Parents How to handle bad coaching in one area

[gymnastmom]

How do you handle situations where your child/gymnast is getting bad or no coaching on one event. My daughter is very happy with her team and training overall, however, over the last two months her regular coach has basically stopped coaching on one event. This change is due to the fact they are getting the next higher level group of gymnasts training on newer skills. The coach that is now training my daughter and her team mates on the the one event is basically useless and he gives not correction, just tells them they are doing it wrong as well as he is new to coaching girls optional team, previously he only coached compulsory team. Due to politics within the gym and the staff it is impossible to say anything about this to the head coach.

 

[Carmansunshine]

I just found this thread. I am having a similar situation. I have a 9 year old dd who was on the gymnastics team at 1 gym as a level 3 training to level 4. We switched gyms and she started here training with the level 4 team. The head coach said she had too many corrections to make to stay on the team, as well as some strength issues to work out. So they dropped her all the way back to level 1. (A tough set back to be sure.) My dd worked hard for 3 months and he moved her back to level 3. It was great with the coaches she had, then the summer session came and with a lighter enrollent for summer they cut down to one coach. There seems to be something about this coach and her class because they are a wild bunch. The coach is always losing conrol of this class and the focus level is just not there for most of the class. My dd is very quiet and is really lacking confidence. This class doesn't seem to be the right fit for her. I am no sure how to approach the head coach with this because I am afraid she'll feel like I'm trying to push to get my dd back on the level 4 team. (That is where she wants to be but the coach doesn't feel she is team material. Which is a whole different issue.)Any way one thing at a time. How did you deal with your coaching issue?

 

[xstitchcarina]

That is hard. I can't say we loads of problems like this. Because we only have a small club. And you basically are on Rec. and get selected for selection team or you stay on rec. And most girls stay on rec. Because we only have 1 selection team, that can only have like 20 girls on it.

But when Talitha was on rec. gym, she was getting bored after 2 years the same level. But before that I wasn't happy with the trainer doing the group dd was in. So, I mailed to sort of the committee of the whole gymnastics/jazz club. And that mail ended up at the trainer of the selection team. So had a conversation with her and she said she would look at Talitha next time she was coming to Rec. Gym, she usually does that once or twice a year. We had contact again after that and she said Talitha didn't really jump out, so she wasn't getting in the selection. Then after her 2nd year in the same level, she won a silver medal of 4 clubs in our area. And I contacted her again and said she doesn't want to do the same again, isn't there anything you can do for her? And because Talitha's friends were moving away, 4 sisters, and a few other girls were leaving, she was allowed to get tested with some other selected rec. girls. And that is how she got in.

It is a long story, but I am trying to say, that I think you just have to keep trying to keep the line open between coach and tell them what you see and what your child wants/likes. Soemtimes it may seem pushy, but with some things, that is the only way you get things done.

 

[Megley]

[Due to politics within the gym and the staff it is impossible to say anything about this to the head coach.

Given that this is the case, I am not sure what you can do aside from get privates for your daughter on that event with a coach you trust. Maybe that will send the signal that you are unhappy with the one coach. Is there any sense that this is a temporary state of affairs? If so, I would probably hang in there, maybe get some privates, and trust the HC to ultimately do right by all the girls. He should want ALL the team to do well and should have an incentive to see that they do. The only other options that I can see are to approach the HC, which you say is not possible, or leave the gym for another.

Meg

 

[gym law mom]

. There seems to be something about this coach and her class because they are a wild bunch. The coach is always losing conrol of this class and the focus level is just not there for most of the class. My dd is very quiet and is really lacking confidence. This class doesn't seem to be the right fit for her.

It is certainly your right to question how the class is being run---you are paying for it. First, I would just pull the coach aside in a non threatening way and discuss that your dd just doesn't feel comfortable or something like that as some of the girls tend to act up. Maybe the coach is aware of this and doesn't care or maybe she thought things were going ok. If you don't get any promise of a change in the way the class is run, then I would take a few minutes and talk with the HC(what about the owner?). Just state that your dd really wanted help with some areas and with some kids acting up most of the time, it seems to make it hard to learn.