Parents Your personal preference?

[Jenn's Jam]

This is a bit off topic but, here are a few questions that I would like some peoples imput on!

As a gym parent- Do you prefer watching practice in the summer (upgrading time) or the winter/spring (meet season) ?

Do you prefer watching meets or practices?

Whats your favorite event to watch your DD-or just in general watch?

What is your least favorite even to watch.

And lastly- Do you believe gym should stay in the gym- or are you open to at home gym?

My answers:
I prefer watching summer practice just because watching people's faces along with DD's when they get a new skill is such a great moment! I personally feel that summer practice is more fun-view wise- to watch just because it isnt the same thing over- and over- and over again.

I honestly can't decide.

For sure floor.

Probably vault- just because once again (atleast in L7) Same thing over and over again

I am not strict about keep gym at the gym- although I do for sure have boundaries.

Comment below your answers! Thanks.

 

[raenndrops]

As a gym parent-
1. Do you prefer watching practice in the summer (upgrading time) or the winter/spring (meet season) ?

2. Do you prefer watching meets or practices?

3. Whats your favorite event to watch your DD-or just in general watch?

4. What is your least favorite even to watch.

5. And lastly- Do you believe gym should stay in the gym- or are you open to at home gym?

1. For the most part, all year round. When we have more than 2 weeks between meets, we work on uptraining and girls are getting new skills all year round.

2. I prefer watching practices. But I do love watching meets. It's just that at practices, you can tell the gymnasts are working hard. They have more opportunities for success. They may hit a routine 5/5 times in practice and it is BEAUTIFUL, then get to the meet and something throws off their mojo. It can be disenhartening to see a girl struggle in a meet that was solid in practice. BUT it is also awesom to see a girl hit a skill in competition FINALLY!

3. I love to watch her on every event at practice because she has an intensity and you can tell she wants it so bad, but at the same time, I hurt for her frustrations on Beam and Bars.

4. I don't watch beam at practice unless she asks me to. I know she is working hard, and I love that... but she doesnt want me watching unless it is as perfect as she can get.

5. For the most part, I think it should stay at the gym. Dance throughs at home are ok and basic "playground" gymnastics is ok, AS LONG AS there is enough space AND clearance.

 

[Taxidriver]

Ok being totally honest I find watching practice anytime of year just a little bit repetitive and a bit dull. I like to watch from time to time to check my dd is enjoying herself but other than that I find it a bit boring.
At competitions I sit on the edge of my seat with my heart pounding just wanting her to compete her routines well, I’m not worried about her score and place just want her to be happy with her performance and not to have any falls.
My favourite piece of apparatus is probably bars but that’s probably because it’s her best piece of apparatus.
My least favourite and what makes my heart pound the most is beam but that’s probably due to seeing her have a nasty fall but when she stays on she is normally very beautiful and solid on beam.
I much prefer watching the videos I’ve taken than I do watching at competition as I can enjoy the routines as I already know if she has or hasn’t fallen.

 

[Mamabear123]

1. I prefer watching during meet season. The girls are so much more focused. Summertime the girls are more laid back having fun. Great for DD, boring for mom.

2. I prefer watching practice. That feeling at the pit of my stomach during meets is terrible.

3. Favorite event to watch is bars. DD is in level 3 and competes her kip and it's great to see her doing something that only her and 1 of her teammates do. They have been the only 2 doing kips at every meet out of every girl in the sessions.

4. I hate that I can't breathe during beam. So I would say, beam.

5. I'm ok with at home gym, but I have lots of boundaries. I encourage lots of stretching more than anything else.

 

[gymnastmom05]

I love the excitement that comes from summer practice. So much optimism and spunk! For watching practice, I don't know. 4 hours of sitting is still dull. I do like it when I get to see routines, especially come November/December when you haven't seen them compete for 9 months. It's nice to see their progress after they've spent so many hours working on it.

I like meets better ---after they're over when the suspense and anxiety is gone. I guess practice is just so dull because you never know what it's going to be. Watching conditioning and stretching is like watching paint dry. Also those days you chose to go in and watch just happen to end up being the day they go back and work on basics...that's real fun

Favorite event - hmmmm, beam or bars because those are her favorite. At the same time, I hate beam because it's so long and getting so scary now. And i know a fall will really mess with her head. With that said, I like to watch floor too because she looks so graceful and I can see how much more mature she is now.

Least favorite - vault though at this point we always know it's not great so no expectations. Beam still gives me the most anxiety - until next year when she starts flipping vaults then I know that baby will rank right back up there at number 1.

Home gyms - well, my DD had a jr. kip bar (I know, terrible, awful parent) She loved it. She's outgrown it now and she spends almost every free minute outside of school at the gym so it's not even a thought anymore. And, knock on wood, she's good at bars and never got injured so we jumped that hurdle.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Do you prefer watching practice in the summer (upgrading time) or the winter/spring (meet season) ?

Summer, hands down. It’s so much more laid back and there is possibility surrounding everyone.

Do you prefer watching meets or practices?

Practices. I hate competition in general.

Whats your favorite event to watch your DD-or just in general watch?

My DD, floor. In general, bars.

What is your least favorite even to watch.

Vault.

And lastly- Do you believe gym should stay in the gym- or are you open to at home gym?

90% at the gym. For home, I’m ok with floor beams, and floor markings. And conditioning, of course.

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

As a gym parent- Do you prefer watching practice in the summer (upgrading time) or the winter/spring (meet season) ? Both! But we have a long commute, so I watch year round. Upgrades are super fun to watch though.

Do you prefer watching meets or practices? Hard to say. She does her very best at meets so everything is prettier, but I feel like meets are a lot more stressful. I watch bars saying, "Don'tpeeldon'tpeeldon'tpeeldon'tpeel" and vault saying "Don'tdiedon'tdiedon'tdiedon'tdie."

Whats your favorite event to watch your DD-or just in general watch? BAAAARS. Her bars is so pretty.

What is your least favorite even to watch. For my kid, vault. In general, maybe floor? After a few floor routines my brain just goes to sleep.

And lastly- Do you believe gym should stay in the gym- or are you open to at home gym? She'll bring home things her coach has approved: turns on a floor beam, jumps on the trampoline.We work her floor and beam choreo a little at the beginning of the season. She works her pull ups and straddle press handstands because her current gym doesn't do as much strength as her old one. No big tricks. Her coach says no bars at home except conditioning, pullovers and kips. I don't let DD do any acro with flight outside of gym.

 

[mommyof1]

As a gym parent- Do you prefer watching practice in the summer (upgrading time) or the winter/spring (meet season) ?
Never, mostly. If I do catch a glimpse of practice I prefer it to be when they are uptraining or working new skills I haven't seen yet.

Do you prefer watching meets or practices?
Practice. Watching my child compete is torture because I want so badly for her to do her best.

Whats your favorite event to watch your DD-or just in general watch?
Bars, for my kid and in general. I also enjoy watching her on floor now that she's really putting some personality into it.

What is your least favorite even to watch.
Vault, again for my kid and in general.

And lastly- Do you believe gym should stay in the gym- or are you open to at home gym?
I wish she'd work handstand holds, beam dance, and splits at home. Coach wants her working splits, but she keeps forgetting or running out of time. Otherwise, gym stays in the gym.

 

[jessifrostR]

As a gym parent- Do you prefer watching practice in the summer (upgrading time) or the winter/spring (meet season) ?
It makes no difference because our gym uptrains all year long.

Do you prefer watching meets or practices? Meets are more fun for sure but I love when I catch her doing a new skill during practice.

Whats your favorite event to watch your DD-or just in general watch?
Bars! It also happens to be my daughter's favorite.

What is your least favorite even to watch. I enjoy them all but beam. It makes me too nervous!

And lastly- Do you believe gym should stay in the gym- or are you open to at home gym?
I let my daughter practice limited things at home within reason. As she goes up levels and her hours increase, I am going to be stricter about leaving gym at the gym.

 

[tpMom]

At DD's gym they due summer intensive clinics, one hour, 4 days a week on one apparatus. These are my favorite to watch because kids get to try harder skills and someone ALWAYS makes a new skill.

I look forward to meets but they make me so nervous that as soon as they start I want them to be over. I think I like meets better but practices are less stressful.

Floor and bars are my favorite, beam is my least favorite...

I think gym needs to stay at gym if the athlete wants to keep it there. Also, no skills beyond handstands, cartwheels and turns no matter what the athlete wants. My little one does handstands all day, otherwise she spends plenty of time in the gym, she doesn't need to condition at home!