Autograph Collecting for Dummies

As you all know, Ashlee and I have a rather large autograph collection. (Ashlee has around 60 and I have over 30!)  A question people always seem to ask us is, "how did you get so many?" "How can I get some?" If you're interested in started an autograph collection of your own, keep on reading! We're about to share all our tips on how to be an expert autograph collector with you!

Who to contact:

The first step to starting your autograph collection is quite simple. You need to decide who's autograph you would like to have. But remember, you have to be realistic. As much as I would LOVE to have the entire Fierce Five's autographs, I know that the likely hood of that happening (unless you go to a tour stop!) is really not possible. Olympic athletes have busy lives, that's why I would suggest picking one of your favorite juniors. Juniors almost always respond back and they love getting fan mail. Many of the juniors that we see out on the floor today, are the World and Olympic champions of tomorrow. So get their autographs while you can! Ashlee wrote to Jordyn Wieber back in 2008 and she responded with a really sweet letter. We wrote to Shawn and Nastia back in 2007 and they both got back to us with an autographed picture! If you write to a few of the juniors NOW, there is a good chance that you could have a future Olympians autograph!

When to contact them:

Now that you've picked out your favorite gymnast, it's time to decide when will be a good time to contact them. The goal is to pick a time when their most likely to respond. For example, writing to Gabby Douglas during the Olympics is probably not the best idea. Again, I would recommend contacting them when their young. You also want to avoid contacting them directly before or after a big meet. If you write someone a week before Nationals, their going to be busy training and preparing for the meet. Pick a "downtime" (like right now!) when there's no major meets coming up. Always check to see if the gymnast you're writing to is home and not away at a meet or doing appearances before you write to them. When you work around the gymnasts schedule, they will have more time to respond!

How to contact them:

There are only a few ways to contact a gymnast: letters, social media, and meet & greets (or after competitions). I know going to gymnastics meets can be expensive which is why I've only been to 1 in my entire life (2010 Covergirl Classic). It was held in Chicago (which is a 4 hour drive from where I live) and I ended up meeting around 20 gymnasts in the lobby before and after the meet. Sometimes if you get lucky, you can find gymnasts in the audience. At the Covergirl Classic, Jordyn Wieber was sitting 3 rows in front of us and all the GAGE gymnasts were sitting in the row behind us! More great opportunity's to get some autographs! If a meet is coming to a state near you, I would highly recommend going. However, there is always another option. College meets! College gymnastics is very inexpensive (hello $5 tickets!), fun to watch, and often times the teams will have former elite gymnasts on them. I go to about 2 or 3 U of M meets a year and have meet several athletes who are former national team members or Olympic athletes from country's like Canada, Great Britain, and even the U.S. If going to a meet just isn't an option for you, you can always send a letter to the gym!

What to say:

When you write your letter, I would make it personal by telling them your name, age, level (if you are a gymnast) and why you look up to them. You can also ask them a few questions which prompts them to write you a letter back! You also want to make your letter personal, don't just make it seem like you are writing to  get their autograph. Say something like "I loved your vault at the 2012 Covergirl Classic, it was perfect!" Giving them a specific compliment lets them know you actually pay attention to their gymnastics. Tell them how you have an autograph collection and that you'd love to have theirs! I like to decorate my letter with stickers and take some time to make my letter extra special. Gymnasts get fan mail all the time, make your letter memorable! Some of the more popular gymnasts have autograph cards that they can quickly sign and send out, but it doesn't hurt to send a picture of your own that you'd like them to sign! Another thing I find helpful is to send a pre-addressed envelope. Have your address and a stamp all ready to go on the envelope so that all the gymnast has to do is sign the picture and send it right back. Easy as that!

I hope you find these tips helpful. Let us know if you have any more questions! Happy Collecting!

You can click here to view Ashlee's autograph collection!

Written by: Brittany