Parents lack of communication akward situtation

[Panda-girl's Mom]

As most of you know there is often a lack of communication in a lot of gyms including my daughers. I feel really bad for the new team parents because not a lot seems to be explained to them before their daughter gets on the team. I have been through it. Now what to you do when new parents are clueless about things like they have to fundraise and pay extra money for competitions fees. I think they should explain this before their daughter gets on the team or at least explain it before they are handed a paper with meet fees on it. I feel it is not my place as a parent to explain how things work but at the same time I do not want to be rude. I think that this should be discussed prior to the child getting on the team so the parent who is footing the gym bill can decide whether they want to commit to this. Now the child is already on the team loves it and the parent finds out it is going to cost them an additional 1000.00 dolllars a year. I had a couple of parents approach me with questions about this and it justs makes awkward. Despite this both our competition fees and tution has not gone up for 3 years so I am happy for that but new parents do not understand this.

 

[gymnut1]

Could you approach the head coach and let them know that parents are asking you and you feel awkward. Ask if it is possible to give out an information sheet about being on team when children start. Maybe even offer to get together with another parent and write one.

They really do need to know in advance - it would be sad to lose children because their families can't /won't pay out.

 

[bogwoppit]

PArents should ALWAYS be told the cost before their kid begins team. It is just not fair to the kids.

I would do as Gymnut suggested and let the owners know that the new parents are asking lots of questions and you think they would benefit from either a meeting or a hand out about joining the tam.

Nice that you care!

 

[Gymdad2]

I think we all agree that you should get more information about team expenses and organization from the beginning. Just wondering if you have a booster club for the team, and if so, are you a member? The booster club is a good source of information, especially regarding expenses and funding. Also, if you have a booster club, ask if they have designated Level Reps. Their job is to provide information to the parents in their level, and to act as a contact between ownership, coaches and parents. This works well because it allows parents to get team information specific to their level without having to seek out the coach.

Our boosters also work with the gym to produce a Team Handbook (ours is in Adobe now which makes it easy to update and distribute each year) which is given to each family at the beginning of the season. It is a very useful guide about what to expect from being on the team, including fees for tuition, meet entry fees, travel, etc.

Good luck.

 

[gym law mom]

Absolutely parents should be told of the expense they will have when their dd is moved to team. I would either refer them to the team coach or someone in the office to discuss fees.

Gymdad2 also had a good idea with having them contact someone in the booster club if you have one. I know all new parents at our gym have a meeting with one of the booster club officers to welcome them and go over expenses paid for by the booster club if they decide to join. If they don't want to join then they meet with the owner and go over what expenses will be. Sometimes after that meeting they come running back to join the booster club.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

Well they are having a new parent meeting this week. I just think this should been done in conjunction with the fees and rules not a week later. We do have a parent association but let's just say it is micromanged by the HC/owner. I do not have issues with this I just do my fundraising and stay out of it. We did get the annual rule team policy booklet but if I was a new parent some of the stuff would really put me off and make me run for the hills. I got really upset because one of the new girls who daughter is becoming friendly with mom when she found about the extra fees got angry and turned to her daughter and said did you hear how much extra I have to pay. The mom was upset because she did ask about fundraising earlier and was blown and said it did not start until the fall. She explained to me that she would of put money aside if she knew. I quess I am just venting because I know things do not have to run this way and there is nothing. I can do.

 

[cher062]

You know I understand what you're saying but in the same breath When my DD was moved to the team track I made sure I totally understood what that ment before I said OK. these parents aren't babies and should have made themselves aware of what was expected of them before they signed up.

If parents do ask you why not just direct them to the office. A simple "You know I think the office (or owner) has all that up to date information why don't you check with them"

 

[Deanna]

I agree the gym (booster club) should inform the parents of the future expenses. But I also agree that as a parent it is also you responsibility to educate yourself on this too. Ask questions about anything you may not understand.

Personaly our gym, before each season they have an end of year gym show. All the gymnast do their thing, and each and every gymnast (from the mommy and me kids, to the L10 kids) get a trophy, a medal, and are awarded a certificate which states what they are best at. My daughter got best all around gymnast in her advance placement class. My son got "no fear gymnast" (because he has no fear). They find something for all of them to be awarded in. At the end of this they announce all the kids they wish to be on team starting in June. Those parents (who are already at the gym to watch the show) are then taken in to a room, where they discuss everything. They are also handed a 2010=2011 handbook that also outlines everything. The parents are then able to decide it the team is best for their child and budget. We also have the coaches cell numbers (for texting only) and email address, as well as the heads of the booster club, so we can get ahold of someone to ask any questions we may have that need answered before the next gym class or parents meeting

 

[emorymom]

I personally had to pry information out of so many coaches and parents over the years, that when a newbie comes along with some questions I do try hard to give them the whole picture.

DD's current program has a complete handbook that spells everything out, but I am still explaining things to a friend whose daughter joined because she has 3 young kids and a business and I don't think she's read the handbook or is ever going to read the handbook.

 

[Bella's Mom]

Y'all should come join our gym. We chatter so much in the lobby that I think sometimes we create policy before the HC realizes it (kidding, we LOVE and RESPECT our owner!).

Seriously, we all spend so much time together during the week and there isn't a lot of turnover in our gym so we all get to be quite friendly and all anyone has to do is say "I wonder ........ " and they will get more information than they need.

We go out of our way to make sure new parents feel good about enrolling their kiddos in our gym.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I do try to inform new parents as best I could but I just think somethings are purposely kkept hidden. I think some new parents just do not have the knowledge to ask certain questions. My kids did a lot of activities before gymnastics and all the fees where new to me. I would just not have thought to ask. Like I said the one mom asked about the fundraising and was blown off. A lot of the parents have no clue that they are required to have there child go 5 days a week all summer. Like I said I think they should be told about these things before so they can decide before they join the team. I am just venting because it seems like so many of them leave after a year when they find out all this stuff.

 

[emorymom]

I do try to inform new parents as best I could but I just think somethings are purposely kkept hidden. I think some new parents just do not have the knowledge to ask certain questions.

I think this is the biggest problem. Most gyms do not have any information about developmental classes or team requirements on their web sites or in the lobby. Some even do not have information when you enroll.

Just as an example of why this is bad for the gym, my daughter was passed over for developmental at our first gym, and they gave a place to one of our friends who had no idea what it was and signed up for what they were told. So DD went to another gym for developmental and my DD was put on 3 hour preteam in February. Meanwhile I eventually said to my friend while hanging out, when she said her daughter went hot and cold on gymnastics, "You know they have tracked your DD for team?" and my friend said "Oh, really? Well she might do team, I don't know, you know, she could go twice a week I guess." I told her team started at 6 hours a week and was 12 hours a week by about the third year. She was shocked. Yeah they quit. She was just making her daughter go because gym one hour, 1x a week is what they'd been doing since preschool.

So we no longer go there though we do love that gym and may go back one day when the fit is there. But if they'd factored family support for reality into the tracking decision instead of taking up preteam spaces with kids who won't continue, they'd probably have both my kids instead of having neither right now.

If you don't know gymnastics you have no reason to think it isn't just like soccer. I didn't know gymnastics and it was a real struggle to figure out how the system works.

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

I agree a lot of the girls who my daughter did preteam with never continued onto the team. My daughter just liked it so much and we continued but her group was being measured for leotards before we were even asked if she wanted to be on the team. I was pretty clueless about the commitment and expense but daughter did well and I still feel it is the right sport for her. I think a lot of gyms hand pick who they want on the team so they do not promote their team program. But without the parents support it does not matter how good a gymnast is or how much the kid loves it.