Parents First real meet and couple of questions

[lilymom]

My girl had her first meet with other gyms this weekend (level 2). She did great; she was very nervous but got through it and scored pretty well too. She got first in one event, 2nd in another, 4th in another and 4th overall. So proud of my little monkey

She did have a fall in the beam. She mounted the beam from the wrong place, starting her off towards the end facing the wrong way. So, she got nervous doing the routine so close to the end, lost her balance and fell off. She got back on and finished, running out of time before being done.

So to my questions about that...if she was starting in the wrong place, could the coaches have corrected that or is it against the rules to interfere? And how are falls deducted? I'm curious to see what the rest of the routine would have scored (just to get an idea) Also, if she falls, is she supposed to salute again before getting back on?

I'm trying to learn more about deductions so I understand better what I'm seeing between what they do and what they score. I saw a lot of routines I thought were beautiful and scored low and others I thought would be low but scored high. It's all so confusing but I'm trying to get at least a basic handle on it!

Also, do coaches generally stick around for awards or leave after competition is done?

This was such a great experience for her and for me. Amazing to see all those dedicated gymnasts perform! We are both looking forward to more competitions and this crazy ride!

 

[MaryA]

I have a video of my DD at "old" level 3 (same as current 2). She mounted the beam, looked over at her coach, grinned, got off, went around the other side, and started over. Did she get deducted for it? Oh, probably. Did it matter a lick in the grand scheme of things? Not a bit. It's all part of the learning process. Sounds like your DD is doing great!

 

[billise]

My DD (age 7) finished her first competitive season in December (level 3). By the end of the season I had stopped trying to figure out deductions and just enjoyed watching her. Her coaches told me that there are so many "little" things the judges are looking at that for me to try to figure it out would be very frustrating. They assured me that they know what they deductions are and will work with her on them at practice. They said they can usually figure the score (or remarkably close to it) before the judges even post it. At this level they encouraged me to just enjoy watching her and not even worry about the score/deductions. I found once I heeded that advice I was a much happier gym mommy

 

[raenndrops]

My younger gymmie mounted the beam the wrong way this last meet. She had a different coach there than she usually does. (HC makes sure they know which way to turn before mounting and makes sure they are in the right place... the coach they had there at last meet didn't). Instead of just doing a 1/2 turn to be facing the right way, she got down and remounted... Coach as since told her that the 1/2 turn would have been the better idea.
As far as a fall -0.5
It is against the rules for the coach to interfere after the gymnast has saluted and is mounting the apparatus.
Some gyms have the girls salute again before remounting, but others don't. At our gym the only time we don't salute is a fall on the dismount if they are getting back up to try it again.

Like the others said, don't even bother trying to figure out the scoring. At this level, it is better just to watch and enjoy. You could get the scoring down... then have a judge that looks for something totally different than you are used to and it will throw you for a loop and you will need to start all over... IT ISNT WORTH IT! ... Like a L3 that scores an 8.65 on floor without doing her back handspring and doesn't EVER point her toes, and falls out of her splits that aren't all the way down... Then you have another girl... all things being equal (or slightly better) except she DOES her back handspring and earns an 8.0 - judges!

 

[iwannacoach]

At least she didn't go the wrong way on vault...... or did she?

 

[happychaos]

This still happens to girls who have been competing for a couple of years. Different surroundings, beams orientated differently than usual, and meet nerves all make this pretty common. DD's coach even got it mixed up at a meet one time.....

 

[iwannacoach]

If you want to hear about miss direction........

While traveling with a group of kids to a meet on a very indirect flight, we landed as expected at an
at the first of two stops before our destination. IWC happened to believe we were not to transfer to another flight even though one of the teamers let him know that their luggage was out on the tarmac. Well it could have been there to allow access to other luggage belonging to folks who were at their destination..... or changing planes according to their itinerary.

Four landings later we found the next stop was two thirds the way across the country..... whoops!!!

 

[wnl256]

So to my questions about that...if she was starting in the wrong place, could the coaches have corrected that or is it against the rules to interfere? And how are falls deducted? I'm curious to see what the rest of the routine would have scored (just to get an idea) Also, if she falls, is she supposed to salute again before getting back on?

I'm trying to learn more about deductions so I understand better what I'm seeing between what they do and what they score. I saw a lot of routines I thought were beautiful and scored low and others I thought would be low but scored high. It's all so confusing but I'm trying to get at least a basic handle on it!

Ha ha! Welcome to competitive gymnastics. You will never get a handle on the judge's scoring. Some of it is positively mystifying to those of us who haven't been doing the sport all our lives. So forget trying to figure it out and you will be much happier.

I'm pretty sure it is a big deduction for the coach to intervene after the routine is started. Each fall is 0.5. And I've never seen a gymnast salute between a fall and remounting. At the early levels the girls are still learning all the formalities of competing.

Our last meet (at level 6) I was perplexed by my daughter's low beam score when compared to the other competitors. When we showed her the video we made, she started pointing out all the little things she did wrong. Those .1 and .2 deductions add up.

One lesson we had to learn (and it took awhile): once you send your child off to the coaches at a meet, she becomes the coach's responsibility and you have turned in to a spectator. So don't worry about the hair, the leo, the behavior, the saluting, etc. That's the coach's job until the meet is over.

 

[Committed]

I've never seen coaches leave before awards. My child wasn't released to me until ALL awards of the session were given. She was in the youngest category, and she (and I) had to sit and wait until all the older girls got their awards as well.

 

[skschlag]

Our coach will frequently not be on the floor for awards, especially in a multi-session meet. He has that little bit of time between sessions to take a few minutes, eat, etc. If there are 3-4 sessions in a day, that is their only break all day. He will usually be in and out during awards, but will go eat, etc.

 

[IreneKa]

Someimes the next session starts while the award ceremony is still going. At out last meet DD competed L3, but the next session was L4, and our coach had to go with L4 girls. So, she brought our girls to the awards room and left. But the parents were already there, so it's not like she left them there anettanded.

 

[gwenmom]

I have a video of my DD at "old" level 3 (same as current 2). She mounted the beam, looked over at her coach, grinned, got off, went around the other side, and started over. Did she get deducted for it? Oh, probably. Did it matter a lick in the grand scheme of things? Not a bit. It's all part of the learning process. Sounds like your DD is doing great!

Something like this always happens and it is part of the learning process. DD was on floor this weekend (L3), did her half turn, picked her wedgie and then did her ROBHS.

 

[kandkfunk]

We were at my DD's level 8 meet this weekend and one poor girl got lost in her floor routine. She got this panicked expression and looked at her coaches for help. She quickly recovered and continued with her routine. Not sure if she forgot anything in her routine - it's much easier to cover in optional routines. It still happens to the girls who have many competitive years under their belt

 

[htimcj]

Nice job on the meet!

Our coach is rarely there for awards mostly because she has to go to other sessions. I have even been asked to please text her the places so she could go.

 

[blueredzone]

I've never seen coaches leave before awards. My child wasn't released to me until ALL awards of the session were given. She was in the youngest category, and she (and I) had to sit and wait until all the older girls got their awards as well.

I wonder if the other parents felt that they "had" to sit through your dd's age group. We sit through the awards because that is what good team members do. I have seen parents take there kid after there age group. I think that is rude, and would seem to me they are not good teammates.

Also the team awards are after the individual awards, here at least.

 

[Committed]

I wonder if the other parents felt that they "had" to sit through your dd's age group. We sit through the awards because that is what good team members do. I have seen parents take there kid after there age group. I think that is rude, and would seem to me they are not good teammates.

Also the team awards are after the individual awards, here at least.

What the.... ?

Why dredge up an old post to misinterpret it and be rude?

 

[blueredzone]

Not trying to be rude. I was simply pointing out that I have seen ppl leave after there kids age group is done with awards. This is a pet peeve of mine. It kind of is like hey support your teammates. We always talk about gym being a great way for kids to learn about life. I just think the whole leaving awards early is not a good teaching moment.

 

[wnl256]

Not trying to be rude. I was simply pointing out that I have seen ppl leave after there kids age group is done with awards. This is a pet peeve of mine. It kind of is like hey support your teammates. We always talk about gym being a great way for kids to learn about life. I just think the whole leaving awards early is not a good teaching moment.

Yes it's considered unsportsmanlike to leave early.

But domalley questioned why you dredged up a year-old thread just to comment that a parent felt like they "had" to sit through awards. I doubt the phrase "had to" was intended to sound like a hardship.

Nonetheless, girls on our team get in to trouble if they leave awards early. Everyone stays until all awards for the session (including team) are presented. But I rarely see the coaches at awards. Usually they are getting the next group warmed up, or they are running off somewhere for a quick bite to eat.

 

[blueredzone]

Well I did not realize it was a year old thread, I don't check every date of a thread that I open up. What domalley meant or didn't mean from "had" to sit through "ALL" the awards. I feel can only be correctly determined by her. I was just phrasing the same sentence from the original reply to make a point about ppl leaving early. Which you and most ppl I presume would agree that it's not cool.

Obviously this has struck some sort of a nerve from my original post. Since now ppl are starting to gang up on me. Which makes me wonder how far off from the point I was? I wonder if we polled the users on here; How many like having to sit through ALL the awards (you,and your dd or ds after their awards were already given)

What response do you think we would get?

 

[wnl256]

Obviously this has struck some sort of a nerve from my original post. Since now ppl are starting to gang up on me. Which makes me wonder how far off from the point I was? I wonder if we polled the users on here; How many like having to sit through ALL the awards (you,and your dd or ds after their awards were already given)

What response do you think we would get?

I will answer. I don't mind it, but it certainly isn't the highlight of my day. I know my daughter doesn't like it. But we don't give her a choice in the matter.