WAG Gymnast and coach meet behavior

[suebee]

I have some questions about typical meet behavior.

1. Is it common for the coach to high-five every gymnast after a routine at a meet? I see this all the time on youtube. I'm curious because Dd's coach never high-gives or even really says anything to a gymnast after she competes, but just immediately turns her attention to the next gymnast who is going to compete.

2. Are your gymnasts taught or encouraged by the coach to clap for teammates after they compete? Is it unusual that none of the girls on dd's team (ages 6-8) clap for their teammates? Now, some of the girls might be warming up while a teammate is competing, so I don't mean them, but there are always a decent number of girls lined up and watching their teammates compete, and none of them clap for their teammates' routines.

3. Are your gymnasts taught or encouraged by the coach to clap or cheer for teammates at awards? I noticed that dd's team just sits there at awards. While the parents clap and cheer, the gymnasts themselves do not.

I am trying to encourage dd to clap for her teammates after a routine and at awards but she is resisting because she says (and she's right) that none of the other girls do it. I was thinking it might be more effective if the coach encouraged the behavior.

I'm not going to talk to the coach about it, but I was just curious. Next meet, I need to pay more attention to what other teams are doing, but it's my feeling that most other teams are doing this.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

My dd was just a level 2 this past season, but I'll answer your questions for our experience.

1) Yes the coaches always high fived and congratulated the gymnasts after they competed, regardless of how they did.

2) I'm not sure they actually clap, but they usually said something like "good job!" or smiled and seemed happy for their teammates when they did well. And if they had a mistake like a fall, they usually would try to comfort each other.

3) I think they did clap when their teammates won. Although I feel like it may have been more enthusiastic for those that didn't normally do as well. The ones that were always first or second place, maybe not so much after a while. They definitely were excited when the team did well in the team placements. And there was always lots of hugs and congratulations after the meet from everyone.

 

[gwenmom]

1. High-5, hug or knuckle bump

2. Clap, 'You got this.' Or something along those lines. It's part of being a team. They do the same thing at practice. Each girl knows what the other is struggling with and cheers eachother accomplishment. It's one of the best lessons of gymnastics.

3. Heck yes!

 

[Committed]

1. Yes, DDs coach ALWAYS gives high fives after a routine.

2. Yes, the girls encourage each other. It's common to hear them encourage each other and congratulate each other at practice as well. At a meet, they ONLY watch each other if they've already performed. They're not supposed to watch anyone if they haven't competed, yet.

3. I don't know if they're encouraged or not, but they do.

 

[GymRays]

I always encourage my girls to cheer for their teammates, both before during and after they perform. Our optional team gets up, hugs and congratulates every girl after every performance. It so wonderful the hear the positive comments right before "that move" they all know someone struggles with, and the loud cheering when the gymnast nails it! Even the "its OK" "stay strong" after they fall. Also, we always clap for the other team's gymnasts competing in our group rotation and at awards.

 

[anothergymmom]

Ou girls all cheer each other on and clap for each other. They all clap for each other at awards AND they clap for the girls form other teams winning awards. Their coaches definitely told our gymnasts that they should congratulate girls from the other teams.

 

[GymRays]

Sometimes at young ages they are actually shy about being loud and cheery. Especially if No One Else is doing it. Some of my new girls it takes several meets of reminding them to cheer on teammates before they are comfortable doing so.

 

[lovemygymnast]

Yes, our coaches hug, high five or say something encouraging after every routine. The girls are very much encouraged to cheer for teammates during the meet. At awards, they always clap & congratulate others who won medals (even those not on their team) and we are encouraged to clap for everyone, other teams as well.

 

[2G1B]

For my girls the coaches always give a hug, fist bump, or high five right after they come off each event. This has been all of the coaches they have ever had. I know that ds's coaches last year would do some sort of high five thing; but I'm not as sure about his current coaches... I'll have to watch this weekend. My girls have always clapped for team mates at the end of routines and even cheered during routines unless they are about to go. The girls always clap for each other at awards. Last year DS's team wasn't very good about that and it was part of why we had him change gyms (just the entire non team feeling). His team now does clap for each other. I want the coaches to start telling them to shake hands with the boys on each side at awards

 

[NutterButter]

Yes, lots of high-fives and/or hugs from the coaches. DD's coaches also encourage the girls to cheer on their teammates. The extroverts in the group are typically the loud ones but all clap, hug or offer a "good job". There was more cheering this year in L5 than L4 which I think is because the girls are that much closer as a group.

I see similar behavior from most of the teams in my area but there are a few exceptions. One team in particular has all girls stand in 5th position while their teammate is competing. There's very, very little show of emotion.

 

[MILgymFAM]

At our meets the coach has usually high fived or hugged the girls when they finished.

The girls cheer for each other regularly.

At awards my girls clap for everyone.

The first gym my girls attended said everyone should support everyone else- even the kids on the other teams.

 

[Seeker]

We have been at a gym that sounds much like you describe. It's not a whole lot of fun. New gym is much more team focused, girls and coaches engaged and cheering each other on, coach acknowledges each girl after their event, etc. it really makes a huge difference. Not only is it more fun, but the comradery seems to energize the girls and lift their performance.

 

[samsmama]

Our coach and team does all of this, and I make sure DS claps for every single boy at awards regardless of what team they are on. It makes for a tiring awards ceremony, but I think it's good sportsmanship.

 

[Turk]

I've only competed once with coaches there and they weren't high-five people really, but they congratulated everyone after each routine. I have no doubt that the main coach I work with at my current gym would high-five everyone after each routine - he high-fives me after every good attempt at a skill while we're training!

As for cheering/clapping for teammates? I cheer and clap for everyone, teammates or competitors. Even at awards, I clap for everyone. It's what I've always done in dance classes since I was a little kid. If everyone is sitting to watch someone perform, even if it's just a combination or something, it was expected we'd clap. I can't imagine being on a team where people didn't even clap for their own teammates and I'd side-eye them hard if they weren't clapping for other good routines!

 

[kayjaybe]

Yes, our girls cheer each other on and clap during and after routines and during awards.

I clap for everyone at awards. I don't always cheer for other teams during the competition ONLY because we usually have girls split among several groups so I'm usually focused on our team and someone is almost always either competing or warming up. Sometimes I can't even watch all of our girls close enough because 2 might be competing at the same time. I then generally focus on the ones in my dd's group.

But....if nothing is going on with our team, I will watch other girls and cheer them on. I'm also chatty, so I'll talk to people around me from other teams, ask them which is their dd, and then if I can catch those routines and cheer them on, too, I'll do that.

 

[sportsmommy]

1- The coach says something positive after the events. A hug or high 5 when a big goal is met.

2- the teammates cheer a before and after.

3-yes!!

 

[gymdilettante]

One team in particular has all girls stand in 5th position while their teammate is competing. There's very, very little show of emotion.

Lol for some reason that made me laugh even though it's not funny really - just an absurd image in my mind. The only sane reason I can imagine for that is because you want to look very serious and intimidate the other teams but at what cost:-(

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

#1: yes, high fives usually after each routine, with what I assume is a brief "this went well, this could have been better" chat
#2: I actually haven't noticed if they clap for eachother. I think they do. I do know that they cheer loudly for eachother out there though.
#3: they clap for eachother as well as other teams during awards, as do I.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

Our boys when they compete in individual rather than team comps (they are separate here) often have two boys from a smaller, 'rival' gym going around in the same group as their gym. All the boys from our gym high five and encourage each boy in the group, and they include the two from the other gym. The different coaches also encourage each other's kids. It is one of the things I really like about these meets.

 

[profmom]

Coaches clap, but don't get really excited unless something exceptionally good happens (awesome routine, or someone hits something that's been causing a lot of trouble). One of the best coach-athlete moments I've ever seen was when DS's tumble-challenged teammate really hit his routine last year at regionals. He didn't medal, but the coach was so happy I thought he was going to start crying. Last weekend, the beam coach was practically jumping up and down after a girl who's been struggling terribly with her acro made it and stuck it. I also have a wonderful video of DS's coach pacing around nervously and then reacting in sheer delight when DS made a new skill at his last meet. (As well as videos of the poor guy shaking his head in bewilderment at DS's valiant attempts to make a particular skill that has bedeviled him since L4.)

Both the boys and the girls vigorously cheer on their teammates both during and after routines and during awards. If a stray gymnast or two from another squad ends up with them, they learn the child's name and cheer for her/him as well.