Anon Saluting & thanking coaches?

[Anonymous (e848)]

Do your gyms require height order line up and saluting to your coaches before every event and then doing the same after the event but also thanking them in unison? Just curious because it’s always bern a thing at my gym but some new girls were confused.

 

[Anonymous (2c86)]

Yes. More formal at our last gym than this gym, but still very much a thing. My daughter has never done it after events and they don’t salute beforehand, only a lineup and thank you/clapout at the end of practice. Her gyms have had a lot of national team members and coaches over the years so I’m curious where this is a custom. I’ve never encountered the event thing or salutes during practice. Wouldn’t it eat up tons of practice time?

It’s always funny when a girl has a growth spurt and they eventually realize that they’re not in height order anymore.

 

[Anonymous (2ef4)]

Yes , my daughter’s gym does at the end of practice.

 

[Anonymous (00d1)]

Gosh, this was not a thing at my DDs gym or on her D3 team. I thought it was odd that the national training camps do this but I chocked it up to being a 'thing' when you are at that level. I have mixed feelings on it.

 

[Dahlialover]

I have a boy and I have never seen or heard of this. They line up by height at regional camps and when marching into meets but there is no saluting the coach or thanking them in unison. This was also not a thing I experienced as a gymnast in 1990s.

 

[Anonymous (9b52)]

Definitely not a thing at my daughter's gym.

 

[Anonymous (c012)]

Nope, they get out when they are done, and many don’t even want to get out.

 

[Anonymous (35fd)]

Yes they do this at the end of every practice at my daughter’s gym. Somehow the head coach always has a speech to give too. Seems like a lot of speeches to me. lol

 

[Anonymous (e0ff)]

Yes at my gym we do this at the end. We line up in height order, head coach will give a little speech about practice that day or upcoming meets, then we salute and thank our coaches then leave.

 

[Anonymous (3e5c)]

At both my gyms (USAIGC Copper 2, and later Xcel Gold) we did a variation of this. Not at every event but at the beginning of practice we would line up because we would get a quick briefing on what to focus on as well as get split into groups. We were expected to stand in height order and with pretty feet/legs/arms but not salutes. At the end of practice, same thing, we would line up in height order, stand pretty, listen to head coach's super short speech. The practice before a meet would usually come with directions, sometimes we would acknowledge a new skill/rip, and if it was someone's birthday, that was when we sang. We then salute but not thank and clap out. The number of claps usually signals something like the age someone turned for their birthday, number of people at practice, etc.

 

[Anonymous (0134)]

We didn't do this at my old gym in California where I did gymnastics for 6 years and competed up to Xcel Gold, but at my new gym in Texas, only for the Team girls (4-10, Xcel), we all line up in order from shortest to tallest and we salute and say "thank you for coaching us". Yesterday was my 3rd practice so I'm somewhat used to it now, but I was very confused the first time we did it, but now I'm seeing that lost of gyms do it, so it doesn't feel as odd to me anymore.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

If they want to thank me themselves, individually, of their own accord, that feels great to hear. But a planned, rehearsed, ritualized "thank you" just doesn't feel genuine to me, and honestly as a coach it would make me uncomfortable.

In general, I'm not big on ritualized gestures of respect. As a coach, I don't want to be thanked because it's expected; I want to be thanked if, when, and because I've earned it from them.

That said, I have in the past when in head coaching positions had everybody line up at the end of practice to do a quick wrapup, brief feedback, that sort of thing, but usually it's just so I can say something along the lines of good job, you worked hard today, I'm proud of you, have a good night, etc.

But if they're going to thank me, I want it to be because they genuinely want to take a moment to thank me, not because they feel they have to.

 

[Anonymous (18b5)]

I’m curious, has anyone seen ritual saluting and thanking The coach at a gym west of The Rocky Mountains? It sounds very southern to me.

 

[Anonymous (00d1)]

The forced display of respect doesn't sit well with me either. Military? Sure. Kids that are paying to be coached for a youth sport? Not so much. Harkens back to a crappy coaching era in USA gymnastics that needs to be left in the past. That said, in my experience gymnasts are some of the most gracious/thankful athletes around.

 

[Anonymous (2c86)]

I’m curious, has anyone seen ritual saluting and thanking The coach at a gym west of The Rocky Mountains? It sounds very southern to me.

I chimed in earlier. Very liberal area of the west coast and the girls here at all the gyms line up in height order, thank, and clap out. And then run out in a frenzy.

 

[Anonymous (e0ff)]

I’m curious, has anyone seen ritual saluting and thanking The coach at a gym west of The Rocky Mountains? It sounds very southern to me.

My gym in Colorado does it!

 

[Anonymous (b430)]

In our gym (different country) we do a line up (height order, more or less, sometimes I let them change places), we give a little bit of talk abut the practice, usually praise for someone who worked extra hard, or someone who got a skill they have been working for a long time or just for something the whole group did well that day. Then we clap and they can leave. The clap is not as a respect sign, but just a way to mark the finish. A rehearsed "thank you" seems a bit too much for me.

 

[skschlag]

My son's gym did something similar. They would line up in height order at the end of practice, stuff was said (I have no idea) then they would start with the smallest in a line with handshakes for the coaches. Usually the coaches were the ones giving individual kudos during this time. I kind of liked it.

 

[Geoffrey Taucer]

Handshakes or high fives I think I'm okay with. Current gym does a "cheer out," where we do a hands in "go team" type of thing. I don't see a problem with lining up at the end of practice.

But a rehearsed "thank you" just sounds... idunno. I'd be uncomfortable as gymnast doing it, and I'd be uncomfortable as a coach receiving it.

 

[skschlag]

Handshakes or high fives I think I'm okay with. Current gym does a "cheer out," where we do a hands in "go team" type of thing. I don't see a problem with lining up at the end of practice.

But a rehearsed "thank you" just sounds... idunno. I'd be uncomfortable as gymnast doing it, and I'd be uncomfortable as a coach receiving it.

I agree. I liked the handshake and the interactions it brought.