WAG New appreciation for coaches and owners!!!

[JoyAvenueMom]

Our gym owner is a great person with a very positive outlook on everything. The gym has grown a lot lately, and we have record numbers of girls competing this year. Recently, the owner commented to me that she has had her absolute worst ever experience with this year's parents. And it's the parents of talented 5 and 6 year olds who are giving her the most headaches! They hound her and the coaches about the girls not progressing fast enough...the coaches not giving their child enough attention, etc. One day recently a parent went onto the floor during class to complain to a coach about how her 6 yo L3 was progressing!!!! This gym has invested heavily in good coaches, and in providing training for these coaches. They even offer TOPs training, which has evidently contributed to the Crazy Gym Parent explosion! Unlike some gyms, communication between parent/coach is very open. Unfortunately, this open communication is being abused by parents of VERY young gymnasts. I guess they fail to recognize these coaches are there b/c they love this sport and they love kids...and most of them work another full-time job each day. They truly aren't paid enough to deal with the craziness of the parents!!!! (Thanks to ChalkBucket, I have tried VERY hard to squelch the CGM in me...I research my questions here instead of driving the coaching staff crazy!) I find myself wanting to hug Kipper's coach daily and thank her for putting up with it all...while at the same time she commits to delivering excellent coaching and learning the specific strengths/weaknesses/motivations of each girl on her team.

 

[Ex member]

My youngest has a lovely young coach who is with her at rec and she seems to end up in her group a lot (the rec kids are split into groups), this young rec coach has some idea's that you would have thought would have come from a older coach with more experience, she is a very friendly outgoing girl who gives people her time and she told me that she wants to get to know the girls in her care at the gym so they would open up to her and trust her, my dd had a party in the gym the other day and she was on duty (with another coach) and spent most of the time talking to me about my dd's progress and how well she thought she is doing, she wants people to be able to talk to her and she is very approachable, she has taking my young dd under her wing and is giving her plenty of encouragement and support. I can see this young girl become a fantastic coach as long as the system doesn't knock her down, she is still training but is getting to the stage where she is able to coach her own group, it is one of her goals. I have a lot of respect for her and I hope she continues to coach at dd's gym for many years as long as she is happy.

The head coach for the WAG is also approachable and seems friendly enough to me and it is always talking to parents, I can still remember the meeting I had with him about my dd advancing from rec, I was really nervous when I spoke to him but he was really nice, I went to the front desk and asked to book a meeting with him and he came out straight away despite being in the middle of a session - something I did not expect. We spoke about my youngest dd and I asked about her moving out of rec and he told me and dd that he was starting a new group and dd was on the list, we were told we would know more by November due to coach shortages, I was told if I wanted to know anymore to ask him. It has been several weeks since our first meeting and it is nearly time to find out what is going on with youngest dd, I am going to respect the head coach and wait it out for a week or 2 and then speak to him again if don't hear anything before then, it is hard going being in limbo, they only thing keeping me sane is the chats I have with the young coach (she is the one who has recommended my dd to the head coach a several occasions).

 

[MeetDirector]

JAM - Your approach and restraint will be rewarded many times over in the future. If you end up in this sport for the long-haul, the coach will very much appreciate that you are not high maintenance. The coaches need to coach; the parents need to parent. When these get crossed, trouble is just waiting to rear its ugly head. You have the right perspective and I challenge you to keep it up; it will pay dividends.

Good Luck.

 

[SignHere]

It is so funny to me now how much crazier the parents of the younger gymnasts can be.

My DDs have been in the sport for 4 years now. There is still some craziness, but much less.

As for me ... I told DDs coach , " I trust you to make decisions regarding her training. I'm not going to question you." And I've stood by it. He knows what is best for her at this point.

I still like to observe practice periodically because I enjoy watching my DDs do amazing things. So sue me.

 

[MeetDirector]

^^^ My sentiments exactly. We have developed (and not overnight, mind you) a level of trust for her coaches and we have let them know that as well. We don't watch practice, but that is our choice. We did watch choreography, but that will be the last time we see the routine until it is polished and competition ready; we will be amazed I am sure.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

yikes! so sad to hear this...you got the baby boomers...and now the entitlementers...