Parents Finally...our first competition

[catesmom]

Hi all- After months and months of practices it's finally time for our first competition. After all the trials and tribulations my dd will be competing for her second year at Level 6. She is sooooo excited to finally compete, every year when this time comes around it makes me remember why she does this sport.

We compete on friday at 2, she may be more excited about missing school than anything else. She was hoping to move to Level 7, but they decided to keep all the 6's at 6 for another year. I am so proud of her, even though she didn't reach her goal of competing at 7, she has decided that her team will rock level 6. I am thrilled that the girls are together so well as a group. I hope that their dreams come true, we'll see on friday.

 

[nettyinpa]

Good Luck to her on Friday. My dd's first Level 4 meet is this Saturday. She's excited and nervous, of course. She kept wishing that it was this past weekend. She's also worried that she won't be able to compete all the events. I was talking with some of the moms of our higher level girls and she doesn't think they've ever scratched a level 4 girl. Anyone have experience with that?

 

[gym_mom2one]

We have 19 level 4's and only 1 girl scratched. She only did vault and bars. That was 2 weeks ago and it looks like she will probably compete at our next meet in 2 weeks.

 

[midwestgymmom]

Good Luck to her on Friday. My dd's first Level 4 meet is this Saturday. She's excited and nervous, of course. She kept wishing that it was this past weekend. She's also worried that she won't be able to compete all the events. I was talking with some of the moms of our higher level girls and she doesn't think they've ever scratched a level 4 girl. Anyone have experience with that?

My dd's first meet she wasnt ready to do bars and beam and the coach didnt want her to compete them and get a really low score which would crush her so she had her scratch on those events. The coach would rather have them scratch early in the season and wait till they are ready and that way they still get the feel of competing on the events they are ready for without the stress of low scores.

 

[catesmom]

First Meet Is over!!!

Well my dd competed her first meet of the season and it went pretty well. She had been fighting a cold all week and was feeling pretty miserable, but all in all she had no complaints with her scores,

Floor 9.175 2nd
Bars 6.8 or something awful like that
Vault 8.40
Beam 8.75 placed 12th(I think)

All around 33.10 placed 14th I think.
Anyway she got three medals.

Bars were really almost funny, she has always been squat-on challenged and her coach set the bars really close together, so close in fact that she had to bend her knees and pull in to keep from hitting them when she did her baby giant!

The most positive thing that happened is that her judge on beam was working a session that I was clerking and she spent some time telling her that she was really beautiful on the event, but needed to be more aggressive, and it was so nice to hear her spend the time telling my dd what she could do better to improve her scores. The judges that I have met since she started competing have all been so nice, and it makes you feel good to see that they care about the sport so much. I told her beam coach what the judge saidd and she said "thats what I have been telling her". She seems really committed to trying, only time will tell.

We don't compete again until the second weekend in January, so hopefully that one will go better. It is a big out of state meet and last year all the girls did awful. I think they will do better this year, but only time will tell.

Good luck in your competitions!

 

[nettyinpa]

Catesmom ~ sounds like dd didn't do too badly! WTG! My dd had her first level 4 meet on Saturday. She did pretty well for a 6-year old ~

Floor: 7.00 (no placement)
Bars: 8.0 - 2nd place
Beam: 7.80 - 3rd Place
Vault: 8.45 - 3rd Place

She was very happy. Our team did really well, too. One of our 7-year olds scored the highest AA score of the meet with a 37.5. Not too shabby!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

sounds like everyone did well!!!

 

[melmonette]

Congratulations on the great meets I love hearing about everyone's meet results

 

[Ingymmom]

catesmom - your dd did great. Thanks for the update... Illinois clubs seem to repeat levels quite often correct? My dd's friend competed at your same meet, but she is a L5... she was hoping to move to 6 soon as well, but it is not looking like their club favors that, soooo she is a little disappointed. Keep us updated on your dd's season... our gymnasts will be competing at the Region 5 cup in OH this weekend... anyone else headed that way?

 

[catesmom]

[ Illinois clubs seem to repeat levels quite often correct? My dd's friend competed at your same meet, but she is a L5... she was hoping to move to 6 soon as well, but it is not looking like their club favors that, soooo she is a little disappointed.[/quote]

I know our club typically repeats level 5, unless the girls are older when they start. We are repeating 6 this year, not so much above level 6 if they get their skills, although we do have one girl repeating level 8 this year. I often read with a little envy, the way some gyms in other states move the girls through the lower levels. Can you guess I am so weary of the hearing the same music, meet, after meet, after meet. So tell her to hang in there, her time will definately come soon!

Thanks for the encouraging words, next meet the second week of January.

 

[Ingymmom]

A lot of gyms in NW IN repeat levels as well... I must admit I feel lucky that my dd is a part of a gym that encourages moving up if you are ready... we had a 7 yr old that competed in her very first meet as a L5 (horton Invite) took 1st place AA with a 36+, and coaches moved her right to L6 only to take 3rd place with a 35+
at her very 2nd meet. I must say that the idea of listening to the L5 music over and over and over again seems a bit much more then L6 - I think the L6 music is still great lol.

 

[Blackie6]

Congrats, great scores for the first meet! My daughter went to a meet that after each event the judges tell the girls how to improve their routines. Too bad my DD is only 6 and when I asked what the judge said to her she couldn't remember, LOL

I think there needs to be a session for new parents on how routines are judged. Sometimes I see beautiful routines and then see the score and what I thought would have been a good score was really a low one. That's great you had the opportunity to hang out with the judges at the meet. Maybe next year I'll volunteer for that job at one of our meets.

 

[Blackie6]

YEAH, NeattyinPa, your daughter finally got her first competition in! I have been thinking about you, knowing her first comp was coming up, but it has been so crazy here getting ready for Christmas I haven't been able to get online.

Did you hold your breath when she did her ROBHS? Those are good scores for a first meet! My daughter bombed bars with a 5.8 and a fall off the beam for a 6 point something. Now she is scoring in the 8's except for beam, her worst event. It's cute to watch the 6 year olds just starting out isn't it? Did you cry? I did. When is your next meet and how many do you do? We only have one more and then states in Jan. It's been exciting, but I can't wait to have my weekends back again. Just a FYI, if she got medals or ribbons, you may want to write the name of the meet, date and scores (I do it on the computer in small font) ...after awhile all the meets and scores look alike. She can see the improvements from meet to meet everytime she looks at them.

 

[nettyinpa]

Blackie6 ~ Thanks for your response! I've been busy, too. Funny though, gym never ends, does it?

My dd doesn't have her ROBHS yet. She did a great routine except for her bridge kick over. Her foot slipped out and she couldn't get her footing to get back over. My heart broke for her but she seemed okay with it. The beam is her favorite event. She hopped off at the first turn, something she's never done in practice. But, she made it through the rest of her routine and did her dismount. Believe it or not I didn't cry. I could feel my heart swell with pride, though.

I know some gyms put the results and the event on the back of the medals. This gym didn't. I wrote them down quick when I got home. I will print them out and put them on the back so I don't forget. I posted a couple pictures of her int he Photo Gallery. I couldn't take any of her while doing routines. The lighting in the place was horrible.

Our next meet is on January 12-13th. They added another one in February so now we have 3 in Feb. States is the 1st weekend in March. The time is flying by. She really wants to have her ROBHS soon. I can see the disappointment in her face when the other girls do it and she can't. Oh, well. It will come in time.

Thanks!