essential items for competition ?

[gym_mum]

Hi guys my DD will be starting NDP comps in the new year, are there any essential items that i must take with me? or things to do before hand??

thanks

 

[Aussie_coach]

It will vary from gym to gym. For NDP a some gyms will require nothing but a leotard not requiring that they get a track suit until the higher levels.

Other gyms require a summer leotard, winter leotard, club track suit, club bag, club polo shirts, club shorts, club hair ribbons (with a set hair style), Grips bag, wrist bands and grips (from about level 3) and a club water bottle with matching towel.

Most gyms lie somewhere in between the two extremes.

 

[cher062]

I am assuming you mean besides what the gym requires them to have?

I would think its the same type of items in any gymnasts bag regardless of what type of gymnastics they do.

DD does the standard type USAG JO program - Looking im my 14 yo's gym bag here is what I see
All the required items her gym wants her to have (comp leo, warmup suit, pre-wrap, tape to wrap ankles, wrists etc)
She also has her grips and tiger paws with her for meets she brings from the gym.

For meets she also brings
*small lucky stuffed animal (new one each year) She ties on the ribbons she wins to it. This year its a frog last year it was a penguin. When the year is over that animal makes it to her award shelf wearing all the ribbons she won. Can't leave the house without it or its a major drama fest LOL.

*hair care products in case her hair falls out - extra hair ties, small travel size hairspray, hair pins, she wears her hair in a bun with a bun cover so she has an extra one of those, an extra hair scrunchy and of course spray hair glitter how could she ever compete without it LOL, brush and comb (the comb with the long pointy handle)

Personal Hygine items - she carrys a travel size deoderant, toothbrush and toothpaste (with retainers lots of snacks can get stuck), Feminine hygine items, travel tissues, small first aid kit with the good sports bandaids.

Extra clothing - Extra leo in case something happens to comp leo like someone spills on her - it doesn't match the comp leo but it is in the same color scheme. Some parents actually buy 2 comp leos but at $190 one is all my DD is getting. She has a complete change of clothes in the bag as she arrives in her leo and warm up this way she can change after the meet.

Food and drinks - she always has some easy to eat snack items that doesn't need refrigeration and at least 1 bottle of water and 1 sports drink, if the meet is at breakfast, lunch or dinner time then a sandwich, bagle, muffin or something a little more filling may be brought.

Meds - she always has Motrin, some type of decongestant/antihistimine, so if she has pain for some reason she can take a motrin in the winter if she is congested she can take the antihystimine.

Pen and small note book - she like to write down her scores and any comments the judges make or coaches make on her performance.

gallon sized zip lock baggie to put trash into so it doesn't get all over everything

 

[cher062]

oh I forgot the things parents will want to make sure they have for when your DD forgets to pack

Remember to pack your camera for the meet. You will not be permitted to have the flash on during the event as it is distracting to the gymnasts. If you are using a manual camera make sure that there is film in it. If you are using a digital camera remember to insert the memory card before leaving the house and extra batteries. Have your video camera charged and ready to go on the day of the event to save malfunctions once you begin to tape the event.


Bring water for you and your gymnast to the meet. In the case that she has forgotten to pack it or does not have time to refill her bottle having one with you will be a life saver. Make sure that the bottle has a screw-top to avoid leaks or spills.

It is important to bring your cell phone with you but make sure that you set it to vibrate or turn it off once you enter the building. Your cell phone will be handy if you get lost or need to call home for any reason while on the road or away.

If you have a tom-tom direction thing its good to have especially for the away meets in areas you don't know. If nothing else it will tell you where the restaraunts you like are. for after the meet

Have a bottle of nail polish remover or pads with you because your gymnast will not be able to have her nails painted for the meet. Inevitably she will forget to take it off before the meet at least once and coming prepared will save a lot of problems.

Having a pain reliever with you will really save the day. If your gymnast gets hurt during the meet Tylenol or Ibuprofen will come in handy. Also, if she has a headache or any other problem with mild pain she will need this relief. For older girls midol can be good to have too.

It will be a long day for everyone (including you) so bring something to occupy your time during the rotations or when the team has downtime. A good book or some other activity will be helpful. Also, if you have children with you giving them something to do will allow you to focus on the meet.

Snacks for the siblings you may bring - the concession stands are available but its cheaper if you bring your own.

Always have a bottle of hair gel or spray with you. If your gymnast forgets hers or needs to slick her hair back coming prepared with a bottle of hair product will work wonders during the pre-meet panic.

Have plenty of extra hair ties and a pair of extra grips with you in your bag. It goes without saying that your daughter will need one or the other sometime during a meet and having them ready will save a lot of time.

Bring cash to the meets because there is often a concession stand or meet shop where you can buy t-shirts or new leotards for your gymnast. Keep your money close to you so that it doesn’t get lost during the event. Many meets don't take credit cards. I usually have at least $60 with me for the meet above the cost to enter the meet.

After going to two meets where the clubs CD playere or MP3 player wasn't working and it was a crap shoot if the music was going to play. I now keep a CD/MP3 portable player in the trunk of the car that has the speakers with it. So DD doesn't have to stress out when they start taking 30 min to figure out what is wrong with their old crapy system. But I don't think anyone else is that OCD LOL

Packing a bag or purse for you with necessary items for the meet will save a great deal of hassle or stress on the day of the gymnastics meet. Your gymnast will be relieved if she needs something in a hurry and has forgotten to put it in her bag and you are prepared to give it to her. Some of the items I just leave in a small bag under the seat in the car and will go out and get them if needed.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Cher's list is pretty much complete! I can't think of anything to add except maybe a copy of her floor music--either on CD or an iPod or both. Some CD players (including the one in the gym we host meets at) just have trouble playing some CD's. It's always good to have another option just in case.

 

[cher062]

I knew there was someting I forgot LOL. She just got new music so that CD isn't in her bag right now LOL.

Oh and we have the list of the other parents of the girls on team so if we do break down we can call one of them to at least come and get dd and bring her to the meet. Our team parents are a great bunch and no matter what the levels we all actually get along really well.

 

[coachmolly]

Besides the material goods which Cher covered very well, I would also suggest preparing your butt/back to spend good amount of time sitting in uncomfortable chairs or bleachers and an extra dose of sanity if it's available .
For water/drink bottles, make sure they are ones where the top can't come lose on it's own. I once brought a sports bottle to a meet (the kind where you just pull up the top to drink and push down to close) and it came lose in my bag, leaking all over everything- including grips. My poor dad had to sit on my grips until my team got to bars in an attempt to dry them. Luckily it was a small meet where I had easy access to my parents, and I had a dad willing to get a wet butt, but it's definitely an unneeded stress. I can't imagine if it had been gatorade.

 

[gym_mum]

WOW!!! thanks guys that was great!!!!!
I think ill start collecting items slowly and buy a comp only bag to fill up over christmas. Most things seem obvious but easily forgotten in a rush. I had no idea about the nail polish either I must remember to remove it!

thanks again guys that was great!!

 

[BlairBob]

Many parents just bring portable seats. It's worth the investment and hassle of bringing them. At one gym, I actually discovered we had about 2 dozen of them. They were very old but workable and besides the seat they had small chair backs.

 

[gymboymom]

I have to say thank you to those who spent time typing replies. Since this is ds's first year competing, these lists are great. I think I have some of those stadium bleacher seats with backs somewhere. I never would have thought of putting those in the car.