WAG Required to go out 50%?

[MaryA]

Yes, I know that in other countries, meets only go out 3 places and it is only Americans' sense of entitlement (and our desire to sit in uncomfortable bleechers or folding chairs for hours longer than stictly necessary while watching our daughters do the chicken dance) that causes USAG to go out 50% for awards. However, I thought that USAG required meet awards to go out 50%. Yesterday DD competed in a meet and, for her age group, they went out 10 places (12 for AA). I figured that meant there were 20 girls in her age group. Today I looked at the scores online and it turned out there were 31 girls in her age group. I'm not complaining. DD would have gotten the same number of medals had they gone out 15 places, and even if she hadn't, she had a good meet, medals or no medals. I was just curious because I thought the 50% thing was a reqirement.

 

[Quadqueen]

I don't think it's a requirement. I think most big invitationals around here do 40% or 40% + 1 or something like that...??

 

[GymGirl's Mom]

I think it's common in Levels 3-4 especially and less so in 5 and even lesser so in 6 to go out 50%. I don't think it's a hard and fast rule. In Levels 7-up I think even 10 places out in a 31 person age group is generous. I was thinking 4 or 5 at most, some only top three.

 

[gymdog]

No, I don't know what your state requires but the R&P doesn't require anything near 50%. For Level 5 and up, for 21-50 kids in the age group, it's 1-6 places in the events and All Around. I'm pretty sure states can set different requirements. In my state it varies a lot, but usually with 31 in the age group, they'd go out 10 places and then probably more in the all around. The ironic thing is at the highest levels with the least (usually older girls), they usually have medals to use up or they just see the group is so small or something, so they'll call everyone up...I was practically giving medals away when I was in high school. Like literally they are calling up in the all around girls who only competed 2-3 events. It's kind of hilarious. And no one even cares unless it's regionals, or to see who got 1st place on everything.

 

[JBS]

Page 43...

http://usagym.org/PDFs/Women/Rules/Rules and Policies/2012_2013_w_rulespolicies.pdf

If you are looking for your State's rules...go to your State's website.

 

[MaryA]

Huh. I don't think DD has ever gone to a meet before that didn't go out 50%. Maybe it will become more common now that she's a big bad optional... though this was her 4th level 7 meet and the other 3 all went out 50%. If they start going out fewer places, how will they decide whether to cut the chicken dance or the Cha Cha Slide?

 

[J&A's mom]

I always thought they could go out as far as they wanted. My son's last meet, they only went out 25 percent. He is a level 5.

 

[Gymmommy71]

Our state meets in PA only require 25% placement (including ties)...so a state medal means more because of that. For regular meets, I don't think 50% is a requirement, but most do it that way...I've seen 40% too though...I've also seen a set count way (like top 10 no matter how many), but that's normally for really large meets.

I personably would be fine w/ them only doing the top 3, and so would DD. She really only gets excited about being in the top three at regular meets anyways...top 3 only would make getting a medal mean a lot more to those that earn them, and would make the kids who don't get anything not feel so bad (cause there would be a lot more of them).

Of course, if they did it that way I wonder if a lot of people would leave before awards because they knew that they didn't have a chance at anything ...

 

[J&A's mom]

You know, I think it would be nice if it was a bit more consistent. At least in boys, you go into a meet, sometimes into the awards, and not know what the age groupings will be. That probably doesn't happen as often for girls because there is more of them. But for the younger kids, not knowing during the awards how far they go out can make the kids that don't get anything feel really deflated. If they knew it was always 25 percent, it wouldn't be as big of a deal.

 

[Natasha]

USAG requires the minimum (in a post above) but then states can dictate whatever they want as long as it meets the minimum. Our state mandates achievement awards only at L2&3; at least 10 places for L4 and Xcel with age groups no larger than 15 (used to be 20) for events and 100% medals for AA. (So everybody gets a medal.) At L5 and up it is 50%. Invitationals are supposed to follow these minimums but they can go above and beyond if they choose. Although at least one invitational in our state does not follow the limits and routinely has 25+ in the age groups.
When we go out of state it varies, with one state I know of following the USAG rules which is much fewer medals. And, I do know some states do less medals for optionals than compulsories.
I do think the medals get excessive. A L9 teammate of my dd scratched all events except 1 at a meet last weekend. She was awarded 5 medals....apparently the announcer didn't bother to check scores, he just read off the placements....we joked that she must have done an outstanding job "tapping" the equipment. Seriously though, it starts to make the medals meaningless...

 

[Gymmommy71]

I personally really dislike 100% awards for the AA...no kid wants it announced that they got "last place AA" ...

 

[MaryA]

Our state meets in PA only require 25% placement (including ties)...so a state medal means more because of that. For regular meets, I don't think 50% is a requirement, but most do it that way...I've seen 40% too though...I've also seen a set count way (like top 10 no matter how many), but that's normally for really large meets....

Oh, that's right... State meets are only 25%. So I lied. DD has been to meets that go out less than 50%. This was a pretty big meet.

 

[sglemon]

I have gone to meets, where they just hand out all around medals to everyone and that is it. Awards last about 10 minutes. Our sectional meets, they just hand out sectional medals, if you qualified for states, nothing more. Another quick awards! I guess it depends on the gym.

 

[MaryA]

I'd be lying if I said that DD didn't enjoy having a few medals to clank together in the car on the way home, but I would love a faster way to get through the award process. I suppose the prolonged awards process does give them time to just hang out with their teammates. There was much giggling and hugging going on amongst DD's team yesterday while waiting for awards. They're together a lot (they see more of DD than I do) but I don't think they get a lot of "giggle and hug" time.

As to girls leaving before awards if they went out fewer places, I saw a very angry mother drag her crying teen (13-ish) out before awards yesterday. I couldn't hear what was being said, so it's very possible that there was a non-CGM explanation, but the way it looked was that the mom was unhappy with her daughter's performance that day, knew she wasn't going to place, and made her leave. I hope that wasn't the case.

 

[JBS]

I personally really dislike 100% awards for the AA...no kid wants it announced that they got "last place AA" ...

Try being the announcer...it's awful!

 

[Aussie_coach]

What a ridiculous rule! Nearly everyone must walk away with something. Which means those one or two that don't will actually end up feeling a hundred times worse.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

I've been wondering if the medals MEAN anything anymore when a gymnast gets 5 or more EVERY MEET? I think it's a bit ridiculous. In here only three best AA score gymnasts get a medal. No awards on different events. No the best team awards. So when a child gets a medal it's a huge thing for him/her! And also if he/she scores TOP 10 it's wonderful. But the most important thing for the gymnasts to look is if they got a required move up score or not (32.00).

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

I personally really dislike 100% awards for the AA...no kid wants it announced that they got "last place AA" ...

25% or less is good, that way 75% or more can still think they were in the top half until someone reveals the truth via mymeetscore.

 

[skschlag]

I think for the boys, it is somewhere between 25-50% depending on the meet. This weekend, I think there were about 30 boys in D's session and they went out 10 places on each even, and 18 in the AA. D is constantly in a large age group so I think it is good that they do a percentage instead of just automatically the top X number. (2 weekends ago he was in an age bracket with 42 boys. The other 2 age groups had 11 and 27. This is when I think using a percentage is good)

 

[krisnkids]

USAG requires the minimum (in a post above) but then states can dictate whatever they want as long as it meets the minimum. Our state mandates achievement awards only at L2&3; at least 10 places for L4 and Xcel with age groups no larger than 15 (used to be 20) for events and 100% medals for AA. (So everybody gets a medal.) At L5 and up it is 50%. Invitationals are supposed to follow these minimums but they can go above and beyond if they choose. Although at least one invitational in our state does not follow the limits and routinely has 25+ in the age groups.
When we go out of state it varies, with one state I know of following the USAG rules which is much fewer medals. And, I do know some states do less medals for optionals than compulsories.
I do think the medals get excessive. A L9 teammate of my dd scratched all events except 1 at a meet last weekend. She was awarded 5 medals....apparently the announcer didn't bother to check scores, he just read off the placements....we joked that she must have done an outstanding job "tapping" the equipment. Seriously though, it starts to make the medals meaningless...

This happened to my dd at her very first meet ever. She only competed bars and did not place on it, but she placed 7th for vault. I had no idea what was going on, she didn't know that it was for vault, she thought it was for bars. I spoke with her coach after awards and the coach in turn spoke with the meet director so the little girl who was placed 8th and didn't get anything got a 7th place medal (they only went to 7th). My dd still got to keep her medal.