WAG Teams Praying before/during meets

[GymnasticM]

I just recently noticed several videos where teams are huddled before meets praying. Is this the norm in America? Where I'm from this would be deemed as inappropriate practise purely because of a wide range of faiths/non-religious in each gym.
I'm trying to get my ahead around it because surely there is a mix of beliefs or are certain gyms known for this?

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

I have not personally seen a team pray at a meet yet. I am in the south, on the edge of what we call the "bible belt" where you are more likely to encounter public or group prayer in general, HOWEVER, it is still not "the norm." It's not something you'd see everywhere, but if you did see it, it wouldn't surprise you.

BUT!! We were at a meet this month where the meet director led the ENTIRE SESSION in prayer before the meet. I thought that was SO wildly inappropriate. There were very obviously people of many faiths there. That was just one of many reasons that that meet was a trainwreck. I'll be opting out of that one next year, if it's on the schedule, as will half our team, by the sound of it.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I just recently noticed several videos where teams are huddled before meets praying. Is this the norm in America? Where I'm from this would be deemed as inappropriate practise purely because of a wide range of faiths/non-religious in each gym.
I'm trying to get my ahead around it because surely there is a mix of beliefs or are certain gyms known for this?

It's up to the girls. Most of the time they decide on their own what they want to do.

 

[3rd_time_around]

I have not personally seen a team pray at a meet yet. I am in the south, on the edge of what we call the "bible belt" where you are more likely to encounter public or group prayer in general, HOWEVER, it is still not "the norm." It's not something you'd see everywhere, but if you did see it, it wouldn't surprise you.

BUT!! We were at a meet this month where the meet director led the ENTIRE SESSION in prayer before the meet. I thought that was SO wildly inappropriate. There were very obviously people of many faiths there. That was just one of many reasons that that meet was a trainwreck. I'll be opting out of that one next year, if it's on the schedule, as will half our team, by the sound of it.

It is the bylaws of the YMCA to do this. Every YMCA meet starts this way. And if you don't want to hear the prayer, just don't. Think of something else. It's not evil, it's just a prayer.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

And yes, there are absolutely businesses here that are overtly religious. My dentist didn't used to be. They were "Dentists at the Commons", but then they got super religious, and now they call themselves "Blessed Dental" and offer to pray with you before procedures. You'll see business with a Christian fish or cross in their logos to signify that they are Christian owned. There are definitely religious gyms and sports groups here.

 

[txgymfan]

Do college teams pray together before meets? It would make sense for religious allifiliated schools like BYU but GA was very Christian for a while so it would not surprise me there.

ETA. It makes sense for YMCA it's an openly Christian organization. Families know when they sign up. YMCA stands for Young Men's Christian Association. YWCA Young Women's Christian Association.

We have a club gym at the Jewish Community Center ( JCC) I don't know if they pray together.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

It is the bylaws of the YMCA to do this. Every YMCA meet starts this way. And if you don't want to hear the prayer, just don't. Think of something else. It's not evil, it's just a prayer.

Wow.

I'll just not give this gym my money in the future, thanks.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I’ve never seen that and my DD wouldn’t be a part of a gym that did that. It would make her highly uncomfortable.

ETA: if it’s a private business I suppose they can do as they like, but it would absolutely be a deal breaker for my family.

 

[gymgal]

We are borderline south and dd's team does this. The girls choose to. One of my favorite meet photos is dd and a teammate praying before a bars rotation. Mind you - We personally are not religious but most of her teammates are and dd respects their faith and participates in the prayer. It is also centering for my daughter just before a meet. holding hands, calming thoughts.

Wow.
I'll just not give this gym my money in the future, thanks.

You realize the YMCA is a Christian based organization. *Young Men's Christian Association*. It would make sense that they begin with a prayer.

 

[GymMom4]

Our old gym would have prayer at the beginning of each meet session. While it didn't bother us it apparently bothered someone because they got reported.

 

[PRY9]

It's up to the girls. Most of the time they decide on their own what they want to do.

Team prayer or individually? If it's a team prayer, this seems really unfair to the girl(s) in the minority in terms of religious beliefs or just less assertive. IMO, that's something that should be a known upfront, before joining the gym.

I'm in the Midwest, I've never seen a team do this - DD in in her 4th season. We've also never had a meet start off with a prayer.

 

[GymnasticM]

I’ve never seen that and my DD wouldn’t be a part of a gym that did that. It would make her highly uncomfortable.

ETA: if it’s a private business I suppose they can do as they like, but it would absolutely be a deal breaker for my family.

I was thinking this. I am in no way religious and if I was sent to a gym where praying before a meet was a "thing" I think I would feel like a bit of an outsider/uncomfortable. Religion and sport doesn't mix here, which is why I was so surprised to see such public videos.

 

[QuietColours]

I have heard this is--or was--fairly common among SEC teams. In a 2010 interview, Kat Ding (Georgia) specifically mentioned that it made the less-religious girls on the team uncomfortable, and that they felt proselytized to in a situation where they didn't feel comfortable asking their teammates to stop. The interview itself is gone now--after it became controversial, she requested it be taken down--or I'd link. I don't know if this is still a touchy point there or not.

 

[reluctant]

It's up to the girls. Most of the time they decide on their own what they want to do.

I love the YMCA and I know what the C stands for, but I've never been asked to pray at a YMCA event. I think it's oppressive to ask people to pray at a non-religious event. People who are not into it still have to listen to it. And other people's beliefs and religions are not being honored in the same way. We also sing the national anthem at the beginning of each meet, and I don't want to do that either.

 

[RTT2]

I've never seen it, and would not be happy if there were a team prayer before meets. I'm in the Northeast.

 

[profmom]

We have a club gym at the Jewish Community Center ( JCC) I don't know if they pray together.

Not a thing for us, not at a sporting event. For some prayers, you'd need at least ten adult Jews anyway. Anyone religious enough to observe the daily prayers right on time on the dot would be highly unlikely to participate in a sport that had events frequently between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday. If it's one of those times and days where even not very observant people pray, we do it in temple. From my particular corner of Judaism, the idea of holding a public prayer session in the middle of a non-sacred time and space is highly dissonant.

 

[reluctant]

I also want to add that I am Region 8 and there are TONS of private clubs that are overtly Christian. The gym that hosts the Atlanta Crown Invitational is one these. The crown is for Jesus.

 

[e'smum]

We also sing the national anthem at the beginning of each meet, and I don't want to do that either.

why not??? just curious.

i guess if you are severely opposed to anything you can up and leave during it.
if it were me and i found something offensive, i'd leave or go get a snack/check out the leos at that time.

ps - we are a religious family and i know the owners go to church of the same faith as me (protestant) but we have Jewish and Catholic families and a family that is from India (well, their relatives are there) and I assume have different faiths and some who don't believe at all. I wouldn't expect our team to do anything that is geared towards one religion and not any of the others.

 

[reluctant]

why not??? just curious.

i guess if you are severely opposed to anything you can up and leave during it.
if it were me and i found something offensive, i'd leave or go get a snack/check out the leos at that time.

I don't find it offensive. I stand up and put my hand to my heart like everyone else. I just think it is a bit much at the beginning of every session.

 

[MILgymFAM]

why not??? just curious.

i guess if you are severely opposed to anything you can up and leave during it.
if it were me and i found something offensive, i'd leave or go get a snack/check out the leos at that time.

ps - we are a religious family and i know the owners go to church of the same faith as me (protestant) but we have Jewish and Catholic families and a family that is from India (well, their relatives are there) and I assume have different faiths and some who don't believe at all. I wouldn't expect our team to do anything that is geared towards one religion and not any of the others.

You must be kidding? I’m not personally a fan either, and I think you know that it would go over like a lead balloon to simply walk out. People are not free in this country to remove themselves from forced displays of patriotism without incurring scorn. I could imagine a few gyms where something like that- done by me- could get my DD kicked out of the gym. CB is anti political, so I won’t go further than that.