Meet Control had a very busy October! We traveled to North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama for 9 meets!  

To view all the results from our October meets log on to our website:

www.meetcontrolonline.com 

To view our calendar to see where we will be going and to get information about our upcoming meets, please click below:

View Our Tour 

NEW WEBSITE

After months of work, Meet Control is excited to announce that we have created a brand new, more user friendly website.  The new site offers information on all of our services (scoring, sound, LiveScore, awards, printing, promotions, packages and much more), our calendar and tour, meet results and information about all upcoming meets.

Please follow the link to see our latest creation:

www.meetcontrolonline.com 

~ New Address ~

~ Even Better Services ~

~ Same Dependable Company ~

USAG^™ Membership

USAG Membership is required at ALL USAG Sanctioned events.  We all know this and we all know it can be a pain.  We have to renew our membership once a year, remember to do our safety certification every four years and now remember to renew our background checks every two years.  And we have to do all that on top of running a gym or simply trying to coach our athletes.  

Making sure our membership is current is just as important as any of our other responsibilities.  Current USAG membership ensures that everyone, not just yourself, at the competition is covered under the national insurance policy which in today's world of litigation is not just required it is an absolute necessity.  If there is even one person on the floor that does not have their membership up to date it jeopardizes the entire event from being covered.  

Here are just a few things each and every coach should do BEFORE heading off to the competition.

• Log into your personal profile on the USAG website and make sure all three of your dates are current through the last day of the competition you are attending.
• USAG Membership
• Safety Certification
• Background Check
• Print either a current USAG Card or a page view from the USAG website showing current USAG status.
• Make sure, if asked, you can verify your membership at anytime.
• If there is a problem with your membership notify the Meet Director or Scoremaster immediately about the problem and how you are trying to remedy it.  *Remember USAG closes at 4:00pm EST on Friday afternoon.  If there isn't a resolution to your problem by then it CANNOT be fixed at the competition. 

Club Administrators (the one's of you that do all the meet entries and try to keep up with everyone and everything) please remember that when entering a meet if you don't provide the USAG number for your coach the Meet Director or the Scoremaster cannot look up or verify your coach's eligibility.  It is as much your responsibility to make sure your coaches are current as it is the Meet Director of the competition you are attending.  Remember if any coach is on the floor that is not current it jeopardizes not only your athlete's safety but every athlete at the competition.  Also, I know it is easier to just initially make a list of your entire coaching staff and copy and paste them to each and every entry form, but if you know all of those coaches will not be attending, be fair to the Meet Director and competition and remove the names of the coaches that aren't coming.  Meets calculate how much food and gifts are needed and spend a lot of time verifying memberships based on coaches that you know will not be attending.

Lastly, coaches be patient and understanding to the Meet Host, Meet Director or Scoremaster if a problem arises with your membership.  There isn't any of the three that would intentionally keep a coach from being with their athletes during a competition, they are just doing their job and trying to make sure each and every athlete is safe.  Please try and remember mistakes do happen and having all of your membership payments and proofs on hand with you at a competition can ward off a lot of problems and heartache.       

Does It Really Matter?

So far this year I have judged and worked meets in three states. These first six weeks of competition have been typically exciting, fun, and full of enthusiastic new comers and seasoned athletes. Most of the meet formats have been modified traditional (warm up/compete). I really like this format because it expedites the meet and in my opinion gives the athletes time to concentrate on warming up one event at a time.

Recently I saw a young and seemingly talented compulsory athlete lose it on the competitive floor. She forgot part of her routine and rather than listen to her coach who stepped in to give her verbal instruction, she got mad, stomped off the floor and when the coach reminded her to salute, she again displayed what most considered an unsportsmanlike attitude. IT MATTERS!

I have seen an array of mismatched undergarments this year. It is distracting and could result in penalty. IT MATTERS!

I have noticed many athletes standing in my view during the playing of our National Anthem behaving disrespectfully. There is no penalty, but there is pause for thought. IT MATTERS!

I have seen a majority of coaches instructing their athletes on meet etiquette and sportsmanship. IT MATTERS!

During the times I have announced awards, I have seen second place athletes shake the hand of the first place athletes with a smile. IT MATTERS!

I have seen a number of coaches' pitch in to set bars and move mats at vault. IT MATTERS!

I have seen meet directors go beyond the requirements of hosting a meet to make sure the competitive experience was a positive one. IT MATTERS!

I have witnessed dozens of judges smiling and trying to put our gymnastics community at ease. IT MATTERS!

To quote the sign that endured over a ten year period at one of the Universities in my state, EVERYTHING MATTERS, EVERYTHING COUNTS! Everything we do, say and teach matters. As coaches, our mind set is reflected in those we coach. As judges, the way we view athletes and the competitive process is reflected on the floor. IT MATTERS!

We are a relatively small group of people who have an extremely important job. Although sometimes it is a thankless job, most of the time it is an extremely rewarding one. IT MATTERS!