Parents Coaches not around for awards??

[rmankini]

Is it customary for the coaches to bail the second competition is over? 4 of our girls placed and our team won 2nd place all around and the coaches left and weren't there to support our girls and congratulate them!!! I'm shocked, pissed and dismayed!!!!

 

[skschlag]

It is very common, although it can depend on the coach. Most have another session, or have been there all day, and really just want to eat Ours used to try to eat and come watch, but if he had a session after ours, it was nearly impossible. I was shocked the first few times the coach didn't stay, but really got used to it. Like I said, he stayed when he could.

Our current coach almost always stays, unless there is a session after and it overlaps.

 

[sewgood]

That's totally normal here. I rarely see any coaches from any teams at the awards. Usually the coaches have to go right into another session, or maybe they have a few minutes to go to the bathroom or grab a quick bite to eat. Those coaches are often working 12+ hour days for 3 days in a row (Fri, Sat, Sun), plus traveling and staying away from home, and then back to practice on Monday. I certainly don't expect them to stand around and watch awards. They need their downtime to recharge.

 

[Sasha]

Rarely do I see coaches stick around for awards. They are usually either off to coach the next session, get food or quick down time before next session, or if the final session, start to make the trek home after what is usually a loooooong day/weekend.

Heck, most of the parents here who are past Level 3 wish WE could skip those (often ridiculously long) award sessions sometimes...

 

[mandkmom]

Totally normal. After 4 years competing I can recall coaches around during awards a handful of times. As prior posters said - they often have other sessions or it is their only time to eat. And the coaches know the placements, they get a score sheet before awards and so they know who placed, how the team placed. So while I know you would like to have them at awards, they have many other reasons to not be there. Heck, there are many award ceremonies I'd wish I could skip too.

 

[ladybird]

Yep, all that ^^^^^

 

[spider_monkey]

Normal here too. Our coach comes when she can, but often it's just not possible because she's a) exhausted/hungry, or b) at another session.

 

[skschlag]

and, to be honest, from my years in the sport, most coaches know how the kids did. They don't care as much about placements as how they performed. Placements, especially at the lower levels, are the icing on the cake. They know what they did well, and what they need to work on, and most coaches are focused on that. Now, at bigger meets with something on the line (state,regionals, nationals) I think you see more coaches hanging around.

 

[meganliz77]

Coaches do not attend here... they usually are coaching a different session.

 

[meganliz77]

and, to be honest, from my years in the sport, most coaches know how the kids did. They don't care as much about placements as how they performed. Placements, especially at the lower levels, are the icing on the cake. They know what they did well, and what they need to work on, and most coaches are focused on that. Now, at bigger meets with something on the line (state,regionals, nationals) I think you see more coaches hanging around.

This right here....

 

[duyetanh]

Rarely do I see coaches stick around for awards.

Heck, most of the parents here who are past Level 3 wish WE could skip those (often ridiculously long) award sessions sometimes...

This, and this! Never had a coach come to awards ever. Doesnt mean they arent proud of how the kids do. But they are either racing to the bathroom inbetween sessions and grabbing a quick bite, or they are totally fried and are headed home.

 

[FlippinLilysMom]

Our coaches never come to awards either, though they did come to the awards for state meet last year for our level 8s (our girls took 1st place for the first time for our gym at state and capped off an undefeated season), so they definitely wanted to be there for that!!

 

[SMH]

Ours will stay if they can, but 99% of the time they are off to another session or have just enough time to eat before the next session, so they don't stay.

 

[sce]

and, to be honest, from my years in the sport, most coaches know how the kids did. They don't care as much about placements as how they performed. Placements, especially at the lower levels, are the icing on the cake. They know what they did well, and what they need to work on, and most coaches are focused on that. Now, at bigger meets with something on the line (state,regionals, nationals) I think you see more coaches hanging around.

They are also often given the results before awards, so they know the placements as well. Also, for most coaches, how they placed in Child A, or Middle C is not as important as the score they received and the things the kid need to work to improve. As other have said as well, the coach may not be able to stay for awards as they might need to work with kids warning up for the next session or take a short break to eat and go to the bathroom before the next session. After you have sat through a few awards ceremonies (and you only have to do one a meet), think about what it would be like for a coach to sit through multiple awards sessions each meet, year after year. The ceremony means a lot to the parent and kid, but the ceremony does not need to be attended by the coach fr the coach to be happy for the kid and team.

 

[profmom]

Remember that a coach's meet often starts with the first session -- maybe on Friday after a long drive -- and finishes with the last one on Sunday, whenever that ends. A meet Saturday may run from a 7:45 AM report for first session through the "mandated end" at 10 PM or a little later. If sessions are running late, the coaches may have precious little time to rest and get ready for the next crew of athletes, all with their own foibles, quirks, brilliances, and motivational needs. Honestly, I don't know how they do it when they have athletes in every session on a meet day, much less when they have two days in a row like that. For me, I don't think there'd be enough caffeine in the world!

 

[Mamabear123]

DD's coach always sat through the entire awards at every meet. She helps other teams, but she only coaches DD's team. I actually thought that the coaches had to be at the awards. I never even thought to look to see if other coaches left their girls at awards. I'm glad OP posted this because I would have been pissed if the coach just left the girls. But reading the reason why, definitely makes sense.

 

[mommyof1]

My daughter's coaches stay for awards unless they have back-to-back sessions, which rarely happens at the lower levels except at states (none of the compulsory or Xcel coaches works with more than two levels). Gymnasts and their families are required to stay through the end of awards, so I wouldn't be too happy if the coaches bailed.

 

[skschlag]

I guess if your coach ONLY coaches 1 level, or maybe 2, I can see that you would want them there. But my son's coach coaches all of the levels. SO he will be going from 7:30am -10pm...with little break, except when there are awards. I would much prefer he eat, have a break, before going to the next group of kiddos. It can be stressful not having a time to eat, or a time to yourself all day long.

I know, as parents, we want them to stay, and see how well the kids did, to see them get their awards, or to commiserate with them after. We want to talk to the coach and discuss the meet. But that is a long day, and if they need to move on to food, call their spouses, facetime their kids, so be it. They have seen the results (sometimes) and know how everyone did. (LOL except when tehy kept it from my ds' coach at regionals on whether or not he made nationals. WE all knew, but D and his coach did not. The coach was sitting with him...best video ever! But that was a chance for nationals. Normal meets, they didn't sit with the boys at all. )

So, if the coaches are not there, give them a little grace. THey are gone all weekend from their families, grabbing food on the go from a coaches' room where it may be hot, or not, and giving their all for our gymnasts. It is a long, exhausting day/weekend, and every job deserves breaks in their day.....

 

[Texasmomof3]

At current gym, our coaches have always been there for awards. (In fact, last year my dd missed getting called up for her first time ever to be first place on bars because she and her coach were talking. They didn't realize she had placed, much less won first, since scores hadn't been handed out yet. She was busy coaching dd on corrections for practice on Monday.)

I would love to skip awards, or at least truncate them quite a bit. I wouldn't mind if coaches did not attend, for all the reasons already stated.

 

[twinmomma]

There's often overlap between the awards of one session and the start of the next and most coaches coach multiple groups. DD's coach was at awards for Nationals but usually we don't see him because our girls are spread out over many sessions.