Back from Vegas!

Avatar for cathiann
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Back from Vegas!
8
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 1:04pm
We left last Thursday for Sami's gymnastics meet. She competed first thing Saturday morning. We had fun, but I really hope they don't go back--Vegas just isn't a great place to have kids there. I know they say it's more family friendly, but I hate exposing her to the gambling, drinking and smoking. Althought with the behavior of obviously drunk people at breakfast early Sunday morning (there was a bull riding contest at the hotel/casino too and these people were cowboys--complete with hats), I think that turned Sami off drinking!
Thursday Sami road to the hotel with another mom who had rented a car. They went to the WRONG casino/hotel! Then got bad directions--took them nearly two hours to finally make it to the hotel. Friday we spent a LONG time getting people organized (the bad part about going with a group!). Finally got out and about--it was FREEZING! The wind was awful (seriously--it was warmer in MInnesota on Friday than in Vegas). Here's the girls near Luxor. Sami is in the pink coat. Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting Then we walked down to M and M's World. DH had just a wonderful time there (sense the sarcasm LOL!). Had to take a picture of him there. Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
After getting on the wrong monorail (we wanted the free one going to Mandalay Bay where we could get a free shuttle to our hotel (South Point), we got on the paying one that went north instead. We got off and took a taxi back instead!), we headed back to the casino for a team meeting and the level 9 competition (one of the girls competed level 9). I also got to meet a friend from my August board who lives there. Here's a picture of us (I'm in glasses on the left). Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Afterwards I saw the mom of Sami's teammate/friend (she was keeping an eye on Sami). She said Sami hadn't felt well and complained of nausea, but seemed to be okay after going to the bathroom. After the meet she came to the hotel room and didn't feel well. She ended up throwing up --blech! Poor kid was crying while throwing up because she was worried she'd have to miss her meet the next day. I told her we'd see how she felt in the morning.
As it turned out, she was feeling better--no more vomiting, but still shakey, so we let her go. I did warn her coaches (behind Sami's back--she didn't want them to know) that she had been sick. I didn't want them yelling at her if she was slower, etc. than usual (and they would yell). But she did great! She took 9th place on bars and qualified for the State Meet! (all USAG sanctioned meets are qualifying meets for the Minnesota State Meet for levels 7-10, even if they don't take place in Minnesota).
Here's Sami with her teammate Allie. Sami's on the right. Photobucket - Video and Image HostingAnd here is Sami with her medal for bars (on the end). Allie took 7th and is standing next to her. Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
That's it! It was fun, but I'm hoping next year they go back to Florida, rather than doing Vegas again.


Photobucket - Video and Image HostingPhotobucket - Video and Image HostingPhotobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Surviving Middle & High School
Community Leader
Registered: 07-26-1999
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 1:29pm
I popped over to the Sports & Kids board earlier today to see how Sami had done but you hadn't posted yet. Are her scores over there, I see she was 7th in the one photo, very cool! The gym we were at last season went to Vegas the year before and none of the parents had anything good to say about it and voted no last year because it just wasn't family friendly. Do you have a week or two off before the next meet to recuperate? This coming weekend is our last one off before we start full fledged competition season.
Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 1:34pm
Wow, what a trip. Lots of wrong directions there. I didn't think Vegas was that complicated. LOL Sounds like she did super despite having a queezy tummy. Good for her and hope she does even better at state since she'll be 100% healthy. Hopefully next time you get to go somewhere warmer, like Manitoba or Alaska. LOL Great pics.

Photobucket  

Avatar for cathiann
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 2:40pm

I must have written it wrong--she actually took 7th, not 9th on bars.

Surviving Middle & High School
Avatar for cathiann
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 2:42pm

Yeah, I couldn't believe how cold it was!

Surviving Middle & High School
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2003
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 2:43pm

Sounds like a very fun weekend and sounds like Sami did pretty darn good!



Powered by CGISpy.com
Community Leader
Registered: 07-26-1999
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 3:28pm
Oh believe me Jordyn did not do nearly as well last year as she started out this year, she rarely even saw a 9.0 last year, this is her second year at level 7 and she skipped level 6 altogether. This gym we are at now we don't vote, but the last gym it was a really small team so they tried to keep the parents as happy as possible. Most gyms will try and alternate their out of state meets to a different location each year, at least that has been experience with the 4 gyms we have been with. I'm glad she did well despite her not feeling well. We have 8 meets on the schedule this year including south state and state meets. We had no out of state meets this year. We were supposed to go to Cancun, but (thank goodness) it got canceled because of the expense. Good luck to both of them in the next meet. I am looking forward to getting the season underway.
Photobucket
Avatar for cathiann
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 4:26pm

Yeah, they said they'd been to FLorida for several years in a row and wanted to try somewhere else.

Surviving Middle & High School
Community Leader
Registered: 07-26-1999
In reply to: cathiann
Mon, 01-08-2007 - 5:11pm

I would have done Cancun, but we just got to the gym at the end of July and with DH deploying and then the baby coming we just didn't have the time to financially prepare for the trip or do any significant fundraising.

We had been at two gyms in Michigan. One was where she went for 2 years of recreation and one year of pre-team then we switched to the one she competed at for one year of level 5 because it was closer to the house we bought and my work situation. We have been to 2 here in Texas, obviously the first one because of the initial move to Texas and then the one we are at now because DH was deploying and I had a 1 1/2 hour commute each way to work at the old house. That and the last gym she was at was honestly a very poor gym, Jordyn has spent most of the last 6 months relearning some skills that she learned wrong at the last gym or things that should have been focused on that were required at level 7 but they never helped make her better at. She's has just about all her level 8 skills already except the coaches wanted to work on some basic level 7 skills that she should have already learned correctly or need to be relearned.

Photobucket