How to reassure young gymmie?

[UnoMas]

My little DD (who is L2 and almost 6 years old) has her "big" home meet this weekend (levels 1-10 all compete in this one since it is our home meet, the levels 1-3 do not compete in any other "big" meets). It is her first meet with other teams from other gyms. She came home tonight saying she did not want to go to the meet because she is nervous. This is the first time I have heard her say anything like that...I think it comes more from overhearing coaches talking to the older girls and/or the older girls talking about being nervous.

My question:
How can I reassure a not-quite-6-year old? I did the "it is ok to be nervous but you don't need to be nervous" and the "just do your very best" and the "it is going to be so much FUN" and the "don't worry about your score" types of things with her. Does anyone have any other words of wisdom or other approaches in case she expresses this again to me?

Thank you in advance!

 

[MdGymMom01]

Awww! How cute is that--her first big home meet! She is gonna have so much fun! Just let her know that there are going to be lots of other little girls her age from other gyms who are just as nervous, so it is okay to feel nervous because everyone else will be feeling the same way. Good luck to her and hope she has fun!

 

[bogwoppit]

Maybe if she made some very easy to attain goals it would give her something to focus on. Stuff like "smiling at the judges when I salute" or "pointing my toes".

Maybe you could also think of some meet ritual that can happen after every meet. THat way you can talk about that and she will be excited for the "after meet ritual" and it willmake the meet less scary. We go for ice cream after every single meets, even if it's -35c, even if they have a good meet or a bad meet.

Youngest also takes a treat for each of her team mates, something cheap like gum or a small chocolate. She also tucks her "meet mascot" in her gym bag, something to hang on to when she is nervous. Even now at 10 she happily takes the pup along. YOu can see her with it in my photos!

I am sure she'll have a blast once she is through the door, the key is to distract her enough before she gets there!

 

[Shelovesthebars]

Your little girl is so adorable. I just wanted to let you know that this is normal even for the big girls. Maybe you could let the coach know how she is feeling and the coach could sit down with them as a team and tell them that it is normal and what to expect. Just keep reassuring her on your end that it is normal but she will have so much fun. Sometimes if a coach or older gymnast can tell the young gymmies about their first meet, then that helps too.

 

[gymjourneymom]

So excited for her, her 1st BIG meet! Cool! At least it is a home meet so she will be in familar surroundings. I would just reinforce that it's just like any other meet she's been to, except there will be more people around. My DD's 1st big meet was states as a level 5 & she was so nervous & scared of the "unknown". " A BIG meet" & " STATES" was all she heard, and she had no prior experience to know what those words really meant. She thought it would be different than what she was used too & she was a nervous wreak! When it was over(& she took 1st AA) she said "I was silly to be nervous, it was just like any other meet!".

So I would let your DD know that nothing "different" is expected of her. She will compete all 4 events the same as usual. And since it's a home meet it's even the same equipment that she's used too! She just needs to do what she normally does & have fun! Prepare her that the gym may be more crowded with more hustle & bustle going on than she may be used too. And not to let that bother her. I think knowing what to expect will take some of the nervousness away.

We also pack small treats(small candy treats usually)for DD in her backpack. Enough for her to share with her teammates while waiting for awards to be tallied up. She's 14yrs old now & we still do this. It's become a tradition that her team counts on!

We have a tradition of going out to eat after a meet to celebrate, often with teammates. I always have a bottle of Sparking Apple Cider chilling at home! During quiet family time we crack that open & toast to her successful meet( there's always some positive thing to celebrate!). Sometimes it's been competing a skill she had a fear of or sometimes it's a good save that kept her on the beam. I usually ask her what she wants to toast to, it gives me a glimpse into her thoughts about how things are going for her & what her goals are for the next meet. DD & I have had some our deepest conversations about her goals in this sport while sipping Sparkling Cider.

Let us know if you come up with any "traditions" of your own. Good luck to your DD! Most importantly remember this is all suppose to be FUN!!!!

 

[gymdog]

If you have older girls competing in gymnastics, perhaps you can show a video of them in this meet, or they can describe the process to her. Often the kids express these things when they don't know what to expect of a meet and they think it will be more scary than it is. Some things she might want to know (or a kid might want to know in general) are that mom/dad/caregiver will be there and watching the whole time, even if she can't see, that she'll stay with her coach and the other girls the whole time, that other girls will compete at the same time she is doing her events, and that everyone makes mistake and no one will be upset with her if she makes a mistake. If your older girls or other older girls at the gym have examples of a routine that was not good but got better at another meet they might share those.

 

[emandelsmom]

We pack small treat bags for each gymnast on the team and pass them out right before awards. Nothing that costs a lot. Just things like candy, pens, pencils ,erasers, stickers, tattoos in a goodie bag. Daughters take turns handing them out to the girls. That helps.
She will have fun and love her first meet. So exciting.

 

[UnoMas]

Thank you for all the great ideas!!!!! I gave her a little good-luck present tonight (a monogrammed button for her team bag!), let her pick what she wanted for dinner, gave her a special snack while we were doing her hair...tried to make the night before her meet really special!

She is sleeping now. 6am is going to come early and older DD competes tomorrow right after her so I really should go to bed! Gonna be a loooong day!

 

[gymjourneymom]

Sending all the fairies to help your DD have a great "1st big meet"! Can't wait to hear how it goes!