Parents Travelling to meets

[Avasmom]

My daughter is competing level 5 this year until December and moving to platinum in January if she scores well enough in level 5. The first platinum meet is 16.5 hours away. I haven't even discussed it with my family (just got the meet schedule for the year tonight) but my thought is we would need to fly. I certainly have never spent that long in a car nor do I want too. We have never gone this far for a meet. In fact for the past 2 years all of our meets have all been local and we haven't even needed a hotel. In your opinion, how far is too far for a meet? Will my daughter be missing a huge opportunity? Would it be wrong to send her with another family if they agree?

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

We're going from only a history of only traveling for the state meet to having a big travel fly away meet, regionals also being 16 hours away and who knows where state will be, but in Texas it usually requires a drive and a hotel stay. It's going to be a shocking total for everyone.

My answer is no, your daughter would not be missing a huge opportunity. Unless you're an NCAA-bound level 9 or 10, travel meets are really for fun as far as I can tell. That said, it is extremely hard to say no to the meets, especially if a lot of team bonding will be happening at them.

I would definitely take one of my daughter's teammates with us, and I can think of a couple families I would be willing to send my kid with if we couldn't swing the cost of travel.

 

[Ty’s Dad]

My daughter travels a lot. Furthest she’s been was Tennessee for A camp and we live in California. Some meets the whole family flys, some she goes with her coaches, some she picks who she wants to fly with (mom or dad) it comes with the gymnastics life I believe. I think the first time your daughter travels you should go because it can get scary if it’s her first time alone.

 

[Cmumgym]

As she moves up the levels you will be bound to have this conversation multiple times. There will always be that first time. There are plenty of options. Go as a family and make a trip of it. Just mother and daughter. Daughter with another family who is going. I’m sure throughout her years in the sport in the future you will utilise all options. It’s a factor that comes with the sport in higher levels. It’s up to your family whether now is a time you want to begin. Are there other families in the same situation where it’s all their first time. It would be best to go if it is as then your daughter will be in the same boat as everyone else and go through the same experience first time. Or if you wait your daughter and yourself would experience it first time round when the rest of her team has done it before

 

[moogacat]

If your gym is using Xcel Platinum as a stepping stone to/in place of JO optional levels, then I'd say it's not totally out of bounds. Our JO optionals do at least one travel meet of this distance per year. Our Xcel team never would do this, and tries to schedule all meets within two hours, except for regionals, which they obviously can't control.

As for missing an opportunity, the distance travel meets are opt-in for even our JO optionals, but most go. I don't think she'd be missing a big opportunity. I also don't find it problematic to send her with another family if they agree.

 

[kipnastic mom]

Last year was our first year of traveling more than 3 hours for a gymnastics meet, but, we were expecting it as Optional's at our gym does travel and it can be 20 hours away by car. What I learned from the experience was just how much the girls bonded and overall performed better at meets from that point forward. Our travel meets are not optional, but, parents do travel together or take other girls with them.

Our Platinum and Diamond girls only travel for regional's, the rest of the time they were within 3 hours of our gym. We expect our DD to go to Diamond after this season so she can do school sports, and the travel is what she will miss the most.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

We live in the North East. Other then an IGC National meet years ago our gym has never done a meet that requires air travel. And that meet was voluntary.

Our furthest meet is States 6 hours away and we usually stay over. Even regionals is only 4-5 hours away.

Any overnights are pretty much voluntary and because we find it convenient.

JMO unless a kid is Elite/National tracking any meets that require extensive travel should be voluntary.

Exception if you live in a geographic area where there are no close options

Might it be fun to go somewhere fun, Disney, the Bahamas, Hawaii..., sure

Necessary for gymnastics ...,, No And in fact if your out of your home state it doesn’t even count as a state qualifier.

 

[Cmumgym]

If your are talking diamond excel and all that then travel meets may not be a thing from what I’m hearing. However. Guarantee any JO level or elite. Yes one hundred percent comes with the sport. I guess this is why parents travel down the two different pathways with their gymnasts depending on what suits their families. If your gymnast is in it for the long haul. Expect a bit of travel even in excel and diamond. But agree should be voluntary because parents wouldn’t expect it as much coming from that pathway.

 

[doublestrike]

We didn't start traveling until she was an optional, level 7 (our gym skips 6), it's a real treat and the travel meets are fun for the gymnast and for team bonding. (my other kids only go if the location is good, like Seattle or NYC, no to Indy, Cincy). We fly if it's more than a 4 hour drive. We drive about 3 hours RT everyday for gym, so whatever break I can get, I take it! I don't think skipping the travel meets below level 8 is a huge deal, but depending on your gym, it's how the coaches feel and your gymnast. Mine would never skip a meet.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

However. Guarantee any JO level. Yes one hundred percent comes with the sport.

Again that depends on the gym and geographic area that you live in.

Unless there are simply no options within reasonable geographic area, travel is not necessary to do JO. Except perhaps Nationals or Regionals.

Any other travel, JMO should be voluntary.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

Yes, there are some JO gyms here that don't travel.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Our gym doesn’t travel farther than 3 hours for regular meets. In the past we’ve been to gyms that traveled extensively, sometimes it was voluntary and sometimes not. When it was voluntary and we didn’t go, my daughter felt like she was missing team fun. Oftentimes she wasn’t really missing anything- there isn’t always a big bonding thing going on. When they were mandatory I stressed about money. When she ended up at a gym with no travel we both missed it and I advocated (and succeeded) for one optional travel meet.

 

[amiandjim]

We didn't start traveling until she was an optional, level 7 (our gym skips 6), it's a real treat and the travel meets are fun for the gymnast and for team bonding. (my other kids only go if the location is good, like Seattle or NYC, no to Indy, Cincy). We fly if it's more than a 4 hour drive. We drive about 3 hours RT everyday for gym, so whatever break I can get, I take it! I don't think skipping the travel meets below level 8 is a huge deal, but depending on your gym, it's how the coaches feel and your gymnast. Mine would never skip a meet.

I am offended you don’t think Cincy is a good travel location...Hahahahahahaha!!

To the OP, our gym doesn’t travel until level 7. This year they are doing CA and VA (we live in Cincy obviously) and while it’s not technically optional, not every gymnast’s family can afford to go so some do not go. My daughter will be a level 6 and we are actually kinda bummed we don’t get to go to VA Beach.

 

[gymgal]

Is this a big, well known meet? If so, parents here might be able to help you decide if the meet itself is worth it (big, well known doesn't necessarily mean worth it). Will she be continuing with JO after platinum? I did find the larger, travel meets helped my dd with the mental aspect of competing as she moved into the mid/upper optional levels, but I didn't see the purpose in the lower levels whether for gymnastics or bonding.

As for whether you should send her with another family, that just depends on whether you trust another family and if your d will be ok with it. I have taken a few teammates with us throughout the years and it has worked out well. I never considered sending d with someone else though but that is just my personal hangup, wanting to see all of her meets.

And in fact if your out of your home state it doesn’t even count as a state qualifier.

This is not necessarily true. Many (most?) states allow scores from other states as long as the meet is an official sanctioned meet.

 

[mom2newgymnast]

My daughter is competing level 5 this year until December and moving to platinum in January if she scores well enough in level 5. The first platinum meet is 16.5 hours away. I haven't even discussed it with my family (just got the meet schedule for the year tonight) but my thought is we would need to fly. I certainly have never spent that long in a car nor do I want too. We have never gone this far for a meet. In fact for the past 2 years all of our meets have all been local and we haven't even needed a hotel. In your opinion, how far is too far for a meet? Will my daughter be missing a huge opportunity? Would it be wrong to send her with another family if they agree?

Most of our optional level meets require some travel, but from what I've heard the coaches try to keep it to at most 1 meet that absolutely requires a plane ride (I think 16 1/2 hours would qualify as needing to fly personally). Last year was my daughter's first year in optionals and for the first time in a while apparently, there was not a meet that was super far away. Some still chose to fly, but we drove to them all. 9, 8, 6, 4 1/2 and 1 1/2 hours away for the regular season meets and 2 and 7 for states/regionals. The first 5 meets were within a 7 week period. It was A LOT (time, money, etc) And barring injury or special circumstances you are expected to attend all the meets.

 

[MuggleMom]

My daughter will be a level 6 and we are actually kinda bummed we don’t get to go to VA Beach.

VA Beach is awesome come anyway

Our gym has some travel meets scheduled for optionals but they are typically not required. They do different meet packages you pick at the beginning of the year one is more budget friendly than the other. That being said I get the impression they are pretty understanding if you have to opt out of any meet they just ask that you do it at the beginning of the year so they can plan accordingly (unless its an unforeseen circumstance in which case you may be responsible for fees etc).

I just found out the big international meet they sometimes do is open to level 6 and above (DD will be level 6 this year) which I was not expecting I thought it would be higher level girls only. I dont think I am prepared to spend that much given her age and level. They do it every 2 years though so maybe we can start saving now and consider it for a family style trip in 2 years.

 

[Cmumgym]

Again that depends on the gym and geographic area that you live in.

Unless there are simply no options within reasonable geographic area, travel is not necessary to do JO. Except perhaps Nationals or Regionals.

Any other travel, JMO should be voluntary.

Yes agree our gym only does competitions to gain entry for nationals so parents don’t waste money on additional comps. I Was close minded making that assumption that others would know. Yes agree. Any “fun” comp for practice comp or competition that isn’t for state nationals regionals should be voluntary if it is travel. But if your expecting your gymnast to do gymnastics with those goals in mind then yes expect
To travel

 

[Cmumgym]

And Ofcourse planned overseas competitions but they should be optional also

 

[LouLou]

My simple response would be go if you want to - if it's in a good location with lots to do and a good meet with lots of competition. There are so many other factors to consider - you may not know your daughter's competition time until it's too late to book a flight. Can you or your spouse take enough time off work to travel the day before the meet starts and travel home after the last session just in case she competes then? Do you want her (and possibly siblings) to miss that much school? At level 5 / platinum, it's just for fun - I know it seems like everything at this point, but in the big picture, it doesn't really matter if you choose to go or not. Also - how close are you to an airport and how close is the venue? You can get an idea for flight options before you decide.

 

[Gymmom0824]

We have traveled as Xcel with our optionals and it has made for amazing memories and experiences for my daughter. I would say if you have the means to go, you should. It was such a great experience for her to go away with teammates and also participate in bigger meets away from our home area.