Parents Meet etiquette

[raenndrops]

Heck, I'd take it even further and ask to clap and cheer for all the gymnasts. It's hard!

There have been several times at gymnastics meets where there is only 1 or 2 girls from a team in a session that were rotating with our girls.
In our regular meets, after march in and all that entails, the teams are encouraged to do their team cheers (one team at a time). If we are rotating with a team of 1 or 2, our girls and coaches will do their team cheer with them and they can (if they want) can do out team cheer with our girls.
One year at Y Nationals, OG was the only Xcel Gold from out team competing. There was another gym that also only had 1 girl competing that session ... and she had the SAME NAME as OG's older sister. They had a good time hanging out while waiting for their turns.
I cheer for all gymnasts ... and as long as they aren't in the same level and age group as my girls, if I see gymnasts I know from other teams before it all starts, I tell them I hope they win.

 

[SupportingHerDreams]

Ha, I was thinking of the Auburn fans, but I didn't know they had a name!

Here's an article on them:
Link Removed

As a die hard Auburn fan I am pretty proud of our gymnasties!

 

[TampaMabins]

Just please no cowbells. LOL.

We were at a dance competition one time and someone actually brought a cowbell. I couldn't believe my ears.

I think that is a matter of opinion. This is the standard especially in southern balck communities. As long as it is not too loud because you can cushion the bells to sound duller so it doesnt ring in the ear of another.

Look all I see here is a lot of *****ing and complaining. Bottom line: if something someone does bothers you, ask them politely to stop. At ANY meet when someone does this or Ive seen it, the person ALWAYS was quick to do it out of politeness. Case closed.

 

[Deleted member 26368]

I think that is a matter of opinion. This is the standard especially in southern balck communities. As long as it is not too loud because you can cushion the bells to sound duller so it doesnt ring in the ear of another.

Look all I see here is a lot of *****ing and complaining. Bottom line: if something someone does bothers you, ask them politely to stop. At ANY meet when someone does this or Ive seen it, the person ALWAYS was quick to do it out of politeness. Case closed.

I'm black and live in the south, haven't seen or heard a cowbell at a gymnastics meet in the 3 years my kid has competed. Youth football games, most definitely - I own and use a huge one. They're a little too loud for indoor events, IMO. But to each their own.

If the person in my OP was close enough to me, I definitely would have asked her to stop. I definitely agree that sometimes people just need a reminder to be more polite.

 

[ReluctantGymMom]

In tri and quad meets, all teams are going at the same time and the crowd is cheering the whole time. Does your gym not do pressure sets for beam where spectators are being loud and distracting? Ask you gymnasts whether they even notice the parents cheering when they are in the zone. Most will tell you - no.

As for the mom who bragged about nearly making a gymnast fall of beam by her shout, likely an exaggeration but yeah, not cool either way.

Not an exaggeration lol, I can believe it because all the way through compulsary, inevitably some group of parents would start shrieking and she would startle and fall. It was great when she was in the very last rotation and those parents had already rushed to awards (there’s a direct correlation between obnoxious loudness and obnoxious walking out in the middle of the meet to get good seats at awards).

 

[pt coach]

My favorite breach of meet etiquette story involves a level 8 state meet back maybe 20-25 years ago (I am old). It involved two rival gyms located in the same city that had a very bad working relationship (i.e. claims of "poaching" gymnasts; spreading rumors about the other etc etc). The coaches at these gyms did not speak to each other during meets, and the owners were always threatening each other with litigation.

It all came to a head when one of the gyms hosted the level 8 state meet and both teams were in contention for the team title. Each team arranged to fill the stands with supporters: friends, family, and gymnasts from other levels within each gym were actually required to attend the meet. The venue was a relatively small middle school gym and the crowd was loud. Really loud. Louder than any basketball game I have ever attended. Fans stomping feet, doing group cheers, holding up really big signs blocking the view of others, engaging in behaviors designed to distract the other team. It was truly unbelievable. Coaches complained, judges complained, and parents complained but the noise continued. The meet ref tried to get the two teams involved to mitigate the problem but they refused. The meet ref tried to get the meet director to do something, but they refused. The ref said there wasn't anything in the rules that she could threaten them with like stopping the meet or kicking people out, so the meet continued and everyone was caught in the crossfire of the rivalry.

A love a loud and fun meet but that meet was just loud! I have no idea which of the teams won that meet, but the end result was neither was permitted to host a state meet for many years. Neither gym is in business now, but the old-timers like me still reference that meet as the worst state meet ever (and my team took third which was huge - we (parents, coaches and gymnasts) were so annoyed by the whole thing that we weren't even excited about exceeding expectations.

 

[RTT2]

My favorite breach of meet etiquette story involves a level 8 state meet back maybe 20-25 years ago (I am old). It involved two rival gyms located in the same city that had a very bad working relationship (i.e. claims of "poaching" gymnasts; spreading rumors about the other etc etc). The coaches at these gyms did not speak to each other during meets, and the owners were always threatening each other with litigation.

It all came to a head when one of the gyms hosted the level 8 state meet and both teams were in contention for the team title. Each team arranged to fill the stands with supporters: friends, family, and gymnasts from other levels within each gym were actually required to attend the meet. The venue was a relatively small middle school gym and the crowd was loud. Really loud. Louder than any basketball game I have ever attended. Fans stomping feet, doing group cheers, holding up really big signs blocking the view of others, engaging in behaviors designed to distract the other team. It was truly unbelievable. Coaches complained, judges complained, and parents complained but the noise continued. The meet ref tried to get the two teams involved to mitigate the problem but they refused. The meet ref tried to get the meet director to do something, but they refused. The ref said there wasn't anything in the rules that she could threaten them with like stopping the meet or kicking people out, so the meet continued and everyone was caught in the crossfire of the rivalry.

A love a loud and fun meet but that meet was just loud! I have no idea which of the teams won that meet, but the end result was neither was permitted to host a state meet for many years. Neither gym is in business now, but the old-timers like me still reference that meet as the worst state meet ever (and my team took third which was huge - we (parents, coaches and gymnasts) were so annoyed by the whole thing that we weren't even excited about exceeding expectations.

Wow, that is crazy. The best part is that neither gym exists anymore- all of that vitriol and nastiness for the brief flash of glory in being the level 8 State champs!

 

[A's Mom]

I'm surprised to hear so many people asking for spectators to chill it on the cheering. My daughter says that they're used to practicing in a loud, distracting gym so the cheering doesn't mess with them. We all cheer pretty loud and proud for every gymnast, knowing how much pressure they put on themselves. And they cheer for each other! When a teammate hits a skill they've been struggling with, all the kids pile on them after the routine. Isn't that support and enthusiasm the point? I dunno, y'all. Quiet, polite meets are so boring to me. Guess I'm gonna go get a cowbell...

 

[skschlag]

I'm surprised to hear so many people asking for spectators to chill it on the cheering. My daughter says that they're used to practicing in a loud, distracting gym so the cheering doesn't mess with them. We all cheer pretty loud and proud for every gymnast, knowing how much pressure they put on themselves. And they cheer for each other! When a teammate hits a skill they've been struggling with, all the kids pile on them after the routine. Isn't that support and enthusiasm the point? I dunno, y'all. Quiet, polite meets are so boring to me. Guess I'm gonna go get a cowbell...

I asked my son once about that. He was doing floor, and was near the speakers when they came on to make an announcement. It was literally right in his face. And loud.

He had no idea anything had even happened. He said that in general, he does not hear the crowd or anything like that when competing. He is too focused.

And his team was always loud cheering for each other AND all of their friends on other teams!

 

[TumbleTimes4]

I think that is a matter of opinion. This is the standard especially in southern balck communities. As long as it is not too loud because you can cushion the bells to sound duller so it doesnt ring in the ear of another.

Look all I see here is a lot of *****ing and complaining. Bottom line: if something someone does bothers you, ask them politely to stop. At ANY meet when someone does this or Ive seen it, the person ALWAYS was quick to do it out of politeness. Case closed.

I grew up in the south, small town, Friday night lights, you were there in the stands whether you had a kid playing or not. Cowbells are appropriate for outdoor football games but are not, in my opinion, indoor gymnastics meets. No matter the geographical location or culture you grew up in, it’s simply too loud and distracting to those competing and those in the stands.

 

[raenndrops]

A few cheers (for the newbie parents) that our team girls do at meets:
#1 - Run, Run, Down the strip, Hit the board and do a Flip, Stick your landing at the end, Salute the judge and score a 10.
#2 We want another one, Better than the other one. Let's Go, Let's Go "Goofy"!
#3 Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Fudge, Come on girl, Impress that Judge.
#4 S-T-A-R, "Goofy" is a Shining Star, Go "Goofy."
#5 "Goofy" is her name, Gymnastics is her game, She's got a 9 on her mind, And Woo! She's looking fine. Check her out, OW, OW!

#1 and #2 are vault specific... the other 3 work for any event!

 

[mommyof1]

There have been several times at gymnastics meets where there is only 1 or 2 girls from a team in a session that were rotating with our girls.
In our regular meets, after march in and all that entails, the teams are encouraged to do their team cheers (one team at a time). If we are rotating with a team of 1 or 2, our girls and coaches will do their team cheer with them and they can (if they want) can do out team cheer with our girls.
One year at Y Nationals, OG was the only Xcel Gold from out team competing. There was another gym that also only had 1 girl competing that session ... and she had the SAME NAME as OG's older sister. They had a good time hanging out while waiting for their turns.
I cheer for all gymnasts ... and as long as they aren't in the same level and age group as my girls, if I see gymnasts I know from other teams before it all starts, I tell them I hope they win.

My daughter’s team was once in a rotation with one other girl who had no teammates in the session. They adopted her as part of their team, chatted with her during downtime, and cheered enthusiastically for her. It was the cutest thing.

 

[LucyRobinson]

My daughter says that they're used to practicing in a loud, distracting gym so the cheering doesn't mess with them.

Totally. Coaches yelling corrections, girls cheering for each other/talking, floor music, noises of the springboards and mats and beams all becomes part of the normal feeling of gymnastics. I actually love doing beam routines with some background music... it helps me feel the rhythm of my routine just like on floor.

I think one that worked out in a smaller gym with less action would be surprised with the amount of noise we toootally zone out. iI you're used to working out with a small group of kids who are pretty quiet, this could come as a big surprise at a meet. People's "normal" is different, and I think sometimes teams don't realize they are coming across as rude.

 

[gym_dad32608]

I gotta admit, for most of this thread, I have been eye-rolling. I don't really mind the enthusiasm and loud cheering supporting your kid or her/his teammates (cowbells excluded) at regular meets. But this weekend was the Florida L10 state meet (other levels too but L10 is where I was at) and now I can say I have seen poor etiquette. American Twisters, which is a great gym, a large gym in south Florida, with fantastic gymnasts, many go to college, crossed the line. In some defense to them, it was really just the other gymnasts on their team that weren't competing, rather than the parents. But someone with authority had to know or even encouraged them to act that way. So, they already had a team of about 16 level 10s at this session that were broken up into 2 groups, so parents alone were going to make plenty of cheers. But then I guess the gymnasts that were not competing in that session decided they needed to make noise shakers with empty water bottles and beads and go crazy to support their teammates. Needless to say every gymnast on that team that was competing was treated to a celebration/ruckus that put most college meets to shame. Falls, out of bounds, sticks, non-sticks, it didn't matter, huge cheers, sound shakers, everything. Like I said, at a normal meet, I probably wouldn't care as much, but at State meets, it really was distracting to other gymnasts especially since they had so many gymnasts and really felt disrespectful to the other competitors. They really are a great gym, their gymnastics can stand on their own, I really don't see the need to have such an ostentatious display during such an important meet to fellow gymnasts in their state. So now add respectful, restrained support of gymnasts competing from gymnasts that are not during important meets to the list.

 

[TumbleTimes4]

I saw a clip on Instagram from the Florida state meet. It wasn’t the level 10 session, but same gym and those water bottles shaking were loud and would have been highly distracting. It’s one thing to train for noise and interruptions and gymnasts need to be able to perform in a somewhat chaotic environment, but there is a point where it crosses the line and in my opinion, this is it.

 

[ReluctantGymMom]

I gotta admit, for most of this thread, I have been eye-rolling. I don't really mind the enthusiasm and loud cheering supporting your kid or her/his teammates (cowbells excluded) at regular meets. But this weekend was the Florida L10 state meet (other levels too but L10 is where I was at) and now I can say I have seen poor etiquette. American Twisters, which is a great gym, a large gym in south Florida, with fantastic gymnasts, many go to college, crossed the line. In some defense to them, it was really just the other gymnasts on their team that weren't competing, rather than the parents. But someone with authority had to know or even encouraged them to act that way. So, they already had a team of about 16 level 10s at this session that were broken up into 2 groups, so parents alone were going to make plenty of cheers. But then I guess the gymnasts that were not competing in that session decided they needed to make noise shakers with empty water bottles and beads and go crazy to support their teammates. Needless to say every gymnast on that team that was competing was treated to a celebration/ruckus that put most college meets to shame. Falls, out of bounds, sticks, non-sticks, it didn't matter, huge cheers, sound shakers, everything. Like I said, at a normal meet, I probably wouldn't care as much, but at State meets, it really was distracting to other gymnasts especially since they had so many gymnasts and really felt disrespectful to the other competitors. They really are a great gym, their gymnastics can stand on their own, I really don't see the need to have such an ostentatious display during such an important meet to fellow gymnasts in their state. So now add respectful, restrained support of gymnasts competing from gymnasts that are not during important meets to the list.

Oh no…. We competed at Tim Rand last, which is hosted by them and there was none of that! So this isn’t an “every meet” kind of thing that they do. I REALLY hope they don’t do it at the next state meet, my kid has serious trouble not being startled off the beam still

 

[gym_dad32608]

Idk, if it was just this one session. Like I said, I have the utmost respect for that gym and trust me, I am the last person to say "temper your enthusiasm" but context is important. Way out of line for state meet.

 

[huronvalley93]

Meet etiquette tip #1: If your child is sick, keep them home. The number of times I overheard a parent bragging that they'd dosed a feverish kid up with Advil or DayQuil to compete was truly shocking.

Meet etiquette tip #2: Don't make nasty comments about any of the competitors. You never know whose parents are sitting right in front of you.

Meet etiquette tip #3: Wearing a t-shirt with a giant photo of your child printed on it is kind of obnoxious.

A million times yes to #1! It doesn’t make sense on any level: (a) as a parent with your child’s best interests in mind, (b) morally, since you’re exposing everyone else, and (c) strategically, because everyone will be big mad at you when they catch an infection and realize the source was your abhorrent decision. SMH

 

[Tigtimes]

I’m all for cheering on your teammates, it is an important part of competing, but at our level 10 State meet the large teams are just way over the top. Screaming and surrounding the floor dancing, yes literally bouncing all over with a spectator group that is equally over the top. As someone else stated they are great teams whose gymnastics speak for themselves. It becomes more of an arrogance with no respect for others

I get it on one level but on another there are other competitors and the lack of respect for them is what gets me. Hard to do beam which is next to a floor group that are acting like a fraternity house out of control.

 

[gym_dad32608]

I’m all for cheering on your teammates, it is an important part of competing, but at our level 10 State meet the large teams are just way over the top. Screaming and surrounding the floor dancing, yes literally bouncing all over with a spectator group that is equally over the top. As someone else stated they are great teams whose gymnastics speak for themselves. It becomes more of an arrogance with no respect for others

I get it on one level but on another there are other competitors and the lack of respect for them is what gets me. Hard to do beam which is next to a floor group that are acting like a fraternity house out of control.

Exactly this.