Should sick gymnast compete at states?

[lee]

I think you said it in your post---Mommy knows best-you would be smart to keep her home!

It's a tiny bump in the road in the long run. Its amazing what a few days of real honest to goodness rest and tlc can do. Hope she feels better!

 

[momocay]

If she is sick enough that you wouldnt send her to practice, she is sick enough not to compete. She has many competitions in her future, and chances are it will happen every so often. I actually once drove to an away meet and when we got there dd wasnt feeling well. Had to turn around and drive back home. It happens. I would maybe buy a little something to take away the pain though, if she's upset.

 

[drivingmom]

I'm sorry Drivingmom, but this just amazed me. If she's been taking all the 1 to 3 places all season long, was it really necessary to have her compete this meet? Yes, kids want to do things all the time, but we as parents have to step in and say "No, you're sick. Stay home, there will always be another meet." When these kids are exhausted from being sick, best prescription is to stay home and rest.

My dd had been on antibotics for three days and was not thread to anyone else, and showed signs of improvement,but still tired. I as the Mom let her go because these girls work so hard all year to show their talent at a hand full of meets and the State meet was a major event for her in her sport, it was not just another meet. I don't think you can judge anothers situaiton without being in their shoes.

 

[standsonherhands]

Thanks for all your feedback. I agree I wasn't ready to send her when I posted. You all read my vibe correctly. To update, we consulted with coach yesterday because she was improving, and coach said no practice in favor of rest so she could go to states today presuming she was well. Maybe in this case coach knew best. After two weeks of a bad cold, antibiotics since Tuesday and tons of rest, dd was feeling well today. She went to states and did great with no signs of illness. Surprising to me after missing a string of practices she was solid and consistent. She took 4th on beam, floor, bars and AA with her highest AA score yet! We are proud of her, and very happy she is feeling better. I have learned a lot from these posts. I won't think twice about missing practice and/or meets when she is sick in the future. Thanks for the advice.

 

[bpatient]

My dd had been on antibotics for three days and was not thread to anyone else, and showed signs of improvement,but still tired. I as the Mom let her go because these girls work so hard all year to show their talent at a hand full of meets and the State meet was a major event for her in her sport, it was not just another meet. I don't think you can judge anothers situaiton without being in their shoes.

If I were in your shoes I would feel that I was making a selfish choice if I allowed my daughter to compete, but perhaps that's because I've devoted my adult life to medicine and research in microbiology and infectious diseases rather than to gymnastics, and I understand that a three day course of antibiotics does not mean that a child with "Walking pneumonia" is not infectious.

 

[drivingmom]

and I understand that a three day course of antibiotics does not mean that a child with "Walking pneumonia" is not infectious.

Her doctor said she was not longer a threat to others or I would not to that other children.

 

[bpatient]

You couldn't fill a thimble with what I know about pediatrics--as I indicated, I study infectious diseases. Based on my knowledge and experience, I would make a different choice.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Thanks for all your feedback. I agree I wasn't ready to send her when I posted. You all read my vibe correctly. To update, we consulted with coach yesterday because she was improving, and coach said no practice in favor of rest so she could go to states today presuming she was well. Maybe in this case coach knew best. After two weeks of a bad cold, antibiotics since Tuesday and tons of rest, dd was feeling well today. She went to states and did great with no signs of illness. Surprising to me after missing a string of practices she was solid and consistent. She took 4th on beam, floor, bars and AA with her highest AA score yet! We are proud of her, and very happy she is feeling better. I have learned a lot from these posts. I won't think twice about missing practice and/or meets when she is sick in the future. Thanks for the advice.

We have a policy at our gym, that if you miss practices the week directly before a meet due to illness or injury, you CANNOT compete, regardless of how well you are feeling the day of. The risk of getting dizzy and falling off bars or beam and injuring yourself is far greater and not worth any medals or trophies. The gymnasts' health and well-being comes first.

***Parents, please do not take the above thread as an example of letting your sick gymmies compete. I know in this posters experience, her dd finished the meet and did well, but please do not think that missing one meet in your young gymmies career will sideline her in any way. Bringing a sick child to public places like meets where they are interacting with other kids is dangerous for the threat of spreading the illness. Think about this, if your child was sick and didn't feel 100% and had a test the next day at school, would you send them to school? Probably not. Your thinking would be that they could make up the test another day. Your gymmies will have lots of other meets "to make up another day". Something to think about...

 

[standsonherhands]

I wanted to reiterate that dd was well by comp day (which makes sense given length of typical cold). I had fully intended to keep her home, and she knew and had accepted that. I was surprised that she was given the chance to go if she was healthy on competition day. I know she was only able to do well at states because she was over her illness. If she was still sick, or is sick in the future, she will be home for rest and recovery without any second thoughts. She was home from school and gym when she was sick, and that is the take home message of this thread.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

I'm not being judgmental at all. If a child is sick, is on medication, or tired from having been ill, that's when injuries are more likely to occur. Sick children do not belong in school or any type of athletic event... period. We are on a way home from a meet as I type this. It just amazed me that parents were bragging about how they had just medicated their girls so that they could participate in the meet. My blood just boils!!!! So their feverish daughter is on tylenol so they can get through the meet. Great.... so now my high school aged daughter has been exposed to some bug and may get sick and miss school just because of one gymnastics meet? Seriously???

 

[10.0]

Oh and I would really like to add, sick children do not belong at gymnastics practice period. I am still amazed to this day but what parents will do!

Case in point, I was teaching a rec. preschool class and this little girl comes in late (already started stretch and had 6 others) she is usually a good child and doesn't complain and she would not stretch so I asked her what was wrong, she said it hurt, I get this a lot for anything at this age (bug bites, scrapes, had a shot earlier) so I asked why and she said "My whole body aches." I asked if she was sick and she said she has an ear infection and a fever, although with the body aches I would venture to guess she also has some other type of virus as well. So I told her to go tell Mommy to take her home because your too sick and to schedule a make up in the office when you feel better. BTW this class ran like 8 or 9 times a week so making up shouldn't be a big problem. She left and came back a few minutes later and told me "Mommy says I have to stay" I am like are you kidding? We then went to tumble and turns out the girl is dizzy as well (no duh with the ear infection) so when she could not do any skills I again told her to go tell her Mom to take her home and I will talk with her later. I couldn't stop class with 6 others kids to myself to go talk to her. And again she comes back in and tells me she can't, so I had her sit out. I had words with the Mom who told me it was none of my business what she does with her child and that she just has an ear infection and it is not contagious to others. Also keep in mind this was a 45 minuet preschool class not training for the Olympics.

The worst is I told this story to another Mom at the gym and she got mad at me saying well ear infections are not contagious, (not exactly the point, doing gym with infected off balance ears is dangerous) I send Sally to gym all the time with them, and I get mad when daycare won't take Suzie because she has a fever so I load her up and Tylenol and drop her off! I love todays style of what I like to call passive parenting, I will have the kid but I want a life too and I won't let the kid get in the way of that.

I have also had a lot of "I didn't go to school today because I was throwing up." erm but you are at gym "yeah my Mom said I could do gym if I felt better." Me-are you freaking kidding?

The first year I coached I got sick 14 times that year, and I am the queen of hand washing, Hand sanatizer, Lysol, taking vitimans, and never touching my face. Sorry for the rant I just don't get what people are thinking sometimes.

 

[Tumblequeensmom]

... people are NOT thinking... .that's the problem.

 

[bribri514]

The worst is I told this story to another Mom at the gym and she got mad at me saying well ear infections are not contagious, (not exactly the point, doing gym with infected off balance ears is dangerous) I send Sally to gym all the time with them, and I get mad when daycare won't take Suzie because she has a fever so I load her up and Tylenol and drop her off! I love todays style of what I like to call passive parenting, I will have the kid but I want a life too and I won't let the kid get in the way of that.

You are so so so right. My inner ears are all screwed up, they never completely developed and one of the effects is that the eustachian tubes in my ears are short and pretty much horizontal in my ears. In adults as you grow they get longer and go at an angle. The fluid sits in your ears especially when they're flatter and get infected (it's why little kids get so many ear infections). I end up having at least 10 a year and having multiple surgeries to put tubes in to drain out my ears. Gymnastics makes it worse with all the chalk and the flipping around.

Anyway the point is these problems have always had a negative effect on my balance. My mom and coaches always made me take time off gym during ear infections and surgeries, even though they happened a lot and were no contagious. My senior year of high school I had another really really bad infection and a surgery. States was the week or so after and my mom didn't want me to compete. I was 17 though and desperately wanted to compete and not miss the meet. I had been struggling with my beam routine because of my balance. On the dismount I was doing a double back, nothing too crazy, but my balance was out. I got a lot of pop off the beam but underrotated and landed smack on the top of my head. I got knocked out cold and had to go to the hospital. It sucked. I learned my lesson about not competing when I wasn't feel 100 % physically.

Parents should be aware of this, especially since many have never done gymnastics. You need to be there 100% or else you put yourself, your coaches and other gymnasts at risk. I thought missing state wasn't worth it but I ended up not placing and had a bad concussion and couldn't train for the next two weeks anyway!

 

[cher062]

My dd has been sick with a bad chest cold for more than a week. As a result she is truly exhausted. She missed two practices ago, only made it though half the last, and I'm not sure she will be able to practice tomorrow. The next day is state comp L4. Any advice on whether or not to compete a clearly sick child? She wants to do it, but she also knows she feels terrible, so we are both very conflicted. Anybody face this before? Honestly, she wouldn't win big on her best day, but she might well have placed. She is only 7 so mommy (should) still know best. Help?

Well I'm on the side if your kid is sick keep them home. she is only L4 there will be other states in her future and I don't think her olympic chances are going to suffer if she misses.

this is a real soapbox item for me. If anyone is sick they should stay home and forgo the sharing of the germ I don't care if you miss work, school, gym, or anything. Keep the germs home and take the time you need to recover so the rest of us won't get what you have.
Ok stepping down off soapbox.

 

[Jennemmy]

The worst is I told this story to another Mom at the gym and she got mad at me saying well ear infections are not contagious, (not exactly the point, doing gym with infected off balance ears is dangerous) I send Sally to gym all the time with them, and I get mad when daycare won't take Suzie because she has a fever so I load her up and Tylenol and drop her off! I love todays style of what I like to call passive parenting, I will have the kid but I want a life too and I won't let the kid get in the way of that.

I have also had a lot of "I didn't go to school today because I was throwing up." erm but you are at gym "yeah my Mom said I could do gym if I felt better." Me-are you freaking kidding?

These are the same parents that completely lose their mind when their kid falls. We have a kid who shows up sick all the time. Mom was mad when coach didn't catch kid who fell on fhc on bars. Well the kid normally wouldn't fall but was a mess from an ear infection so the coach was spotting as normal. Kid falls and mom starts yelling to other parents about poor coaching. Frustrating for other parents who are losing their kids time bc the rest of practice was coddling the sick kid.