Pre-wrap Gift Basket – and a new contest
June 26, 2009 by treece
Filed under Uses for Pre-wrap
Our newest pre-wrap gift basket contains 9 rolls of our most popular colors. Looking for a birthday present for a friend? This new gift basket is the perfect size. For just $22.99, you can have this adorable basket shipped free! Click here to order this pre-wrap gift basket.
To be entered to win this gift basket, we ask you to post a tournament tip here.
Give us one tip for traveling to an away tournament! If you’re active in sports like we are, out-of-state tournaments can be fun but also stressful.
We’ll start.
Our coach’s amazing wife booked a reservation at a great Italian restaurant in Baltimore when we went down to the NEQ volleyball tournament. She found a restaurant that had a private room and we all sat at a big horse-shoe shaped table. We all knew ahead of time what night our team dinner was and all brought pretty dresses so we’d look nice. No worries about finding a restaurant once we got to town. No standing in line on a Saturday night waiting for some boring chain restaurant to seat thirty of us together.
Our tip: Research the area before you get to your tournament and book a reservation ahead of time. Call the hotel and ask for recommendations if you don’t know the area.
First four responses receive 2 rolls of pre-wrap free! We’ll also choose one random tip to receive this gift basket. Contest ends July 15th.
Before every away tourney we would find a place where we could cook food. Then we would have everybody bring a snack/drink to finish the meal! For breakfeast we find a hotel that has a free breakfeast(no paying for breakfeast). Then we would just go out to eat one time, or just have leftovers for lunch! You’ll save money by just organizing a cook out and finding a hotel with a free breakfeast!!
Before our big basketball games all the moms would organize a dinner or pasta and fruits and stuff like that
and we would eat it before our game…. it was always good because we didnt have to pay for a big dinner. pasta
always goes a long way!!!!
We travelled for a high school soccer tournament within the state but made it a “bonding” trip as it was in the first couple weeks of the season. Planned ahead and had the whole team stay in the same hotel with the girls staying 3 or 4 to a room with a team mom. Most outside events were planned as a team, dinner, movies, mall shopping. One night was especially fun as each girl brought a small gift for gift exchange. Ordered Pizza and ordered a movie from the hotel and the girls hung out in one of the rooms as a team, ate pizza and laughed. It was great. Those girls were especially bonded as a team throughout the remainder of the season.
if you are playing a tourney when it is supposted to rain, always bring a couple towels and extra socks just incase,,, you can always just leave them in the car?
plan a fun activity and pre-game meal, so everyone can take their minds off all the stress and relax, after the refreshing meal, get out there and play your best!
I travel alot for sports and its always great to get a great hotel that the whole team will have fun at, make a schedule of when your games are and plan activities or meals during off-times, and have a great time!!
Bring enough pre wrap for the whole team. If you have awesome-colored pre wrap, chances are, the rest of your team is going to want some for the game too.
definitely plan the pre-game meal so the team can sit together and away from smokers/drinkers.
pack favorite food bars [power bars] and juice or gatorade.
healthy snacks- hard pretzels/portable fruit.
bring a tent!
waterproof gear and extra socks.
recognize accomplishments and reinforce goals.
smile ALOT!
give each athlete a “i believe in you” card.
pre-wrap for everyone’s hair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you should not party with your friend all night or you can’t play your best!!!!!
Softball is my sport and pre-wrap is great for it, especially braiding your team colors in. Going to a tournament always make sure you have 3 gallon jugs of water or gatorade. Works great with my team and the parents love it cause they don’t have to worry about buying the athletes a bunch of drinks for those hot days. Another idea is bring coolers with ice and wet wash clothes. Stick them in the freezer the night before then take them out for about a half hour and put them in the cooler. Whenever the athlete needs it they can take one out and put it on their neck or head to help them cool off a little.
make sure you double check you have all of your uniforms and things you need. i once had a girl on my team forget her uniform ans she had to sit out and watch the whole game. Make sure to double check!
My Tips are Always Bring Both Jerseys to Your soccer Games.
We were suppose to play a different county so we were all like there not going to have the same color jerseys as us but they did when we got there but luckily we brought both of them so we quicky changed to our other wons.
Another tip is to wear BOTH of your sock colors like oneside wear Red and the other side White.
And bring a tent/canpoy thing so the players can rest under it and frezze washclothes and put them into baggie and put them in a coler with ice.
It feels so good on your neck when you just come out of them game
Always Strech your Feet/ankeles
My team does
First you pull your arms and then while your doing that roatate you ankle and then do little push ups with your feet.
It really helps.
**What my team does with pre-wrap is if it is hot outside we tie our sleves up.
like get a small piece of Pre-Wrap and the opening from your neck to the opening of the bottom of your sleeve.
Our track and field coach always makes sure to book convenient,hotels that are relevant to our needs. A grocery store, subway and a late night store (like tim hortons) never fails! Since we never know ahead of time what time all of our games are going to be, having stores like subway and tim hortons never fails! Having a mall near by also helps for killing those few hours between games as well.
Tip: Make sure to check out shops/stores surrounding your hotel before arriving.
When my daughter’s team attends an away tournament in the summer, in a place that we know is going to be hot, we usually have a parent on the team drive his/her RV trailer to the game so the girls have a place to rest between games. We pitch in to stock it with fresh fruit, cold water and other healthy snacks so that the girls will keep up their energy for the next game. Its fun because all the girls stay together and they don’t have to leave the field!
My friend Kim, over at Health-n-Sport, recommends using Cytomax. We found it truly did make a difference on those really hot days. We’d put it in a blender with ice and it’s like having a slushy that actually helps you perform. Check it out: http://www.health-n-sport.com/sports/cytomax_orange_1_5_lb_cytosport.htm
That’s a lot more fun than peanut butter and jelly!
tip: Drink tons of fluids! mix it up and drink other liquids besides water like gatorade, powerade, propel, or vitamin water. It’s always important to be hydrated.
For away softball tournaments our team will plan lunches in between games, that way we dont have to go out all the time or live on the concession stand foods, each parent will donate a different dish and we bring tables and chairs and find a shady spot under a pavilion or under trees to set up, we also like to add themes to our lunches to make them a little more fun, for example at our tournament this weekend we are having a make your own taco lunch(:
To stay organized.. make a list of what you have to bring
And don’t forget to bring some small containers or zip lock bags of laundry detergent!
TIP:
When booking a hotel, search the area for hotels with suites. They have a mini kitchen and washing machine so if your uniform gets muddy you can wash them! And you also have more room!!!!!
When you go to an out of town tournament it is a good idea to pick a hotel with a complimentary breakfast, and then pack a lunch or stop at the grocery store for a healthy snack! Also make reservations for dinner before you arrive in the town.
Our dance team goes to dance competitions all over. To make it easy for our parents, my dance teacher makes a list of the makeup and hair accessories that we need. We divy out the items between families. For example, one family brings bobby pins, one brings lip stick, etc. When we arrive at the competition we gather together in the dressing room and do each other’s hair and makeup. It’s really easy because all the supplies are right there! It’s fun too.
We bring white garbage bags to the tournaments with the words “plastic only” written on them. We put all our empty water bottles and gatorade bottles in and bring it home to recycle. Also, when we leave a playing area, the team cleans up every empty plastic bottle around the court (even if they are not ours) which helps the environment and the tournament staff and gives the girls a sense of responsiblity to both. (we also pick up any trash we see … also to help out the host team)
Softball is the game here and pre-wrap is pretty cool stuff! Love the colors and the braiding idea is neat.
2 gallon jug of ice water to keep filling water bottles is a life saver. (easy on the wallet too!)
A mom with an emergency kit, not only Band aids, but scissors, safety pins, tape, pencils for keeping the score book, etc. Pre-wrap was used to hold ice packs on a players broken ankle on Monday, so it belongs in the emergency kit!
In the vehicle: keep a chair, blanket, cooler, and bag full of snacks, as well as games and toys for the little cheering section. Always better to have too much, rather than not enough!
When i go to a away tournament my coaches tell me that its important to be kind and nice to people from other teams and to other people too because you represent your team and your city and you want to think that your city and team are nice. Its also important to eat something before you play because its not good to play on a empty stomach. I hope that you liked me tips! I love Pre-Wrap!
I love the “To Go” bag idea! It does take organizing though. A big thank you to all of the amazingly organized parents that get things like this done!
So true – closer is not always better!
Great idea. Our team was once disqualified from a tournament because one of our players forgot her uniform shirt!
For out of state soccer tournaments my team always bring an extra something. A couple team members have extra shin guards, some cleats, some laces, little things like that. So whenever a player needed something they didnt have to carry an extra of everything, or buy it. We always knew who to go to for what we needed. As the years went on we all pitched in for our “repair kit” that had all the tihings we found needed to be replaced the most on trips. Our coach always brought it to every game no matter how close or far.
My friend and I are both on different soccer teams. Just recently my soccer team traveled to a tournament down in Baltimore. And the next day I find out that my friends team is going to the same tournament! We both had totally different hotels. It turns out they picked one that was within 1 mile of the tournament fields but it was a very very low quality hotel. My teams hotel was 15 minutes away from the fields but it was sooooo much better quality than my friends hotel! Tip: A close hotel is not always the best hotel. Make sure you consider hotels that are farther away from your tournament. They might just be tons better. Another quick tip: make sure you bring little snacks like granola bars on your ride to the tournament. You don’t want to take more stops becuase you are hungry. I usually bring energy bars that I eat an hour before we get to the first game of the tournament if I am not sleeping at a hotel the night before. Hope these are good tips! I love my pre-wrap! P.S. I got rave reviews when I braided my pre-wrap in my team colors! Thanks for the great idea!
When my daughter’s soccer team travels, we are often forced to use a tournament’s travel partner to book hotel rooms. If we can’t choose the hotel, we often get places without an included continental breakfast or very expensive breakfasts without the nutritional value our coach and parents desire.
For those occasions, we purchased a pre-approved list of breakfast foods at the local grocery store. We buy bagels, peanut butter, fresh fruit, granola, juices and other odds and ends that go over well. We get a pack of lunch size paper bags, and then assemble the items into To Go bags for the team. The cost has never been more than $3 a player. We alternate whose room is the pick-up point, and once when we had plenty of time before our first game, we had the girls get the bag from one room, then work their way to numerous rooms to fill the bag, adding a little fun into the meal.
Kelsey, freezing wet wash cloths is one of the best tip I ever had for those nasty summer days. I just put them in zip lock bags. The kids are so thankful!
Diana – we so appreciate restaurants that are willing to do individual tickets. I think the waitresses end up being tipped better for being accomodating.
Ask the hotel where you are staying for a conference room to use during your stay. At most hotels, these are free. In between games and at night the parents and kids can meet up there. You can have snacks, play games or just have it for the coaches general meeting area.
When eating out with a large group instead of having you child’s meal put on your ticket have everyone have an individual ticket. You will all ready be require to pay the higher large group gratuity. Speeds up the process and makes it easier to spot any errors on the bills. When the waitress/waiter hands out the tickets have your child give theirs to you or provided them with cash to pay the staff directly. It helps tremendously to get in and out of the resturant faster and the children can sit with their friends.
Summary – individual tickets + paying with cash = faster/smoother check out
Beth, I love the Walmart idea. One mom told us she called the hotel to ask where the nearest one was and they actually offered to go and buy Gatorade for the team and had it for them when they got to the hotel.
Tami…newspaper for the cleats. It really does work. We
Lori, I never heard of boot dryers.
Kailee – it really does help to be all together. Less worry for the parents trying to keep track of kids, and less disturbing to other guests.
Great tips!
I have a lot of away soccer tourneys and its great to have some tips so here are a few : site used -
http://www.ehow.com/how_4846669_plan-weekend-sports-tournament.html
1. make sure to get complete directions long before you leave, highway construction and traffic can slow your progress and prevent you from reaching your games on timeThe best solution for avoiding these mishaps is to leave a day before and stay the night in a hotel. For some this can be an expensive option, so if you don’t have the money make sure you check with tournament officials who are familiar with the area to make sure that you have a contact in case you run into traffic or get lost.
2.Confirm your hotel reservations before you leave. After traveling all day or night the last thing you want is to arrive in your tournament city and realize you dont’ have hotel reservations. Sports tournaments are often large and hotels might be sold out for the weekend. So make sure you have your reservations and that you understand all the terms of the hotel, such as check in and check out times. Some hotels will cancel your reservations if you don’t get there on time, especially if hotels in town are full.
3.Bring an ice cooler with everything that you and your athlete might need for the weekend. It should include ice, light snacks such as fruit, small first aid kit…etc. By having these items with you, you won’t have to hunt down a store in a city you are not familiar with. Also if your athlete has little time in between games he/she may not have enough time to leave the complex and find food or supplies.
4.Always bring extras. You never know when there might be a problem. So always bring extra shoe strings and other items that the athlete might need to compete.
5.If the event is outside bring an umbrella for the rain or heat as well as a rain suit. You can keep these items in your car if you don’t want to carry them around.
6.Keep cash on you. Many large tournaments make money from parking and often do not have card machines. Also tournaments often sale t-shirts and other items at the park and do not have credit machines
7.When you arrive in the city ask locals where the restaurants you like are located as well as grocery stores and big box stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens…etc.
To stay cool during or after a game freeze wet wash cloths for those hot and humid days. It would be great during halftimes and also they’ll be cool for in between games.
For away tournaments, we like to secure a free conference room or eating area at the hotel. We then have food catered. This saves time and money. We arrange the time for the food to be delivered at our convienence. If there is not a local Moe’s Southwest Grill, we ask the hotel for recommendations. We also try to gain access to the TV in the lobby and replay the video pf the game earlier in the day. The kids and the parents have a great time and the parents are NOT stressed!
Tip: At the hotel, (or before hand), request that you all be placed right next to or close by to the rest of your team, and or on a level where there are not a lot of guests. That way, it is easy to find everyone AND no getting in trouble for staying up late and playing hotel tag
Our team went to an outdoor soccer tournament and the weather was not favorable. We bought Boot Dryers and dried the teams soccer cleats and ready for next day of tournament play. Our team won the tournament and having dry shoes had to help. If you don’t have a boot dryer, fill your shoes with newspaper to draw the dampness out. Enjoy the summer and we love our pre-wrap!
Bring old newspaper to stuff inside cleats if the weather is rainy. The newspaper absorbs the water in the shoes so they will be dry to wear the next day.
For away tournaments closer to home we often plan tailgate lunches on the first day. There is a list of food items and everybody signs up to bring one of the items. We end up with a huge selection of food items and have plenty to eat and snack on through out the day.This way everybody stays together at the fields and the girls get a chance to relax and hang out with each other.
We always ask to keep one of the room keys from the hotel. Punch a hole and add it to my daughters soccer bag. Great way to see all the places you have been to.
Before each tournament we make a list of the items our team will need, tent, snacks, sunscreen, water, Gatorade , etc and then divy the list out and each family brings one thing from the list for the entire team.
A tip or two for parents! If you are intending on washing uniforms as a “team”, bring safety pins. Pin your socks to your shirt. It assures you will get the right socks back. If you’ve played in the rain, stuff your cleats with newspaper, it helps them dry
If it’s a travel tournament where you’re flying to the destination, mapquest the directions to the nearest Walmart superstore before you go. Stop there at your earliest chance, even on the way to the hotel from the airport. Buy folding chairs and umbrellas for the parents, ice chests, and all your gatorade then, in addition to snacks for the room, and any liquid items like shampoo. That way you don’t have to worry about packing and checking any of this stuff and can travel all carry-on.
We always stay at a hotel that has a big common area like Marriot Courtyards and each family brings a cooler filled with a predetermined part of the meal which can then be shared by all in the common area. We also bring all paper products, etc. As long as you clean up after your meal the hotels don’t have a problem with this. Also these hotels usually have a pool so swimming is the evening activity.
Being a college student, you are always living on a tight budget! Whenever my college volleyball team traveled for an away tournament, our moms and dads were a big help! We would decide which parents would bring what food and beverages- like gatorage, sandwiches or even snacks. This was a big help so we didn’t have to travel with all this food ourselves- we lucked out that many of our parents traveled to away games with us. Planning ahead ensured we didnt have doubles of anything and so not only one parent was stuck paying. It also helped with our own college student budget!
For some of our lacrosse away games, we preordered Subway meals. They were really good and refreshing after a hard, hot game!