive level here with placements and such. Just fun in house type stuff.

 

[LoriLou]

Keep in mind, some of that travelling was stopping for food, etc. Total drive time was probably about 4 - 4 1/2 hours. Also, I live in a pretty small area. Our gym is pretty much the only game in town. In order to compete at all, you have to travel. All parents are made aware of that when they are invited to join team. We are nowhere NEAR a large city.

 

[Quadqueen]

Even so, that's too much at that level. At that rate, your DD will be burnt out by the time she's in L5. Just my two cents

 

[bogwoppit]

I thought our drives were bad. We live in very rural Quebec and I have only driven five hours to a meet that was about L7. People just wouldn't drive that far for meets. The next nearest gym to us is over an hour away. I am amazed that the parents are into the drive and cost at L2. Here you cannot compete until you are 8 and about a L4. That is plenty for me. Your DD did great, always good to remember that they see meets very differently than us when their eyes are not on the scores.

 

[LoriLou]

Thanks Bog. It was eye opening for me for sure. She was THRILLED, and so I was thrilled for her.

 

[DisMom]

I understand being in a rural area...we are too. Have to travel 2+ hours for the "close" meets and some are much farther. But not at L2. They don't travel. At all. And our L3s travel once. And that is two hours.

Glad she was happy.

 

[LoriLou]

Honestly, I really don't want to debate with you guys over whether my daughter should travel as an L2. It's not really any of your business. I have tried to ignore the comments all day, but it's starting to get a bit daunting. You make decisions with your kids and I'll make decisions for mine. The point of this thread is that she did well, and I won't be watching the boards anymore. If you guys want to get back onto that topic rather than the topic of what a horrible mother I am for letting my 7 year old travel, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[GymBeeMom]

Honestly, I really don't want to debate with you guys over whether my daughter should travel as an L2. It's not really any of your business. I have tried to ignore the comments all day, but it's starting to get a bit daunting. You make decisions with your kids and I'll make decisions for mine. The point of this thread is that she did well, and I won't be watching the boards anymore. If you guys want to get back onto that topic rather than the topic of what a horrible mother I am for letting my 7 year old travel, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

I think it is great she gets to travel at the early levels. It is an opportunity to experience what the sport has to offer. It is also a learning experience for parents, as this sport has many ins and outs that we have to figure out. I would have been excited for those competitions, however our gym doesn't compete until level 4. Assuming you have the means and your DD is up for it, I see nothing wrong with it. I don't love the travel now, but team travel allows for her to compete away from home while I stay back and tend to normal business with my household and son (who is bored to tears at her meets). When she first started, it was very exciting to spend a meet weekend away and enjoying all the hubbub that went with it.

 

[wandrewsjr]

I feel for you LoriLou. Having your daughter do travel meets at level 2 was called "crazy" and "insane" by multiple posters. I have learned on this forum that you sometimes must ignore, or it will drive you actually crazy and insane.

 

[Quadqueen]

Honestly, I really don't want to debate with you guys over whether my daughter should travel as an L2. It's not really any of your business. I have tried to ignore the comments all day, but it's starting to get a bit daunting. You make decisions with your kids and I'll make decisions for mine. The point of this thread is that she did well, and I won't be watching the boards anymore. If you guys want to get back onto that topic rather than the topic of what a horrible mother I am for letting my 7 year old travel, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.

I'm sorry if you were offended....I do not think you're a horrible mother for letting your daughter travel, and I'm not sure where you're getting that. It is just very unusual at that level, and that's all we were saying. I saw the video of your DD you posted after her first meet and she is lovely!