Ugh. Back from today's meet. Must decompress. Going to ramble. Consider yourself warned...
3 hour drive each way.
Previous session running late so meet started an hour late.
I knew from the line-up that the competition was going to be fierce so I wasn't expecting great placements (DD's team practices probably less than half the # of hours of most of the teams there) but I thought she had a good chance of qualifying for sectionals (she got a score that would have qualified her at the last meet but it wasn't a qualifying meet). Well, I have NEVER seen a meet scored so hard before, ever! To give you an idea, there were some girls scoring 3rd AA who didn't even get the qualifying sectionals score (31). Beam and Floor judges (generally my dd's two highest scoring events) were a mother and daughter who, apparently, have a repuation for being brutal. They appeared to be scoring at least a full point lower than what I had been seing at previous meets. (Kathy's floor scores so far this year... 8.35, 8.85, 8.8... today 7.2. Kathy's beam scores so far this year... 8.15, 8.6, 8.6... today 7.15).
DD's grip slipped off one hand (first time that's ever happened) during her bar routine.
After the meet had to listen to a mom from another team who happened to be sitting next to my mom berate her daughter (the cute little thing couldn't have been older than 8)... "Why did you slip off the bars??? If you hadn't slipped of the bars, you would have qualified for sectionals!!!" She was really laying into her!
Lots of issues with awards... leaving kids out of the line-up who should have actually placed, etc. Just not a very well-run meet.
Positives... dd's scores actually went up on vault and bars (in spite of the grip mishap, she got back up and finished her routine). She did place on beam, so she didn't go home totally metal-less. We met up with some other team families on our trip home and had a good time eating and drinking and decompressing. Kathy seemed to have fun in spite of it all (I just have to keep telling myself, that's what it's all about, right). And I guess the best thing of all is that it over and we are home safe and sound and next week's meet is only a 15 minute drive!
O.K. I'm done now. I think it's time for bed.
Thanks for listening!
3 hour drive each way.
Previous session running late so meet started an hour late.
I knew from the line-up that the competition was going to be fierce so I wasn't expecting great placements (DD's team practices probably less than half the # of hours of most of the teams there) but I thought she had a good chance of qualifying for sectionals (she got a score that would have qualified her at the last meet but it wasn't a qualifying meet). Well, I have NEVER seen a meet scored so hard before, ever! To give you an idea, there were some girls scoring 3rd AA who didn't even get the qualifying sectionals score (31). Beam and Floor judges (generally my dd's two highest scoring events) were a mother and daughter who, apparently, have a repuation for being brutal. They appeared to be scoring at least a full point lower than what I had been seing at previous meets. (Kathy's floor scores so far this year... 8.35, 8.85, 8.8... today 7.2. Kathy's beam scores so far this year... 8.15, 8.6, 8.6... today 7.15).
DD's grip slipped off one hand (first time that's ever happened) during her bar routine.
After the meet had to listen to a mom from another team who happened to be sitting next to my mom berate her daughter (the cute little thing couldn't have been older than 8)... "Why did you slip off the bars??? If you hadn't slipped of the bars, you would have qualified for sectionals!!!" She was really laying into her!
Lots of issues with awards... leaving kids out of the line-up who should have actually placed, etc. Just not a very well-run meet.
Positives... dd's scores actually went up on vault and bars (in spite of the grip mishap, she got back up and finished her routine). She did place on beam, so she didn't go home totally metal-less. We met up with some other team families on our trip home and had a good time eating and drinking and decompressing. Kathy seemed to have fun in spite of it all (I just have to keep telling myself, that's what it's all about, right). And I guess the best thing of all is that it over and we are home safe and sound and next week's meet is only a 15 minute drive!
O.K. I'm done now. I think it's time for bed.
Thanks for listening!