Other things you might need to know about events: 

  1. No one can go to warm-ups without a background check, so if you have a team rep, photographer, etc., make sure they have one and it has been approved by the EP.
  2. There are usually banners for team photos, but you may have to schedule a time with your team to go take these photos as it’s not usually part of the process. A few competitions will do a professional photo available for purchase after. I love these, but they’re rare in my area. 
  3. Sometimes your kids won’t get medals for their participation alone. I find that letting the parents know this in advance allows them to decide if they want to do goody bags for the tinies and minis. 
  4. If there are certain rules your EPs have that go above and beyond USASF or the Open Championship Series rules, they’ll have them posted on their website or sent them via email before the event. If you have questions, just email them and ask! A few common ones are:
    1. Cash only for spectators
    2. No outside food and drink
    3. Clear bags for spectators
  5. Action photography is available at some events. Keep an eye on your email. Sometimes they offer a better price if you commit to buying them in advance. I’ve had great photos and terrible photos, so do that at your own risk (or if you start to get familiar with companies who typically do good work). I love these photos for my all star packets and marketing, so I typically buy them and charge parents $20-25 for the link of their kids. My parents are pretty honest and I don’t think they would share the link with one another, but that’s the risk I take. Don’t do this if you didn’t budget for it though! At large events, they can also go to laptops that have previews of the photos or they may have a QR code parents can look at to buy individual photos. (I’ve done this too, but usually want so many of my own kids and good gym photos that I’m better off buying the whole package.) If you have a mom-photographer, I’d recommend she check to see if they venue has rules on lenses. Some EPs that have hired an action photographer won’t allow long-range lenses as it competes with their photography. 
  6. As far as videos of your routines, note that if you attend a Varsity event it will usually be available for others to watch on Varsity TV with a subscription. Other EPs offer Cheer Live TV with a free app. This is awesome for family and friends who can’t attend but want to watch, but you’ll have to inform them in advance as the routines are live and don’t record.
  7. The meals you can get at venues are often not very healthy. You also don’t always have time to leave between competition and awards for meals. For new locations, I’d recommend parents come prepared. While many venues won’t allow outside food, your families who don’t want to buy venue food could always pack lunches in their cars. If your team is meeting over lunch or dinner and heading to compete, just remind parents to make sure they’ve drank plenty of water, had a healthy meal within the last few hours, and maybe even a small, healthy snack right before you head to the gathering point.
  8. This is a personal opinion. If my kids did badly on the floor, we don’t talk about it right when they come off the floor. We only talk about good things. If they dropped stunts, they know it. They already feel bad. For one-day events, save the “bad” for the next practice and reframe it to be “what we need to work on over the next few practices”. I don’t do a lot of 2-day events. When we did, you have to tell them what they did wrong. Warn them in advance that you’ll need to “coach” them through anything that didn’t hit on day one. Remind them of all the things they did do great and that it’s your job to help them get an even better score on day 2. Never get angry. They’re kids. You’re the coach. If they were perfect, why would they even need you?