Parents How do you pay when only one going to meets?

[LilHawkMom]

How does your gym handle when only one gymnast is going to a meet? We have are regular meet fees that everyone pays once a yr but my son will be the only one going to future stars (like the tops program that the girls do) and he will probably qualify for Nationals this yr. Last yr because of his age they only go up to regionals and that was a big chunk of $$ and they didn't even charge us the coaches fee because it was a newbie coach who went with him, we just paid meet fee for future stars, fuel, food, and hotel for the coach. And of course what it cost for us to travel along. Now I can only imagine how much it will cost to travel half way across the country and stay there for a week, at least a a couple thousand dollars for coach fee, travel, food, hotel. I really feel this is a rich persons sport at times! We have even thought about not sending him to Nationals even if he qualifies unless he has a super high score and he would be in the top 9 or 18 to make the national team. Does the region or state ever help pay even a small portion for going to something like this?

 

[gymmomtoo]

I dont know how men's/boys gymnastics works, but I've never heard of a region or state paying a gymnast's expenses to Nationals. Maybe it happens, but I've never heard of it.

Our booster club makes enough in fundraising that we CAN pay coaches expenses for nationals (travel, etc). This year my own DD was the only one to make Westerns at our gym and we paid for two coaches to go with her. Families pay their own (and their gymnast's) travel expenses. Prior to the last several years, we did NOT make enough--one of the girls who graduated several years ago made it to Nationals--the only one--a few years in a row and her parents had to pay all expenses for the coaches etc. They aren't rich--they took a second mortgage out on their home to pay for it!

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

Really depends on how your gym handles meet fees. Our current situation is as gymmomtoo describes so everything is paid except the family's travel and hotel (even gymnast flight is paid). At our old gym we were charged per meet so went older DD was one of 3 who went to USAIGC Nationals, we split the coaches' flight and hotel, car rental, meals and since each girl competed separately we paid our own session fees. My dd made event finals so I had an extra session to pay for!

 

[my4buffaloes]

Yikes! We are at a large gym and if I remember correctly last year the boosters did help pay some of the coaches expenses and the meet fees for the gymnasts that made it to nationals. I sure hope that remains the case if my dd ever makes nationals, because I can't imagine even paying for our own expenses, let alone ours AND the coaches!

 

[Deleted member D3987]

How does your gym handle when only one gymnast is going to a meet? We have are regular meet fees that everyone pays once a yr but my son will be the only one going to future stars (like the tops program that the girls do) and he will probably qualify for Nationals this yr. Last yr because of his age they only go up to regionals and that was a big chunk of $$ and they didn't even charge us the coaches fee because it was a newbie coach who went with him, we just paid meet fee for future stars, fuel, food, and hotel for the coach. And of course what it cost for us to travel along. Now I can only imagine how much it will cost to travel half way across the country and stay there for a week, at least a a couple thousand dollars for coach fee, travel, food, hotel. I really feel this is a rich persons sport at times! We have even thought about not sending him to Nationals even if he qualifies unless he has a super high score and he would be in the top 9 or 18 to make the national team. Does the region or state ever help pay even a small portion for going to something like this?

no, in bold. and your club should have some sort of plan for when this occurs.

 

[GymBee97]

Every gym is different. I've seen gyms that the one gymnast family pays all the fees themselves because they usually divide those fees amoung those going to the meet. I've seen those fees part of the gym expenses and is part of their normal opperating expenses so its included as part of the tuition they charge everyone. I've seen boosters pay for all but the travel for the gymnast.
I've seen gyms that assess all their competitive families the extra cost of sending that one gymnast so the whole team pays for that one gymnast. I don't think there really is a standard way of doing it but I like the its part of the gyms normal operating budget and expenses and they plan it in their tuition rates to be covered.