What information do parents need/want to know before the first competition?

[mumoftwogymnasts]

LOL! I was going to suggest earbuds

I'd say earMUFFS and possibly a balaclava

 

[Pickle's Mom]

Always, always, always have your daughter go use the bathroom before she goes on the gym floor and finds her coach.

You may want to have some special signal that you do to eachother for good luck. Something like a thumbs-up, but more personal. It's hard when your child looks to you from across a gym for reassurance.

Think of something small but special to do after the meet (like going for milkshakes). Make this part of a tradition - whether to celebrate or to cheer up. The meets are exhausting and most kids have an arenaline drop afterwards.

For Pickle, the hardest part of meets was how long she spent waiting between events. At gymnastics, you may have 5 or 6 minutes between your turns, but at a meet, it's more like 30-40. I'm not sure how to prepare a new gymnast for that.