Parents Point Deductions for Hair Length

[GymRatMama]

My daughter has long hair and prefers to wear it in a ponytail rather than a bun during competition. She says that a bun bothers her head when she does certain skills such as a back extension roll. The first two meets this season she wore a ponytail and there was no issue. At the third meet someone at the meet (I think it was a judge, but I am not positive) told the coach that any girl who had hair that went past her shoulder in a ponytail or braid would receive point deductions. Of course we quickly put all of the girls hair into buns. We have meet soon and I am not sure if I should go back to the ponytail or force her to wear a bun. I am wondering if hair deductions are common or if it was unique to that particular meet? Does anyone have any experience with hair deductions?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I have never heard of that before but I do two plaits for P&F, one either side of her head, and then sew them together at the base of her head so they come under her nape, or a low ponytail split into 4, then each section plaited and looped back up into the bobble and scrunchied. Its much less bulky than a bun but still up out of the way.

 

[gymmomof1]

Never heard of that and dds team mostly do point tails. That being said, the coach doesn't want the tail to whip into their eyes on bars or when flipping/tumling so the girls dont wear it too long. More for safety reasons.

 

[2G1B]

at our old gym we were told that if the hair came past their shoulders that there could be a deduction. But we see it that way all.the.time with other gyms that seem to score just fine. I had started to think that the coaches had just said this because they wanted us parents to do buns with no arguing. ;-)

 

[GymRatMama]

I have never heard of that before but I do two plaits for P&F, one either side of her head, and then sew them together at the base of her head so they come under her nape, or a low ponytail split into 4, then each section plaited and looped back up into the bobble and scrunchied. Its much less bulky than a bun but still up out of the way.

How do you sew the braids together? Do you use bobby pins? That sounds like an idea that she might like.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I use an upholstery needle and either thick thread the same colour as her hair or thin ribbon that matches her leo

 

[my4buffaloes]

The coach told my dd that at the last meet a girl brushed her long hair out of her face and got a deduction. Now they all have to wear it in a bun or braid if it is long enough in a pony to get in their face.

 

[Uglybetty]

Not sure about deductions but our HC is mega strict about their hair....even for practice it has to be in a bun ring.

 

[htimcj]

I haven't heard of there being a deduction for hair being too long in a pony tail but there is a deduction if they mess with it during their routines. For instance, brushing a stray out of the way or tugging it tight again.

 

[Quadqueen]

I don't know if there' s a deduction either, but DD's coach said a ponytail cannot be long enough to go past the bottom of their neck/hit their shoulders (probably her rule). Otherwise, they should wear a bun.

Coach did say that there is a new deduction this year for bangs..?! I don't know anyone with bangs, but I find it hard to believe they would take a deduction if the bangs are short/out of their eyes.

 

[gymdog]

If it can flop over their face, it needs to up.

Aesthetically, anything other than a high ponytail where the hair doesn't touch the neck or a bun doesn't look clean to me and is distracting. So I don't allow any low ponytails or braids or low pigtails.

Edit:bangs are fine again not long or in face

 

[raenndrops]

According to the current USAG Women's Program R & P, The gymnast needs to have "Hair secured away from the face so as to not obscure her vision of the apparatus."
If bangs are short enough to stay out of the field of vision, they should be fine. My younger gymmie has long hair (when it is wet and she puts her head all the way back, her hair goes down onto her bottom) and has just been wearing a ponytail to meets this season with the ponytail well past her shoulders and no deduction for her hair.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I do dds hair in two buns, somewhat like Princess Leia but higher. She doesn't like one bun (she has very thick hair), but the two smaller buns work really well, look great and stay PUT.

 

[clrmom]

I put my daughter's hair in a pony tail and then braid it in 2 braids and tuck the braid under. She ends up with 2 braided loops. We started this because because she sometimes would step on her pony tail in practice when doing certain skills. We didn't want to take any chances. This is her fourth season competing and she has worn her hair this way at every meet.

She did have a friend at one meet that a judge told her that her ponytail was too long and we had to put it in a bun quickly.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

My daughter has long hair and prefers to wear it in a ponytail rather than a bun during competition. She says that a bun bothers her head when she does certain skills such as a back extension roll. The first two meets this season she wore a ponytail and there was no issue. At the third meet someone at the meet (I think it was a judge, but I am not positive) told the coach that any girl who had hair that went past her shoulder in a ponytail or braid would receive point deductions. Of course we quickly put all of the girls hair into buns. We have meet soon and I am not sure if I should go back to the ponytail or force her to wear a bun. I am wondering if hair deductions are common or if it was unique to that particular meet? Does anyone have any experience with hair deductions?

balderdash...

 

[vagymmomma]

The only regulation concerning hair states that it must be secured away from the face. Any deduction for hair would fall under "Inappropriate Attire" which first requires the judge to give a warning to correct the situation. Unless it's fixed, the deduction would be 0.20 in the event a correction isn't made. I've heard about gymnasts getting warnings but never seen an actual deduction. Our gym requires buns for all optionals just to be certain.

 

[2G1B]

there was a post a while ago where someone swore that their state had a rule that the colored streaks that are somewhat popular would be a deduction. So, is that not true either?

And for the attire thing... we are at a new gym this year and one of the boys' coaches said that if the boys do something like put their pants on backwards (at the mock meet I think that at least 3 or 4 boys did this) that it would be a deduction for attire. Is that true?

 

[skschlag]

I don't think so. D wore his backwards once. Pretty sure he wore his singlet backwards once too. at least for one event.

I have heard of deductions for boys' hair being too long (think in their face, or in the way). D's team even all wore mismatched brightly colored/patterned socks for one meet and the only thing they heard from the judges was "cool socks." pretty sure D won all around at that one.

 

[skschlag]

This is all I found on boys:
B. Uniforms:
1. For Levels 6-10 on Pommel Horse, Still Rings, Parallel Bars and Horizontal Bar, all
gymnasts must wear long solid colored competition pants and footwear (socks and/or
gymnastics shoes). In the Junior Olympic Age Group Competition Program, dark
colored competition pants are allowed. On Floor Exercise and Vaulting, gymnasts may
compete in short pants with or without footwear. A competition top must be worn on all
events.
2. For Level 4-5, for all events, gymnasts are only required to wear gymnastics short
pants, team T-shirt and footwear (socks and/or gymnastics shoes). On Floor Exercise
and Vault the gymnast may perform with or without footwear.
3. For Level 3, for all events, gymnasts must wear T-shirt and shorts. Competitive
uniforms are not allowed at this level.
4. All gymnasts are required to wear a shirt or competition top on all events during warm-ups.
5. For safety reasons jewelry of any kind is NOT allowed during competition and is
considered a uniform violation.
6. Uniform violations will result in a medium behavioral deduction of 0.3 on each event in
which the infraction occurs. The judge will warn the gymnast that the deduction will be
taken at each event.

 

[bookworm]

I don't know if there's a USAG rule about hair length deductions but after my daughter's first meet last year , where her long ponytail got wrapped around the high bar and she had to come off the bars and count a fall, there was a "mother's rule about hair length"...i told my daughter that I was not paying $100 entry fees for meets (where she could get her hair tangled on apparatus because her hair is mid back length) unless she wore her hair in a bun....she didn't like it at first but now she even wears her hair in a bun for practice....problem solved...

She did have the option of cutting her hair to a manageable length but she declined that...