WAG Meet Schedule and times

[curlymomof3]

Hey all! Kind of new to this gymnastics thing so I'm not sure what the norm it. How much advance notice do you get for meet dates and times? Our gym has been slow getting the meet times out to the parents. The past couple times a couple parents were able to call the hosting gym and get the times almost a full week before the HC finally let us know! The first meet (which we were hosting) we didn't find out the times until 2 days before. Is this normal? Would love to know what your experience is. TIA!!

 

[Quadqueen]

it depends on the meet. Some we find out just a few days before (I get annoyed with that too) and others is a few week's notice. For example, we got the schedule for an 11/3-11/4 meet today.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

It's within the range of normal.... sadly. Drives me crazy.

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

Oh, and I just wanted to add our gym (and other gyms) go bananas when parents call a gym about meet schedule/session/times it's a big no-no

 

[Krystan]

Sometimes if the meet is hosted by a really organized gym (especially if it's a big meet like an invitational), they'll have the schedule up on their website a few weeks ahead of time. I've found a few that post which levels are on which days well ahead. Sometimes days/times will be posted on the host gym's website before we receive the info from our own gym, so I periodically check the sites of the meets we're attending to see what's posted. Honestly, the most in advance I've seen actual session times is two weeks. It's tough earlier in the season because usually the host doesn't get the final athlete list until the last minute. Later in the season they sometimes come earlier. Our state meets don't list session times until about 5 days prior. So yes, it's the norm. I wouldn't bug the gym about it though. They'll let you know when they let you know.

 

[gymgal]

dd's gym is very good about getting the schedules out to the parents as soon as they get it. We also have a small group of parents who scan the websites everyday during meet season to catch the schedules as soon as they are posted. So we usually get the info as soon as it becomes available. This is very important because most of our meets are out of state, potential "overnight trips". But the reality is that most times, the schedules don't come out until just 1-2 weeks before the meet - even large meets.

 

[Krystan]

dd's gym is very good about getting the schedules out to the parents as soon as they get it. We also have a small group of parents who scan the websites everyday during meet season to catch the schedules as soon as they are posted. So we usually get the info as soon as it becomes available. This is very important because most of our meets are out of state, potential "overnight trips". But the reality is that most times, the schedules don't come out until just 1-2 weeks before the meet - even large meets.

Our coach recommends booking the hotel for both nights (Fri and Sat usually), then cancelling one of them when you get the schedule.

 

[gymgal]

Our coach recommends booking the hotel for both nights (Fri and Sat usually), then cancelling one of them when you get the schedule.

I was referring more to family commitments, child care for siblings, etc. but, yes, we do this. Usually thur-sun when we go to big meets that start on friday mornings.

 

[ann1245]

Hey all! Kind of new to this gymnastics thing so I'm not sure what the norm it. How much advance notice do you get for meet dates and times? Our gym has been slow getting the meet times out to the parents. The past couple times a couple parents were able to call the hosting gym and get the times almost a full week before the HC finally let us know! The first meet (which we were hosting) we didn't find out the times until 2 days before. Is this normal? Would love to know what your experience is. TIA!!

Big No No to call hosting gym!!!!!

 

[GymBee97]

Ok 99% of the meets we are attending we have been told as of end of Sept. But Which session on which day tends to be a few days before if we are lucky we might get a week to 10 days notice. For hotels I usually will book the day before the meet until the day of the last meet then when we get the schedule I will call back and cancel the dates I don't need. Sometimes there is a small charge (usually $10 - $25) to do this but it's better than not getting a room for meets that need the hotel due to distance.

If you don't care if you are in the host hotel or the hotel that the rest of the gym choose to book at then you usually can still get a room somewhere at most meets right up to about a week before but pickings are slim then.

 

[thefellowsmom]

We keep the meet schedule and details on our booster club website. Then as information comes in from the coaches or is posted on the host gym website, I update the site with the details. Information can be coming from many different directions and I have parent reps for each level so as different coaches say different things (some are better at communicating info than others), we can consolidate the info.

I try to make sure that hotel, travel, parking, directions, meet info and session times are all posted. We also have a large compulsory group so sometimes they are split between sessions so we try to make sure who is in what session gets posted too.

I will pull info off the website, but always post a warning that people should always trust what their coaches tell them because they have the most accurate and current information.

We have found that having as many details as possible on out BC website keeps the parents from panicking. The HC also knows to check in with me from time to time about when he might know details or delays he knows about. Then I can set expectations with the parents.

The session times and details are hardly ever posted on the host gym website or delivered to the coaches until a week or two before the meet. Sometimes only a couple of days. It is the norm.

I work on organizing our home meet and I know that finalizing sessions and times and what gymnasts go where can take quite a while and the gymnast lists can change dramatically running up to the meet. Think about it, you have an every changing list of say 500+ gymnasts coming from all over the state/country. There is politics, travel arrangements and all kinds of other factors to consider. Complicated stuff with lots of moving parts.

 

[wallinbl]

Most of the meets we go to have websites (or have information on the site of the organizing group). I just get the information from there.

 

[Bajanswife]

It's tough for a host gym to do the final schedule too far in advance because of ever changing numbers. But yes, it is hard to know what travel arrangements to make. We are forced to stay longer at every meet location than we strictly need to because we always have to book our flights before we know when we are competing. We also always have 2 flights to reach our destimation if it's a US meet. Also, for US meets our only choice is AA, who imposes a steep change fee after a ticket has been issued. So basically we are stuck with whatever flights we first book. It's just the nature of the game I guess.

 

[clark222]

This is hugely annoying for our family as well. I understand the logistical issues but every single meet we attend is 4-8 hours away. Knowing what days we might have to take off work, find people to watch our pets, etc.... is a real problem. The worst is AAU Nationals. They KNOW most people are flying in but the meet spans 5 days. But they didn't post the session schedule until one week before the meet. No one wants to pay for 5 days of expensive hotel but to change flights last minute is often even more costly. Due to this, we have told dd that she will not be able to attend Nationals this year. We just cannot afford it.

 

[MeetDirector]

My goal for a session schedule to be out to gyms is 2 weeks before the meet. That is the earliest unless you want to make gyms send in final rosters two months before the meet. The process of building sessions is extremely time consuming and can't happen until I get all of the entries. Balancing session sizes and allocating enough time for each session is one of the most challenging aspects. Unfortunately, there isn't an automated tool that does this very well so I call on the tried and true pencil and paper. Building session schedules for regional and national meets is even more difficult given the much larger scale they are dealing with.

As for calling the host gym before the meet - don't. If I haven't finished the schedule the office staff of the gym isn't going to know so calling serves no purpose. As soon as I get the schedule done I distribute it to all attending gyms. If you don't have a schedule, your first call should be to your coach, not the hosting club.

For the meets that we travel to (5 requiring air travel this coming season) we plan on early Friday/late Sunday travel to allow as much flexibility as possible. If we have extra time, we turn it into a mini vacation.

Good luck to everyone this season!

 

[Danica76]

Oh, and I just wanted to add our gym (and other gyms) go bananas when parents call a gym about meet schedule/session/times it's a big no-no

Oh yes, a Mom called one of the host gyms last season and there were lots of bananas flying (and we had already been told that, in bold print, etc.) Probably why the HC sent out an email last month, again stating, that under no circumstances were parents to call about session times.

 

[cbone]

So, I guess I'm not sure if it's okay to call the host gym or not.

Can someone explain to me what goes into deciding to change a level from one session to another? I don't understand why waiting for the final number of gymnasts would necessitate moving a level from one session to another (unless there were so many gymnasts that an additional session was required). I'm certain that there are reasons, I just don't know them and would like to. It doesn't make me angry (I really just go with the flow and enjoy the process), but we haven't had to travel more than 4 hours for a meet yet other than state last year where we stayed with family. I could see where others would get more frustrated.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

Cbone- there is alot in the process, maybe there were two age/level groups that were really big and originially were gonna be at the same time, but due to large groups they may need to separate them and change other smaller groups to compete at the same time. It is a lot more complicated than what we see on the final schedule. Around here we normally get a tentative schedule based on the number in each group from previous years when we first register, then final schedule about 2 weeks before, latest is a week and doesn't happen very often. The meets here are generally smaller though, and most invitationals are only 2 days, some only 1.
And I keep on reading that they have to wait for a final athlete roster to come in? Here registration to meets is usually due about 1-2 months before the meet.

 

[gymmomtoo]

You are only allowed to have a certain number of athletes in a session, so if a gym wants to add a few and that session already is at max, you would have to move one gym out and another (with fewer athletes) in (from another session). It's a HUGE juggling headache. And really isn't easy (unless the meet isn't full) to just add another gymnast or two.

Most meets will have their times out at least two weeks in advance--the really big meets have it done further out (Chicago Style, for example, comes out in December). As others have said, check the hosting gym's website for possible schedules (I frequently find it out before our coach sends it to we parents--and she's pretty quick with it) and never, EVER call the gym hosting.

 

[MeetDirector]

cbone -

I was like you at one point - this can't be that hard (I said to myself). Then I got involved in the "meet director" side of things - holy cow what an awakening! Everything the two previous posters said is spot on. Add to that if certain gyms have "special requests" to compete only on certain days - yikes! To make it even worse, USAG is now cracking down on sanction violations; a violation can come from having too many athletes in a session or from running over the 10:00pm deadline (which can come from not planning enough time to handle all the gymnasts in a session). With a violation comes a monetary penalty to me, the meet director.

I will also say this - I have learned a ton from being a meet director and have a much better understanding of my dd's chosen sport than I did before. I would encourage you to get involved in putting on a meet. It can be quite rewarding.