Parents Was a little blown away. Okay..maybe alot.

[MaryA]

As a former gymnast myself, I'd say that the biggest and best reward that every girl (big and small) takes home from a meet is passing their level. You can progress in all sorts of skills in practise, but at the end of the day you have to perform for the judges to be judged worthy of a pass mark. The little girl who comes last still knows that she's passed level X - which is far more than most other people she knows can do.
I've been out of gymnastics too long to know how it's done nowadays, but in the olden days we used to get cloth badges for each level, that were stitched on to your sleeve running from shoulder to beyond your elbow. I didn't always march out of a meet with medals, but I sure enjoyed marching out with a zillion badges running down my arm showing what I could do.
I don't want my DD given participation medals to dilute the achievements that goes with passing a level. I want her to learn that a pass mark is a glory in itself. I don't want her to think she needs to get medals to walk out feeling victorious.

Doesn't work like that in USAG. There are required scores you need to get to be allowed (by USAG) to move up, but they're fairly low and most gyms require more than that... whether it's a higher score at one meet, or at multiple meets, or having all/most of the skills for the next level, or whatever. I doubt there are too many girls out there in the USAG program who know after any particular meet that they are officially moving up.

 

[Bobby]

Doesn't work like that in USAG. There are required scores you need to get to be allowed (by USAG) to move up, but they're fairly low and most gyms require more than that... whether it's a higher score at one meet, or at multiple meets, or having all/most of the skills for the next level, or whatever. I doubt there are too many girls out there in the USAG program who know after any particular meet that they are officially moving up.

LOL - passing didn't mean moving up in the olden days either. It just meant you passed - as proof of attaining the skills at that level. Even now when I meet other former gymnasts we always tend to ask each other "what level were you?". It's never dawned on me to ask or care how many medals someone got (national titles might be different though).

 

[gym_mom]

The problem with 'incentives' is that they are used as an extrinsic motivator in a sport that really requires intrinsic motivation for the gymnast to succeed and excel. I think that the parent who offers these sorts of incentives is probably trying to control an outcome that they really have no control over.

That said, I am guilty myself of offering my dd a cash reward for certain physical accomplishments. She is quite fit in almost all aspects except endurance. When it was time for her school PE test, I told her I would give her $10 cash if she beat the mile run in less than 10 minutes. I'm not sure if my incentive was a motivator or not, but I do know that I was happy to hand over that $10.

 

[eme777]

IMO there is a fine line between rewards/celebrations and bribes, but certain things definitely fall on one side or the other. I think think that the little pins and bears are not bribes because they are small tokens that are directly related to celebrating specific achievements. For example, a kip pin when your child gets their kip is a celebration. Of course the kid will try, even without the pin, to get their kip, but it's still fun (yet inexpensive) way to celebrate. Going out for ice cream is not so directly related & seems like a gray area, but they way I see it is that it's not like my kids don't get ice cream other times. It isn't being withheld until certain things happen. Same idea with the leo. It's another gray area, but it's not like we NEVER buy our kids leos unless they do certain things. Large quantities of money is definitely a bribe. Whether it's right or wrong is up to each individual family to figure out for themselves.

My oldest DD has 2 friends whose parents bribed them large sums of money for getting 1st place. These girls are already super competitive, so it's not like they needed any motivators. In fact, this led to major temper tantrums and unattractive pouting when they didn't win. It also makes the kids forget that this is a team sport. They get so concerned with their own teammates beating them, that they forget that it's a good thing that will help the team score.

 

[cher062]

I don't think I bribed my kid not like that anyway. Our coach wants the girls to go with realistic goals to a meet like getting more than an 8.5 on your beam at a meet if you have been getting an 8.4 I use those goals the coach and DD set from meet to meet. If she does them then she gets to pick where we have dinner that night if she doesn't then I get to pick. Either way we are going out to dinner.

I do usually get some sweatshirt, leo or something from the meets we go to more as a momento rather than a reward but she knows too it doesn't always happen.

I can't even imagine paying my kid to do well. I want them to do well because they want to do well.
Ok I have paid my kid in ice cream after a practice if she got a skill and the coach saw it but really that isn't the samething as she didn't even know it was an option - Is It?