Parents Team building ideas

[hannahsmom]

My dd is competing in her first L4 meet the beginning of January. She is in a specially chosen group of girls that the coaches feel will do especially well in optionals, so their focus is more on conditioning and less on compulsories. Needless to say, this group does not tend to do great in L4 and sometimes not even in L5, but they tend to excel in optionals. This group is separated from the main L4 team and therefore tend to miss the comradarie of the team. I'm hoping to get some ideas from all the parents out there of ideas to build the team feeling more among these girls. I'm hoping for ideas of something they can do before their first meet to be fun and make them feel more like a team. My niece's team went to Build-A-Bear workshop and they all made a "Good Luck" bear that they carry in their gym backpacks. I'm looking for some other kinds of ideas like. Thanks!

 

[bookworm]

My dd is competing in her first L4 meet the beginning of January. She is in a specially chosen group of girls that the coaches feel will do especially well in optionals, so their focus is more on conditioning and less on compulsories. Needless to say, this group does not tend to do great in L4 and sometimes not even in L5, but they tend to excel in optionals. This group is separated from the main L4 team and therefore tend to miss the comradarie of the team. I'm hoping to get some ideas from all the parents out there of ideas to build the team feeling more among these girls. I'm hoping for ideas of something they can do before their first meet to be fun and make them feel more like a team. My niece's team went to Build-A-Bear workshop and they all made a "Good Luck" bear that they carry in their gym backpacks. I'm looking for some other kinds of ideas like. Thanks!

Just from some of the above statements like "specially chosen group" ; "separated from the main team" and the fact that this specially chosen group doesn't do well in the compulsory levels but they are still "specially chosen" I think will make it tough to have a lot of warm fuzzies amongst your groups...if anything , concentrate on the team feeling in her little group because if they aren't really with the rest of the group anyway...I think the kids (and the parents because you know they all talk about how so and so got to be "specially chosen" over their daughter) on the main team might feel slighted and might not be interested in "team building: with girls that they aren't working out with...I know it might seem harsh but this might be the reality of being in your group.

 

[hannahsmom]

I'm sorry if this was taken wrong but the reality of the situation is our group of girls were specially chosen during testing and they are separated from the rest of the L4 team. Our girls don't train at the same time as the rest of the L4 team and that is what I meant by "separated" from the rest of the team. And I'm not trying to find a way to unite the entire L4 team, but instead try to find a way to make our group feel like a team since they are separated and often made to feel separated from the rest of the team. I was simply trying to explain why our little group of girls might not feel like a team and might need some type of team building ideas.

 

[liseybeast]

I haven't done competitive gymnastics, but I used to do competitive dance. Our competition team would have picnics and BBQs at someone's house or the studio that were alway a lot of fun. When we were away at competitions we would do activities together like making a memory page where we would each get a piece of construction paper and draw and write our name, age, dances we were in and whatever else we wanted. Other little fun things I can think of is coming up with a group cheer, have a big sleepover together, decorate a box or something similar they can put ribbons or awards in, take a group trip to someplace like Color Me Mine, etc. There are also so many cute ice breaker type games that could help them get to know each other better and have some fun. I'm sure any barriers that are up will break with the more time they spend around each other. We would have time at dance to hang out in the lounge together and have fun during down time at competitions and recitals. That's when a team will start to form. you can also talk up encouraging others... sometimes the young ones don't really understand what being a team means.

 

[Shoebug]

As sad as it is to say, envy runs deep in parents of gymnasts as well as the gymnasts themselves. If your child was especially chosen to participate in this group that has an emphasis on optionals, while "blowing off" compulsories (so to speak), than the parents of the gymnasts that are part of the "normal" girls may be quite envious, as well as the girls. Your girls are training for the future, while the rest of them are working hard to achieve results now. The invisible wall has been erected between the gymnasts by the coaches and gym, and therefore it is tough to bridge that gap. The best bet to build a lasting and meaningful relationship is to stay on your side of the gap and get to know the parents and gymnasts of the group you are in. That is the sad reality of your situation, as I see it.

 

[bookworm]

As sad as it is to say, envy runs deep in parents of gymnasts as well as the gymnasts themselves. If your child was especially chosen to participate in this group that has an emphasis on optionals, while "blowing off" compulsories (so to speak), than the parents of the gymnasts that are part of the "normal" girls may be quite envious, as well as the girls. Your girls are training for the future, while the rest of them are working hard to achieve results now. The invisible wall has been erected between the gymnasts by the coaches and gym, and therefore it is tough to bridge that gap. The best bet to build a lasting and meaningful relationship is to stay on your side of the gap and get to know the parents and gymnasts of the group you are in. That is the sad reality of your situation, as I see it.

Shoebug..that was my point in my post...that by the gym separating this group from the rest, they are now their own group and the team building needs to come from within the group..