WAG Craziest competition gifts!

[sleeplessinnewyork]

What are some of the strangest gifts that you/your daughter have ever received in a competition? For me, they would be a casserole dish and a red, blue and yellow leotard with a superman logo and a cape collar. It wasn't the supergirl by Nastia, it was a real SUPERMAN leotard!
And, at one meet that I had to skip b/c I was sick, my teammates got coconuts!
What about you?

 

[GymBee97]

Lets see there have been a few that I'm like what??? Once she got Personal Hygine stuff (deoderant, mouthwash, toothpaste all travel size), A burlap bag (small about the size of poptart) with .......nothing inside but a 10% discount coupon to a local spa totally useless.

 

[sleeplessinnewyork]

Wow, that is strange. Toothpaste? really?

 

[momocay]

My dd also received a personal hygeine bag, with deoderant and maxi pads. Only problem, she was 7.

 

[Aussie_coach]

So do you guys mean to say that the kids are given gifts at competitions? Is this part of the 21st century attitude that kids need souvenirs for every single thing they do? Competition entry may be quite a bit cheaper for parents if they skipped this act?

in Aussie comps we don't do this sort of thing, they give out 3-6 places on each apparatus and all around, for all the kids in each level. Which might easily be over 100 kids. So about 90 kids go home empty handed but they go home with positive learning experiences.

 

[maddiemei]

Most of the meets we go to give out bag tags. Just a small token to say thanks for coming. I've seen crazy goody bags after meets. We decided as a level not to do them, but some other teams go all out. I saw one team with 15 girls one time give their girls beach buckets and flip flops.

 

[GymBee97]

I have been told by our gym that according to USAG meets listed as an "Invitational" are required to give something and there is a set minimum value. Sort of like the rules that say the minimums for the types of awards and how many you are required to give out.

 

[Quadqueen]

yes, DD has only gotten "gifts" at invitationals. usually only t shirts. one time an embroidered towel, flip flops, etc.

 

[gralch1]

I have been told by our gym that according to USAG meets listed as an "Invitational" are required to give something and there is a set minimum value. Sort of like the rules that say the minimums for the types of awards and how many you are required to give out.

I do not think the USAG requires any sort of gymnast gift. They do mandate the number of awards (50% plus 1, for instance). Maybe this is a state recommendation.

 

[coachmolly]

I remember getting a bag once that had what appeared to be donations from whatever local places would give them. This included a mini notepad from the local community college.
I figure if parents are shelling out $75-$100 for a meet (sometimes more) they deserve at least a small something whether the kid ends up medaling or not. Not all meets go crazy with big things, sometimes it's just little tokens like a hair scrunchie. And like others have said, this is the practice at invitationals, not always the case at smaller, local meets. It would be a different story, I think, if meet fees were cheaper, but I'm not sure cutting out the post-meet goody bags would reduce meet fees all that much.

 

[Deanna]

Kadee got a hygeine bag once. (try explaining to a 5 yr old just what it is you do with a tampon).
Normally with the ones Kadee has gotten, a meet t-shirt, or a cup/water bottle, hair scrunchie, a LOT of them have candy in them. One meet she got a can of coke with a sucker tied to it..lol. She will also get cupons/cards from restaurants for a free kids meal, or free icecream, or drink..ect. (if this is not a chain restaurant, then it is likely not to get used)
I do know that when I helped work on the goody bags for our meet last year, that a lot of things were donated by local businesses (the parents club did pay for some stuff). So, I'm not sure that if they were "done away with" that it would have any effect on the meet cost. Even if the stuff was not donated, it wouldn't change the cost of our meet, because the Parent's Club pays for the goody bag stuff, not the gym..so there is no conection there

 

[Quadqueen]

For the invitational our gym hosts, we usually do t-shirts. we don't get stuff donated by local businesses. We don't have a booster club, so it's paid for by the gym (likely with profits from the previous year's invitational).

 

[Azgymmiemom]

Gymnast shaped pasta. Yep.

 

[sleeplessinnewyork]

@aussiecoach.I know, it's really strange that gymnasts get gifts at competitions. At first, I was REALLY surprised by the practice, but it does seem to be really common.We don't really expect them, but now, it's not that surprising when you get something. It's usually something small, like a hair scrunchie or a pair of wristbands, but sometimes can be bigger, or just strange. It is usually at invitationals, too.

 

[sleeplessinnewyork]

@ Azgymmiemom :Gymnast shaped PASTA!!!!!! REALLY!!!!!!! That is crazy, really. I mean, it's an interesting idea, but also kind of ridiculous! Wow, I've been laughing for nearly 5 minutes... wow, I don't even know why, but that was really funny!
@everyone who said personal hygeine bag, that's just odd, I mean its a gymnastics meet. It's mot a doctor/dentist appointment.

 

[Aussie_coach]

@aussiecoach.I know, it's really strange that gymnasts get gifts at competitions. At first, I was REALLY surprised by the practice, but it does seem to be really common.We don't really expect them, but now, it's not that surprising when you get something. It's usually something small, like a hair scrunchie or a pair of wristbands, but sometimes can be bigger, or just strange. It is usually at invitationals, too.

My guess is there is a lot of pressure to do it now, if some comps are giving gifts and others are not, the ones that are not are going to feel like they need to in order to attract the competitors.

 

[clrmom]

We usually get small goodie bag type stuff (candy, coupons, sometimes slightly larger items like water bottles). One meet with my ds, the goodie bag had a scrunchie in it. We all thought that was weird since it was a boy's goodie bag However, my dd still has the scrunchie, so I guess it worked out...at least in dd's eyes

 

[MaryA]

At one meet I bought gymnast-shaped pasta for my DD to be delivered to her on the floor. I figured, heck, she likes pasta, she likes gymnastics. Why not? When she opened it she looked up at me in the stands with a look that said "Mom, what were you thinking?" She came in 1st AA for the only time last season at that meet though, so who knows? Maybe the pasta brought her good luck!

 

[GymBee97]

Not trying to take over this thread but some of the better gifts we received that she loved and uses

Nice Leotard with scrunchie (she has about 4 of these), Gymnast shaped christmas ornament, beach towel with nice sunglasses, Fleece blanket throw, Good quality small carry on bag.

Usually these "better" gifts are at meets that cost $200 or more to enter and are usually attended by gym from all over the country.

 

[sleeplessinnewyork]

Good idea! Hmmm...favorite gifts? Well, one meet I went to gave me a leotard, which my sister then redesigned with rhinestones( she's a dancer, and she has experience), so I wear it a lot now and really like it. Surprisingly, I also REALLY like the casserole dish for making desserts. One meet also gave me a tiara( which I don't exactly WEAR, but still) and a grip bag with wristbands and prewrap, which was nice, even if I don't use grips.