Parents Need Help with Coaches Fee

[GymKatsMom]

So.. we have a pretty unique situation, where our gym only supports classes. Our top level coaches and parents have organized to also have a competitive team. Basically, the gym has NOTHING to do with TEAM. Our parent booster club handles most of the managerial issues. At the beginning of the year, we (the parents and coaches) agreed that our coach would take our TEAM to a USAG meet. We agreed on a price, and charged all the parents whose child was going a coaches fee. After the deadline for signing up for the meet, the coach has invited 4 other NON-TEAM girls to the meet. She has charged them her "own" coaches fee. She feels entitled to the original price. I'm sure just letting this go is the best way to handle this, but I know the TEAM parents aren't going to be happy. What makes the most sense in this situation?

 

[gymmomtoo]

Is this coach the owner too? I'd want to make sure the person in charge knows this coach is doing this.

 

[GymKatsMom]

it's a civic center type situation, no real gym owner, but the director of the program has said previously that if we want to have a team, we deal with it. I'm the president of the booster club.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Hmm, then I say you should meet with the coach and ask why she changed the plan she agreed to. Let her know parents are upset and ask how you can both solve the issue.

 

[skschlag]

Just a couple of questions:

By non-team, do you mean, non-booster club? They have to be registered with USAG to compete, so maybe they are moving to team.

Unfortunately, this is going to be tough. I don't think I have ever seen a booster club running the whole thing. And without support of an owner/manager, the coach will have more freedom. And, it sounds like the girls are paying the same amount as everyone else?

Just curious. I really have never heard of this type of situation so I can anticipate all kinds of issues with this.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

my issue as a parent would be, say coach charges $500 for the meet, 10 parents each pay $50, if there are now 15 girls, as a parent I would expect my contribution to be dropped to $33.33. Level playing field, all things equal etc etc.

 

[GymKatsMom]

oh.. the issue they abound!! THe coach really would love to run every decision without the booster club having anything to do with it. But she also needs help with a lot of these issues and doesn't want to deal with fundraising or collecting money for leos and such. Non team, meaning, they did not try out and make the team (completely a coaches decision). She does register all the girls with USAG, so they are now part of our USAG club, but not part of our TEAM, did not sign our contract.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Good luck .......

 

[GymKatsMom]

That's really what I want too, level playing field, at least.. BUt.. We also have fundraising money that we will use to help pay for the trip, which the NON team girls wont' get. so, i'm fine with it even being less for them. I just don't' feel the coach is now entitled to the full amount.

 

[gymmomtoo]

These new girls also don't have a team leo or anything, do they?

 

[wallinbl]

Does adding the girls increase the number of sessions the coach will be working?

Regardless of that, coaches are not well paid, and if you think the coach is doing a good job and you like the coach, then let him/her have a small bonus.

 

[GymKatsMom]

The nice person that I am, i have helped the coach get the girls their "own" pre-team leo. Of course at this point, trying to get our custom leo wasn't going to get here in time (although the coach did buy them the team leo, which is a whole other situation). THe coach will have to do one more session that previous, but we agreed to mostly pay her travel, and she was doing the sessions on her own time. And in this very unique situation, our coaches are paid VERY well, over $70/hour. She does love the girls, and I know wants the best for them, even the ones that aren't on team. IT's so weird here!!! I really appreciate everyones questions and concerns, it's helping me think out the problem, and really what solution i need to come up with. I guess i just want compensation for bring more girls when we we agreed upon only our team. Maybe reduce the coaches fee, but then add a session fee. And... just to bring further complication to the situation, she took our girls last year completely on her own dime. so obvious great heart there.

 

[sevenatenine2]

To me, if the girls compete with your girls representing the same club, then they are part of the team. I see no reason to not include them with the other kids already on there and have their fees be exactly the same as the others.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Well, What is the exact amount that the coach will receive for her/his entire weekend? How many days and sessions. I think this is a very important question. Total days and total compensation are?

 

[gymmomtoo]

Well, What is the exact amount that the coach will receive for her/his entire weekend? How many days and sessions. I think this is a very important question. Total days and total compensation are?

He has a good point. If the extra girls will be going a different session, then the coach deserves to be paid more for that session.

 

[MILgymFAM]

I am confused. You seem mad simply because the girls were added to the team. Is is because they didn't try out with the other kids? Are they new? Newly able to compete? Wouldn't the coach have say over who made the team at tryouts anyway? If the parents are paying equally, I don't see a problem. I am also confused about why the team leo is separate from the custom leo? You seem really upset about this and I am wondering how is affects you or your dd specifically? Is is about money in some way or just about there being new girls on the team? Sorry for all the questions, I am genuinely confused here.

 

[gymdog]

I'm a little confused too, but this situation seems like a minefield of potential issues and tax fraud issues as well, I dunno. Is this the only gym in the area?

 

[Momofkinsandbean]

It might help clarify the situation to know the odd specifics of this particular group. My daughter was a team member here until last summer, and it is definitely an odd setup. This is on a military base overseas. There is no gym structure like there is in the US. The military has gymnastics as a recreational option for the kids, but nothing competitive. So for competitive-level girls, it was terrible to be stationed here because they couldn't continue their sport. The parents of competitive level gymnasts got together and asked the base to have a team. The base agreed to "sponsor" the team, but said running it would be up to the parents and coaches, and that they would have NO involvement. So it's kind of an ad-hoc thing. So parents and coaches got together to hammer out guidelines and rules we would all go by, but the problems arise when coaches don't go by the agreement and just do what they want to do. There is no one "in charge" to referee a dispute. The parents voice their displeasure to the team president (the person posting the original question), who then tries to mediate with the coach in question. Because no one is in charge, it gets sticky.

 

[MILgymFAM]

It might help clarify the situation to know the odd specifics of this particular group. My daughter was a team member here until last summer, and it is definitely an odd setup. This is on a military base overseas. There is no gym structure like there is in the US. The military has gymnastics as a recreational option for the kids, but nothing competitive. So for competitive-level girls, it was terrible to be stationed here because they couldn't continue their sport. The parents of competitive level gymnasts got together and asked the base to have a team. The base agreed to "sponsor" the team, but said running it would be up to the parents and coaches, and that they would have NO involvement. So it's kind of an ad-hoc thing. So parents and coaches got together to hammer out guidelines and rules we would all go by, but the problems arise when coaches don't go by the agreement and just do what they want to do. There is no one "in charge" to referee a dispute. The parents voice their displeasure to the team president (the person posting the original question), who then tries to mediate with the coach in question. Because no one is in charge, it gets sticky.

That makes it a good bit clearer, but still- why wouldn't or shouldn't the coach have carte blanche to decide who is on team. It seems in a situation such as this, the coach should have ALL the athletic decisions, and the booster president should have ALL the financial decisons- with the backing of the board or other parents, etc. The OP seemed mad that the coach added girls to the team, more than angry about the money part. Honestly, if more girls means more sessions, then more money makes sense anyway. Are they flying back to the states for usag meets? This is the sort of thing my husband and I joke about. When they tell you adapt and overcome, and all the other jargon they throw at military families, they really have no idea...

 

[2G1B]

I would think that the annoyance at the girls being added to the team stems from it sounds like the coach added the girls to the competition side; but not the booster side. So by adding 2 more girls, while fees might slightly go up, they will be divided by more parents. Or should be. But instead there is the initial team paying their stuff and doing fundraising. Then on the side the coach is adding more kids to competitions but telling the parents that they don't need to go through the booster for some reason.

I agree with the poster who said coach should handle coaching and booster should handle finances. Even call the booster "the club" instead maybe so people don't think it is optional.