Registering and preparing for Nationals can be pretty overwhelming, especially if this is your first year planning for your team. We’ve gathered some tips and guidelines here to help make the process easier!
Book hotel rooms EARLY! The host hotel fills up very early. Hotel booking usually opens in October. Try to get a good estimate of the number of rooms you will need and book early. You only pay for rooms that you use, so you can cancel extra rooms at any time up to 24 hours before you check in.
Register as much as possible by the early deadline. There are several different fees you will need to pay for your team:
Individual fees go up ~$10/person between early and regular registration and ~$20/person between regular and late registration. You don’t need to register for everything at once, so as soon as you have the information, REGISTER!
*Individuals can register for up to 3 disciplines: MAG, WAG, and/or T&T. For the first discipline (most common), you will need to pay the “First Discipline” fee. For any additional disciplines, you must pay the “Additional Discipline” fee. For example, if someone is participating in MAG, WAG, and TnT by the early deadline, then they would pay $95 + $15 + $15.
Buy flights at least 3 weeks before Nationals! Even better, flights will be at their cheapest 8 weeks before Nationals.
Remember to add athletes to teams and events by the registration deadline. You can always scratch an athlete if they decide not to compete an event. If you have more than 8 athletes on an event, create a second team! You can add teams at no cost as long as you don’t want them to be eligible for finals qualification. The faster you fill in event information, the faster we can get you session assignments! This information is critical for assigning sessions.
Be flexible with session requests! It makes assignments easier and faster. If you have specific needs, make sure you fill out your session requests on the registration page BEFORE the close of registration. By default, all MAG athletes from a club will be competing in the same session, regardless of level, as long as <20 athletes are on the team. By default, all WAG athletes in the same gym will be competing in the same session and a different session from your club’s MAG team, as long as there are <20 athletes in those levels. TnT athletes will be in a separate session from all other competitors from your club. Which WAG levels are grouped together depends on registration Don’t try to cherry pick sessions.
Compete at your level! As stated in Tip #5, we will keep most teammates together, regardless of level. It’s easier for the judges and more fun for athletes if you compete at the right level for your skills and abilities.
When you arrive at Nationals, send a maximum of 2 representatives to the registration table at the convention center to pick up your information packet, badges, t-shirts, and Nationals gift. Registration opens at 8pm on Wednesday and will remain open until all teams have checked in. It closes around 10:30pm each night.