Parents Any words of wisdom for our 1st meet?!??

[DisMom]

Oh yes, good tip! Yikes on the red Gatorade! But yes...make sure she eats FIRST and then gets in her leo.

Oh and remember...while hair glitter is good and fun, nail polish (fingers and toes) is NOT allowed. Deduction!

 

[nameless]

yes!! glitter is soooooo exciting for 5 year olds! the girls line up for it when i whip ours out at meets!!

 

[wallinbl]

You want words of wisdom? I have some words of wisdom.

Do NOT send red gatorade with your 8YO daughter who is apparently incapable of drinking without dribbling. This is especially important if said daughter has a comp leo with white on it. Because despite 90% of the flipping leotard being red, the red gatorade will inevitably land on the white fabric that makes up less than 2% of the leo.

Oh yeah...and it doesn't wash out. And dabbing it with bleach only yellows the white. Thank god we only have 6 meets left in this leo.

It's too late for you, but they now make "Natural" Gatorade that is clear and not colored.

 

[Committed]

Okay.......where would I find this hair glitter? Is it the spray kind, like at Halloween. Or do I go to a beauty supply store?

 

[lhmom]

You want words of wisdom? I have some words of wisdom.

Do NOT send red gatorade with your 8YO daughter who is apparently incapable of drinking without dribbling. This is especially important if said daughter has a comp leo with white on it. Because despite 90% of the flipping leotard being red, the red gatorade will inevitably land on the white fabric that makes up less than 2% of the leo.

Oh yeah...and it doesn't wash out. And dabbing it with bleach only yellows the white. Thank god we only have 6 meets left in this leo.

Yikes! Mine had a nose bleed after getting bumped during warm-up last year and bled on to the white part of her warm-up jacket. Found out that hydrogen peroxide can actually get blood stains out of clothing. Also, another word of advice: take your kid to the bathroom before she goes in. Peeling off a sweaty leo after they have warmed up is never fun, especially when they have to go RIGHT NOW. Hope that your daughter has a blast!

 

[lhmom]

Okay.......where would I find this hair glitter? Is it the spray kind, like at Halloween. Or do I go to a beauty supply store?

You may still be able to find some at somewhere like Party City. I have also found it at Sally's Beauty Supply.

 

[shelovestoflip]

Get there early. If your check in is 8am, get there 7:45. And if you don't know where it is, aim for 7:30. Some places are straight forward but I"ve been to a few where I've driven in circles a mile from the meet!

Have your daughter go to the bathroom when you get there.

Put a small water bottle with a snap lid in her gym bag (spill proof...no red Gatorade accidents!). Put some goldfish, too. Often the coaches let them eat during awards. I always put a bag to share.


If the coach didn't talk about hair, be sure to use lots of hair spray and hair glue so her hair doesn't have fly aways! If you are good at hair styles, enjoy it! If not (I"m not!), a pony tail works fine!!
Re: award placement. Around here, awards typically go out 50% for the events. And the age groups are evenly divided. So, if there are only two 5 year olds, she will be in a group with 6 year olds as well. They will group by age so perhaps 10 in a group, for example. The top 5 will then get an award for the event.


At some meets they give all the girls a participation medal or trophy. And/or ribbons as others have said.

I think at the lower levels, they really want the girls to leave feeling successful so maybe that will be the case at her meet.


My daughter is Level 8 now and we still go out to eat after a meet, still get overpriced goodies at the snack stand before we leave, still focus on what was your favorite part.


My guess is your daughter isn't worried at all and is just ready for some fun! Enjoy it! The little ones are very cute!

 

[Committed]

Hair glue? It looks like I'll be going to a beauty supply store after all!

 

[wallinbl]

Hair glue? It looks like I'll be going to a beauty supply store after all!

Experience from a high school prank tells me that 3M Adhesive Spray will hold hair in place for several days.

 

[gymmutti]

Aussie Instant Freeze aerosol (in a purple can) is my go-to hairspray for meets. Our gym requires ponytails to be in curls (think Irish dancer look) and getting Asian hair to hold a curl is a monumental task. This hairspray will keep the curls in for a full day thankfully! And Sally's Beauty Supply has ended up being a lifesaver for other items.

 

[Danica76]

Aussie Instant Freeze aerosol (in a purple can) is my go-to hairspray for meets. Our gym requires ponytails to be in curls (think Irish dancer look) and getting Asian hair to hold a curl is a monumental task. This hairspray will keep the curls in for a full day thankfully! And Sally's Beauty Supply has ended up being a lifesaver for other items.

I totally agree. I use the Aussie Instant Freeze for meet hair & it has never failed to stay in. Granted, I use a TON, but I highly recommend it, too. I also use their freeze gel with a little water to slick everything back. A definite must and a good price.

Good luck to your DD! Hope she has a blast!

Sent from my N860 using ChalkBucket mobile app

 

[Committed]

Anyone have advice on some kind of seating? Do the parents usually sit on bleachers of some sort? Should I get some kind of padded chair .......... padded seat, back/no back?

I have a REALLY bony butt, and I don't know how long I'll be able to handle sitting on a hard surface for such a long time!

 

[gymmomtoo]

I know a lot of people bring the chairs--I find them annoying for others as they take up a huge amount of space. I just get up and move around between rotations. I'd go to one meet, then figure out from there what you want/need.

 

[skschlag]

We have stadium seats. They sit on the bleachers and have backs and help a lot. They don't take up a ton of space either.

have fun!

 

[wallinbl]

Anyone have advice on some kind of seating? Do the parents usually sit on bleachers of some sort? Should I get some kind of padded chair .......... padded seat, back/no back?

I have a REALLY bony butt, and I don't know how long I'll be able to handle sitting on a hard surface for such a long time!

If you're going to video, pay attention to the general movement of people. Sometimes the best angle on a particular apparatus gets ruined by the fact that so many people move around during meets and will walk right in front of you.

I have a tendency to move around and change seats for each event to get a better view. At some meets, there isn't anywhere else to go, but if it's in an arena, you might get a better view walking to the complete other side of the arena for floor than for bars. Some meets are smaller and just have folding chairs on the floor.

 

[rsm]

Good luck at her first meet! Very exciting We got glitter spray this year at Claires. I think you would get at one of those stores that sell hair, nail, costume jewerly and other accessories and cater to the teen/tween crowd. You will be the hit of the meet with glitter spray so make sure you have enough for the whole team. We did level 3 last year, my only other advice would be to get there early enough to go to the bathroom before warm ups begin and so your DD doesn't feel too rushed. And have fun, take lots of pictures!!!