Parents Travel meet team questions

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momnipotent

Proud Parent
Judge
Just wondering what the norm seems to be in other gyms. When you have a travel meet-not necessarily a fly-away meet, but a meet a decent drive away that requires at least one overnight stay, how does it work? Do the families from your gym tend to stay in the same hotel and do things together (swimming, meals, etc.)? Do the coaches/team parents organize anything or is everyone just kind of on their own except for the meet time? Thanks!
 
It depends.

If it is states, where the girls are all competing in different sessions, the girls generally travel with their own family and are pretty much on their own until the meet. That said, we usually try to get in the same hotel with some other families and will meet for meals or swimming or hanging out. It makes it more fun for everyone.

If it is an invitational where the whole level is competing at the same time, they often travel as a team --- all the girls will go in a large van with the coaches and stay together and the parents will stay on their own (possibly same hotel, possibly different.) Again, parents will often hook up for meals that may or may not include the team. We don't really do this until L8.

Dd is really looking forward to that this year as she should be competing L8. Most of her friends moved to L8 last year and she was envious of their trip and is excited to experience that this year.
 
Coach just says no swimming before the meet. Our parents tend to group ourselves by Levels since we will be the same session. Some might car pool, depending on report time and where the meet is we may extend our stay to do something fun. Or arrange to arrive in time for a group dinner, the girls love this.

We try to coordinate the hotel but there is nothing offical or required.
 
We do the same. Try to coordinate but nothing is mandatory. I know part of the meet fun for my 8 yr old is the hotel with her buddies.
 
Coach emails that we should sit together at meet and room together and do dinner, but no one really knows each other well (L4, 12 girls). Last meet we tried to sit together but it was folding chairs and only enough in one area for a few families so the rest of us scattered. Later things opened up but I wasn't going to move as DD knew where I was and if I moved she wouldn't know where to get her love! Many of us bring siblings, coordinating meals is just impossible!
 
I have "favorite" hotels for our farther meets... and I suggest them to any parents who are staying the night before. We tend to go down right after school and arrive around dinnertime. After that, the girls can swim until 10pm. Then to bed. In the morning, we usually run into the other families at breakfast.
 
Coaches show up at the meet to coach -- we generally don't see them otherwise. They have several sessions to cover and their downtime is precious. The team as a whole does not plan and coordinate hotels, meals and activities. Level groups and friend-groups do -- but it is all ad hoc and nothing is mandatory or required.
 
I have "favorite" hotels for our farther meets... and I suggest them to any parents who are staying the night before. We tend to go down right after school and arrive around dinnertime. After that, the girls can swim until 10pm. Then to bed. In the morning, we usually run into the other families at breakfast.
You guys are allowed to swim prior to meet. Not us.
 
You guys are allowed to swim prior to meet. Not us.
Not us either. My daughter wouldn't even bring a suit when DH asked her., she is a rule follower to the core.

Ours is "get yourself there" type. Some people tend to stay at the same hotels. I actually don't worry about it; we stay where we want to and like, because we want the points for free stays later. As my own child said, "I see these girls all the time anyway!" This said, I do think it is fun for her if we run into someone, the element of surprise is enjoyable.
 
We have been to meets where most people stayed at the same hotel and there was lots of get togethers- official and unofficial. We have also gone to travel meets when the only time we saw anyone from the team was at the meet. It is so much nicer when it feels like a bonding experience for the kids. We have always swam, btw. Haven't had a team yet that prohibited it.
 
You guys are allowed to swim prior to meet. Not us.
They can't swim the day of a meet, but the night before (especially if they aren't first session) is fine. The last 20 minutes is usually spent in the hot tub and most of the time, they are back in the room by 9 or 930 taking showers. 10 pm is the absolute latest we will stay in the pool area.

I have to be at meets for every session, and sometimes, that's the only reason we get a hotel room at all... wouldn't be necessary for only one session mid-afternoon. Can't punish the girls because I have a job to do, lol. :)
 
We only had one travel meet so far. Everyone booked their own flights, and made their own transportation plans. But everyone stayed at the same hotel (there was only one hotel close to the venue, so it made sense), some of us shared the rooms. We didn't really coordinate anything, but it just happened that we did most of the stuff together. The girls swam at the pool and hot tub (no rules against it from our coaches). There was NCAA meet one night, so everyone came to watch and we all set together. We went to each other's sessions to root for the teammates.
Then we all got stranded there because of the snow storm, and it was a Super Bowl weekend, so we all watched the game at the hotel bar. It was a fun bonding experience for both girls and parents ( and coaches too). :)
 
Last year for out of state meet, most stayed 2 nights. About 70% used it as a bonding experience (kids and parents).

Swam together after meet, shared a meal or two. it was great fun and a super opportunity to make friends or catch up with old ones. Of the other 30%, about half had to get home and drove or flew late night night instead of staying, and about half just aren't that friendly/sociable.

Nothing is required other than showing up ready to go and not swimming night before or morning of meet. A few who were at another hotel joined others at the main hotel to swim and hang out at pool.

Coaches came to a meal, but sat at table with their usual (parents of the favs), so most parents and kids didn't really talk to them much. I don't really expect to see coaches much at meets, it's usually a fairly grueling weekend schedule for them.
 
Depends. Sometimes the team or meet organizer will organize a hotel block. We've stayed within the block and on our own (decided to book too late), and DD much preferred staying with gym buddies. They put names on the doors and all ran around finding each other and played board games in the lobby... it's a ton of fun.

FWIW, we've stayed at indoor water parks for meets, and DD always swam. But the one time she swam all day the day BEFORE the meet??? Low, low scores!!
 
So I just asked my daughter about all of this, and she said she is glad we choose our own hotels because she likes the family time...likes is an understatement. She loves it. She says for her, the bonding time is at practice and the meet itself. I would have thought she would have been more excited to stay at the same hotel as others, but she said it would be a huge distraction. I found this hilarious.
 
Also varies here - mostly depending on the session time - whether or not it makes sense to try to coordinate a hotel amongst families to facilitate the kids having some socializing/swimming time pre-meet. After the meet, sometimes a few families will go out to eat together (if we had a very early session), but most of the time everyone is spent and just wants to go their own direction and have some down time.

Coaches do officially ask for no swimming the night before, but not really enforced. I mean, come on, we're level 4. This isn't the Olympics ;)
 
So I just asked my daughter about all of this, and she said she is glad we choose our own hotels because she likes the family time...likes is an understatement. She loves it. She says for her, the bonding time is at practice and the meet itself. I would have thought she would have been more excited to stay at the same hotel as others, but she said it would be a huge distraction. I found this hilarious.
I agree! My kids are sooooo busy at school and sports, that a hotel stay is a treat! Combine that with a few special meals at a nice restaurant, and we are all in heaven! That's not to say we won't hang out with friends, of course it's always nice to try and stay with some other families, but in reality, I'm usually so stressed out with hair, gym bag, food and getting them there in time, I can't imagine doing this with several families!!!
This year I will be traveling with a few borrowed gymnasts, so it will be times 3 and only myself.....I will stay in a hotel with other families in case of emergencies.....
No rules against swimming or any fun......just don't eat too salty the night before....
 
I agree! My kids are sooooo busy at school and sports, that a hotel stay is a treat! Combine that with a few special meals at a nice restaurant, and we are all in heaven! That's not to say we won't hang out with friends, of course it's always nice to try and stay with some other families, but in reality, I'm usually so stressed out with hair, gym bag, food and getting them there in time, I can't imagine doing this with several families!!!
This year I will be traveling with a few borrowed gymnasts, so it will be times 3 and only myself.....I will stay in a hotel with other families in case of emergencies.....
No rules against swimming or any fun......just don't eat too salty the night before....
It is so funny how there are all these different rules; for us, her coach says no junky sugar the night before, bahahaha
 
So I just asked my daughter about all of this, and she said she is glad we choose our own hotels because she likes the family time...likes is an understatement. She loves it. She says for her, the bonding time is at practice and the meet itself. I would have thought she would have been more excited to stay at the same hotel as others, but she said it would be a huge distraction. I found this hilarious.

Dd prefers to us to stay in a seperate facility when its possible. Some of her teammates get very anxious and she finds it easier to stay calm without their added angst -but after the comp we always join in with whatevers happening....

Been interesting because a couple of families that have always stayed together have now just decided the girls are more rested if the families stay seperately.
 
I would say that it varies by season and level. One season the whole team seemed to stay at the same hotel and the girls would get together for activities/swimming either before or after the meets, depending on the timing of their session. They did meals after the sessions and all around had a great time. Another season, the team was not nearly as cohesive (lots of issues between the parents) and about 1/3 of the team would stay at the hotel's recommend by the gym/boosters. Then small cliques of families would stay at separate hotels and participated in their own activities. That season wasn't nearly as much fun. Hopefully all of that has been dealt with and there will be more cohesiveness with the team this year.

We don't always stay in a hotel (more of our out of town meets are 2-4 hours away), but when we do, we try to stay where the majority of the team will be. The girls love the bonding experience.
 

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