Aero
Coach
- Jan 1, 2014
- 836
- 2,153
Wow.
I'm still in disbelief about how things have been going for me lately. I know I haven't been around that much lately, but there have been big changes in my life, and I am so happy.
To give a bit of a background to those of you who don't know me that well, my roots are in parkour. I began training parkour seriously in 2007, and I ended up requiring a safer environment to learn the more advanced flips, tricks, jumps, etc. safely, so I found a local gym that had an open gym program. It was once a week every Friday, and I used every moment of that open gym to learn more. I looked at videos of how to spot back tucks and other skills so I could spot my friends during the learning process, and as a result, I got offered a job coaching recreational gymnastics at this gym in 2009. I did that for five years, and found that I craved far more, and my developing love for the job drove me to ask my boss to establish a team of my own at our team-less gym. He approved it and I began coaching competitively in 2014. After getting two athletes to Level 6 in three years, and four state champions later, I realized that even with my success, there was no future at my current gym.
To be honest, I always knew I wouldn't stay at this gym; it was too small and the management was really inferior. I was alone, because I was the only truly ambitious and serious person in the gym. Every other employee worked there as a part time job, or to keep some small foot in the gymnastics world. My ambitions are far greater. I couldn't stay there, otherwise my career would die a slow, gradual death in a stagnant pool of mediocrity.
After a lot of internal debate and deep reflection and thought, I decided to move to a gym that had been recruiting me for two years. We had multiple meetings and they have been so fantastic. I am so incredibly grateful. I now have so many things I was not afforded at my other job, the greatest of which are the wonderful, caring, and devoted gym owners. They welcomed me with open arms immediately, and with all the other coaches, I feel an immediate bond. We are a unified family. I finally don't feel alone, and I see the other coaches and teachers are open minded individuals who genuinely enjoy teaching children.
I was brought on board specifically to completely reform and restructure the team program. The owners noticed my kids at meets, and liked the way they looked, as well as how I interacted with my girls. They have pursued me for two years, and I finally saw that they needed me to help their program, and wanted me to become a part of their gym family. I was flattered, and I ultimately realized this was my future.
As much as I knew I had to make this move, I was horribly confused about the decision; it ultimately meant furthering my career vs. leaving behind all of my kids that I had worked with for so long. Deep down, I knew what I had to do, but the decision to leave my athletes was painful on an unreal level. I had invested so much of myself into these girls, and they had come so far, and I was proud of myself for that, but at the same time, I felt like I was betraying them. I held a meeting with all the parents and kids, and there were a lot of tears, but I did end up getting some congratulations from the parents on my career choice. The girls, however, just looked very sad and hurt. The next practice I described in detail how I felt about them and why I was doing what I was doing. They understood, but it didn't make it any easier. I got a lot of hugs on the last day, and I cherished each one. They really squeezed me hard. Tears everywhere. UGH!
Reflecting on this moment, though… the last practice… it really made me thankful; I realized the impact I made on these girls' lives, and that they loved me. It was actually this specific moment that helped me realize that I was truly making the right choice! I cannot stay static! I have to share the knowledge I have with more gymnasts in a stronger program/location! I am going to coach elite athletes, and now I am much better positioned to do that. I am completely backed by an incredibly strong gym staff who are specifically allowing me to lead the radical reformation of their team program! The owners have also confirmed they are moving to a new and much larger location within at least two years time. It is time to truly realize my potential.
Currently, not a day goes by that I don't think about my original girls. The Aero Flyers were my babies! I poured myself into them, and I learned so much. Now, though, it is time to evolve and take everything I have learned and apply it to this program in desperate need of reformation. Now a month in, and I have already observed substantial results. Many of the girls are drinking up the more technical, detail oriented coaching style I use, and I have even heard, "I like conditioning now!" a couple times! I am ecstatic! My new project is already producing fruit.
This whole post sounded like one huge brag, and I know it was really long winded, and I apologize, but I am so excited about my future and I wanted to share it with all of you. I also would like to thank every single one of you, because ChalkBucket has proven to be my secret weapon; it has allowed me to see the experiences of a thousand parents, it has given me the knowledge of a thousand coaches, and it has provided me with the level of "been there done that" of a veteran coach in the sport. Thank you so much to my ChalkBucket family.
I will not stop until I have achieved my goal. I hope I can continue providing my experiences and knowledge to all of you, as you have done just the same for me.
Thank you, so much.
I'm still in disbelief about how things have been going for me lately. I know I haven't been around that much lately, but there have been big changes in my life, and I am so happy.
To give a bit of a background to those of you who don't know me that well, my roots are in parkour. I began training parkour seriously in 2007, and I ended up requiring a safer environment to learn the more advanced flips, tricks, jumps, etc. safely, so I found a local gym that had an open gym program. It was once a week every Friday, and I used every moment of that open gym to learn more. I looked at videos of how to spot back tucks and other skills so I could spot my friends during the learning process, and as a result, I got offered a job coaching recreational gymnastics at this gym in 2009. I did that for five years, and found that I craved far more, and my developing love for the job drove me to ask my boss to establish a team of my own at our team-less gym. He approved it and I began coaching competitively in 2014. After getting two athletes to Level 6 in three years, and four state champions later, I realized that even with my success, there was no future at my current gym.
To be honest, I always knew I wouldn't stay at this gym; it was too small and the management was really inferior. I was alone, because I was the only truly ambitious and serious person in the gym. Every other employee worked there as a part time job, or to keep some small foot in the gymnastics world. My ambitions are far greater. I couldn't stay there, otherwise my career would die a slow, gradual death in a stagnant pool of mediocrity.
After a lot of internal debate and deep reflection and thought, I decided to move to a gym that had been recruiting me for two years. We had multiple meetings and they have been so fantastic. I am so incredibly grateful. I now have so many things I was not afforded at my other job, the greatest of which are the wonderful, caring, and devoted gym owners. They welcomed me with open arms immediately, and with all the other coaches, I feel an immediate bond. We are a unified family. I finally don't feel alone, and I see the other coaches and teachers are open minded individuals who genuinely enjoy teaching children.
I was brought on board specifically to completely reform and restructure the team program. The owners noticed my kids at meets, and liked the way they looked, as well as how I interacted with my girls. They have pursued me for two years, and I finally saw that they needed me to help their program, and wanted me to become a part of their gym family. I was flattered, and I ultimately realized this was my future.
As much as I knew I had to make this move, I was horribly confused about the decision; it ultimately meant furthering my career vs. leaving behind all of my kids that I had worked with for so long. Deep down, I knew what I had to do, but the decision to leave my athletes was painful on an unreal level. I had invested so much of myself into these girls, and they had come so far, and I was proud of myself for that, but at the same time, I felt like I was betraying them. I held a meeting with all the parents and kids, and there were a lot of tears, but I did end up getting some congratulations from the parents on my career choice. The girls, however, just looked very sad and hurt. The next practice I described in detail how I felt about them and why I was doing what I was doing. They understood, but it didn't make it any easier. I got a lot of hugs on the last day, and I cherished each one. They really squeezed me hard. Tears everywhere. UGH!
Reflecting on this moment, though… the last practice… it really made me thankful; I realized the impact I made on these girls' lives, and that they loved me. It was actually this specific moment that helped me realize that I was truly making the right choice! I cannot stay static! I have to share the knowledge I have with more gymnasts in a stronger program/location! I am going to coach elite athletes, and now I am much better positioned to do that. I am completely backed by an incredibly strong gym staff who are specifically allowing me to lead the radical reformation of their team program! The owners have also confirmed they are moving to a new and much larger location within at least two years time. It is time to truly realize my potential.
Currently, not a day goes by that I don't think about my original girls. The Aero Flyers were my babies! I poured myself into them, and I learned so much. Now, though, it is time to evolve and take everything I have learned and apply it to this program in desperate need of reformation. Now a month in, and I have already observed substantial results. Many of the girls are drinking up the more technical, detail oriented coaching style I use, and I have even heard, "I like conditioning now!" a couple times! I am ecstatic! My new project is already producing fruit.
This whole post sounded like one huge brag, and I know it was really long winded, and I apologize, but I am so excited about my future and I wanted to share it with all of you. I also would like to thank every single one of you, because ChalkBucket has proven to be my secret weapon; it has allowed me to see the experiences of a thousand parents, it has given me the knowledge of a thousand coaches, and it has provided me with the level of "been there done that" of a veteran coach in the sport. Thank you so much to my ChalkBucket family.
I will not stop until I have achieved my goal. I hope I can continue providing my experiences and knowledge to all of you, as you have done just the same for me.
Thank you, so much.
