What does your gym expect of you?

[bigtiny]

What does your gym expect of team parents each year? In our gym, team parents have to work a public Bingo game once a month, volunteer 30 hours working for the gym (working meets, etc.), and raise a certain amount of money in at least two fundraisers per year.

I'd love to hear what other gyms expect of their parents...

[xstitchcarina]

So, is that for every parent who has a child in the club?

We don't have to do anything. But helped is always appreciated. I mean like with us having to build up all apparatus every Thursday and Saturday, it goes quicker when there are some parents to help. So I do that. But besides that the trainer will ask if she needs some help. I usually help with receiving competition money, I receive and keep ahold of it, till I got it from everyone. And once a year there is a national club action thing. And you can participate as a club and get money for your club and I helped with that last year and will again this year. But it isn't compulsary.

[bigtiny]

Yes, those are the requirements for the parents of every team member.

[skfleming255]

We have a $500 team fee per family to pay once a year. This fee covers coach's expenses to meets, etc. They, also, ask that we volunteer during meets that we host. There is not a set amount of time for the volunteering (just whatever we can do and only if we can). What a great question!. Does anyone else pay team fees?

[hammy]

I'm not a parent so I don't know how much help I'll be for this one, but I believe the following is what my parents did.

-Helped pay coaches' expenses for each meet.
-Meet fees for each meet
-Tuition
-Leo, warm up suits, grips, etc
-When hosting a meet parents and gymnasts "work the meet"--flash scores, provide judges' and coaches' hospitaliy, enter scores into the computer, etc. We were paid for working, but it went into our account. I think we were paid a certain percentage, but I can't remember exactly.
-Fundraisers were available but participation was not required

[ZJsMom]

Bigtiny-- What do the parents get in exchange for that. Does that cover meet entry fees and coach's fees for meets? Anything else?

[bigtiny]

The bingo covers the meet fees and coaches fees (usually). If the bingo game is not making money, we will still have to pay meet fees. The fundraisers are supposed to go to buying new equipment for the gym. The required parent work hours help to host meets, etc. If you do not work them, you are fined $10/hour that you did not work for the year (though I heard this fee will go up this year).

Leotards ($175), warm-ups, team bags, USAG fees, and the $250 team fee is all additional.

I was wondering if our gym was "average" in its requirements of its team parents...

[gymnastmomof4]

My daughter is a 7 yr old level 5 and we pay $1000.00 a year team fee which covers USAG membership, coaches travel expenses and competition fees for the season. We then have leo and warm up's to buy every two years. In addition, $160 a month for tuition. Our gym is very good about doing fundraisers. The parents are not required to volunteer for anything.

[Alaska Mom]

Up here, we have the usual expenses (meet fees, comp. leos, etc.) but on top of that, we have a points system (the lower levels have less points). The parents can either buy out their points or work them off (working meets, housing out of town gymnasts, helping with fund raisers, putting together goody bags, etc.). Our booster club is great and like all organization, there are some parents who have more time and energy. Some parents really appreciate the ability to buy out their points and some really appreciate the ability to work them off. We have 15 points (Level 5 - 10) and they are worth 1 hour each or $20.00 a point.

We spend lots of money on travel. We have to fly to all meets that are not local, so those bills really add up. It would be nice to be able to drive to meets!!

[xstitchcarina]

Oh my gosh, how expensive is it all for you. Of course your kids train more, but man, that is a lot. We pay 28 Euro's a month, which probably is like 25 dollars or something. We provide their own leotards for the trainings, but we don't have to buy the comp. leo's. They are the clubs ownership and get worn when there is a comp. And that is it. If we have a fundraiser, which is the yearly clubaction thing, it is used to buy things, but because we aren't only gymnastics, it doesn't mean we get something new every year. Our club is also other things, rec. gym, jazz dance, steps, etc.