Parents Being a spectator

[MILgymFAM]

Is it as uncommon everywhere as it is here?

My ODD loves to go and cheer on her former teammates. Just because she isn't on the team doesn't mean she doesn't support them any longer. She makes a point to go to one local meet for each of the teams where she made friends.

It seems to me that we are usually the only people there (obviously this is my estimation- I don't ask every person) who aren't associated with a competing gym. Yesterday we watched a L10/open session and it was very poorly attended. The place looked empty. The team that she went to cheer seemed openly puzzled about why she would come. Not mean, just confused.

Made me wonder if anyone else ever goes to show support for former teammates or if DD is a weirdo. It doesn't bother her in the least that people don't get it. She still plans to go cheer on two sets of previous teammates next weekend too. Ha ha!

 

[mom2newgymnast]

My dd had a teammate that left over the summer and joined a team about 30 minutes away. This gym competes Xcel instead of compulsories so her friend went from level 3 to Xcel Gold and we didn't see her at meets anymore. We went to her first local meet back in September to cheer her on and had a fun time. It's so different and so much less stressful when you are watching just to cheer someone on that you aren't related to. Dd and I really enjoyed it and will definitely try and go again when the schedule works out.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Not common around here. With activities taking up so much of (collective) our time. When there is time when our kids don't have to do something we are not going to sometone else's thing. That includes staying for an extra session. The exception being if it is very local. This is not unique to just our family. We all root each other on via social media. Congtratulate or wish kids luck coming into or out of a session.

For instance based on our work and activity schedule we don't have a down weekend day as a family until almost April, we will be just nesting near home or having a just family adventure.

 

[2G1B]

One of my DD's BFFs competes on a different team, a team that my DD has never been on. We go cheer for her at least a couple of times per year.

 

[kayjaybe]

We have girls that have left the gym to pursue other sports or girls that have graduated come back to watch some of our home meets. I think it is really neat how they support each other. (The parents don't usually stay --- but they drop their kids off or the kids are old enough to drive themselves.)

 

[CLgym]

We have definitely cheered on gym friends from different/former gyms.... but usually only if we are at the same meet and can either come early or stay late to watch. I have also taken DD to see the Level 10/Elite section at a very big meet held near our home -- just for fun. Meets in our area are usually 1,000+ gymnasts with 2 or more sessions running at the same time, so it always feels crowded to me. Never felt out of place as a spectator.

 

[skschlag]

We plan on going to sessions to watch D's friends in vegas. We do that quite a bit. He loves to watch gymnastics!

 

[MILgymFAM]

He loves to watch gymnastics!

Same for DD. Compulsory, Xcel, optional, elite... she loves to watch live gymnastics. Having people to cheer for is a bonus!

 

[Tuppy]

We definitely go if we have time. But we check if it's ok. We know of some who don't even want family to go watch. So we respect that.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Since all our meets are a minimum 2hr drive (and usually more like 4, unless winter driving makes it even longer...), we really don't see too many "non-related" spectators. I know I wouldn't spend a day driving in the winter with a potential hotel stay just to support former teammates... If meets were local, why not? But for us, that never happens.

 

[GymDad9.9]

I don't think it's common here but if my daughter had the chance to cheer on former teammates at a meet she wasn't competing at she would jump at the chance.

 

[Rose7777]

The girls at my daughter's gym often go to different sessions to cheer one another on. The younger girls, especially, get very excited when the bigger girls are there to cheer for them.

 

[Aussie_coach]

This is one of the most disappointing aspects of gymnastics. Gymnastics would have to be one of the most exciting spectator sports to watch, with so much daring and variation yet competitions can be so poorly attended. Those who do attend are usually link with gymnastics in some way and are less impressed with the incredible skills on display.