Parents Why so secret?

[raenndrops]

Well, first, our gym is really big. Not even talking about rec and preteam- the team alone has many different practice times (am, midday, pm, split days) which means different coaches which could affect hourly rate, different coach/gymnast ratios, different numbers of training hours even within the same levels, sibling discounts, school at gym, etc... And, there is not only JO but also Xcel and boys on different rate scales. Plus, we also have two separate Xcel teams- one that stays Xcel forever and one that transitions to JO after Silver who are coached by entirely different people with entirely different numbers of hours than the regular Xcel team. Then if they tried to also list other fees such as meets and attire that would also be drastically different depending on level and if you were JO, Xcel or boys.

Then, also consider that each time the schedule changes there is a shakeup of groups. So at the beginning of summer and the beginning of every school year groupings change, hours change and therefore fees change. They'd have a real hard time keeping all of the updated.

I guess they could say our team costs anything from $150-$375 a month depending on your level, group, hours, and time of day but how helpful would that broad range really be?

Actually, even with that broad range, it would be more helpful than having no clue.

 

[gymbeam]

They may tell people that who call- I actually don't know. But it's not on our website. Probably partly because fees change often and partly because they just don't really use their website.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Well, first, our gym is really big. Not even talking about rec and preteam- the team alone has many different practice times (am, midday, pm, split days) which means different coaches which could affect hourly rate, different coach/gymnast ratios, different numbers of training hours even within the same levels, sibling discounts, school at gym, etc... And, there is not only JO but also Xcel and boys on different rate scales. Plus, we also have two separate Xcel teams- one that stays Xcel forever and one that transitions to JO after Silver who are coached by entirely different people with entirely different numbers of hours than the regular Xcel team. Then if they tried to also list other fees such as meets and attire that would also be drastically different depending on level and if you were JO, Xcel or boys.

Then, also consider that each time the schedule changes there is a shakeup of groups. So at the beginning of summer and the beginning of every school year groupings change, hours change and therefore fees change. They'd have a real hard time keeping all of the updated.

I guess they could say our team costs anything from $150-$375 a month depending on your level, group, hours, and time of day but how helpful would that broad range really be?

It sounds like their tuition structure is unnecessarily complicated. I've never even heard of a gym charging different tuition based on which coach is with a group before, or the time of day they practice, or the coach/gymnast ratio. Maybe our area is streamlined? You've got your rec price (per hour), and then teams are priced by stream/level (or number of practice hours, depending on how they group). That's it. One simple chart. My ODD has been in morning and night groups, Xcel, optionals, compulsory, and mixed groups. The tuition has always been set the same way. Since assessments (comp/coaching fees) vary year to year I wouldn't expect that to be published anywhere but I would expect an honest and upfront answer about past years.

 

[gymbeam]

Perhaps it is complicated, but that's their perrogative.

Oh and I forgot- another thing that complicates the rate scale it is that our per hour rate goes down the more hours you do.

Thank goodness for that because we're at the max. I very much appreciate whatever formula they use to figure that.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Perhaps it is complicated, but that's their perrogative.

Oh and I forgot- another thing that complicates the rate scale it is that our per hour rate goes down the more hours you do.

Thank goodness for that because we're at the max. I very much appreciate whatever formula they use to figure that.

Whenever things are complicated for no reason I worry it's to hide something. We've been at gyms where kids in the same group payed different amounts seemingly on a whim and it's a bad business model. We've maxed out (by more than double) the tuition at our current gym, so I'm glad there are caps too!

 

[MuggleMom]

I have straight up asked other parents what they pay. I know that each group does have the same rate at our gym and would agree that if you are paying different rates within the same group that is sketchy and I would be out of that gym so fast. The rate is based on hours. I think it mostly comes down to not scaring the Rec people out of the gym as many have stated earlier. I don't think our gym would "hide" the information from anyone but they dont really volunteer it either. Think about the mom who purchased her kid a groupon for a rec class she would likely be totally off put about gymnastics all together if she knew what I was paying as just a Level 3 parent. I have told friends what I pay monthly and they are in shock. My best friend just had a daughter and has already said she will not be doing gymnastics based solely on what we are paying now for our kid lol.