"Train Hard or Go Home"

[DEMom]

As you know DD's last day is this Wednesday. It has been a tough final month. (more for me) I had to laugh when the coach sent out a letter to the team today pretty much saying the season is over, etc. etc. but his last paragraph epitomizes why my daughter is quitting. Here it is verbatim....

If you have any questions you can call or email anytime.
Thank you for your tremendous support and lets get ready for a "Train hard or go home" Summer.

How about train hard & have fun or train hard & learn new skills! These are kids!! Is their something wrong with me , or am I the only one that thinks this is insane.

We're goin home.

[lagymmom]

We are in a gym that is the total opposite---it is what I would probably call toooo laid back. Good luck with your new found freedom!

[lannamavity]

"Train hard or go home" is a spin-off of "Play hard or go home" which would be more appropriate for the competition season. I think the point was that now that the season is over, the focus has changed to "training" instead of competing...and the "go home" thing pretty much assumes that the kids don't want to go home.

Maybe you are a little sensitive since your kid/kids are retiring...but I read it as a sort of challenge to work hard this summer for the kids who will be there.

[Scout's Mom]

Funny! I thought I had seen that somewhere, and, sure enough, that's WOGA's motto: http://www.woga.net/TeamGymnastics/B...4/Default.aspx

I guess it all depends on your perspective. On the one hand, yes they are just kids and need to have fun. On the other hand, this is a dangerous, expensive sport--don't waste your parent's money, your time, or your coach's time by not giving it 100%.

[CoachL]

That soo a letter I could of sent out, but there probably would of been a smiley at the end of it.

[flippymonkeysmom]

Yeah - I've heard that before. My gymmie met Carly Patterson's coach last summer and he was giving out autograph's signed train hard or go home.

DeMom - best of luck to your and your daughter - I hope she enjoys being able to just be a kid again

[Shawn]

I've heard that too. It seems to be a pretty common gymnastics saying.

[Aussie_coach]

They sell gymnastics t-shirts that say "train hard or go home" and bumper stickers. Personally I think it is a very poorly thought through thing to place in a note to the kids.

[gymnomore]

I think that phrase could be taken either way, as one of encouragement, or as a derogatory statement. DEMom and I have had conversations about negative things this particular coach has said, and I can see where she would interpret it the way she did. I like her closing statement: "We're goin home." Good luck to you and dd. As I mentioned before, when a door closes, a window opens somewhere.

[Livinatthegym]

I, too, think your coach needs a reminder that he's working with kids. Then again, maybe his philosophy is that he's only interested in kids who want to go all the way (or parents that want to push their kids all the way). In that case, I would've taken the last line as invitation to leave if I didn't have a "go all the way" mentality.

My dd1's last night in the gym was yesterday. (So, we're "goin home," too). Got to say, I'm glad we're out on a more positive note. I think sending a note that tells kids to "go home" when he knows there's a girl leaving in a couple of days is in really bad taste, too. If he "didn't mean anything by it" or it's "just an expression," he should have waited until May 1st, when your dd1 was gone. Again, behavior indicative of someone who needs a reminder that he's working with kids.

We've had a tough couple of weeks since regionals. Dd1 is horribly sad (and scared!), but she knows high school is probably her only chance to try out some new activities (bands, chiors, musicals, dance team, other sports). And she can't do any of that when she's in the gym every day after school.

Wish you well and hope to hear how retirement goes--for you and for your dd. I've still got dd2 in the gym, so I don't have to hang up my gym parent hat just yet.