Sportsmanship at Meets! - Page 2

gymmomntc2e6 · #11 03-03-2008, 06:43 AM

I keep the score sheet for each meet, in the program I purchase, for all the girls on my dd team & level (the other girls from our gym that are higher levels are not usually there at the same time as dd). I then put it in her scrapbook as a momento. I don't write down scores of girls from other teams that they are competing against, just theirs - she enjoys looking at them and can compare her scores on each event from other meets to see how much she improved etc.

**bogwoppit** · #12 03-03-2008, 06:58 AM


Quote:
Originally Posted by Shawn One of the things I really like about our parents' group is the fact that we all keep up with everybody's scores. The team mom made these great binders with sections and score cards for every meet, as well as our meet schedule, team phone numbers, etc. We are all keeping up with how all the girls are doing and counting their points to get them to the 36s they need to move up. There is no competitiveness between the parents. We all support and encourage all the girls. Keeping the scores doesn't interfere with that.

The reason it bugs me is not that they keep scores, but really that they don't even take the time to find out the girls names or get to know them. They spend the whole meet going "What's her name, what did she get?" The whole comparing your kid to other kids is a bit childish. These parents just want to know how their kid did, and are they getting anything, there is no interest in knowing all the girls. I am all about team spirit, cheer all the girls, applaud everyone who gets something even if they are not from our club.

However, my girls do write their scores down in their books when they get home and they do enjoy seeing how they have improved, or not, over the season.

Bay Valley · #13 03-04-2008, 05:26 PM

You are so lucky too get parents like that! We have been at meets where you just want to put a sock in someones mouth. This one gyms parents were yelling so loud that every girl that got on beam fell off when they screamed. It was not our team but I felt terrible for those kids. We do make sure when we got too meets when they are there, that we do not even sit near them anymore! There are parents from other gyms that are just great and a pleasure to be near.

MomChefKathleen · #14 03-04-2008, 06:20 PM

We were at a local meet this past weekend and it was the first time we have competed against our old gym. 90% of the team followed our coach to our new gym. A group of us were sitting together when two Moms from the old team walked up... we were all greeting each other and they asked if there was room for them. It was so nice. All the parents cheered on the girls from both gyms. They were in different rotations, though, so it was like watching a ping-pong game at times.

Kathleen

kristilyn73 · #15 03-04-2008, 06:57 PM

Kathleen - That happened to us at one meet earlier this year. 2 sets of parents each with 2 gymnasts moved to a different town, they were competing at the same session as our gym. It was great fun watching 2 rotations at once. Well to make matters better/worse we had a third rotation of Level 8's going at the same time. We were trying to watch 3 events all at once! Gymnastics overload!! In a good way

gymnastmom96 · #16 03-07-2008, 12:50 PM

I have to agree with bogwoppit on this. I may be mistaken but I would bet she's a seasoned gym mom too. Lvl 4, I bought every program and I was all over a scoresheet. Now, I couldn't tell you any of my DDs scores from her last meet. Its not important to us. Don't get me wrong, I'm very pround of her. I'm also VERY supportive - I'm Team Mom and trust me, that's like a full time job. I watch or film and cheer and talk to parents and enjoy the meet. I'm going to cheer for her (and all the other gymnasts) whether she scores a 7 or 9.725 (she's done both). She knows when she gets a low score. She doesn't need or want me to remind her and she certainly doesn't want someone else's mom reminding her. That's between my dd and her coach. I know for a fact that the coach talks with her at every practice about improving her scores - again - whether she scores a 7 or 9.725.
Quit stressing over those scores Moms!

**bogwoppit** · #17 03-07-2008, 05:18 PM

gymnastmom96, you have hit the nail on the head, I am into my sixth year of being a comp Mom. I know every girl in our gym, no matter what level or how well they do. I am the Mom that helps out at all the meets and I really don't care who gets what.

I have two girls competing in two different systems, I know every deduction there is, I know how to score, judge and why someone got a "bad" score. All the parents come and ask me what their kid did wrong. I tell them to ask the coach, but they know that I know, if you know what I mean!!!!

Over the years I have learned that the hard work in the gym is most important, competitions are just the icing on the cake. Scores are just numbers, they do not reflect how wonderful a child is or how hard they have worked to get where they are.

We wouldn't run our child's report card past everyones eyes for approval, unless we are approval junkies, so why do parents feel the need to keep scores. I think it is newness to the sport and the need for a bell curve. (how is my kid doing compared to every other kid)

However I really care about team spirit, every girl being applauded for her routines and hard work.

Parents who keep scores, but don't take the time to get to know all the girls just don't get the big picture. YET!!!

As always this is just my opinion and you do not have to share it.

gymmomntc2e6 · #18 03-08-2008, 07:43 AM

I am a newbie to competition, and maybe that is why I write down dd & her teammates scores. But I do watch all our girls and cheer all our girls. Our team families are all VERY supportive of all the girls. That is what this is all about - our girls doing something they enjoy.

I am not writing down the scores so I can compare dd to another girl on the team. I like to see how she has improved from last meet. She likes to look at them in her scrapbook. I don't care if she gets a 7 or a 9 or a 5 for that matter, but I do still keep the scores. She is only 7 and she does like to look at them. I don't discuss her scores w/ her. Like was said before - that is between coach and gymnast. If she brings it up I will answer a question or whatever, but I would never say anything to her about a bad score. It's just another meet and there will be many more.

Do I want her to do well? yes. I would be dishonest if I said I didn't. But more importantly I want her to have fun and I tell her that all the time.

Tumblequeensmom · #19 03-08-2008, 11:52 AM

I do not write down my DD's teammates scores either! I just irks me to see every other parent on the team furiously writing down EACH and EVERY girl's score! It's just to "compare" how one gymnast did compared to another! We do all cheer every girl on, and applaud them as well. I just feel that if you really NEED to know everyone's score (and why would you need to know that, if you aren't comparing?!), you could always look online a few days after said meet!

Now there IS one woman who does write everyone's scores down, but she's in charge of the website and tallying up the 9.0's to post online!!

Just my two cents worth!!

-L

Shawn · #20 03-08-2008, 02:46 PM

I don't understand why parents can't keep the scores and write them all down and still be considered supportive of all the girls. Every parent on our team writes down every score for every girl. We all keep up with it but not from a competitive nature within the team. We like to be able to look at see how much this girl has improved or how that one got her 2nd 36 and can now move up to the next level or how this other girl is so consistent that she scores in the mid-9s at every meet. Or maybe one girl had a bad floor routine but just look at that great bar score. I see absolutely nothing wrong with keeping scores and I don't think it makes me an obsessive or unsupportive parent.