Parents Parent volunteer at competition

[2gymnastand1soccerplayer]

Our last competition of the season is coming up, it also happens to be the meet have host. This is the first year at this club and so it will be a new experience with volunteering at the meet.

At our old gym only parents were allowed to volunteer, kids were only allowed to be their as spectators, and it was a mandatory parent volunteer, and you had to volunteer for 1 day out of the 3 day meet.

At our new gym this year parents only have a mandatory 1/2 day of volunteering, and the kids are expected to hang out at the meet and help/ volunteer, as long as they are over the age of 8. I guess they can get the 8 year olds to do stuff like 50/50 and be score runners etc.

My question is what is your gyms rules about parent volunteering at competitions

 

[profmom]

Adults must do two shifts. Team kids over 8 are strongly encouraged to help out and are subject to random collaring and impressment into service if spotted watching in the crowd during a time when the meet is short on flashers or runners. DS ended up running for two sessions and DD one last time!

 

[skschlag]

Our home meets, parents are not required to do anything. People sign up to volunteer for what they can help with.

 

[wallinbl]

I think you can work the entrance table and other things, but I usually go down and do setup or tear down because it's fun (and a really good workout).

 

[kayjaybe]

The number of sessions we must work depends on the size of the meet. It could be as few as 2 or as high as 5. We are given the meet weekends early in the season and told to pretty much block off the entire weekend, just in case. (We usually host 3 meets/year.)

If the meet is held at our home gym, one person must also help with setup OR teardown after the meet. If the meet is held off-site, one person must help with BOTH setup AND teardown.

The gymnasts also work meets, but maybe not every meet or may do multiple sessions in a single meet. They are runners, squad leaders or do other things like sell 50-50 tickets. If they are 16+, they can work a shift for the parents (but that doesn't get them out of their gymnast duties.)

 

[Gymmonkeymomma]

All Booster Club Board members are on call all weekend. All other parents at least 1 shift per meet. All gymnasts over age 6 help out. Older kids (14+ gymnast or sibling) can work parent's shift.

 

[emorymom]

We have to do 16 hours/family/meet, which was kind of a challenge since we only had enough entries for one day this year. I think I probably hit 14 though. Just timed bars all day plus DH moved equip the day before. Didn't get fussed at. Told DD (11) to make herself useful after her session.

 

[IreneKa]

Each family is required to work 2 sessions. It could be one person working 2 session, or two people working 1 session. Children 9 and up are allowed to help, usually as runners, sometimes flashers (if not enough people), or help out at the awards, giving out medals and trophies.

 

[GymCMLA]

gymnasts over 16 can work a required session, each gymnast has to have a parent work 2-4 sessions depending on the level of teh gymmie. THey also have to donate a food item to the bake sale and help with set up or tear down. You mush be 14 to help and may not be on the floor. (but they hours/sessions don't count unless they are 16)

 

[Becauseisaid]

We have to do 16 hours/family/meet

16 hours per meet? Ouch!

Our gym hosts 3 meets and each family is required to volunteer (is it volunteering when you have no choice?) For 1- 4hr shift per meet. A sign up is posted with all the available shifts (set-up, timing, check in, etc) and each family signs up for the shift they want. Don't make your shift and you're billed $100. Some families hire local teenagers.

Gymnasts who show up during mom and dad's shift will sometimes be asked to help with line up and/or awards.

While we don't have an age requirement for working a meet, it's well understood that maturity is required.

 

[kitkat]

We have two meets that we host. One is small and one is the largest invitational meet in canada

We are required to volunteer 83 hours a season. Those have to be split up by...
10 hours min at the small meet
25 hours min at the large meet
And the rest on other volunteer jobs

Our kids over the age of 10 can volunteer to time on vault, beam Etc

I have done 150 hours plus i did another 27 hours for another family who was short hours.

I think i did 24 at the small meet and 40 at the large meet. My dd also timed for 6 hours.

If we do not meet our volunteer requirements then it costs us $40 an hour.

 

[bogwoppit]

We have two meets that we host. One is small and one is the largest invitational meet in canada

We are required to volunteer 83 hours a season. Those have to be split up by...
10 hours min at the small meet
25 hours min at the large meet
And the rest on other volunteer jobs

Our kids over the age of 10 can volunteer to time on vault, beam Etc

I have done 150 hours plus i did another 27 hours for another family who was short hours.

I think i did 24 at the small meet and 40 at the large meet. My dd also timed for 6 hours.

If we do not meet our volunteer requirements then it costs us $40 an hour.

83 hours ???? WOW, I hope your tuition is low.

 

[raenndrops]

Home meets: An adult (or 16+) family representative MUST volunteer to work at the meet.
Options: 2 hours in the Concession Stand; Run the music for a session; Work score table for a session; Help with awards for a session.
The competing gymnasts all have to volunteer too (Ages 12+ can be event timers)
Options for ALL gymnasts: Runner / Flasher for a session; Timer if older.
If it is a 2 day meet, we ask for people to volunteer for additional times, if possible.

I run the score table EVERY session. I have a few parents that will help me multiple sessions. And then some just do one session.
We have other parents that will do score table multiple sessions. We have grandparents and aunts help in the concession stand. The plan is to schedule around your child's session so you can see them compete and get their awards.

 

[kitkat]

I just compared it to two other clubs in my area and it is not lower. And one of those clubs don't do any volunteering and the other volunteers 50 hours.

Apparently our club is very proud on the fact that our competitive pays almost all the bills themselves in competitive. Whereas most clubs use financial resources from recreation.
I could care less that we can pay ourselves and I don't get the 83 hours. We are not comparable with other clubs in my area.

83 hours ???? WOW, I hope your tuition is low.

 

[Dr Maleficent]

Love the idea of mandatory volunteering. Anyone spot anything wrong here?

 

[bogwoppit]

Love the idea of mandatory volunteering. Anyone spot anything wrong here?

Very common here. They often say you can "buy out your volunteer hours", goes back to Captain Mainwairing and "You have been volunteered.".

 

[mobeans]

Kids aren't allowed to be on the floor at our meets. I have been to meets where a tiny kid was holding up the score-and consistently forgetting to show it to the audience :/

 

[raenndrops]

Kids aren't allowed to be on the floor at our meets. I have been to meets where a tiny kid was holding up the score-and consistently forgetting to show it to the audience :/

We have a "training" for our girls on how to flash scores. We also have older girls and younger girls work together.
Our process: Get score card from judge. Write gymnast name on "name board." Flip "scoring wand" to the correct score. Verify score flipped. One person flashes the score (North- one gymnastic-two... East- one gymnastic-two gymnastic-three ... South- one gymnastic-two gymnastic-three... West- one gymnastic-two) and another runs the card to the score table and puts it in the appropriate tray for the event.
The E & W directions are flip flopped for UB.

 

[kayjaybe]

Instead of volunteered we like to say you've been voluntold.

 

[raenndrops]

Love the idea of mandatory volunteering. Anyone spot anything wrong here?

TECHNICALLY, we don't have mandatory volunteering at our gym... you can CHOOSE not to volunteer (hopefully, you are at least willing to bring in a 24 pk or soda or water or gatorade or something - but you don't even have to do that)... and you can CHOOSE for your gymnast NOT to volunteer... HOWEVER, if the gymnast does not work a session, HC can, at her discretion, have the gymnast work the session in which she WAS scheduled to compete.
This is not usually a problem since the girls LOVE working the session (and they get a free concession stand meal out of the deal for EACH session they work).
At Championships, we had one girl with a BFH mom... Mom couldn't work a session because, since it was Dad's weekend with her gymmie, she was working at her job (completely understandable... and Dad's weekend, Dad should be volunteering anyways). She said her daughter couldn't work a session either... but she WOULD be there to compete (how did she know if the girl is with dad???). I offered to contact dad since he would have her and I am "the keeper of the parent contact information" ... but I didn't have his info (mom had conveniently left that completely out of the paperwork). When i asked for his email, Mom bit my head off... tenuous situation... dad doesn't support gymnastics... HC is the only one mom will communicate with from now on! Fine.
No problem. EXCEPT that mom lied about dad not supporting her gymnastics. HE brought DD to a meet in bad weather that was a 3 hour drive in GOOD weather! The next meet, mom dod NOT bring her to a meet that was a 2.5 hour drive in good weather because it was SUPPOSED to get bad later in the day (after her session of the meet was over).
Day of the meet, she is in the last session. Dad is sitting less than 10 feet from me the entire time. He is cheering her on! When he found out she qualified for Nationals, there were tears in his eyes!... I was standing RIGHT THERE and was the one to tell him (just as the coaches were telling her!). He asked me about the kids flashing scores because he thought DD would have liked to do something like that! I explained that we had sign ups, but I didn't have any information on him. He gave me his email and cell phone number and said to please keep him updated on important things.
So as to not further aggravate BFH mom, I friended him on Facebook and added him to the team page there... but did not add him to the team website (where SHE is a member). HC knows what is going on and liked my solution.