How long should we wait?

[aamake]

We had a FABULOUS coach that our younger team really respected. For his sanity, he stepped down as our USAG coach & is coaching our recreational team. (They've become awesome!) Our gym hired a younger coach, with little experience, and even less training. Nice guy- horrible coach. Our team is actually starting to regress. It's been several months now, and we've been waiting for the new coach to find his niche. It's just not working. Should we wait longer? Switch to recreational? Switch gyms? I worry about backlash from the other coaches if we complain. Some gymnasts have been "blacklisted" at our gym because their parents spoke up regarding concerns.

 

[MaryA]

Besides the coaching, the fact that you feel like you might be "blacklisted" due to voicing a concern is a huge red flag. Does your daughter want to do rec team? If not, it may be time to move on... as much for the culture of backlash and blacklisting (assuming you know first hand or have very reliable sources that this is the case) as for the coaching. Or you can try to approach the coaches about your concerns, knowing that if they treat you in a less-than-professional way, you'll need to be moving on.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

blacklisted should be reserved for those that don't pay or bounce checks. i don't get that at all...voicing a concern? geesh.

"how long should" you wait? i dunno...maybe as long as it takes for you to open their door and you're on your way out.

 

[aamake]

Yes- unfortunately have been able to witness the repercussions of speaking out first-hand. It broke my heart that the daughter suffered because the parents were honest and open with the coaching staff regarding (justified) safety concerns, among other things.

 

[aamake]

Oh, and my daughter lives for gymnastics and loves to compete. It would break her heart to leave USAG. However, she would actually become a better gymnast with our recreational coach.

 

[MaryA]

Then I'd be looking for other options. Changing gyms is hard, hard, hard, but worth it under the right circumstances.

 

[JessLW]

If your daughter lives gymnastics and loves competition, I don't think switching to the rec team is the way to go. There's no guarantee that particular coach will stay with that group or even with that gym, so you could end up shooting yourself (or your daughter I guess) in the foot trying to follow him.

I'd be looking for a new gym in your shoes. Like the others said, the fact that they are not willing to listen to concerns is a big red flag. Blackballing? That's crazy. When parents have legitimate concerns, especially (especially!) about safety, a gym needs to listen.

Look into other options. It can be a hard adjustment but like MaryA said, it is often well worth it.

 

[pattymello]

Being blacklisted for having concerns with the coaching YOU ARE PAYING FOR is just plain wrong. However in saying i don't necessarily think you should leave because of the situation with the coach. I was kind of thrown in the deep end as a coach for out competitive level 3's when i did not have much experience. For the first month or so i didn't really know what i was doing. Pretty soon however i had stepped up to the job.
I wouldn't dismiss a young coach strait away. If he is doing the right thing he will be working hard to learn enough to fill the role he has been given. If you talk to the gym hopefully you will bring to their attention that he needs some help and support.

 

[aamake]

Update~ our fabulous recreational coach is leaving to start his own gym. Should be a no brainer to follow, but I have reservations. What if the gym fails & we have to find another gym in a year? He wants to workout less hours, but I know he gets results. The other coaches at our home gym were receptive to my (very sugar coated) concerns when I broke down and voiced a few of them. They seem to really want to work with my daughter. I am not sure if it is because they like her or they're scared of losing $. Would you stay with the gym that has a proven program, even if the new coach still has a lot to learn? Or take the chance on the experienced coach with a new gym that may not survive? Also, another coach is leaving with him, so my daughter may have her instead. Several of the best gymnasts are following the exiting coach right away. Ah, decisions, decisions... I don't think I have ever been so stressed~ all over something my daughter does for fun.

 

[iwannacoach]

MY guess is that the young H/C was hired "as is" to stretch the budget, as a more exprienced coach would have cost more money, and would likely want a rod tumbling strip, two more sets of bars, a pit dedicated to.......... Sure, that's just idle speculation, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, I generally start looking for a "clean spot" on the bench before I sit down.

No problem with a business running on a thin budget, and often that's the only way a gym can stay open. The past head coach having the guts to open up his own gym should be looked at as either an indication of insanity, or a sign that the current gym's success was due to his knowledge, energy, and personality. So it's your turn to "watch-out", as you decide whether to stay or go, and I wish you the best of luck in your search for the cleanest spot on the cleanest bench.

 

[Aussie_coach]

I would have big concerns about your current gym. Coaches leaving for their own sanity - bad sign, blacklisting people for voicing safety concerns - bad sign, hiring an inexperienced coach for team without mentoring him- bad sign.

But that doesn't mean this new gym will be any better. This coach may be a good coach but that does not mean he has the skills to run a business.

 

[MaryA]

We switched to a brand-new gym this year, but the HC, in addition to being a former elite gymnast, also has a business degree. At the "learn more about the gym" meeting, she was able to talk to us about business plans and budgets and such. This reduced my fears about whether or not the gym would "make it" (and so far it is thriving). So, I guess if I were you I'd be making sure that the buisness aspects of the gym were being planned in as smart of a way as the gymnastics aspects.