WAG New Jersey Xcel competition season.

[raenndrops]

If you go to the NY State Gymnastics website they have a schedule for this coming season's meets. The list is still nowhere near as full as it was last year. Only a few of the meets have registration open so far. I feel like we still have plenty of time, but I do want to get moving. How does payment for the meets work? Will I have to pay for all the girls upfront at the time that I register them? Do I do it with one credit card payment or collect all the checks from the parents and send them individually? We are all very new at this.

Our gym always sends one payment... but gets the checks from the parents in advance. Have the parents write out the checks to your gym and have your gym cut a check or credit card (if accepted by the host gym).

 

[Aero]

@Aero
NJ has only posted dates of Sectionals for the JO levels... and they don't even know who is hosting them yet. It is all TBD/TBA (to be determined or to be announced).

You may want to use the contact link on the NJ USAG website and ask about Xcel... there is NOTHING I could find on the website about it AT ALL
Depending on Where you are in NJ, you might consider some New York meets.
Nov. 8-9 Plainview, NY ... Hot Shots Gymnastics (it's the Fright Invite, so you would want to contact the gym if it is close enough to consider)

Jan 16-18 Orangeburg, NY ... Galaxy Gymnastics (Cirque de Galaxy, again, call the gym if close enough)

Here is a link to the rest of the NY Calendar
http://nyusag.com/htmlsource/NYS Schedule.htm

You could also contact the NorthStars Gymnastics Academy.
91 Fulton Street, Ste 2
Boonton, New Jersey
07005

Phone: 973-316-2507
Fax: 973-331-7963
northstarsnj@optimum.net

They host the Garden State Classic every year and they offer Xcel Competition. They would hopefully be able to help you figure it out.

@raenndrops | Thank you so much, this is very helpful. Plainview is a bit of a drive at two hours, but Orangeburg is only one hour, which is a lot more reasonable. Even so, I'll look into both of them. NorthStars is quite close to me and I've been contemplating shadowing/observing at this gym soon for my own educational purposes, so I'll definitely try to call them about the Garden State Classic. Maybe I can even inquire and register in person? I would imagine this meet fills up pretty fast.

I would just go to mymeetscores and see which gyms hosted meets last year, and then call them and ask. Definitely don't wait until the schedule is out, the most popular meets fill up quickly. Last year we didn't get into one meet that we wanted to go to, we sent the request in July, and the meet was already full!

@IreneKa | This is a great idea! So registering for meets is always done by phone? It seems like I have a lot of work ahead of me!

@ivyagogo | I am also curious about how to pay to enter the athletes into the meet. The meet fees can vary a lot, depending on where they are and how big the meet is, right? And how can I collect money from the parents for meet registration fees if I don't know what the meet fee will be? I feel like they wouldn't post the cost of entering until they post up the schedule. Also, you're from NY, right ivyagogo? I think I might see you around at a meet or two! I'll just have to look for those snazzy biketards (they really do look great, honest)! I think it's neat how we're in very similar situations, too, being that we both have new Xcel teams and are new to all of this.

 

[IreneKa]

@IreneKa | This is a great idea! So registering for meets is always done by phone? It seems like I have a lot of work ahead of me!

I'm not an expert. It's just from what I observed for the last two year of my DD competing, the initial registration happens long before the official schedule is posted on the state's web site. If you call them, I'm sure they'll explain you the process. And as been stated above, you don't have to have their USAG #s, and you don't have to have a final roster list. You can add\scratch gymnasts later (there is usually a scratch deadline).
As for the meet fees, you calculate the approximate amount. The meet fees varies from $35 to $100. So, let's say $60 average. Let's say you are planning to go to 5 meets, so it's $350. Plus, around $150 coach's fees. So, you tell the parents, that they have to pay the assessment amount of $500 at the beginning of the season (you can break it into 2-3 payments to make it easier on them). Then at the end of the season you calculate the exact amount for each gymnast (it won't be the same for all of them, since some might miss some of the meets). You tell them how much they owe, or if they overpaid, it can go towards the next year's fees.

 

[IreneKa]

Just realized that I can't count. 60 times 5 is 300 of course, not 350. duh!

 

[ivyagogo]

That sounds like a good way to do it. I'm hoping to get all the girls registered next week and then sign up for a few meets. Aero - I am in New York. I am planning on going mostly to meets in the Hudson Valley area. I'd love to see you there.

 

[dennison]

USAGNJ usually puts up meets on their website in August. Meets which have Excel competitions will be noted. Last season Meet Runners (meetrunners.org), Rutgers (info posted on the Rutgers Gymnastics website and also on www.homeofthenjjudges.com) and NorthStars' Garden State classic had excel sessions. You can look at the flyers from last year to get an idea of cost. However, if you look at the results it looks like North Stars was the only Jersey gym participating. Joga and USAIGC are such well run, established programs in NJ, that is difficult for the Excel program to really take off. I believe that North Stars actually had to compete at Pennsylvania's Excel state competition because NJ did not host one.

 

[ivyagogo]

I spoke with New York State Gymnastics this morning. They put the meets on the schedule as they get them from the gyms hosting the event. The woman I spoke to suggested calling the gyms on the schedule that have meets posted already and the ones nearby who I know had meets last year. I just called three gyms. I spoke with one. They have a meet in late March and won't be sending out invitations for it until October. I feel fine that I will get into the meets I want and I can spread out enough so that our parents don't feel too slammed with fees all at once.

 

[gymmomof1]

Incase you did didn't see it yet Usagnj put some xcel meet schedule up on the website