Parents When to tell coaches that daughter is switching to a new gym

[Gigi]

In what I have seen, the only time there is amicable departure is when the gymnast is quitting gymnastics completely. Then, you can have a party and hug everyone and they will say come back if you change your mind. More typical is if a gym even gets wind that you are talking to another gym, they dismiss you that day. So agree with everyone, pack up quietly, tell them on last day, text goodbyes after. I have read people posting about nice gyms who give you the blessing to go, but I have never seen it in our area.

 

[kris]

I’m in the don’t tell them until you’re out the door camp. Another girl left our original gym at the same time we did. She did JO and tramp/tumbling and wanted to stay through tramp tumbling nationals, but word got out and they wouldn’t take her to nationals even though it was almost time. We only told them after the fact, but that was because it wasn’t really a planned move. The day before the contract was due for the following year, our gymnast told us she didn’t want to sign it. We had been wanting her to move for a couple years, so we called the gym we thought we wanted on a Friday, did a trial week starting the following Monday and told the old gym towards the end of the trial week she wouldn’t be back.

 

[Dad1234]

Thank you for all of your responses and input. We still haven’t decided when to tell the coaches but your responses definitely give me something to think about.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I am really surprised that gym owners and coaches would react this way, if told a gymnasts was switching. These are meant to be business owners and teachers, setting a great example to our children.

If anyone in our gym tells us they are moving on, we go out of our way to make sure we continue to treat them the same as the other kids. They still get the chance to be a part of everything the team is a part of as long as they are still training with us. We give them the same corrections and feedback that we would a gymnast who is going to represent us competitively the following season, and the same praise and positive reinforcement we would for any of our gymnasts.

When they do leave, we make sure they know that we still care about them, that the door us always open should they wish to return in the future, whether to train or just pop their head in the door to say hello.