Parents Question about skipping meets

[suebee]

DD is 5 and is competing level 1. I've been told that girls are required to do a certain number of meets to be on the team. The meet schedule for her level is about double the number of required meets.

Most of these meets are a little more than 1 hour away. Two of the meets are scheduled right around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I suspect anyone who is planning to travel for those holidays won't be attending these meets. We aren't planning to travel for the holidays, and we could attend every meet, but I'm wondering how important participating in as many meets as possible is at this age/level. My inclination is to only do the required number, but I'm not sure if this is a bad idea or not.

Any advice?

 

[cbifoja]

I would do only those that are convenient. Missing two around the holidays is totally understandable.

 

[skschlag]

I think it is nice that you have options. Our boys' team has out of state meets as the only "optional" meets. The rest you attend.

I guess if you have a minimum requirement, you could definitely stop at that, and choose the ones that are most convenient for you!

 

[Deleted member 15064]

Nice that you have options. Make sure that the meets you choose have lvl 1 included. Some meets are for specific lvls only - at least around here.

Maybe you can ask a more experienced team family what meets they enjoyed the most in the past? I wouldn't feel pressured to attend more than you need to or want to go to.

 

[profmom]

I would definitely ask around your gym to get a sense of the norms. My humble opinion based on generalizing from my vast experience with two children at one gym (/sarcasm) is that there's no good reason to do a lot of meets at the lower compulsory levels, so I'd likely opt to go for whatever is on the lower end of acceptable. And as Skschlag notes, once you start moving up the levels, missing meets for reasons other than "you need to be in bed!" illness or injury becomes significantly less acceptable. (Remembering vividly the grumbling of our boys' program director about having to petition a guy through to regionals because he skipped states due to bronchitis . . . yikes!)

 

[IreneKa]

Our gym doesn't compete level 1, but we just got the schedule, and our level 2 will participate in 7 meets. I'm not sure if we have any requirements, other than participating in 2 meets to qualify for states, but we are planning to attend all of them, just because it's fun, and a great experience for the child and parents (and grandparents, and other family members).

 

[suebee]

Thanks, everyone. My mom takes dd to gym because I work, so I haven't really met most of the parents. I did meet one mother who happens to live in my town, and I know she said her older dd is a level 6 or 7, so maybe I can ask her what she thinks. Ooh, I forgot that there is another mom I talked to once whose dd is a level 5 and we have a friend in common, which is how I was introduced to her. Maybe I'll just email her and see what she thinks.

The list of all the meets we got are for level 1. It sounds like they know that many people might skip the ones around the holidays, just because of when they are.

Not having been to any meets yet, I'm not sure how fun they are! I'm sure they'll be fun for dd, but I'm not sure how fun they'll be for the rest of us, and I'm not sure if they're going to be a whole family affair, or it's more going to be a mom takes dd and dad stays home with ds. If we have to drag ds along, it will be a lot more painful for me too, as he gets bored easily.

 

[rsm]

Skipping a couple should be fine. Especially since they said it was. As for the DSs, it depends on how old. Many of our team DSs (between 5 and 10 years old) actually enjoy going to meets now, because they all know each other and they all bring their own "devices" which they share and play together for hours. They all sit together with one of the parents for each meet and are perfectly happy. They probably get along better than the girls do. And I think they have yet to actually "see" their sisters compete.

 

[htimcj]

I would stick to the easy ones and skip the meets around the holidays if you want. At 5 I would keep it to a minimum until you know if she even likes it. I would also as the coaches which meets are the best ones for the little ones.

 

[mouey77]

Not having been to any meets yet, I'm not sure how fun they are! I'm sure they'll be fun for dd, but I'm not sure how fun they'll be for the rest of us, and I'm not sure if they're going to be a whole family affair, or it's more going to be a mom takes dd and dad stays home with ds. If we have to drag ds along, it will be a lot more painful for me too, as he gets bored easily.

Right there with you. We have 6 or 7 level 1 meets too, and I am pretty sure we just have to attend a certain number. Ours fall during holiday time too. I have no idea what to expect either since our meets are scheduled for the whole weekend?! We will also be juggling soccer games for older DD and a toddler, so it will be interesting to say the least.

 

[GymBee97]

I would do the ones that are convenient and don't require a hotel stay. Also ask the gym which ones are the "more fun" ones. In my area teams doesn't start competing until L4 or L5 (old levels) so we don't even have L1 - L3 meets. I personally think every kid is different. My kid always wanted and still wants to do every meet if she can. She loves the meets and the whole stress and success that goes with it.

meets are schedules for whole weekends but you will only compete of one session on one of those days. they usually tell you about 2 weeks prior to the meets.

The one thing about doing a lot of meets at that level is they get over those meet nerves in those lower levels where they give ribbons for just about everything so even if you don't do well she will come home with a bunch of ribbons anyway. (that has been my experience when we do go out of state to meets with these levels)

Ask some of the L2 and L3 moms which meets they liked and what they did.

 

[flgymmom]

We are required to attend all fall meets... there are a couple spring meets that are optional.

 

[wgymmom]

Is it common practice for some meets to be optional? I have very limited experience too, but we only do 5 meets and to miss one, you'd better be not breathing. Last year, L4 was the earliest level that competed. This year L2's will do one meet and states, and everyone else 5, including states. Also, is it common to purposely schedule meets right around the holidays? Practice keeps on going (she was at the gym 9AM on the day after Christmas), but our season ends before Christmas and we don't have a meet closer than 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving.

I should add that HC keeps the compulsories within maybe 4 hours away.

 

[IreneKa]

None of our meets are required. They just told us you have to warn in advance if you cannot make it, or you won't get your money back. We are L2 though, maybe it's different for optionals.

As for the holidays, we have a meet on the 22nd, right before Christmas. I would gladly skip it, but it's the meet we are hosting, and the families are required to volunteer, so we have no choice, but going. But I still think it's crazy they chose this particular weekend to host a meet.