WAG Dear Awards Announcer,

[Deleted member 18037]

My daughters friends play soccer all year long for no medals. Martial arts year round for no medals. All year dance for no medals.

I'm a realist.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I've always been vocal in my opinion that there are far too many medals given out in gymnastics. I agree with top 3 across the board. IMO, if the groups are huge then top half plus one becomes silly and burdensome, and if the groups are small it only serves to make the tiny group at the bottom more obvious. I just think it's unnecessary.

My ODD disagrees with me and my YDD agrees. They both understand where I am coming from, but my ODD doesn't mind participation medals as long as everyone knows what they are.

I generally do not sit in the awards area at all. Sometimes I'll hear one of my kids names over a speaker and snap a pic (never a good one obviously), and sometimes I'll just smile and go back to my book. For me, I'm there to cheer for everyone's routine that I catch and when the meet is over I am ready to read my book for awhile.

My kids, however, were the only two kids to dutifully sit through the entirety of awards at their last meet. Almost everyone else drifted off throughout the ceremony. As long as they're gonna give out awards my kids will sit and cheer for everyone who gets one.

 

[mommyof1]

My kids, however, were the only two kids to dutifully sit through the entirety of awards at their last meet. Almost everyone else drifted off throughout the ceremony. As long as they're gonna give out awards my kids will sit and cheer for everyone who gets one.

Our gym requires all gymnasts to stay until the end of awards. At one early meet a couple of families apparently left in the middle of awards, and all of the parents got a sharply worded e-mail from management about supporting them in teaching our kids values.

 

[amiandjim]

I also see nothing wrong with top 3rd or 50% but seriously, this past weekend they have every single girl a medal for every event and a trophy for all around. Not only did it take almost 2 hours, I actually began to feel sorry for the girls who you could tell realized what was happening and that they were "last."

 

[twinmomma]

Our gym requires all gymnasts to stay until the end of awards. At one early meet a couple of families apparently left in the middle of awards, and all of the parents got a sharply worded e-mail from management about supporting them in teaching our kids values.

It's a little different in T&T. There are no team awards and also no all around and the expectation to stay through the whole thing isn't the same. There are SO MANY groupings that awards if done all at once can take forever. Depending on how the meet is run, they do awards right after a flight rather than at the end of the session. It was hard for me to comprehend, but I understand now.

 

[gymnastmom05]

Our gym requires all gymnasts to stay until the end of awards. At one early meet a couple of families apparently left in the middle of awards, and all of the parents got a sharply worded e-mail from management about supporting them in teaching our kids values.

Yes! Our gym hands this out as part of our expectation each year. We have only left early once and that was due to an ice storm hitting the area. At that point, our long drive home and safety trumped anyones feelings. I honestly think most parents would have appreciated it if they gave the coaches whatever medals were due and let them hand them out back at home.

I'm not sure what I think about medals. I don't like when they give one out for every place for each event (been to a few meets like that) but I also see the hard work they put into it. I run a race, I get a medal. I'm an adult and I kinda like it : ) It's just a reminder of all the hard work that goes into it. I'm not so sure for short little 8 week sessions that my son (much younger) does. A kid could show up to the very last game of the season and as long as they were signed up and paid their money, they get the same recognition. I just see the sacrifice they put into it. It's truly a dedication so I don't mind the number of medals. With that said, my DD is old enough to know when she just earned the participation medal and believe me, I almost think they're a reminder of how the meet didn't go....

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Well, as the mom of a child who almost never gets to get on the podium, I'm still in favor of the sparse and quick placement awards..! Sure, my kid would love to get a medal but get us in and get us out, we usually have a long drive home.
Our area does seem to get that though, we rarely have placements beyond top 3 or 4 and that's ok with me. I think perhaps in the younger, less experienced groups in compulsories it's more important. For a second year L7, it's all about just getting done with awards especially if you didn't place.

 

[MrsAnderson]

We were at a meet a while back (boys meet) and they went out close to 13 places for each group. Three age groups, 2 divisions and 6 events plus AA!
Oh my...that was SO tedious!
In the end we were disappointed because they only handed out ribbons (we like medals and trophies!), even for AA. There was no team award and no meet 'goodie.' (Tshirt, hat, etc...)

When my son went to hang up his ribbons at home (which were not personalized or written on, he realized they were GIRL ribbons, with a pic of a girl doing a beam handstand on them.
It was a bit of a letdown.

 

[coachmolly]

We were at a meet a while back (boys meet) and they went out close to 13 places for each group. Three age groups, 2 divisions and 6 events plus AA!
Oh my...that was SO tedious!
In the end we were disappointed because they only handed out ribbons (we like medals and trophies!), even for AA. There was no team award and no meet 'goodie.' (Tshirt, hat, etc...)

When my son went to hang up his ribbons at home (which were not personalized or written on, he realized they were GIRL ribbons, with a pic of a girl doing a beam handstand on them.
It was a bit of a letdown.

That is a total bummer! Poor kid! As a coach, I like to see some of my lower scoring kids get a little something for their efforts, even if it's 6th or 7th place, but I think I generally prefer fewer places with somewhat nicer awards than going out a bunch of places with crummy quality awards. Or giving a really nice meet gift- those entry fees need to go towards something! It sounds like they just used whatever they had sitting around the gym.
I still remember going to a meet as a 9 year old and getting somewhere around 7th place on something and getting a ribbon. As I stood up there holding the ribbon the string broke off, so there I stood with a broken ribbon. I think I would have been okay with nothing at all.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

I like our system. It's same protocol in every meet. Top 3 AA gets medals and the places 4-10 are read and the gymnasts in those places salute OR they may get something small like a water bottle as a reward. No team awards (unless it's a team competition, but we only have two team competitions in a year and they don't award AA or events) and no event awards in compulsory levels. In optional levels they give medals in each event for the top three and even that feels like a LONG time. No need to give any more medals in my opinion!

And we have age groups too, but only two age groups in each level. So we have a "younger age group" and "older age group". In level B (equal to level 3 skillwise) the younger age group is 7-10 years old, in level C it's 7-11 yo and in level D it's 7-12 years old. I think that two age groups is just enough. Usually one age group has 15-60 gymnasts.

 

[MeetDirector]

As I have said before, how many award groups a particular meet has AND how many places they award in each group is driven by dollars. Specifically, how many awards does a host want to purchase. It gets very pricey and obviously can take some time to hand them out the more you have. You must have an announcer that knows what they are doing and can give the proper amount of time for each group during the presentation. I try to be ready no more than 5-10 minutes after the last routine and then take no more than 30 minutes to present the awards. I have been on the other end of that spectrum and I can tell you, it doesn't have to be that way.

 

[e'smum]

i find this post insulting to those of us parents who have announced at a meet for the first time and had no clue what to do. we volunteer, we aren't paid to do that and we're just parents. not professionals. i've been that parent. twice. once when i was about the only one who would announce at the first meet we hosted. by the end of the meet i was a pro. then, 4 months later, i did it all again at the state meet we hosted. and that's a nightmare in itself b/c in our state each gymnast gets called up to get the state pin. you have to learn, trial by error, how to get them up and down quickly while giving each kid a second on stage but at the same time making it fast enough so parents aren't annoyed. sound easy? well, it's not. then there is level 7. oh level 7 where the top 7 kids go to a special meet and they get called up at the end of the last meet (so not all of them are there) and then the next 20 or so kids after that also get called up b/c they do some special meet as well. so confusing. thankfully the AHC drew a line for me so i knew when to stop calling out names (i got a sheet with all the AA scores on it).

also, each gym's meet picks how it does award placement and categories. our hosted meet does more age categories with fewer kids in each. i totally goofed up once on ties and called one kid up that tied for 7th place on one event but she wasn't supposed to be called up. i'm glad i did it though b/c that may have been her only medal. but you have to learn how to read the paper in the case of the tie because it's not spelled out - they are just all on a sheet and you figure it out as you go....

also, at our meet we go from the last to first. and our HC likes to announce the scores. once again, left up to the discretion of the HC. he may just have the top 3 scores announced. i quit doing it b/c... see below.

not for nothing, i hate public speaking so i was shaking with nerves each time. i sometimes mispronounced names and got scores mixed up b/c you are reading off a piece of paper and the type set is small and i'm getting old and almost need reading glasses. lol give the parent volunteers a break!

 

[kayjaybe]

We were at a meet a while back (boys meet) and they went out close to 13 places for each group. Three age groups, 2 divisions and 6 events plus AA!
Oh my...that was SO tedious!
In the end we were disappointed because they only handed out ribbons (we like medals and trophies!), even for AA. There was no team award and no meet 'goodie.' (Tshirt, hat, etc...)

When my son went to hang up his ribbons at home (which were not personalized or written on, he realized they were GIRL ribbons, with a pic of a girl doing a beam handstand on them.
It was a bit of a letdown.

That sucks. At one of dd's recent meets the awards had pictures of ballerinas rather than gymnasts - you could see the skirts.

And at one L7 state meet, the top 3 AA kids got a plastic frisbee with their placement written on in sharpie. WTH? My kid has never placed in top 3 AA at states, but if she finally did and got a frisbee, she would be highly disappointed.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

That sucks. At one of dd's recent meets the awards had pictures of ballerinas rather than gymnasts - you could see the skirts.

And at one L7 state meet, the top 3 AA kids got a plastic frisbee with their placement written on in sharpie. WTH? My kid has never placed in top 3 AA at states, but if she finally did and got a frisbee, she would be highly disappointed.

A frisbee? You've got to be kidding!! That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!

 

[flipandfly]

i find this post insulting to those of us parents who have announced at a meet for the first time and had no clue what to do. we volunteer, we aren't paid to do that and we're just parents. not professionals. i've been that parent. twice. once when i was about the only one who would announce at the first meet we hosted. by the end of the meet i was a pro. then, 4 months later, i did it all again at the state meet we hosted. and that's a nightmare in itself b/c in our state each gymnast gets called up to get the state pin. you have to learn, trial by error, how to get them up and down quickly while giving each kid a second on stage but at the same time making it fast enough so parents aren't annoyed. sound easy? well, it's not. then there is level 7. oh level 7 where the top 7 kids go to a special meet and they get called up at the end of the last meet (so not all of them are there) and then the next 20 or so kids after that also get called up b/c they do some special meet as well. so confusing. thankfully the AHC drew a line for me so i knew when to stop calling out names (i got a sheet with all the AA scores on it).

also, each gym's meet picks how it does award placement and categories. our hosted meet does more age categories with fewer kids in each. i totally goofed up once on ties and called one kid up that tied for 7th place on one event but she wasn't supposed to be called up. i'm glad i did it though b/c that may have been her only medal. but you have to learn how to read the paper in the case of the tie because it's not spelled out - they are just all on a sheet and you figure it out as you go....

also, at our meet we go from the last to first. and our HC likes to announce the scores. once again, left up to the discretion of the HC. he may just have the top 3 scores announced. i quit doing it b/c... see below.

not for nothing, i hate public speaking so i was shaking with nerves each time. i sometimes mispronounced names and got scores mixed up b/c you are reading off a piece of paper and the type set is small and i'm getting old and almost need reading glasses. lol give the parent volunteers a break!

As the OP I apologize if this post is hurtful to you or any parent who tries their absolute hardest and dedicates their valuable time to announcing awards at a meet. There are some meets where awards runs smoothly and some meets where it does not. I even appreciate the efforts of the announcer in my original post. She may have been a beginner, but I am sure with some experience and a little training, she could end up surprising us all with her efficiency. I apologize if I came across insulting to anyone in any way. Thank you for sharing your story, e's mum, and giving us a different perspective.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

A frisbee? You've got to be kidding!! That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!

I think my kid would rather have nothing.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Speaking of crappy awards... the only time my ODD has EVER won first place on anything was at a meet that (a) the scores never made it online and (b) her "medal" was a bottle of nail polish. Another time she was on a first place team, and they had trophies for the team- but they were mismatched and she was asked to choose last (she was oldest). The youngest girl got a trophy as tall as she was and my DD ended up with one smaller than her hand. Such is life, but it was weird.

 

[catou]

That something I like about awards here. Medals for top 3, ribbons for 4th to 8th place for each apparatus and aa. No trophies, no goodies. Age groups (we have four of them) are by birth year, so they are always the same. There are usually 30-36 girls/competition. And parents don't have to pay to watch the meet.

 

[e'smum]

As the OP I apologize if this post is hurtful to you or any parent who tries their absolute hardest and dedicates their valuable time to announcing awards at a meet. There are some meets where awards runs smoothly and some meets where it does not. I even appreciate the efforts of the announcer in my original post. She may have been a beginner, but I am sure with some experience and a little training, she could end up surprising us all with her efficiency. I apologize if I came across insulting to anyone in any way. Thank you for sharing your story, e's mum, and giving us a different perspective.

i've been the annoyed parent sitting in the stands too! i take a deep breath and remind myself how i felt up there. lol. i felt thrown to the wolves when i first volunteered. what i've learned thus far - never run awards again and steer clear of vault for the upper levels. you need a special degree to volunteer at vault when there are 4 judges and running shoes and a drink afterwards.

on the flip side of that: at the meet last year someone came up to me as i was refreshing the awards table and told me how to pronounce a girl's name on one of the teams. it was spelled chloe but pronounced chlo-a (french pronunciation i think). because she will be called up several times i was told. big eye roll from me. seriously, we have 60+ girls and you expect me to remember in 2-3 hours that you told me that? and how am i going to know which one if there's more than one chloe. my kid's name is said wrong a lot during awards. i'm just happy that she gets called up. lol

 

[Flyaway]

i've been the annoyed parent sitting in the stands too! i take a deep breath and remind myself how i felt up there. lol. i felt thrown to the wolves when i first volunteered. what i've learned thus far - never run awards again and steer clear of vault for the upper levels. you need a special degree to volunteer at vault when there are 4 judges and running shoes and a drink afterwards.

on the flip side of that: at the meet last year someone came up to me as i was refreshing the awards table and told me how to pronounce a girl's name on one of the teams. it was spelled chloe but pronounced chlo-a (french pronunciation i think). because she will be called up several times i was told. big eye roll from me. seriously, we have 60+ girls and you expect me to remember in 2-3 hours that you told me that? and how am i going to know which one if there's more than one chloe. my kid's name is said wrong a lot during awards. i'm just happy that she gets called up. lol

We were at a meet once and a girl with an unusual name won several awards. The poor announcer tried each time but just couldn't get it right. I felt so bad for her because the girl's teammate and parents kept yelling the correct pronunciation at the poor announcer.