WAG Regarding Coaches Traveling to Meets

[CoachMeg]

Just a question on how your gym operates in regards to sending coaches to meets.

Background: In previous years, most coaches drove up to meets separately (most of our meets are between 2 - 4 hours away) and we would all room separately. We would bring 4 coaches but 2 would stay for compulsories and 2 would stay for optionals. It was nice because we could bring up our significant other and we would make a weekend out of it. Obviously the significant other would pay for all their expenses, but we would share a hotel room and car.

However, we've had a head coach change since last year and things are different. Our fee per session is cut by $25 and we are required to carpool and room together (females in one, males in another). It's completely changed the meet experience for me altogether. Now if I have a 8am session and am done for the day, I have to sit around and wait at the meet because I don't have my car (other coach brings theirs). Also, while we are all close - sharing a room is a whole other type of closeness (showering, changing, sleeping - coach I share a room with has a breathing machine for sleep apnea).

In a couple weekends we are going to a pretty big meet about 3 hours away in a large city. I am bringing up the idea of being able to get my own room and drive up separately so that I can enjoy the city in between sessions with my significant other. Do you think this is unreasonable? How does your gym deal with this type of thing?

 

[skschlag]

I do not. HOwever, we limit the number of coaches that the parents have to split the fees for.

I think you are fair in asking. I think that if it is far enough away, you should have a room. We don't typically pay for rooms if the meet is less than an hour away, except for extreme circumstances.

However, we do typically limit the number of coaches that people are helping to pay for (costs are passed to the gymnasts at our gym). So for the boys...1 coach goes, (for 7 levels, and 16 boys). For the girls, for 4 levels and 16 girls, they want to take 4 coaches. Um..no. So we typically say bc will cover 2 coaches, and they figure out the rest. For instance, for the next meet, 3 coaches are going. I think they are splitting the cost of 1 coach, and charging 2 to the bc. (not sure completely).

Does that make sense? We do not make coaches share hotel rooms. We have, occassionally, had them share a car. Especially since the cost of it all is being passed along to the parents. (session fees, travel, food, etc)

 

[mommyof1]

When I travel on business, I am always provided with my own hotel room. Our group travels together when it makes sense, but we often travel separately for reasons of scheduling or convenience. However, when we fly somewhere we only rent one car at the destination, which usually means that we go out to dinner as a group, especially if we are not in a walkable city.

You are traveling on business, so you should be treated like any other business traveler. As a parent, I would think it reasonable for you to be allowed to drive separately and have your own room, as long as the team is sending a reasonable number of coaches. (My daughter's L3 team usually gets split into two or three "squads" of no more than ten girls that rotate separately during the same session, and each squad gets one coach.) I would also expect the coaches to be paid their regular hourly wage for time spent coaching plus travel time, but not for downtime at the destination, plus per diem for meals not otherwise provided (my employer uses the federal M&IE schedule, which varies by city).

 

[Ali'sMom]

As a parent, as much as I don't want to pay for too many coaches, I definitely wouldn't feel right making the coaches share rooms...

 

[skschlag]

When I travel on business, I am always provided with my own hotel room. Our group travels together when it makes sense, but we often travel separately for reasons of scheduling or convenience. However, when we fly somewhere we only rent one car at the destination, which usually means that we go out to dinner as a group, especially if we are not in a walkable city.

You are traveling on business, so you should be treated like any other business traveler. As a parent, I would think it reasonable for you to be allowed to drive separately and have your own room, as long as the team is sending a reasonable number of coaches. (My daughter's L3 team usually gets split into two or three "squads" of no more than ten girls that rotate separately during the same session, and each squad gets one coach.) I would also expect the coaches to be paid their regular hourly wage for time spent coaching plus travel time, but not for downtime at the destination, plus per diem for meals not otherwise provided (my employer uses the federal M&IE schedule, which varies by city).

THis is what we do. Coaches get per diem based on the federal rates. They get mileage in state, and flights out. They get a hotel room paid for, and they get a car (unless there is more than one then they share). (our gymnasts get the same)

We just have to be careful because our girls will send 4-5 coaches if we don't have some limits on it. Really 2 coaches can do it easily. If one can do it for the boys......lol

 

[wandrewsjr]

I have seen gyms have coaches share rooms and some not. Talk to the head coach about the room, and bring up the breathing machine because you should be able to get a goods nights rest so you can be at your best. (I wouldn't bring up the wanting to spend time with my significant other thing)

It is not reasonable to make you share a car to drive to the meet if it means you have to stay at the meet instead of heading home, while not working and not getting paid. It is essentially an employer telling you that you are required to report to work and sit there but not get paid.

 

[wandrewsjr]

THis is what we do. Coaches get per diem based on the federal rates. They get mileage in state, and flights out. They get a hotel room paid for, and they get a car (unless there is more than one then they share). (our gymnasts get the same)

We just have to be careful because our girls will send 4-5 coaches if we don't have some limits on it. Really 2 coaches can do it easily. If one can do it for the boys......lol

The parents and booster club tell the gym and team coaches how many coaches can go to competitions?

 

[skschlag]

The parents and booster club tell the gym and team coaches how many coaches can go to competitions?

no. The gym can send as many as they want. But the gym and bc work together to determine how many the parents are responsible for paying for. Sending 4 coaches across the country with flights, hotel, cars and perdiem can run $6000. That is about $400 per gymnast. The question is, do you need to send 4 coaches with 15 kids who are all traveling with parents?

But back to the original question. I think that your own hotel room is just the way it should be.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

We typically only have 2 coaches per day. 2 of our 5 possible coaches are married. Not an issue, thankfully.

I used to travel corporately, my feeling is I don't share my living space at home unless by choice, why should I on the road.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

If you are required to car pool then you should absolutely get paid for all the session you are waiting around for. The head coach cannot have it both ways. However if you can just go back to the hotel then that is different. We always share hotel rooms, but I am the only male at this time so I get my own room. But in the past I shared.

 

[mommyof1]

We always share hotel rooms, but I am the only male at this time so I get my own room. But in the past I shared.

I would be embarrassed if I learned that our booster club expected coaches to share rooms. Coaches are adult professionals. Let's treat them that way. Say there are 15 kids with two coaches for a meet a 3-hour drive away, so the coaches need to spend one night in a hotel. If the hotel is $150 per night, that's an extra $10 per kid for the second room. Say there are five meets over the course of the season that require a hotel stay. That's $50 extra per kid for the entire season to treat the coaches right. If a family can afford this sport, it can afford to put the coaches in their own hotel rooms.

Maybe I just feel so strongly about it because I travel a lot for work. My colleagues and I get along very well, but by the end of the day I'm sick of socializing with them and am glad to have some downtime in my own hotel room. If we had to share rooms I think we would drive each other mad.

 

[sevenatenine2]

What is a typical session fee for coaches?

 

[flippin out]

Don't anything about payment per session or that stuff, but as far as rooming goes, all gyms we've been at it had friends at send coaches and they share rooms. Females in one room, males in another. Several of the gums I know, one of the coaches is owner....they share with the other coaches...no special treatment. They do the same to girls and chaperones on team travel meets. 4 girls to a room, chaperones in a room...all next to each other or connecting.

Heck, as non-chaperone parents we try and share rooms on those team trips too...saves money.

 

[sewgood]

If you are required to car pool then you should absolutely get paid for all the session you are waiting around for. The head coach cannot have it both ways. However if you can just go back to the hotel then that is different.

I completely agree with this. Either they pay you mileage or they pay for your time to sit there and play Angry Birds in the cafeteria for hours on end. Telling you to sit through several sessions that you aren't even coaching is ridiculous.

 

[raenndrops]

Your s/o could travel to the same city.
If you choose not to stay in the room being provided by the team, that would be your choice. The team should not have to pay for any part of your s/o trip. Then you could spend time when not working with s/o.

 

[duyetanh]

Don't anything about payment per session or that stuff, but as far as rooming goes, all gyms we've been at it had friends at send coaches and they share rooms. Females in one room, males in another. Several of the gums I know, one of the coaches is owner....they share with the other coaches...no special treatment. They do the same to girls and chaperones on team travel meets. 4 girls to a room, chaperones in a room...all next to each other or connecting.

Heck, as non-chaperone parents we try and share rooms on those team trips too...saves money.

Our gym does the same.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Both myself and my husband have traveled for work in the past and been in situations where we had to share vehicles and accommodations. Unfortunately sometimes that's just the way it is. Coaching isn't exactly corporate America. It stinks that they changed from a way of handling meets that was much more pleasant to one that isn't nearly as much fun, but I'm sure they didn't do it arbitrarily. On the other hand, there is nothing lost by asking and nothing gained by not, so why not ask for your own room, at least. Then you would lose out on mileage, but your SO will have a free bed and you'll have access to your own car for between sessions. I've done something similar myself. It seems you should never be out of pocket for a work trip, but if you want to do things your way, you might have to budge a little.

 

[gymdog]

I would be embarrassed if I learned that our booster club expected coaches to share rooms. Coaches are adult professionals. Let's treat them that way. Say there are 15 kids with two coaches for a meet a 3-hour drive away, so the coaches need to spend one night in a hotel. If the hotel is $150 per night, that's an extra $10 per kid for the second room. Say there are five meets over the course of the season that require a hotel stay. That's $50 extra per kid for the entire season to treat the coaches right. If a family can afford this sport, it can afford to put the coaches in their own hotel rooms.

Maybe I just feel so strongly about it because I travel a lot for work. My colleagues and I get along very well, but by the end of the day I'm sick of socializing with them and am glad to have some downtime in my own hotel room. If we had to share rooms I think we would drive each other mad.

It's very typical in this industry. I can almost guarantee you your gym does. I've never worked for a gym that got everyone their own hotel room. Carpooling is usually also required. I think it's fine to ask but this is the norm industry wide.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I'm pretty sure that at our gym the coaches do room together for travel meets, not sure about car pooling. However, we are a small tight knit gym and the coaches are all really close and a lot of them hang out together outside of the gym, so I don't think it's a big deal for them. All of them are female as well.

My husband travels for work a lot and most of the time he gets his own room, but when going to a large convention or a longer trip, they are expected to have roommates and carpool. It's not the most convenient, but he has some that he feels comfortable enough with to room with so he makes the best of it. He has worked for a company in the past that required them to all share three to a room, so with only two beds that meant that someone had to sleep on the couch. He also had a boss that liked to walk around au naturale after his shower, talk about uncomfortable! LOL! I can definitely see both sides to the story, I understand the inconvenience of having to carpool and room with someone, but I don't think t's completely outside of the norm even for businesses other than gymnastics.

 

[wandrewsjr]

It is industry standard for coaches who are working the same sessions of a meet to carpool. But it should not be expected for, say, a coach that is working an 8am to 12pm session and a coach that is working a 1pm to 5pm session to carpool and sit around while the other coach works.(my understanding of what op describes is happening) As coachp and others said, either both coaches should be paid for both sessions, or both should get mileage for driving separately.