Parents Coach quit without notice :(

[Neelysmom]

Our coach quit last weekend without any notice. She FBed the team moms to tell us she would not be returning and where she was taking a job. She said she was treated in the most unprofessional way by the owner and couldn't take it anymore. Come to find out she did not even tell the owner she was leaving . Now we are without a coach with 20 girls on team (L2-L8). Some of the parents are thinking about following her but I think we are going to stay. I really considered it until I found out she did not tell the owner and I just think that is wrong. The team has worked SO hard this summer and it breaks my heart! Just wondering about your thoughts and wondering if anyone has gone through this before. I really think we will find another coach that is just as good or better but have to be patient.

 

[gymgal]

I think the old adage of "two wrongs don't make a right" applies here. No matter how unprofessional the owner might have been, the coach had no right to do that to the gym or the families without notice. And I can't stand the FB move. I don't think some coaches realize how much their actions affect the girls. We had a coach leave unexpectedly and it broke my daughter's heart. It was her favorite coach and the one she trusted to learn the new skills. It took her quite a while to learn to trust the other coaches like she did this one coach.

 

[MaryA]

I don't blame you for not following her. What's to keep her from doing it again? Good luck with this difficult transition!

 

[Natasha]

The head coach at my daughter's gym left without notice about 2 years ago. It was a few weeks before their first meet of the season. About 1/2 of the girls at my daughter's level followed the coach, although it was a small percentage of the team overall. It made for a tough year, but now the gym and the coaching is stronger than ever and my daughter loves her coaches. I am so glad we stuck with the gym. Hang in there! Also, the FB thing really irks me. Very unprofessional to not tell the owner and then go and FB all the parents.

 

[UnoMas]

I'm sorry, it is so hard when a coach leaves and especially without notice like that. I hope it all works out and they find another coach soon.

 

[emorymom]

To play devil's advocate here, maybe the coach was not in a position financially to go two weeks without pay. Or to go without pay at all, but needed to get out of a bad situation, so when she was offered the new job if she would start immediately, she took it. Gym coaches often don't make much.

 

[JessMom]

(((hugs))) it seems this happens a lot.

To many of us parents and our kids the gym is family, it's home. But what we sometimes forget is the gym is a business and coaching is a job. Essentially they both have to do whats best for them and their families. I'm not saying owners and coaches don't care - because many do - what I'm saying is that they have families and lives of their own.

That said the whole "I'm leaving - follow me" thing bugs me. Very unprofessional.

 

[MaryA]

Even if the coach couldn't give two weeks notice, trashing the gym on facebook and trying to get gymnasts to follow them to the other gym is inappropriate.

 

[gym law mom]

Situations like this are similar to a divorce. As parents, you'll never get the true story. I would see if the owner will at least meet with the families staying to discuss what is being done regarding hiring a new coach---all issues with this previous coach are between the owner and coach.
I would be reluctant to go running after the former coach right now. At least see what is going to happen with the team program.

 

[Natasha]

Situations like this are similar to a divorce. As parents, you'll never get the true story. I would see if the owner will at least meet with the families staying to discuss what is being done regarding hiring a new coach---all issues with this previous coach are between the owner and coach.
I would be reluctant to go running after the former coach right now. At least see what is going to happen with the team program.

So true gym Law Mom! I am a Child & Family therapist, and when the head coach left our gym to start a new one (secretly- about 15 miles away) I said the dynamics with the gym were exactly like what I deal with in therapy.

 

[Neelysmom]

Thanks everyone for the words of encouragement. Of course the coach says she told the owner but she didn't hear her???? She also didn't leave the key to the gym or the USAG books that were just bought. 2 girls are leaving but that is all so far. I don't think we have had any leads on a new coach but we will have to be patient. It will all be okay I just have to have faith.

 

[NOG]

leaving aside the issue of quitting w/no notice and the FB notice to parents...... She stole the keys, USAG book that belong to the gym? Wonder what else is going on that is not making it to the rumor mill yet? ...don't think I would want my dd to look up to her as a role model and letting her have a share in the shaping and molding of who my dd will be as a young woman/adult.

 

[bookworm]

As my dad used to say "you never know where the shoe pinches"...reserve judgement on this coach and his/her actions because as someone said earlier, you will never get the whole story..and maybe the coach had to put up with horrible working conditions and finally saw an out when another job presented itself. I don't see anything wrong with the coach saying where the new job was because if the current gym is doing their job, no one will follow.

 

[NOG]

- I agree, rarely will the whole story come out.....but still think it was NOT nice to keep the keys to the gym and to keep the USAG books that the gym purchased (I'm sure those are expensive)

 

[Neelysmom]

I don't blame the coach for leaving, we've known they did not get along, it was the not telling the owner that bugs me.

 

[cher062]

I think it's awful. Unfortunatly I wish I could say I've never seen that before but I can't. One of the coaches my daughter had did this too. She was actually a coach that was a friend and our kids have know eachother since they before they were old enough to go to school. Her DD had a sleep over at our house then was picked up and went on vacation. When she came back she was a coach at the gym down the street!! She didn't even let me know she was going to do this - definitly put a strain on our friendship. she did the same thing to her new gym - she was waiting for her current gym to have a position for her and 4 weeks before states she left without notice, leaving the team coachless just before states! Although our kids are still friends I have to say I am more just friendly to her at this point.

 

[bookworm]

I don't blame the coach for leaving, we've known they did not get along, it was the not telling the owner that bugs me.

Just to play devil's advocate, maybe the coach didn't tell the owner BECAUSE there was this history of not getting along and maybe the coach felt the owner would sabotage the new job...granted the keys and books should have been returned (or just left there) but I would guess that if there is that much animus between the two that the owner would have the locks changed anyway...