mercyrule777 wrote:I would like coaches and parents to ask their kids what they thought about "PGF Opening Ceremonies"
I asked my team (and we stayed til the very end when they were cleaning up) and a few other players from other teams what they thought...I think the fact that when the final act ended, there were maybe 10 teams left out of 198, was a big hint. The crowds weren't an issue at all for us. I personally got dropped off so the parking wasn't too big of a problem for me either but other parents had issues.
They agreed with the music complaints. They can use radio versions of "their" music and the girls would have had a blast. One of my kids exact quotes was, "I would have had more fun if they just put the radio on power 106 over the speakers." That music change would have made the total difference.
The beach was nice, weather was pretty awesome, of course, and our kids had fun going out to the water afterwards and just being teenagers. Leah O was an awesome speaker and she is such a sweetheart; she took pictures, let them take pics with her 3 gold medals, and talked with the girls. That was cool to have her there.
My daughter said to me, and this is just advice for next year, that her favorite Nationals was in 12u Illinois, two years ago, at the college football stadium. They gave the girls popcorn, a free drink, they took their team picture on the field after they announced the names (so they felt like superstars on a red carpet) and they like being down on the field in front of a "football size crowd." It was at night so it wasn't hot. They had a magic act that was pretty cool too and they played their types of music. I think it's 100% about the music for them.