Parents Coaches not around for awards??

[Sk8ermaiden]

The bolded is what I'm saying is the issue. Why are coaches at the meet from 7Am to 10PM?...it's because someone other than the parents/kids of the team that is there for just one session is stretching them way too thin. Either the gym shouldn't have one coach coaching 3-4 different levels, or the meet should be spacing the sessions out better. We are essentially accepting less for our children because the businesses we are paying for this service are overworking their employees.

That's like going to a restaurant and accepting that your waitress can only serve 2/3rds of your meal because she's been working a triple shift and is tired so you feel bad for her and understand (which many people would, but it doesn't make it right and it's giving the restaurant owner a free pass)...

You seem to be overlooking smaller gyms. There are 3 coaches for the ENTIRE team at my DD's gym. Two are full time and one's only there sometimes. We don't really need more coaches to do the job. The two coaches are there for every session, every meet. We have Xcel and optionals, so ALL the girls have the same season. They are rough, long days for the coaches, but they never complain. And I care exactly not at all if they're sitting on the floor when my DD gets her medals. Their job isn't two thirds done by then, like in your analogy. It is completely done. We pay them to coach. Not clap politely for a freaking hour. (Ugh, I hate those ceremonies.)

 

[mommyof1]

The message it sends is this is their JOB. They're not in this for the glory. At the end of the day it's their JOB and their job ends when their last kid competes. They aren't paid to stay through awards.

In my line of work (and no, it's not sales or something else you'd expect to be schmoozy), it's very much a part of my job to hang around at the end of events and meetings until everyone who wants to talk to me has gotten a chance to do so. This leads to plenty of 14-hour days. It's vital to the success of my projects and our organization's business. If we rush out at the end of a meeting to catch a plane, our boss may hear about it from the client, and we are inevitably going to have difficulty with the client going forward. I could do the most brilliant work possible and still have it rejected if the client feels I am not attentive. I am definitely not that parent who is trying to talk to the coach after awards because I know the coach wants to go home and I am trying to get my kid out of the building as fast as possible, but I don't agree that attending awards when feasible (emphasis on "when feasible") is not part of the coach's job. Quite the contrary.

And I do believe our coaches are paid for all of their time, including awards.

 

[twinmomma]

In my line of work (and no, it's not sales or something else you'd expect to be schmoozy), it's very much a part of my job to hang around at the end of events and meetings until everyone who wants to talk to me has gotten a chance to do so. This leads to plenty of 14-hour days. It's vital to the success of my projects and our organization's business. If we rush out at the end of a meeting to catch a plane, our boss may hear about it from the client, and we are inevitably going to have difficulty with the client going forward. I could do the most brilliant work possible and still have it rejected if the client feels I am not attentive. I am definitely not that parent who is trying to talk to the coach after awards because I know the coach wants to go home and I am trying to get my kid out of the building as fast as possible, but I don't agree that attending awards when feasible is not part of the coach's job. Quite the contrary.

And I do believe our coaches are paid for all of their time, including awards.

14 hour days at managers or exempt pay is fine. I'm a manager and I don't complain about team picnics or dinners or drinks after work. Coaches aren't paid to schmooze. How are you going to require coaches be there when they have to be in a session to coach the next gymnasts? Hire another coach? Sure thing. How about you double that tuition check?

You forget, this is a VOLUNTARY sport for child. If you don't like the way your gym handles it, find another one. But don't be fooled into thinking that they gym gives two rips about whether or not little Suzie Level 3 gets 8th place on bars four hours from home. You might. Suzie might. The gym cares that the coach driving home does so safely because they're on their insurance if they don't. They care that the coach is rested enough to safely spot Suzie's bars the next day.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

In the vast majority of sports, coaches are there at the ceremonial award moment... If a football team wins a championship, the coach doesn't congratulate the kid who scored the winning touchdown in the 4 quarter and then high-tail it out of there as soon as the clock runs out leaving the kids and parents to raise the trophy on the field.

You absolutely can not even compare this. It's apples to oranges.

The football coach isn't going off to another game that is starting right after if not during awards.

The football coach hasn't coached perhaps 5 or 6 other games of the course of 2 days.

Really there is no comparison.

 

[mommyof1]

You forget, this is a VOLUNTARY sport for child. If you don't like the way your gym handles it, find another one.

I actually do like how our gym handles it (they stay when they can). This seems to be the norm in our area--maybe it isn't in other regions. It just never even occurred to me that coaches wouldn't stay if they weren't coaching the next session or hadn't already been at the meet all day. Our gym makes a big stink when families don't stay for awards, so it just seems odd to me that the same people who send out those nastygrams wouldn't stay themselves. But maybe other gyms are not such sticklers for making the parents and kids stay.

 

[twinmomma]

I actually do like how our gym handles it (they stay when they can). This seems to be the norm in our area--maybe it isn't in other regions. It just never even occurred to me that coaches wouldn't stay if they weren't coaching the next session or hadn't already been at the meet all day. Our gym makes a big stink when families don't stay for awards, so it just seems odd to me that the same people who send out those nastygrams wouldn't stay themselves. But maybe other gyms are not such sticklers for making the parents and kids stay.

It was more of the collective "you". Not directed at you specifically. Sorry if it felt that way!

 

[mommyof1]

It was more of the collective "you". Not directed at you specifically. Sorry if it felt that way!

No offense taken!

 

[Deleted member 18037]

The bolded is what I'm saying is the issue. Why are coaches at the meet from 7Am to 10PM?...it's because someone other than the parents/kids of the team that is there for just one session is stretching them way too thin. Either the gym shouldn't have one coach coaching 3-4 different levels, or the meet should be spacing the sessions out better. We are essentially accepting less for our children because the businesses we are paying for this service are overworking their employees.

That's like going to a restaurant and accepting that your waitress can only serve 2/3rds of your meal because she's been working a triple shift and is tired so you feel bad for her and understand (which many people would, but it doesn't make it right and it's giving the restaurant owner a free pass)...

You have horrible examples....

Our gym is a very small gym. We have enough coaches to coach the team. Its a family owned gym. And they have to be at every session. They are not getting rich. And they are not out partying rather then being at awards...............

And yeah no thanks I spend enough time at meets. My kid has other things to do, ummm like school during the week.

 

[BachFlyer]

Our coaches watch post season awards, when they aren't working an overlapping session, and that's about it. Maybe the last session awards if it's not a long drive home. Usually for regular meets, they are trying to get on the road to be rested for practice the next day, where they always have a post-meet-meeting with the gymnasts to recap. I always think it's nice if an "extra" coach stays with the very young girls who are just starting out, sure. But it's not always feasible, and like everyone has said, they are encouraging them out on the floor all day. Our coaches always emphasize to the girls that it's not about placements and scores anyway, it's about going after your own personal goals. That's what the lesson is anyway - awards are icing on the cake. The girls know how they did, and by upper optionals, most are on board with getting the medals as fast as humanly possible anyway. My dd would be perfectly fine with 2 big age groups and 1st - 5th place awarded or something reasonable! I also find it nice as a parent that I can have a piece of the gym-pie, and celebrate how I want with my kid, without the coaches overlooking everything anyway.

My gym expenses are high enough. I really don't want the meets dragged out for another day, just so the sessions can be spaced for coaches to watch the awards. That would be ungodly expensive, and would likely mean more fundraising for our booster club. Blech. NOT a good use of my money.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

My gym expenses are high enough. I really don't want the meets dragged out for another day, just so the sessions can be spaced for coaches to watch the awards. That would be ungodly expensive, and would likely mean more fundraising for our booster club. Blech. NOT a good use of my money.

Yeah because it makes a boatload of sense to hire more coaches so they can sit at awards.
Umm no thanks.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

In the vast majority of sports, coaches are there at the ceremonial award moment... If a football team wins a championship, the coach doesn't congratulate the kid who scored the winning touchdown in the 4 quarter and then high-tail it out of there as soon as the clock runs out leaving the kids and parents to raise the trophy on the field.

If my daughter were to make it to the Olympics, Worlds or even Nationals. I know our coaches will stay for awards.

They do for Regionals so I have absolute faith in this.

But right now its a weekend with a boatload of sessions, her coach needs to boggle on...............

 

[Flyaway]

The message it sends to me is "we own your life and are going to make you sit through something totally meaningless at 10:00 pm when you have a two-hour drive ahead of you and a kid whose entire school week is going to be wrecked by staying up so late." I understand why we are required to stay, but sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

I disagree. I don't feel owned at all. That's why I said it's how you choose to look at it.

 

[NutterButter]

The bolded is what I'm saying is the issue. Why are coaches at the meet from 7Am to 10PM?...it's because someone other than the parents/kids of the team that is there for just one session is stretching them way too thin. Either the gym shouldn't have one coach coaching 3-4 different levels, or the meet should be spacing the sessions out better. We are essentially accepting less for our children because the businesses we are paying for this service are overworking their employees.

You are suggesting a business model that just isn't feasible. First of all, tuition would go up. I pay about $550/month for tuition alone. Meet fees are paid with my booster dues. Extra coaches on staff, no doubt, would raise my tuition. Having an extra coach at the meet so that they can be present for awards would raise my booster dues. This is silly. Also, where do you think gyms would find all these extra coaches? There is a general shortage of coaches (higher levels, especially). Keep in mind that the bread and butter of a gym is the rec program.

At the end of the day, the athlete shouldn't need a coach present at awards to validate his/her success. The parents shouldn't need this either.

 

[sce]

Lets not forget the customary candy, junk food binge.....

Totally!

 

[NutterButter]

The thing with awards is that they only tell part of the day's story. Yes, little Suzy may have won AA. Suzy is a beautiful gymnast overall but she frequently wins AA because she is capable of putting up a BIG number on bars. This is wonderful!! He teammates and all team parents will cheer for her at awards and share in her success. But this is only part of the story of the day. Sally had sticky feet and stayed on the beam for the first time all season and because of it, qualified for state. Sarah broke 36 in AA with 9's on all 3/4 events. Susanna scored her first 9 of the season. Gymnastics is an individual sport. The personal milestones are the accomplishments that I expect and hope that my DD's coaches are aware of and acknowledge. Someone can have the meet of their life and not see the podium. And someone can have just a 'meh' meet and take AA. Combine that with the logistics of meets for coaches and I'm OK with them not being at awards. It's not really a question of having to "accept less for our children". It's really more the tradeoff of the increased cost of having more coaches present and the increase in meet times to account for coach participation in awards when the reality is that there are so many more stories of the day than simply who placed in the meet.

 

[UnoMas]

Normal. Coaches don't stay...unless they are stuck between sessions and might peek in on awards for a minute to snap a photo or two!

 

[UnoMas]

I would pay money to skip awards.

Rarely do I see coaches stick around for awards. They are usually either off to coach the next session, get food or quick down time before next session, or if the final session, start to make the trek home after what is usually a loooooong day/weekend.

Heck, most of the parents here who are past Level 3 wish WE could skip those (often ridiculously long) award sessions sometimes...

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I would pay money to skip awards.

Me too! They are never ending.

I've often wished that they would just put the medals in an antelope with the kids name on it with a paper that says where they placed and hand it to them as they walk out the door. That way dd can eat sooner, mom can get her caffeine, claustrophobic dad can get out of the crowd, and we can get little brother out of there before his iPad dies and he gets "bored" and starts acting a fool and begging for $20 concessions.

 

[RTT2]

Me too! They are never ending.

I've often wished that they would just put the medals in an antelope with the kids name on it with a paper that says where they placed and hand it to them as they walk out the door. /QUOTE]

I love the antelope handing out awards idea!! How much would that cost?

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I love the antelope handing out awards idea!! How much would that cost?

There's no telling! Lol! I just saw that it changed envelope to antelope! Crazy iPhone autocorrect!
That would certainly make for a more interesting awards ceremony