SHARED by: Leigh Goldman, Gymtime Gymnastics Mom

Attending your child’s first gymnastics meet is a lot like starting college when you’re wandering around your freshman dorm, excited for a new adventure but unsure exactly how to navigate the unfamiliar.

This blog post is designed to give you the lay of the land so you know what to expect when you’re child’s competing. The information comes courtesy of Coach Haley Blair, Gymtime’s gymnastics director.

Competitions 101: Gymnastics meets are approximately three hours long and typically held on weekends. Most meets take place on Long Island, where gyms have the space to accommodate a large spectator section. You’ll pay a gymnast participation fee in advance (via the coaches) and usually there’s a $5-$10 spectator fee (cash only).

An On-Time Arrival: Gymnasts arrive 15 minutes before warm-up, which is about 30 minutes before meet time. They need to come with their hair already in a bun or ponytail (slicked back with gel), donning the team scunchi. Gymnasts should be outfitted in the team uniform – official “leo” (leotard) and warm-up suit.

Ready to Roll (Twist, Tuck & Flip): The girls warm up as a team with some cardio and dynamic stretches. They do not practice on each apparatus until they move through the stations during the meet.

Making an Entrance: The meet begins with an official parade of the teams, often to the immediately recognizable Olympics theme song “Bugler’s Dream.” Gymnasts march in and are then introduced by team, at which point they give a gymnastics salute. Once all the teams have been introduced, everyone rises and sings the national anthem (you might want to brush up on the words so you don’t have a Christina Aguilera Super Bowl 2011 moment).

Apparatus “Commuting”: Each squad (comprised of 2-3 teams) competes together on one apparatus at a time. So if, say, vault is your gymnast’s first station, she and her team will travel together – with their team-emblazoned gym bags – to the vault section of the gym. One team at a time lines up to take a few practice runs on the vault, with coaches within arm’s reach for spotting.

Hands Up, the Gymnastics Salute: At every station, a gymnast must go through the competition formality of saluting the judges both before and after her performance.

Scoring: Scoring is based on execution and form of skills. Your daughter’s score is posted – sometimes on a fancy digital scoreboard, other times with more low-tech flip cards – after the gymnast following her performs.

Meet Etiquette: At each station, the squad must wait until every gymnast has competed. Translation: lots of downtime when there are large teams in the squad. During this time, the gymnasts sit quietly on the side of the station and are able to drink water. For gymnasts on the floor, it’s a tech-free zone: no cell phones, Facebook, etc.

Spectator Savvy: Try to sit with other parents from the Gymtime team. Just as there’s camaraderie among the girls out on the floor, there’s a lot of bonding that goes on in the stands. Bring your iPad and some newspapers (see above item about downtime!). Many of the gyms sell snacks during the meets but you might want to pack a few as well. 

Gymnatics Meet

Precious Medals: After every gymnast is finished competing at every station, the final scores are tallied. Awards are given out by age for individual events and individual all-around as well as for team honors. Winners are called to the podiums and presented with medals/trophies. Unlike the Olympics, many winners beyond the top three get a place on the podiums. Meets go out 5 to 14 places, meaning there’s a lot of opportunity to “medal.” And sometimes, every competitor receives a medal just for participating.

Leigh Goldman was the former New York editor of UrbanBaby.com and spent years working as a television producer covering parenting topics.  She is the co-author of the book “The Journey to Parenthood: Myths, Reality and What Really Matters.”  Leigh currently runs the corporate website for a Fortune 500 beauty company and lives with her two children in New York City.