Parents Parents cheering at meets etiquette

[jessifrostR]

This is my daughter's first year competing and she has done two meets so far. Her third one is coming up soon and her grandparents will also be there. So far, I have been kind of quiet at the meets, just clapping after she competes an event and during awards I wait until the finish announcing all of the places before I cheer and clap. Is this correct?
I was thinking of making a poster board sign that says Go "gymnast name" on one side and Go "team name" on the other side. She always has a hard time spotting me in the cowd so I thought this would help. Is it weird to have a sign? Lol this is all new to us so just curious!

 

[kayjaybe]

I would not do a sign because you are likely to block someone else’s view with it. I have never seen anyone with a sign at a gymnastics meet.

Your cheering sounds fine. As long as you aren’t making a spectacle of yourself or doing anything that would distract another gymnast, I think whatever feels natural is fine.

 

[jessifrostR]

Thanks, thats kind of what I wanted to know. I don't want to be the embarrassing mom lol.

 

[FlippinPrincess]

A sign? Wow, this gymnastics world sure is different than what I’m used to!

 

[2gymkids]

I have seen people with signs but typically kids- teammates who come to cheer on their teammates. My daughter brought a sign to her friend's session, and her friend brought a sign to states for her teammates competing a different level. I don't think I've seen adults do it, though.

I think your clapping/cheering sounds fine!

 

[jessifrostR]

That's sweet!
Hahaha glad I asked here or we would have been that goofy family with the big sign! Lol!

 

[gymbeam]

I’ve not attended many sporting events in general in my life. Gymnastics meets are my norm since that’s what my oldest child does and really all I know. Or knew...

....until my youngest just started basketball and boy have I experienced some major culture shock!

I’m talking coaches being kicked out for cursing, police presence at all games and parents having to be removed. It’s INSANE. And it’s a 3rd grade team!

I’m seriously questioning if I’ll be able to tolerate basketball crowds as the intensity increases with age! I much prefer the restrained crowds of gymnastics!

 

[jessifrostR]

I’ve not attended many sporting events in general in my life. Gymnastics meets are my norm since that’s what my oldest child does and really all I know. Or knew...

....until my youngest just started basketball and boy have I experienced some major culture shock!

I’m talking coaches being kicked out for cursing, police presence at all games and parents having to be removed. It’s INSANE. And it’s a 3rd grade team!

I’m seriously questioning if I’ll be able to tolerate basketball crowds as the intensity increases with age! I much prefer the restrained crowds of gymnastics!

Yikes! Yes..I have done t-ball games, dance recitals, and gym meets and so far gym meets are my favorite for many reasons..lol

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Let’s just say if a sign popped up as I was trying to see it record I would be cranky.

As far as cheering. My kid doesn’t like us yelling while she is competing, At awards she is fine with it. So that’s what we do.

 

[l.c.o]

Please don't be the person with a sign! The parents/siblings from one gym must have made them before a meet once, and I saw very little gymnastics and a LOT of the backs of their signs. That was a long three hours.

As far as clapping/cheering, I've seen all kinds and tend to literally follow the crowd a bit. Some meets seem quieter so I just politely clap. Some sessions seem comparatively rowdy, so I'm more comfortable cheering a bit.

Sometimes my kid/a teammate will be struggling on an event and hit it at a meet (or maybe have a fall and then finish the routine). In those cases parents usually cheer a little more loudly.

I'm under strict instruction from my DD not to cheer or clap before/during/after beam - so some kids are quick to share their opinions and set rules for mom and dad.

 

[jessifrostR]

I absolutely would not want to block anyone's view. I only would have done it sitting up at the top of stands. But I don't want to be out of place so I won't be embarrassing her with a sign lol.

Oh yes, I don't want to distract her, so I stay quiet and until the routine is completely finished. She made a couple of 1st places and I wanted to cheer during awards but I refrained until all the placements were announced. I noticed everyone at the meet is very quiet except for the occadional rowdy family here and there lol.

 

[raenndrops]

At our meets, it is common to politely cheer before they go on an event (especially if the judges are taking a while between routines because it breaks the silence). Then we clap and politely cheer when they get done. On FLOOR, we may cheer if they stuck something they have been struggling with. Same for bars. After a fall on an event, there may be a "finish strong" or "you got this."
The girls also cheer for each other, especially on vault or while waiting for the judges to be ready on bars and floor. Not so much on beam, lol.

ETA - A few times when OG and YG's family came to meets, THEY were the obnoxious family! I had to get them to tone it down for future meets (older brother was the loudest... I had to explain that while he was cheering for his sister, another gymnast was going for a back handspring on beam... and she fell when his booming his voice came out of nowhere). He was better after that.

 

[M2Abi]

I think our area is a little rowdier. There is a lot of cheering pretty much all the time. Our coaches encourage the girls at practice to be loud and annoying during beam routines so at a meet, the gymnasts will be used to it.

 

[skschlag]

I think our area is a little rowdier. There is a lot of cheering pretty much all the time. Our coaches encourage the girls at practice to be loud and annoying during beam routines so at a meet, the gymnasts will be used to it.

Boys' meets too. I have asked my ds before if a certain thing bothered him....loud cheering during an event, announcers over the loud speaker, etc. He says he never hears it.

 

[profmom]

It's always great when the gymnasts are cheering for each other. I'll freely confess to being a loudmouth. I think as long as you're not so loud that you're distracting, it's fine. The biggest etiquette breach at meets is blocking someone's view or video as their child/friend/sibling is going. I have a lot of videos of people's heads and bodies. It's one thing when the kids are L4 and everyone's presumably pretty new to this, but when people do this at L9 states, I am just dumbfounded. Really????

 

[Deleted member 18037]

The biggest etiquette breach at meets is blocking someone's view or video as their child/friend/sibling is going. I have a lot of videos of people's heads and bodies.

This and then you have worry about being caught cursing on video.

 

[z2akids]

In my area there is a fair amount of cheering from the stands during meets. DD says she never hears the parents.

But, I am strictly forbidden from cheering at all during beam.

 

[Taxidriver]

Some of the meets seem much quieter than what I’m use to, the gymnasts cheer very loudly for each other I doubt they barely notice the crowd. You can always tell with our girls when their team mate it going for a skill that they are struggling with as that’s when they shout the loudest and cheer the loudest when they land it or shout more encouragements if things don’t go to plan, so I guess loud cheering wouldn’t distract them as that’s what they are use to both at competitions and in training.
They things I would say is banners I’ve only seen at British Championships or international events.
Don’t stand up to get a better view as the person behind you won’t be best pleased, hence why I now opt for a back row so I can stand up and video or photograph without blocking someone’s view and don’t have to worry about not getting someone’s head in it.

 

[duyetanh]

I think our area is a little rowdier. There is a lot of cheering pretty much all the time. Our coaches encourage the girls at practice to be loud and annoying during beam routines so at a meet, the gymnasts will be used to it.

This is what my dd's gym does. The kids cheer for EVERYTHING. My kid went from hating it....to loving it. It sure as heck is nice to know yoir teammates have your back!
Now do I cheer? BAHAHAHA!.....NO. I am just trying to breathe....
(My dd is happy i dont cheer, fwiw)

 

[Madden3]

Our team in general has always been a pretty quiet bunch of parents, and most meets we go to are overall too quiet for my liking. I wish everyone would be louder...I feel like the tension is worse when it is so quiet. Maybe all the parents have been admonished by their sons to not cheer like we have! Some teams, the gymnasts cheer loudly for their teammates but part of the problem is that in MAG often the individual level teams are so small especially the higher you go. When I have been at a meet where there is a more robust atmosphere it is more exciting. This is an exciting sport. I like it when it sounds more like a basketball game than a golf tournament.

Here are my thoughts on filming. If possible, I try to find a place I am unlikely to be obstructed, and then I make it as obvious as I can that I am filming, just with my body stance, so people who might walk past notice me. I think most of the time, blockage is inadvertent.