Getting my daughter ready for a gymnastics meet is often a hassle, mainly because of her hair. Our gym has a strict hair code -- many do. So before every meet I have to comb through all the knots in my daughters' straight, fine hair; work in a huge glob of gel; comb, brush and comb some more; yank it back into a pony tail; wrap it into a bun; secure it with the better part of a package of bobbie pins; wrap the bun in a couple extra hair bands; add the team scrunchie; and finally top it all off with several coats of super-mega-hold hairspray.

It's a ritual neither of us enjoy, but she looks good. The whole team does! But knowing the hair issue, it really amused me when I stumbed on information about the third annual Bad Hair Invitational -- a gymnastics meet sponsored by the Knightdale Academy of Gymnastics in Knightdale, NC.

Apparently the coaches got frustrated over girls who would show up for meets with their hair not properly done and decided to embarrass the girls at a meet by all showing up with their hair deliberately ridiculous. It morphed into the Bad Hair Invitational where everyone -- gymnasts, coaches, and judges alike -- gets to let their hair down.