WAG gymnasts required to clean gym

[notthatmom]

The gym is cleaned weekly by the owners but once a year the gymnasts and parents do a full on big gym clean where we take all the mats outside and scrub them down, intensely vacuum everything with shop vacs, dust the trophies, wash the windows, etc. this ear the dad's built the new gym floor. it's actually a fun day, the girls have fun and the owners provide pizza (and beer) for everyone. The girls get a sense of accomplishment and it helps them to appreciate the gym more. I don't see a problem with it at all.

 

[dancingimmie]

Once a year our gym has a cleaning day. All team members are expected to help. They spend 6 hours taking the floor apart and fix anything that's loose or uneven, scrubbing the pit, cleaning all the mats, etc... the HC/owner has pizza delivered, parents bring goodies, they blast music. My DD was 8 when she did this over the summer and said it was super fun.
On a daily basis they gimmies clean up the mats and tidy up at the end right before conditioning.

 

[vbdb]

 

[kayjaybe]

Our girls are required to put the gym back "in order" after each practice. But with about 30 girls, it really only takes a few minutes. Any mats are stacked back along the wall. The girls working beam crank the beams to the proper height. One group closes windows if they are open. One group empties the trash cans from around the gym. If they work together, they spend maybe 5 minutes max at the end of practice doing this, which I'm fine with.

 

[gymdoc]

Our girls are required to put the gym back "in order" after each practice. But with about 30 girls, it really only takes a few minutes. Any mats are stacked back along the wall. The girls working beam crank the beams to the proper height. One group closes windows if they are open. One group empties the trash cans from around the gym. If they work together, they spend maybe 5 minutes max at the end of practice doing this, which I'm fine with.

This is ours exactly. Every level has a "job" at the end of practice every day. Take out the trash, move the mats, clean up chalk and move the bucket into the office (so the preschool kids during the day don't mess with it), etc. Takes them less than 5 minutes

For what its worth, this started over the summer, and it was not discussed with the parents. We just asked the gymnasts, "Hey, what's up with you taking out the trash?"

 

[Muddlethru]

All this required cleaning is news to me. We've never had to clean the gym. My daughter's first gym was never cleaned and never required the girls to clean it, just put mats away. It was gross. My daughter's second gym had a cleaning crew come in every week and they wiped down the mats, vacuumed etc. I guess it would depend how much tuition I was paying; and yes, a disclosure should be in the contract that they are required to clean if it is a half hour or an hour each month or any more than 5 minutes before or after practice. If I was paying $200 a month, I'd have no problems having my daughter clean (it'll be good for her lol). But if I was paying $400+ a month, I prefer she used that hour cleaning her room.

 

[cbifoja]

I am okay with "putting up mats" at the end of the practice. I am okay with extra cleaning if the girls leave an area messier than expected. I am okay with being asked to do an annual gym clean and given the option to participate or not (we always do).

I am not okay with purchasing her own chalk. I am not okay with her cleaning as part of a rotation. I am not okay with her "taking out the trash."

We pay a lot of money for gymnastics and I believe that chalk and other basic supplies and services should be provided by the gym. I believe that it is the gym's responsibility to hire a janitorial service or to make other arrangements. But I am NOT okay with me paying a business for the privilege of having my child do their work. If you want my kid to work as your janitor, you're going to credit my account!

Our gym does birthday parties and it used to infuriate me when my daughter's team would be required to set up or tear down the birthday setup during their practice time. Especially since the party workers get paid to do just that. Several parents approached the owner and told them that their daughters would no longer be participating in that and the practice stopped.

 

[gymnastmom05]

Our gym does the typical clean up - put everything back in it's place when rotation/practice is over. They do a cleaning during the summer that the girls get to help with and they think it's fun. I'm ok with that. I'm ok if a group made some unusual and obscene mess and the coaches required them to clean it up. I understand the respecting and cleaning parts mentioned previously BUT at the same time, these girls are gone from home so much, if my daughter has an extra hour to spend cleaning, I prefer it's at our own home! I don't want her to be disrespectful to the gym but her schedule between school, gym and homework are so much, if she can take an hour every week away from practicing, I want her at home - either cleaning or just being with us as a family more.

 

[sce]

I put no. Sometimes one of them, the boy or the girl and their team set up some of the equipment for the pre0school set-up for the enxt day. But it takes the group like 5 minutes and saves their coaches from staying after to do it.They also periodically get to throw all the blocks out of the pit so it can be cleaned. Of course they return mats from where they took them etc. But regular cleaning, vacuuming etc. No they ever do that. I again say, that taking 10 minutes away from each rotation is a lot. That is training time lost each day!

 

[triplethreat+1]

Not to be a bigger smart a$$, my four year old probably couldn't, but I sure could have used him this weekend. The house was an absolute tip!

Lolol you two, I was thinking the same as @vbdb- umm, my 5yo vacuums regularly at home as part of her chores, surely team gymnasts are old enough...?

 

[my4buffaloes]

At the end of a practice, if they are the last group, our gymnasts will get all the mats put away and pick up the foam blocks. They will fluff the pit on occassion. Twice a year or so they help clean out the pit. Vaccuuming after a bar rotation, right before another bar rotation is pointless. And to expect chalk not to get everywhere while bars is being practiced is ridiculous. So yes, I would have a problem with what is going on. I think you have handled it pretty well by reaching out to the coaches to figure out what is going on. It is frustrating that they haven't responded. It is fine to have them help clean yes, but the way your gym is now going about it is not fine in my opinion.

 

[Doubletrouble]

My gymmies help put away mats etc but aren't asked to do anything else. I used to own and run a karate school and I would not have dreamed of asking a student to clean up ordinary mess. I would not have felt right running a for profit business as though it was a not for profit club even though I know many students and their parents would not have minded helping out. I think that it can, but not always, border on exploiting the student / coach relationship.

 

[my4buffaloes]

Not heard of gymnasts required to clean gym every day. The girls put away mats and I think sometimes have had to clean up when there is a big mess. I prefer my daughter use practice hours for practice; but I don't think it hurts to teach them to clean up after themselves and/or care about the mess they are making once in a while. I've taken private tennis lessons and they run around $90-$120/hour for the pro. Of that, I think at least 15 minutes is spent picking up the balls. I am not happy about it at all primarily because I don't like to pick up the stinkin' balls! But I use so many (because I am not very good :-D and it is the way it is.

Is the gym doing ok? Perhaps they had to get rid of the cleaning crew? You also said the gymnasts are now required to buy their own chalk? I don't know how serious the gym owner is about all this? Perhaps as other posters have indicated the girls are making such a big mess and using unreasonable amount of chalk that the owner is trying to make a point. BTW, former team members of my daughter have told us the gym owners have stuck bars of chalk in their gymnasts bags while attending meets. Now, that is totally unacceptable. Is chalk that expensive?

I think stealing chalk at meets is completely wrong! But I have often heard that it is very expensive and that their is sometimes shortages.

 

[rosiekat]

DS(8) had to clean up chalk just this past Monday, and missed his pbars rotation because of it. However, it's because he was messing around and was responsible for the majority of the mess. I'm not sure the point got through to him (he's hardheaded and also tends to see any punishments as unfair), but I was OK with it. So yes, if the girls have (perhaps) been told time and time again to be more careful, etc., then I'd be OK with them having to clean it up. If it's using them as free labor, not OK.

 

[twinmomma]

I agree that cleaning is a good punishment for misbehaving. But I would be livid if workout time was spent cleaning the gym. That's not what I pay for. Now, if we're talking about some sort of co-op situation where this is communicated that practices are 3 hours, but really only 2.5 because 30 min is spent cleaning and that's to keep costs down so they aren't hiring a cleaning service, etc... that might be different. I expect the kids to be respectful and not slobs.

 

[MrsAnderson]

10 min after EACH rotation does seem like it cuts into training time, but 10 min/day seems great to me.
I am paying tuition, not just for gym training, but also for my kids to learn lots of things! Responsibility is one of them.
I also appreciate, and hope the girls and boys do too, having a spic and span gym. Gives us a sense of pride.

 

[beachgirl]

Are you sure it isn't a punishment for not cleaning up after themselves? About a year ago my daughter's group had to stay after a Saturday practice to clean the locker room. It took well over an hour and the parents weren't notified ahead of time. Many families had prior engagements. Then the groups were given a rotation schedule for cleaning the locker room. I was annoyed. A couple of months ago I went into the locker room for something and it was DISGUSTING, trash everywhere. Now I know why the girls had to clean it, they were the ones making the mess. I would have made them clean it too.

 

[Gymbee06]

We have always had to buy our own chalk at both gyms we have been at all the girls have their own chalk is this just a uk thing?

 

[Jenny]

We have always had to buy our own chalk at both gyms we have been at all the girls have their own chalk is this just a uk thing?

I reckon about half UK gyms make gymnasts provide their own chalk. I think they look after it better and use less when they provide their own. And the rec kids probably do without. They are probably the worst in the chalk bucket lol. But with higher fees I would expect a club to provide chalk.

 

[gymgal]

coming into this late and not sure how I missed it last week. No, I don't think it is too much to require them to clean up after themselves. If it is a new policy it is almost certain that it is because the gymnasts have been too messy. It shouldn't be taking that long for a team to clean the area so they are likely providing the rest of the time for transition which is fine with me.

I do not liken this to a restaurant, a service or a store, as others have. It is more like a school, where the children must throw away their snack/lunch garbage, clean up a spilled container, refilling the glue containers, put away lab materials, books, markers, crayons they used, and, in the olden days, clap out the erasers.

I understand that you are not happy that communication is poor and that can be a problem, unfortunately happens too often in gyms. But again, think of it like in a school - will a teacher communicate with you that she is now making the kids clean up? No - it is her job to run her class as she sees fit, as long as it is within acceptable parameters. We just don't think about it because we don't see it. Contrast that to the gym, where you can see it and therefore become upset by it. And, before someone comments about how much we pay for gym, where we don't for school - oh yes we do. It is just hidden in our taxes.

same for chalk - I don't know about your area but around here, families are given a list at the beginning of the school year demanding upwards of $100 worth of materials to be used communally - paper, folders, crayons, wipes, sanitizer, snacks, etc. Yes, parents complain but they all buy it. I see buying chalk (and tape) as no different. I personally would prefer that the gym include it in their gym/team fees so that the gym buys it at a discount but if the kids buy their own, they are more likely to be stingy about it versus the chalkbucket free reign.