I feel you. My daughter is an equestrian that shows and we are out the door at 4am and it is boring, cold or hot, stinky and we do not leave until 5p that day only to return the next day and do it again. But, I busy myself cleaning out stalls, cleaning tack or driving the golf cart to get riders to the show ring.

My other kid loves archery and that is kinda exciting. I would be bored with soccer or track though.

Anonymous wrote:I hear you. I ran track for years as a child. My dad was the treasurer and shot the start gun for most races. He loved it. My mom maybe came to 2 of my meets. She had other kids too but I get how boring it was. It was great bonding for my Dad.

My oldest is in softball and volleyball and I find both of them very exciting to watch with low key parents. She used to play soccer and I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Not only was it boring as F to watch, but the parents were just obnoxious.

Softball parents are NOT low key.

— USSSA, USA and NFHS umpire.

Hold my beer

—Rowing mom

Cross country it’s difficult to see them on the course.

An indoor track, there aren’t a lot of good facilities around here so you’re either driving very far or you’re watching them run around a middle school gym and it’s terrible. (I’m looking at you, TJ middle school in Arlington)

Spring track is the best, but then you’ve got a variety of weather.

It’s best to know what events your child is running, and just go for those events. Try and get a sense within the three hour track meet when in the meet your kid is going to be running and just go for that portion

Anonymous wrote:Junior high might vary, so you should ask the coach. For high school, I screenshot this and keep it handy:

https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/0073/7955/Order_Of_Events.pdf


I'd estimate two hours for junior high, unless it's an invitational involving many schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son swims, I feel the same about swim meets. There is lots of waiting for a minute to 2 minute swim. Do they ever ask for volunteers? It does make the time go faster.

Swim meets are the worst.

You say that because your kid doesn't run cross country. You watch them start. Then they disappear. So you watch an empty finish line. Woo Hoo.

At least with swimming there are other people swimming to watch. That's mildly entertaining. With cross country they're gone.

It's like if your kid was a competitive scuba diver.

With cross country you move about a little to see them at various points excluding the start and finish. And you know the time when they are running.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They bore the hell out of me. I have to sit there for like three frickin' hours just to watch her in action for about 2 minutes. Honestly, I would be perfectly happy to not go and just ask her how she did later. I go of course, and don't tell her how I feel, but man do I hate it.

What's of course about it? There didn't used to be the expectation that a parent had to attend every event a child was in. Maybe she's fine with you not being there.

Aww. There's a kid on my son's soccer team who manages to get to every game and practice, but I've never seen his parents or guardians. He sits alone and waits for his grandma to pick him up afterwards. Sometimes he accepts offers of rides home, sometimes he doesn't.

He is a happy kid with great social skills and a good teammate. So maybe it's ok. But I feel sad for him.

He'll be a successful launched adult who isn't woven into the nest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They bore the hell out of me. I have to sit there for like three frickin' hours just to watch her in action for about 2 minutes. Honestly, I would be perfectly happy to not go and just ask her how she did later. I go of course, and don't tell her how I feel, but man do I hate it.

What's of course about it? There didn't used to be the expectation that a parent had to attend every event a child was in. Maybe she's fine with you not being there.

Aww. There's a kid on my son's soccer team who manages to get to every game and practice, but I've never seen his parents or guardians. He sits alone and waits for his grandma to pick him up afterwards. Sometimes he accepts offers of rides home, sometimes he doesn't.

He is a happy kid with great social skills and a good teammate. So maybe it's ok. But I feel sad for him.

Someone needs to invent a restaurant-style pager for parents for track, gymnastics, and swim meets. You can read novels or go get coffee or doze in your car and get alerted 15 minutes before your child’s event starts.

“Pole vault! Party of three!”

Anonymous wrote:Track meets follow a pretty standard schedule so once you know the order of events you can probably time your attendance so you aren't there for as long.

I got to the point where I enjoyed the meets. DC ran indoor and outdoor for 4 years, and qualified for the state championships most seasons, so it was a LOT of meets.

This. My DD runs all year-we go to most. We follow the schedule so we are not there all day/night. I enjoy watching her. It's kinda like swim-follow the meet sheet come a half hour before just in case.

I hated going to DCPSmiddle school track meets. It included like 16 schools, multiple heats for every race and started late. Three hours was the short end.

Having done years of travel baseball/softball with two kids the track meet sounds like a vacation.

If it is at a place I can get to easily, I like to go. For the whole time.

Is it important for your daughter that you are there? I have two swimmers and lots of swim meets. They are usually about 2-3 hours and really boring. They are inside which is good, but also ridiculously hot. My girls are a bit younger and really care that I be there.

I would do anything to go to every meet to watch ds run. But I cant becuse they are mostly on weekdy afternoons while I am at work.
If you feel like you “have “ to go - just go when its their event coming up.