Parents First meet in the season!

[LCsMom]

Tomorrow, at an ungodly hour, we travel two hours to our first meet of the season. It's a new level for us this year (DP8).
New for me this year...the kid's best friend is doing her hair, and I don't have to!
My kid's goal--be competitive at DP 8. My kid's challenge--giants. No problem last year, now they're inconsistent. As a result, she's doubting herself.
Anyone else getting back into the grind of meet season? What's new for you? What are your kid's goals or challenges?

 

[ReluctantGymMom]

I’m not mentally prepared for season to start. My kid has all her level 8 skills everywhere but beam, she’s supposed to be competing 7 but the series graced us for two weeks and has disappeared again! I’m assuming she’s scratching beam, at this point I’m actually kind of hoping she’s scratching beam because she’s getting real stressed out. It sucks to work twice as long and hard as everyone else and have just struggles to show for it.

Good luck to your girl with her giants, good luck to us making it through another season lol

Oh and we def don’t have leotards for this first meet lol!

 

[LCsMom]

Oh and we def don’t have leotards for this first meet lol!

Ugh! Fortunately we didn't switch leos this year AND it still fits!

..and why am I awake when it is still dark??

 

[cmg]

My daughter has not competed since 2020. Between Covid and a serious injury in 2021 that she is still coming back from she probably won't compete her first meet until late January or early February. She barely got any serious training in over the summer, and I think was quite depressed about it. I wondered whether she would ever compete again. I am going to be so nervous I can hardly stand it. I hope she can make a decent showing and hopefully qualify for States. She might have to be an individual specialist, but even that would be amazing given what she has gone through. I pretty much pray every day that things go her way.

 

[Mom02]

Daughter had first meet of season she has had small injuries and intermittent restrictions for past 4 months. She got a few unrestricted practices prior to this meet. She scratched one event bc coaches didn’t feel she was ready. She is repeating a level due to all the injuries.
It was her worst meet ever, she had an emotional meltdown at the meet. In hindsight I see all signs she was very nervous about the meet, but wanted to do it. I repeatedly asked, she already has a plan she wants to talk with her coaches about. I think since she is better physically that she needs to get back to practice unrestricted consistently n gain her confidence back. She got pushed back a level in summer n nagging aches didn’t help. She told me she loves me n I am the best mom. I felt really bad for her. But we’ll move on to the next. This was difficult to watch.

 

[welovethegym]

First meet was yesterday and it went great! This was hopefully DD's last XG meet, and she got a 36.25 (PB) in AA.
Vault- she only did one vault and balked on the second one but opted not to do another one. Still got an 8.9 which is good for her.
Bars- 9.125 which is not her highest score but still good, and her toe pinged on the low bar in a tap swing which is 2 tenths I believe.
Beam- 8.825 with a fall. She doesn't usually fall on beam, but first meet jitters.
Floor- She started on floor with an amazing routine, scored a 9.4, but score originally flashed as a 9.5, so coach asked the judge which score was correct and she said that the routine did score a 9.5, but she went out of bounds which incurred the -.1, but looking back at the video and the pro pictures, she definitely did not, and neither judge gave a signal. She's just frustrated because she would have won all around without the extra tenth off, but oh well! Lots of little jittery deductions, but thats normal for this point in the season. She doesn't compete again until nearly February so lots of time to get ready for XP

 

[ReluctantGymMom]

Our meet is Saturday. I’m looking forward to being surprised by whether or not my kid competes her beam series (sarcasm). I hate meet season so much

 

[JPC13]

My daughter missed her first meet this year due to a super late gym switch. Her new coach wanted to refine her skills for 1.5 months before she starts competing, which I totally agree with, but it's going to make for a strangely short season.

 

[BusyMomof2]

First meet is Friday, and I'm hoping it goes well...my daughter went from state champ on bars last year to struggling to get to a 10.0 SV this year and it's destroyed her confidence and love for the sport. She loves competing so I'm hoping all goes well tomorrow and she gets her groove back. Good luck to everyone competing this weekend!

 

[ReluctantGymMom]

Update: shockingly, she competed beam! And her series! Connected! Took a small deduction for coach on the mat but she was on the very edge of the mat. She stayed on the beam! We didn’t have a SINGLE meet where she stayed on the beam last year!

Equally shocking, she bombed her two best events. Fell on her cast handstand and bounced right off the floor in her tumbling pass.

She was in the youngest age group where everyone did so badly that she came in 2nd all around by .1; direct quote from the kid when receiving her 2nd place bar medal “this is an embarrassment”

We did have a moment of growth though, on her way to awards she texted me “I’m not bitter” LOL we normally have to avoid her after a bar fall, so I’m glad she’s self aware

 

[Tmacs]

My daughter had her first me a few weeks ago and I was super proud of how she handled it. First year L6 and she's used to being 1st or 2nd at this meet. She did not even make top 5. She had an amazing floor routine and scored a 9.7 but wobbled a lot on beam, her best event, and chose to have a spot on bars. Afterwards, she was very proud of her meet, watched the videos over and over and knew she did not need the light touch on her flyaway which ended up being the full point she needed for first. I was so proud that she viewed it as a growing experience and that she came out of it more confident.

 

[LCsMom]

Update: shockingly, she competed beam! And her series! Connected! Took a small deduction for coach on the mat but she was on the very edge of the mat. She stayed on the beam! We didn’t have a SINGLE meet where she stayed on the beam last year!

Equally shocking, she bombed her two best events. Fell on her cast handstand and bounced right off the floor in her tumbling pass.

She was in the youngest age group where everyone did so badly that she came in 2nd all around by .1; direct quote from the kid when receiving her 2nd place bar medal “this is an embarrassment”

We did have a moment of growth though, on her way to awards she texted me “I’m not bitter” LOL we normally have to avoid her after a bar fall, so I’m glad she’s self aware

Ha! I can relate. My kid had trouble with giants during her year of Level 7, and finally pulled one out in competition--literally kicking and screaming. After accomplishing that, she fell on beam twice--her best event. Hey, you know what? At the end of the season, she went on to Regionals. You never know!

At the start of this season, she was again struggling with giants. She pulled it together for her first meet though.

I think your kid's reaction is the best. That's how true athletes survive so long in their chosen sport. Sometimes, you just don't have a good day. It doesn't mean you aren't good.

 

[PeanutsMom]

DD missed her first meet of the season due to the nasty virus that is going around. Woke up meet morning with a fever of 103.4. Her exhibition set on bars and floor the weekend before looked fantastic (especially after missing the entire season last year with spondy issues). She was super bummed to be out the first meet. We aren't doing the optional travel meet so the next meet isn't until the end of January. It seems ages away.

 

[RTT2]

Both of my kids had their first meets of the season last weekend. A couple of wobbles and extra steps here and there, but I thought it was a fantastic start for both with each hitting all of their routines. Looking forward to the rest of the season!

 

[procmadz]

DD's first 'true' meet is Sunday, but her mock meet went great. This is her third year competing, her first year competing Gold, and her last two mock meets were lows for her season, so I'm super excited for this year. DD didn't catch her vault score, but had no falls on beam (smth she's super worried for), and was in the 9s on her other three events. She got a 9.1 on beam (her PB is a 9.35), a 9.5 on bars (PB is a 9.85 for XB and a 9.55 for XS, both of which were last meet before States), and a 9.3 on floor (PB is a 9.7 XB and a 9.65 XS, which were late season scores). She placed 2nd all around and 'medaled' on every event except Vault, which is her worst event.

The past few month have brought a lot of good news for DD. She got most of her Gold and Platinum skills and has a new coach who she likes a lot. She has a good sized team and likes most of her teammates. She's competing skills she's confident in (mostly - just the full turn on beam)

DD's goals for this season are to: (some of these are a long shot and she knows)
-not fall
-stay in the 9s (mostly)
-win 1st place twice
-medal season long on one event (last years was bars)
-37s+ thrice
-Win a Team banner
-Make regionals and get at least one medal
-Make states and get at least one medal
-1 PB, and 1 new Team Record (highest score of all time for the team)

 

[cmg]

My daughter has not competed since 2020. Between Covid and a serious injury in 2021 that she is still coming back from she probably won't compete her first meet until late January or early February. She barely got any serious training in over the summer, and I think was quite depressed about it. I wondered whether she would ever compete again. I am going to be so nervous I can hardly stand it. I hope she can make a decent showing and hopefully qualify for States. She might have to be an individual specialist, but even that would be amazing given what she has gone through. I pretty much pray every day that things go her way.

Well, her first meet was yesterday, and she had a decent showing!! Not a perfect meet by any means but she landed her vault, attempted her double front dismount on bars (did not land it but it was her first time trying it at a meet), vastly improved her cast handstands from previous years and actually fell going over on a cast handstand which she has never done before in a meet, and had the best bail she has ever done at a meet. Beam did not go well; I think she was mentally exhausted from bars since she was not sure she was going to compete it and it depended on her warmup. She was super nervous for bars. She finished on floor and got her highest score. Ironically, she won her age group in the senior L10 division because she was the only one who did all 4 events. She thought that was funny. Which normally in a more competitive meet she would not have won, but overall, a great start and lots of potential for improvement. Hopefully neither of us will be so nervous for next meet in a couple of weeks. I am so happy for her.

 

[JPC13]

My daughter just had her first meet of the season (her team’s second). After a rocky late summer/early season at her old gym she moved to her current gym a few weeks ago.

It definitely wasn’t her highest scoring meet ever, but she definitely did her best and qualified for states with a couple points to spare. In fact she scored much better than what she was hoping for.