Parents Changed gyms

[Cindylou917]

My girls currently are AAU Silvers. We were forced to make the decision on leaving our gym due to it becoming unsafe, unsanitary, and just no stability. [All but 2 girls from the competition team have left as well.] We have all joined a new gym and will be joining them at the National competition next month. The old coach messaged one of the parents and stated that the girls were not allowed to compete their floor routines that they have competed all season. She said if they did she would cause problems. I am just really surprised by this statement.. why is she being this rude to these children for leaving? Is there really any repercussions that the girls will face if they compete their routines?

 

[Coach Kate]

I'm sorry you're in this situation.

It is typically considered bad practice to use a routine one gym choreographed while competing for a different gym without permission. I don't necessarily there's any kind of legal grounds, but it's typically outlined in a team handbook/contract. For example, a lot of our Xcel athletes also competed high school gymnastics so it was known that the girls would be using that choreography for both teams. But if they wanted to take it anywhere else, or give the routine to someone, they had to have permission from the coach who choreographed it.

 

[Cindylou917]

I'm sorry you're in this situation.

It is typically considered bad practice to use a routine one gym choreographed while competing for a different gym without permission. I don't necessarily there's any kind of legal grounds, but it's typically outlined in a team handbook/contract. For example, a lot of our Xcel athletes also competed high school gymnastics so it was known that the girls would be using that choreography for both teams. But if they wanted to take it anywhere else, or give the routine to someone, they had to have permission from the coach who choreographed it.

This gym doesn't have a handbook or contract. The coach is the only one that holds any positions in the gym. Like she is the owner, coach, management, secretary, etc.

 

[Coach Kate]

This gym doesn't have a handbook or contract. The coach is the only one that holds any positions in the gym. Like she is the owner, coach, management, secretary, etc.

It will depend on how the gym handles routines then. At my most recent job, the athletes did not pay for the music or routine, just for the private lesson to learn it, so the choreographing coach and therefore the gym owned the music and choreography. When I was an athlete, we did buy our music and when we learned the routine, it was from a choreographer who charged one fee for the routine itself and another hourly rate to teach it, so in that case the athletes did own the music and choreography because we bought it.

Practically speaking, this is very low stakes and I don't think the coach can really do anything but if it's a situation where the gym owns the routines and music, then it would be true that they couldn't be competed for another gym.

 

[estamey21]

Gym changes can be contentious, especially midseason. I personally disagree with the tribal culture of some gymnastics gyms. I honestly don’t understand what coaches are trying to achieve when they are mean to their former athletes.

If we are operating under the principles of fairness and kindness, I think it’s best to NOT compete the old gym’s floor routine if any of following are true:

1. The team handbook explicitly prohibits it
2. The music is owned by the gym
3. The choreography is owned by the gym

At the end of the day, your daughter is representing your new gym at Nationals. It might be best to ask the head coach of your new gym how they want to handle the situation.

 

[JBS]

Is there really any repercussions that the girls will face if they compete their routines?

No… do the routine just to mess with the coach. Just change the ending pose.

Wow… I really can’t believe this is my industry.