Shocked

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Sorry if this is in the wrong spot. I need to vent.

Okay, this all started about 4 years ago. I was doing gymnastics at a YMCA, but I didn't like the coaches. They were really mean and they made you feel really bad about yourself. So I quit for the summer. In the fall, we looked into a new gym. It was a private club so it was slightly more expensive and the hours were a little more, but I loved gymnastics and we knew that this was the right decision. So when I got to the new gym, I loved the head coach. She was great. Then, about 8 months later, that gym moved locations, which actually worked out well for my family because the new location was closer. We thought the switch was to provide easier access for customers. I competed one season there and everything was going great. Until we found out that the gym was closing down. It turned out that it was getting to expensive to afford our old building, so the owner put it on the market and bought a new gym. But the old gym never sold, so our owner was paying for two gyms, and he went bankrupt and got rid of both. The owner said that he would be accepting a position as the gymnastics director at the old YMCA I used to go to, but I did not think good things when I thought about the Y. I was devastated and ready to quit. But then we found out that the coach I loved was going to the Y too, so I followed her. The first few months we were at the YMCA, the Y girls and my team were separated, kind of like we were just using their gym. Then we combined. A lot of girls from both gyms either quit or moved to different gyms during this. So our team all got along pretty good. We competed one season of YMCA, with our level 5 team being undefeated, and solid teams at the other levels as well. This sesason started off great until Friday night. A couple of weeks ago our original coach told us that she was going back to college, but it wouldn't affect us. Before I go on, I will tell you that there is a new gym in our area, UF. A few girls went there when it opened but most of us stayed at the Y because we love our coach there. Well on Friday night we found out that our favorite coach was resigning. We were extremely upset but we knew she was just doing what she had to because coaching and going to college full time would be difficult. Then we found out that she didn't just quit for college, she was going to coach at UF. A lot of the girls are following her there, but I can't afford it . I'm very shocked, upset, sad and devastated. I don't know what I'm going to do because the program at the Y will be terrible without her because she was their one and olnly good coach. Sorry this was so long, I just needed to get it out.
 
I vote you go to UF. It sounds like that is the only way you will end up successful in gymnastics.

If you just want to stay in gymnastics because you love the sport then the Y might be the best option for you.

The Y is less expensive for a reason and your coach knows that the only way for her to grow as a coach would be to go to UF. I am sure she feels the same way about your own growth.

What about the old owner is he staying at the Y? Is he a good coach? How does he compare to the new facility owner? Does he have a vision for the Y? Where does he see it going?
 
The only piece of advice I can give you is try not to be attached to a specific coach. I know it is difficult since there is a lot of time spent with your coach and you get used to them. I try to make sure the gymnasts that I work with get time with other coaches so they can offer a different point of view or even just a different voice saying the same thing. I've found from past experience that it isn't a good idea for the gymnast to depend on the coach especially since the coach's pay check is dependent on the gymnast.
 
I would agree with Coach Todd except in my current situation I find that getting too many points of view can be detrimental to the acquisition of a skill. I have found several caoches can confuse a gymnast escpecially the young ones and ones who are very technical. If all the coaches are not on the same page it creates problems. Also in a gym where coaches are in and out the coaches are NOT going to be on the same page. If you as a gymnast attach yourself to one coach then you must be willing to move onto a situation that benefits the both of you.

The gymnast must trust their coach if they don't they quit. Too many coaches does not allow the gymnast to trust a coach especially if each coach is giving a different point of focus. Let say one caoch always corrects your drop into your bail but another coach always focuses on your catch of the low bar. Then the gymnast does not know which is more important. Trust me this happens (not just in the bail) when you have more than one coach on an event or skill.

Yes, in theory it should be more beneficial but in practice it has never turned out that way. I feel it slows down progress and which ever coach the gymnast feels more comfortable with is the one she listens to...she could be listening to the wrong one.
 
I want to point out by nature gymnast are people-pleasers and if they have someone they trust and want to please they are more likely to make the corrections quicker. If they have someone too that they feel obligated to like their teammates or their coach they are more likely to stay in the sport longer...even through the rough spots.

I had one kid who was a great gymnast but when I left the gym she quit right after season. I asked her why and she told me that she liked making me happy and see saw me as a friend/mentor who really cared about her. When I left she said she did not get that feeling and realized she really did not like gymnastics and the hours without the people who really cared that she took so much time out of her life to be there. So she went into cheerleading where they cared if she sowed up every practice. Insightful.
 
I agree EntrReality that too many different points of view can mess things up as well. This is the exact reason our gym has regular coaches' meetings to figure out how we all want to do things. We don't always agree but we usually find out that we are usually doing something very similar so compromise works out well.

Good Luck
 
Will new coaches be hired for the Y program to replace the ones who are leaving? They could bring in someone who is great and who you work really well with. Or like earlier posters said, what about the owner of your old club? Is there any chance he/she will coach you and is it a person you trust and respect? Because while you should be open to opinions of other coaches like other posters have suggested, it is super important that you trust the coach you primarily work with.
If you can, maybe stick around a little longer and just see how things are going to play out. Maybe new coaches will be brought in, maybe the coaches currently there have gained some new experiences over the years, or any number of other good things. If you are put into a group with your old Y coaches, the ones who made you feel bad about yourself, and they are still using the same negative coaching methods, I would leave. Gymnastics should be fun and make you feel good about yourself, your abilities, and the experiences offered. If a coach treats you in a way you are not happy with, don't stick around! No one deserves to be made to feel that way about themselves.
I wish you all the best in figuring out this situation, it sounds like a tough one.
 

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