WAG Teams Praying before/during meets

[Mish]

Never have been to a meet with prayer in 5 years. Always national anthem before session. Live in NY and that includes all northeast meets and one FL

 

[PRY9]

I wonder if those saying "just don't listen if you don't like it" would feel the same if the prayer was from a faith other than their own.

 

[rjb123]

I have been to a few meets and seen the girls praying. I have been to a couple where they say a prayer before the session- it is generally generic like "keep the athletes safe Amen" and tbh I am happy for that one to be said! (holy moly upper optionals- enough said!) At DD's gym on occasion the girls with initiate prayer prior to competing. No one forces anyone to do anything and from what I understand the prayers again run the lines of "keep us safe, help us do our best, help us to be good team mates and to encourage those around us." pretty nice, but I imagine that if it made someone uncomfortable it would be easy to step away or whatever. I have never seen hard core preaching or anything. I am not easily offended and I am a Christian, but again, any time I have seen or heard it it was just "protect the athletes" which IMO people who didn't buy into prayer could just take as good thoughts or whatever.

 

[Mamabear123]

I wonder if those saying "just don't listen if you don't like it" would feel the same if the prayer was from a faith other than their own.

For me personally, if the meet director or whoever, said a complete Catholic prayer in 100% Spanish, I wouldn't think twice or feel any offense.

 

[funflips]

I just can’t stand harmonicas! If I ever go to a meet with one of those I will take my money elsewhere!

Now, if we find one with an accordion...!!

 

[rjb123]

I wonder if those saying "just don't listen if you don't like it" would feel the same if the prayer was from a faith other than their own.

Oh absolutely! I wouldn't care if it was another faith doing the prayer- I just take it to what it would mean to me. Like if they prayed to Barney the Dinosaur, I would just insert "Jesus" in my head. Again, though, I just like to go with the flow. Plus, I find it interesting! Life is too short to get all worked up over this stuff (for me anyway!)

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I have been to a few meets and seen the girls praying. I have been to a couple where they say a prayer before the session- it is generally generic like "keep the athletes safe Amen" and tbh I am happy for that one to be said! (holy moly upper optionals- enough said!)

Yeah, this one wasn't anything like that. I might not have been upset with them if that was all they did. That'd fit across most cultures. This was CLEARLY a chance to proselytize to everyone there. Jesus ,only begotten son of God who saved us from sin, etc, etc.

 

[Randomactsofcheer]

interesting.. well i'm considered older by your standards and i was raised to put my hand over my heart. i see a scattering of all ages at various events with hands over their hearts and ditto for those not doing it. i just assumed it was the thing since that is how i was raised.

but thanks for clarifying! (truly)

Many current and prior servicemembers also place their hands at their sides during the national anthem. My husband (former Marine) still stands at attention for the Pledge of Allegiance (no hand over heart) and with his hands at his sides for the National Anthem. He also doesn’t consider the anthem or the pledge a way to honor the military, but that’s a whole other subject.

At a meet I overheard some people behind me “taking note” of parents that didn’t have their hand over their heart during the National Anthem. Nevermind the fact that they were being incredibly rude by talking through the Anthem while the people they were gossiping about were quietly standing facing the flag.

I am in my thirties but I also stand with my hands at my sides for the National Anthem. My daughter was taught the same at her school. But I am also a first generation American and my daughter attends a German school, so this may have been taught to us because it’s the polite thing to do when another nation’s anthem is playing? I didn’t know that some consider not putting your hand over your heart during the National Anthem as unpatriotic until that meet.

I found a picture from last year of my daughter’s team praying together before an intersquad meet and had to ask my daughter what they were doing because it didn’t occur to me that they were praying. My husband and I are not religious but we are respectful of religion. It didn’t bother me that she was praying with her team, but I am not sure how I would feel if I were at a meet where the entire meet was led in prayer...

 

[gymgal]

I wonder if those saying "just don't listen if you don't like it" would feel the same if the prayer was from a faith other than their own.

I would have no problem with prayers of any faith, as long as the prayer was asking for the safety of the athletes and not something political or world news related.

 

[Mamabear123]

Yeah, this one wasn't anything like that. I might not have been upset with them if that was all they did. That'd fit across most cultures. This was CLEARLY a chance to proselytize to everyone there. Jesus ,only begotten son of God who saved us from sin, etc, etc.

Ok now, an entire sermon is just ridiculous. I would be pissed. The only time I heard a prayer before a meet was just the person saying, "protect these athletes from injury and allow them to have fun and do their best".

 

[mom2newgymnast]

Ok now, an entire sermon is just ridiculous. I would be pissed. The only time I heard a prayer before a meet was just the person saying, "protect these athletes from injury and allow them to have fun and do their best".

This is the kind of prayer we have seen at our meets. Definitely just the "do their best and keep them safe" type.

 

[LindyHopper]

i get sad when i see all the ppl around me that don't have their hands on their hearts during the singing of it. that is how i was brought up.

I get sad when I am the only one singing it. I get the strangest looks when I am singing along. Who cares if you can sing well or not... SING!

I am so jealous of Canada in this regard... their Anthem has a prettier melody, is more singable, and Canadians seem to sing their Anthem with pride.

 

[sce]

Do you have many meets where they do it at the beginning of every session? We may have gone to 1 or 2 meets like that across 10 years but most we have gone to do it at the first session only.

While I don't see the need for it, I can understand it especially if the host gym has several families in the military and want to honor them. It only takes a few extra minutes.

Every meet my kids have been to does the anthem as part of march-in for each session.

 

[Lyddie27]

It is the bylaws of the YMCA to do this. Every YMCA meet starts this way. And if you don't want to hear the prayer, just don't. Think of something else. It's not evil, it's just a prayer.

certainly not true that "Every YMCA meet starts this way"

national anthem, yes. prayers, no, not at any Y meet I've ever been to (and that's a lot of meets)

i'd be very interested if you could link to the bylaws-not really disbelieving you, but this is contrary to every experience I've ever had with the Y. perhaps it is regional?

------

and, on a related note, they are based on "Judeo-Christian" values - the exact quote is that their mission is "To put Judeo-Christian principles into practice though programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all"

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Anthem, yes, at every meet and I don’t mind it one bit (I’m an immigrant, FWIW). Not offensive in the least. I live in this country and I respect it.
Prayer would bother me though, because religion is a much more personal thing and to assume everyone would appreciate [insert faith here] prayer publicly is really close minded. I respect people of every faith, even though I have not personally found one that resonates for me. It does make me uncomfortable when anyone feels the need to preach, attempt to convert or otherwise push religion in any way.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Do you have many meets where they do it at the beginning of every session? We may have gone to 1 or 2 meets like that across 10 years but most we have gone to do it at the first session only.

While I don't see the need for it, I can understand it especially if the host gym has several families in the military and want to honor them. It only takes a few extra minutes.

Please don’t drag military families into it. My husband would rather not have to stand in a rigid pose that screams military at every meet, and I’ve been clear on my stance. It’s not for military families imo.

 

[Flippin'A]

Growing up in region 2 this possibility never even crossed my mind. It was a very secular area, though, and the complaints would have started pouring in if anyone had tried. Growing up in a secular Jewish household this would have made me very uncomfortable. I can see how areas with a more homogenous religious population would go for it, though. I'll be interested to see if I encounter this with my DD at all when/if she starts competing.

 

[raenndrops]

It is the bylaws of the YMCA to do this. Every YMCA meet starts this way. And if you don't want to hear the prayer, just don't. Think of something else. It's not evil, it's just a prayer.

At most of our meets, the prayer is not OVERLY "religious" ... it is just about watching out for the girls while they compete and keeping the competitors safe. However, this latest meet was more "religious" in the prayer. I was slightly uncomfortable. BUT that isnt the only reason I hope we dont go to that meet again, lol.

 

[raenndrops]

I love the YMCA and I know what the C stands for, but I've never been asked to pray at a YMCA event. I think it's oppressive to ask people to pray at a non-religious event. People who are not into it still have to listen to it. And other people's beliefs and religions are not being honored in the same way. We also sing the national anthem at the beginning of each meet, and I don't want to do that either.

We dont sing the anthem at our meets... we listen to either a gymnast from the host team sing it OR a recording of the instrumental (depending on the gym).

 

[raenndrops]

Do you have many meets where they do it at the beginning of every session? We may have gone to 1 or 2 meets like that across 10 years but most we have gone to do it at the first session only.

While I don't see the need for it, I can understand it especially if the host gym has several families in the military and want to honor them. It only takes a few extra minutes.

All of our meets have the anthem at he beginning of each session. Most people are only there for 1 session. Each session starts the same. Welcoming the families, letting them know where concessions are and inviting them to visit them, reminder about no flash photography, introducing the judges and competing teams, Anthem and prayer, team cheers.

There are times that I miss the introductory stuff because awards from the previous session overlap the start of the next session. We have people that choose NOT to come in until after all that stuff is done. We have people that head to concessions as soon as they are told where they are (thus missing Anthem and prayer).