Parents Coach dress code

[cocoslc12]

Hello gymnastics parents!
I need some insight. I'm a coach/manager at my gym. I'm rewriting our coaches dress code as our current one is quite old and not very clear.
I notice alot of our staff wear very short shorts and/ or short, tight spandex shorts. I never feel comfortable wearing that (I'm a female also) and am the only coach that always wears pants no matter the temperature, but that's just my preference.
I'm wondering from a parent perspective, would you see short shorts/spandex as unprofessional? I personally do, but I want to make this dress code based off of what is most socially acceptable to the majority, not just my opinions.
Your input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[GymnasticsAndKoalas]

I wouldn’t view them as unprofessional especially because it’s a gym. Both gyms we have been a part of get hot and if they’re pretty hands on coaches I’d think it is easier in whatever is comfortable. I’ve almost always seen short shorts, tight shorts, leggings and t shirts or tanks on all the female coaches. DDs new gym seems like the coaches all wear the gym logo t-shirts. The old gym was a ymca and very laid back dress code.

 

[cocoslc12]

I wouldn’t view them as unprofessional especially because it’s a gym. Both gyms we have been a part of get hot and if they’re pretty hands on coaches I’d think it is easier in whatever is comfortable. I’ve almost always seen short shorts, tight shorts, leggings and t shirts or tanks on all the female coaches. DDs new gym seems like the coaches all wear the gym logo t-shirts. The old gym was a ymca and very laid back dress code.

Thank you for your input!

 

[Coach Kate]

Not a parent of a gymnast (yet - she's 1) but as a coach, we had a policy about having finger tip length shorts when you stand with your arms by your side and I thought that was appropriate for a work environment. They could be bike shorts (aka tight) but still a bit longer then. No crop tops, no visible undergarments, and shorts that are sure to cover everything as you move around. We were also required to wear neutral or gym colored bottoms - the gym's colors were black, white, and blue, so shades of blue, and then also gray, white, and black, were all fine - and a shirt with the gym's name/initials. A few times a year, the gym would offer to have appropriately colored tops embroidered with the logo, and would also gift shirts/sweatshirts/jackets from time to time. You could also have your own tops embroidered on your own any time. It gave a wide range of freedom for personal preferences and style while still looking professional and making it easy to identify the coaches.

On the last point, it is something to consider especially if you have young coaches who might also be athletes. A lot of our high school rec students also coached and having a clear cut dress code made it clear when they were coaching vs when they were working out.

 

[cocoslc12]

Not a parent of a gymnast (yet - she's 1) but as a coach, we had a policy about having finger tip length shorts when you stand with your arms by your side and I thought that was appropriate for a work environment. They could be bike shorts (aka tight) but still a bit longer then. No crop tops, no visible undergarments, and shorts that are sure to cover everything as you move around. We were also required to wear neutral or gym colored bottoms - the gym's colors were black, white, and blue, so shades of blue, and then also gray, white, and black, were all fine - and a shirt with the gym's name/initials. A few times a year, the gym would offer to have appropriately colored tops embroidered with the logo, and would also gift shirts/sweatshirts/jackets from time to time. You could also have your own tops embroidered on your own any time. It gave a wide range of freedom for personal preferences and style while still looking professional and making it easy to identify the coaches.

On the last point, it is something to consider especially if you have young coaches who might also be athletes. A lot of our high school rec students also coached and having a clear cut dress code made it clear when they were coaching vs when they were working out.

I like the idea of gifting apparel. We havent done that in a long time.
I like those policies. I'm trying to enforce something not too strict, while also being sensitive. I feel like dress code can be a touchy subject at times. We already have staff shirts that everyone hates (including myself admittedly, they're white and cheap see through so shirts have to be worn underneath, which is going to be awful for the summer). So I want the staff to have some freedom.

 

[WV Gym Mom]

I don't have any issues with short, spandex, workout attire on our coaches. Gym is hot and they are working hard for hours in there.

 

[JessSyd]

We have a uniform shirt for our staff. It's a polo shirt made as sportswear (flexible, wicking fabric etc) by a sportswear company, with our logo on the front and COACH on the back. They wear it to competitions too (as is the rule). It was expensive to kit everyone, but just part of the cost of doing business, and we provide them for staff.

Staff provide the remainder of their outfit (although we have a staff tracksuit for them for competitions that they can also wear in the gym), and we just ask that it's suitable for the work they are doing. Short shorts are fine, turning up in a miniskirt would not be.

The younger coaches tend to just wear Nike pro shorts(like the gymnasts), and older ones tend to wear slightly longer shorts or tracksuit pants. And in winter they wear leggings (Nike or Lululemon) or tracksuit pants.

We have also given out singlet style tops. We have some very hot days here, and staff wear them on very hot days. They aren't as professional looking though, so we encourage them for comfort when it's necessary but at other times they wear the polo.

 

[kzpage]

Our gym doesn't have a set dress code for coaches and as a parent it doesn't phase me at all, wear whatever makes you comfortable to be the best you can at coaching my kid ... I'd rather have an amazing coach who's comfortable than a coach that looks on point but is counting down the minutes until they can put their comfortable clothes on. I do think that's a gym atmosphere type thing depending on where you go, our gym is definitely a more relaxed vibe

 

[katrid11]

I expect my daughters coaches to wear clothes that fit the work they are doing.

Hot days a tank top with some typical spandex nike pro shorts would be fine. Meet days I fully expect to see some team gear on the coaches - t-shirt and/or jacket.

I can say that the little girls look up to the younger coaches and older gymnasts. So they should be thoughtful about what they wear in that regards - no profanity or nasty memes on the shirts.

 

[Mthegymqueen]

All coaches at my gym wear a shirt with our gym's logo (or from a meet our gym participated in), and shorts or leggings.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

I think the priorities of any dress code should be
1) Safety. Nothing loose or baggy enough to get caught on athletes or equipment
2) Comfort and ease of movement. It's a gym, not a board room, and coaching is often fairly athletic in and of itself. Coaches should be able to move around and stay cool and be comfortable
3) It should be immediately obvious at a glance who the coaches are. Staff shirts provided by the gym, preferably all in the same color, are a good way to accomplish this, but I think there should be some variety available. T-shirts, tanks, long sleeves, etc; the goal isn't for every coach to look the same, just for them to be easily identifiable at a glance.
4) Professionalism.... and this one gets a bit difficult and can require judgement calls in individual situations. There's obvious stuff, such as avoiding any text or imagery that is not kid-appropriate (this also covers any visible tattoos; I see no problem with tattoos in general, but if they're not kid-appropriate they need to be covered at the gym). But then there's the murkier stuff, such as trying to figure out just how much leg or chest or midriff can be visible before it becomes inappropriate. On general principle, I don't like policing people on what they can wear and how they express themselves and how much skin they can show, so with stuff like length of shorts, crop-tops, etc, I think when in doubt I'd rather err on the side of being permissive; but certainly there are limits, and those limits might be difficult to define in a consistent and reasonable manner.

 

[moogacat]

My daughter coaches at her gym and in the summer wears a gym-issued t-shirt with "coach" on the back, and Nike Pro shorts. In the winter she wears leggings and either the "coach" t-shirt or a gym sweatshirt. She's never had too much trouble getting parents and kids to recognize her as the coach even though she's been coaching since she was 15, and she's now just about to turn 18.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I’m a gym owner.

My coaches have a uniform, in Australia most gyms have a coach uniform which usually consists of a coaches polo shirt in club colours with a club logo and a club jumper in club colours with a club logo.

Some have set shorts or pants, other just require them to be certain colour, most often black.

I require black pants like most other clubs, but that can be anything from booty shorts like the gymnasts wear to long pants.

It does not look unprofessional because the coaches are often demonstrating or doing skills and conditioning and stretching with the kids.

 

[cocoslc12]

I’m a gym owner.

My coaches have a uniform, in Australia most gyms have a coach uniform which usually consists of a coaches polo shirt in club colours with a club logo and a club jumper in club colours with a club logo.

Some have set shorts or pants, other just require them to be certain colour, most often black.

I require black pants like most other clubs, but that can be anything from booty shorts like the gymnasts wear to long pants.

It does not look unprofessional because the coaches are often demonstrating or doing skills and conditioning and stretching with the kids.

Man, it seems like I'm old fashioned lol, maybe my new proposed dress code is too strict.

 

[estamey21]

I think a dress code should be extremely opinionated on the “hard no’s” such as no midriff, no underwear, no profanity. Then, if you want to encourage a more specific look, take a grassroots approach. I think a dress code is more likely to be followed if there are cultural norms in place that guide conformity. For example, you don’t need a specific rule in the employee handbook that forbids clown suits because the social glue of society writes that rule for you.

If you want to encourage a specific look without being too prescriptive, two strategies that help are:

1. providing optional uniforms (free of charge)
2. encouraging head coaches and other people in leadership to dress a certain way

 

[Coach Kate]

Man, it seems like I'm old fashioned lol, maybe my new proposed dress code is too strict.

If you are, so am I! And I'm only 32!

 

[Katie]

I don’t see a thing wrong with short tight shorts. Gyms are hot and they are probably safer since they can’t get caught on things.

 

[Dahlialover]

Workout attire is fine, so long as the shorts are not totally scandalous. I do prefer that coaches wear a company shirt that says “coach” on it for clarity. Those should be provided by the gym.

 

[CoachPow]

Man, it seems like I'm old fashioned lol, maybe my new proposed dress code is too strict.

Lots of good points, but my first instinct is to tell you to be cautious- in this day and age, people can work anywhere and make decent money. If a dress code is going to cost you a good worker, is it worth the fight? Put it this way: if given the choice between a good coach walking over a dress code or a parent pulling their kid over too-short shorts, which would you pick? I know my choice, but I also don't remember ever really noticing (or hearing any complaints about) what my coaches are wearing.

 

[gymgal]

as a parent, I would be fine with a permissive code - As long as nothing private is showing when they move in all sorts of positions while coaching, they are good. The short booty shorts stay in place better than the loose running shorts. I do agree that having a gym logo shirt is a good idea. It helps set them apart from the gymnasts.