New to this

[Flip]

New to this forum and level 4. The worst thing is when my daughter was the only kid that did not place, and one of her teammates pointed that out in front of entire team. The best thing, at following meet she took eighth. Her response to us was she was just happy to hear he name called. Three meets in I stopped trying to figure scoring out. I just follow my daughters lead on her reaction to meet. I point out the positive. I am thankful she has already experienced the shutout. It has set her expectation that you do not always come home with something. I never thought it would be so cut throat with some of the Parents. They are only kids.

 

[wallinbl]

It's certainly easy to get really into it. I try not to let other parents get to me, whether they're talking about my daughter, their own or someone else's. To some extent, I'm sure I say something that shocks them. It's an interesting balance between wanting your child to be happy, to work hard, to succeed, to be nice, to push herself, to be safe, etc.

 

[Esoteric]

It can be so frustrating when you see your children have their feelings hurt. Perhaps at level 4 the girl who "called out" your daughter just did not have the ability/maturity to see how her words could hurt someone? I would use that as a learning experience- remind your daughter that all of her teammates should be congratulated after every meet for their efforts. Some kiddos just have an off day, or maybe have meet anxiety, or perhaps they are simply still fine tuning their routines.
The good news is that it sounds like your daughter improved during her second meet- Way to go! As far as the parents- there are cut throat parents in every sport. It is sad, but you have recognized it, and that is half the battle. Don't let yourself get sucked into the drama and keep positive, especially for your dd. She wanted to continue with the sport after a less than stellar 1st meet experience- so make it an environment that she remains excited about. If she senses your apprehension, that WILL affect her performance. Good luck!