WAG Why do they place all the way out?

[Committed]

I think when they are in kindergarten, they are more excited about the bling and don't have as much awareness of placement, so I agree with you there. I just felt really bad for one little girl I saw at state meet who placed last in the AA. She looked like she was around 8 or so, and she looked so dejected to have placed last.

It also depends on the kid. I've seen that same dejected look on a kid who got 2nd.

 

[LJL07]

It also depends on the kid. I've seen that same dejected look on a kid who got 2nd.

Sheesh. I don't have as much sympathy for that. This little girl had placed last in all 4 events, and it looked like she was thinking, "Thanks for driving the point home that I placed last AA." Life lessons are hard!

 

[curlymop]

I think that for the youngest kids it's good to go all the way out, though I do like the idea of calling them up as a group or in random order. My son was just barely 6 at his first competition. There were 12 in his group, and they gave out 8 medals. He was very aware that he was one of the few who didn't place high enough to receive a medal, and he was devastated. We did go to a couple of meets later in the season where he received a participation medal. They were called out in reverse order, so everyone knew placements, but he was over the moon excited about his medal. He also placed high enough on certain events later in the season to truly earn a medal, and I don't really think he was any more excited about those than the participation medal. He had so little understanding about the whole thing that he never even looked for or asked about his scores. We really focused on the improvement he made over the season rather than scores or placements, but it made him so happy to stand up there and have his name called out.

For even slightly older kids, though, I think it's unnecessary to place all the way out. In that case, I think even 50% is too much. I'd much rather just recognize the top three and get out of there. We usually have a long drive ahead of us, and my kids are wiped out by that point.

 

[gymgymgymnast08]

At one meet, one of my teammates was just coming back from an injury so she only competed three events. At awards, they gave out all around placements to everyone. They thought that her 27 from three events was an all around score so she got an all around trophy when she only competed three events. We thought it was hilarious.

 

[tuckfull]

Every meet seems so different! We've been to meets where the girls just receive ribbons in their envelope with their scores, others where they place out to 50%, and others where they place out all the way. We're proud of DD when she medals, but also point out that her personal bests are what she really should be proud of. DD and I went to cheer on some of her friends during their first meet at old Level 4 a few years ago and there was an error with which age group one of the girls fell into. During the medal ceremony she was the ONLY kid that didn't get to go up to the podium and receive a medal, even though they placed out to like 18th place. She was heartbroken but very mature about it (for an 8 year old!) and I think she did get a medal after the fact. But, it was really good for DD to see how her friend handled it and realize that could happen to her one day, too.

I *loved* the speech that the director of our State meet gave last season before awards. He congratulated all the girls for qualifying for States and really emphasized what a huge accomplishment that is. Plenty of girls didn't actually win medals during States, but after that speech it seemed like they were all so proud of themselves for just being there and competing.

 

[Aussie_coach]

It does not happen in Australia. Generally all competitions will give places to the top six, and divisions can have 100-120 girls, although they are trying to change this from next year to have an average of 20 per division.

 

[ShesAMonkey]

The meets we go to (and maybe this is a regional thing) generally only give awards for the top 50%. I can't imagine how embarrassing it would be to be called as the last place! And I can't imagine either how long the awards ceremony would be if they had to call all those names...

It also depends on the kid. I've seen that same dejected look on a kid who got 2nd.

I have seen this before as well. There was a girl DD competed against when she was a L5 who would frequently come in 2nd or 3rd and would have such a SOUR look on her face, standing up on the podium, while tons of other little girls didn't get a single medal. I used to want to tell her to put a smile on her face and at least pretend she was happy about the placement she got!

 

[cassafrass]

The meets we go to (and maybe this is a regional thing) generally only give awards for the top 50%. I can't imagine how embarrassing it would be to be called as the last place! And I can't imagine either how long the awards ceremony would be if they had to call all those names...


I have seen this before as well. There was a girl DD competed against when she was a L5 who would frequently come in 2nd or 3rd and would have such a SOUR look on her face, standing up on the podium, while tons of other little girls didn't get a single medal. I used to want to tell her to put a smile on her face and at least pretend she was happy about the placement she got!

Maybe its trickle down from Makayla Maroney's unimpressed look for her Silver Olympic Vault medal. My DD always smiles huge but once she did that smirk for 3rd and I split screened the photo with Maroney and facebooked it. Pretty funny stuff . She hasn't done it since!

 

[Natasha]

The USAG R&P sets requirements for awards which are approx less than 1/3, but regions and states can set higher requirements. Our state used to award 50%, for events and AA (and achievement awards for beginner levels). In the last year they changed it to 100% AA medals for all levels. If an invitational wants to be sanctioned (and count for qualifying scores for state meet) they are required to follow the state rules including awards. I much preferred the old system of 50% and achievement awards for the beginners. By the time a gymnast is in the optional levels, she has usually acquired a ton of medals and earning medals for being in the bottom 50% just seems ridiculous and the girls certainly aren't proud of those medals and they do not want to go up for awards to receive the medal for last place (affectionately referred to as "biggest looser" among our older girls, usually because they didn't compete in all the events or had a disastrous event.)

 

[raenndrops]

At one meet I did awful feel and missed my connection on beam, and floor didn't go well either because I had sprained my ankle a week before. When awards where do they said if you didn't receive a metal come get one, I left and my teammate got it. I would have been mortified to get it.


But also one time at state I got dead last, state was the only meet I had compete so I really didn't care what I got I was just happy to be there, my dad has a picture of me with the biggest smile on my face.


Depends on the situation and kid, I absolutely hate that participation metal but the one I got from being dead last is in front of all my other metals

My OG is the same way... she is actually prouder of her L6 ribbons that were for Last place than she was for her Participation ribbons from the same season (Old L6 was really challenging - her fav bars coach moved across the country and she lost her flyaway because of "suggestions" to fix it by another coach... then she fell on her head warming up a RO BHS BT at a meet because of "suggestions" from the same coach the practice before the meet... and she lost her FT for a while due to the SAME coach (she was fired 2 weeks AFTER the final meet of the season - finally picked on the wrong girl and a parent heard... but by that time, half the team was refusing to work with her anyways and HC didn't realize that the coach was BULLYING them- from what she had observed and heard from the girls, she was just TOUGH).

I think they should place 50% ... but there shouldn't be more than 24 in an age group. At our home meet, we HAPPENED to have very pretty ribbons for 13-18th places. We had some age groups that were supposed to have up to 18 girls. Only one group really did. I overheard my YG ask to trade a teammate ribbons... YG had 9th place (Brown) and the teammate had 13th place (Teal) ... of course, YG was hoping for 16th place (Bright Pink)... only 13 in her age group, lol.

 

[emilykatherine]

My OG is the same way... she is actually prouder of her L6 ribbons that were for Last place than she was for her Participation ribbons from the same season (Old L6 was really challenging - her fav bars coach moved across the country and she lost her flyaway because of "suggestions" to fix it by another coach... then she fell on her head warming up a RO BHS BT at a meet because of "suggestions" from the same coach the practice before the meet... and she lost her FT for a while due to the SAME coach (she was fired 2 weeks AFTER the final meet of the season - finally picked on the wrong girl and a parent heard... but by that time, half the team was refusing to work with her anyways and HC didn't realize that the coach was BULLYING them- from what she had observed and heard from the girls, she was just TOUGH).

I think they should place 50% ... but there shouldn't be more than 24 in an age group. At our home meet, we HAPPENED to have very pretty ribbons for 13-18th places. We had some age groups that were supposed to have up to 18 girls. Only one group really did. I overheard my YG ask to trade a teammate ribbons... YG had 9th place (Brown) and the teammate had 13th place (Teal) ... of course, YG was hoping for 16th place (Bright Pink)... only 13 in her age group, lol.

That medal mean so much more to me than last place, that year was the hardest. I barley got my kip in time, and maybe a month after I got it I broke my ankle, I was so upset and by the time state came around I was begging just to be able to compete. That year a the banquet I got the come back kid award. Also at that meet I feel on my back walkover and fell getting back on the beam, it was really funny. It was also one of the funniest meet ever

 

[3rd_time_around]

Perhaps it's a regional thing.... Some of the meets we went to last season placed all the way out, some didn't. One meet we went to only placed top 6 and there were around 30 girls in each age group..! Lots of meets seemed to place about half of the girls, and some placed all the way down. DD competed L4.
I actually like when they only place the top however many, it makes it more of an accomplishment to place. My DD isn't a top scorer so it felt really good to her the times she did well and placed.

It's usually supposed to be 50% plus 1, but in AAU they go all the way out for AA. USAG meets generally do not do that.

 

[billise]

My 6 year old competing AAU level 3 last season brought up the rear at a couple of meets and was never embarrassed by her name being called last. She just loved being called for that AA medal. She knew when she was last and she would rather have been higher but it was far from embarrassing for her.

 

[MissLisa]

In Australia in the 90's and early 00's most comps only gave out places 1-3 (very very occasionally to 6th). There were many comps that I cam home with nothing or just a card with my scores on them. Only our coaches were given our placements. I like now that in the comps now they give up to 6th. I never remember being too fussed about coming home with nothing (most the time I placed at least on one event or so) but in the later levels as the competition thinned out sometimes there would only be a few of us so we all would get at least one or 2! My younger sister, however, threw the most massive tantrum after her first state because she didn't place! She just did not understand that with 100 other competitors it was quite unlikely to do so...

I don't like the idea of placings all the way down to last but with the younger age groups I think the awards are good motivators and encourage them in their hard work. I like it but not places for everyone. Potentially devastating for the kids who are down the bottom and depending on their personalities could have other implications such as leaving the sport etc when at certain ages we should be encouraging participation.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

Wow, here it is very different - Apart from in the optional levels for the over 16's you never get awards for placing on individual events - all awards are for AA. They always give medals for the top 3 places, and occasionally they give out to around 8th place or so but this is less common. However, they always call out the AA places right up to last place. So everyone knows exactly where they have placed in the meet. Then afterwards they post the scores so you can see if you came first in a particular event, but if you didn't score well all round it is not rewarded.
There are no participation medals or awards of any kind for lower places except in the little rec competitions either in-house or with a few gyms in a region.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

At one meet I did awful feel and missed my connection on beam, and floor didn't go well either because I had sprained my ankle a week before. When awards where do they said if you didn't receive a metal come get one, I left and my teammate got it. I would have been mortified to get it.


But also one time at state I got dead last, state was the only meet I had compete so I really didn't care what I got I was just happy to be there, my dad has a picture of me with the biggest smile on my face.


Depends on the situation and kid, I absolutely hate that participation metal but the one I got from being dead last is in front of all my other metals

hi Emily. metal is to steel as medal is to award.

 

[emilykatherine]

hi Emily. metal is to steel as medal is to award.

My phone thinks I'm typing metal and always changes it for some reason

 

[aerialriver]

Why do we place all the way out? Because we live in a society that teaches kids that they are entitled to everything no matter how hard they try. That everyone is a winner and if you don't get what you want rather than to actually try harder argue about it and someone will just give it to you.

It's sad but true. We could be teaching them that not everyone always wins, to accept losses, congratulate the winners move on and try harder but that would be too hard. Easier to just give everyone a medal so no ones feeling get hurt.

 

[skschlag]

Our former coach was talking about that once. His theory was that the reason they give out so many awards was to encourage kids. I mean, at the lower levels, many are playing other sports, and , right or wrong, they are getting those participation trophies for their shelves. It would be a way to encourage more kiddos (mainly boys) to stay in the sport longer.

I don't like going all the way out, btu don't have an issue with 50%. although top 10 or so seems ok as well.

 

[billise]

We just changed gyms do to a move but our former gym (which we adore) competes their compulsories in AAU largely because of the way they do awards. The owners have been on both sides, highly competitive, training elites, and now training up to level 10 with lots of D1 scholarships. In their opinion, for the young and/or beginning gymnast it's about developing a love of the sport. If the gymnast continues on in the sport there will be plenty of time to worry about that "top 3" placement. AAU medals all the way out for AA (often times top 3 get trophies) and 50 + 1 for events. Those who don't do well walk away with fewer medals and/or no trophies. It was a great balance of motivation and encouragement for my 6 year old level 3 who is regularly acknowledged as one of the hardest working kids on her team, medals or not.