Coaches Gym drama

[GC1281]

Hi all. This is my first post but I've been reading stuff on this site for a couple years now.

I'm writing because I have a bit of a dilemma at my gym. I work at a gym that for the most part is a very pleasant place to work and most of the coaches get along with each other just fine. We started off the season in the fall with a great group of team coaches who got along great and didn't have any problems. A couple of the coaches are not quite as experienced as most, but are quick learners and are great with the kids. Plus, our gym owner is at the gym most days and is able to assist as needed when anyone needs help or has questions.

Then midway through the season, we hired 2 new team coaches who come to us from other gyms. Both of these coaches have a lot more experience than anyone at our gym, and were hired full-time to help with team and teach rec classes. They started off okay, but then quickly began to have attitudes that they are better than the rest of the coaches because of their experience. They regularly talk trash about our program and how nobody knows what they're doing in their opinion. I could understand if they had valid concerns, but they just make general statements about how poorly the gym is run on a daily basis (not so much to other coaches directly, but in a gossipy way to each other which is then overheard by other coaches). The gym owner has been told by several coaches that they are making these comments and she has had just about enough of it as well. She's told them to either help in a constructive way or to just keep quiet.

I guess my question is, why do these coaches feel the need to tear other people down for no reason? Maybe if I could hear from another perspective I would understand a little better and maybe I'm missing something.

 

[ryantroop]

It sounds like you have two coaches who are unhappy with the decisions they made, and are stuck not quite sure how to manage those feelings. They probably left full coaching, non-rec, positions, and miss it. You never know what you have until its gone, ya know?

They are in an unfamilliar environment and they may have forgot what it was like to learn.

I do not in any way condone their actions, but I do believe it, or they, will pass.

On the other hand, you could always put it in their hands, and say after hours without athletes or parents near, "how would you change things? What can be better?" And be serious about it. Maybe you can learn something and open a door to a friendship.

If they are european, odds are they went to school to learn how to coach specifically. This is their life, and if they do not have an outlet it festers. Maybe open communication can help some.

Good luck!

Ryan

 

[gymkat]

I wonder if the new team coaches were hired for a particular reason, possibly to change the structure of the team program to make it more competitive? I also wonder if everyone's goals are the same and if all of the coaches have sat down together to discuss the future direction for team. It is extremely difficult to go from a high-powered, competitive gym to a lower key environment, and I have a great deal of empathy for the new coaches if they were hired for a reason that was not communicated clearly to other coaches.

 

[Aussie_coach]

Its quite possible that these new coaches feel disrespected or that they aren't being given the chance to work to their potentials. If they are highly experienced and they come into a new gym where they are less experienced the general expectation is that they should be given the top jobs, or that they should be teaching the highest level classes. If they are not they are going to feel the need to complain a lot as they don't have the chance to fix things.

 

[ryantroop]

Its quite possible that these new coaches feel disrespected or that they aren't being given the chance to work to their potentials. If they are highly experienced and they come into a new gym where they are less experienced the general expectation is that they should be given the top jobs, or that they should be teaching the highest level classes. If they are not they are going to feel the need to complain a lot as they don't have the chance to fix things.

Careful.. there is absolutely NO expectation that just because you are more qualified means you should get the top job. If that were the case, we would have far better teachers, far far better politicians, and our world would be a much different place for everyone.

They made a choice to come to the gym they are in. If it was part of their deal to coach higher levels and apply their experience, then it should have been made absolutely clear to the current coaches. They took a job, within certain perameters, and they are pressing outside their bounds. While this is normal, it is not right nor proper for them to be rude about it. Many many people would agree, I would rather work in a gym with respect than experience. Top level coaches know that there is order, respect, and discipline in a gym. These coaches are obviously not adhering to that, and they are certainly not the role models I would want teaching any gymnast of mine. They show little respect for their peers, which leads me to believe they will show little respect for their gymnasts.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I am not saying it SHOULD be the expectation, I am saying that it MAY be the expectation in THEIR minds. And this could be what is causing the problem.

 

[ryantroop]

Sorry, I misunderstood your post. I re-read it, and I see where I went wrong.

 

[GC1281]

Thanks guys for your input and advice. It's calmed down a little bit but there is still a little bit of whispering here and there. Annoying, but I try not to let it get to me. One of the more annoying things is that when I'm coaching my group, one of the coaches will wait until he thinks my back is turned and then start making hand gestures/corrections to my kids and then when I turn back around he'll turn away. That and the fact that he's gone and done privates with 2 of my kids without even asking me first. I mean I'm all for the kids getting the help they need if I can't help them on a specific skill, but the least he could do is ask and I would be fine with it.

For the record, it was made pretty clear when they were hired what type of gym they were coming to and that we aren't a super serious gym; we're focused more on rec but do have a fairly large team program as well.

 

[gralch1]

I think a bigger issue here is the fact that they are speaking negatively about the program. As a gym owner I would get to the bottom of it and stop it quickly. We encourage open communication and do not tolerate speaking ill of our gym (their employer). If they are unhappy with aspects of their employment they should have a meeting with the principles involoved and work it out.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

Thanks guys for your input and advice. It's calmed down a little bit but there is still a little bit of whispering here and there. Annoying, but I try not to let it get to me. One of the more annoying things is that when I'm coaching my group, one of the coaches will wait until he thinks my back is turned and then start making hand gestures/corrections to my kids and then when I turn back around he'll turn away. That and the fact that he's gone and done privates with 2 of my kids without even asking me first. I mean I'm all for the kids getting the help they need if I can't help them on a specific skill, but the least he could do is ask and I would be fine with it.

For the record, it was made pretty clear when they were hired what type of gym they were coming to and that we aren't a super serious gym; we're focused more on rec but do have a fairly large team program as well.

well then...maybe you need to have a statement on the back of your coaching shirt. or maybe the italian hand gesture...