Parents Questions about Hospitality

[ckulat]

Hello all! My daughter is at a new gym who is hosting their first meet ever next month. At our old gym I was in charge of hospitality, and we held about 5 meets each year. Question: Is it a requirement to have the coaches & judges separated for meals at meets? Every meet we have hosted & that I have been to we always keep them separated, but at this new gym they think that is absurd. Is it a rule, and unwritten rule, or have we done it just because everyone does it? They did not want to hear my ideas/experience on anything. I also ran concessions for Regionals and so I feel I have more insight than the rest of the group since most have only ever been at this particular gym. I am feeling very frustrated & just want to step back & say ok, you run it your way, but I do not want my name on something that may not go well. All aspects are still sketchy & the meet is in one month. There are so many things that they are unclear on, the "meet director" is going to read up on everything by Wednesday before going on a vacation. Kind of scary!!

 

[gymmomtoo]

We always had them separate too, but I don't know if it's a rule. Judges always got nicer food than the coaches did.

 

[raenndrops]

I don't know if it is a hard and fast rule, but it is definitely at least an unwritten rule. Putting judges and coaches together in one room could lead to a hint of impropriety if one team scores better than the others - even if the gymnasts actually did earn the scores.
We have always separated judges and coaches too.

The following is not necessarily fact, but it is funny (unless it really happens):
I think it is better that way too... coaches may not have to be on the floor for all sessions and if they share a room with the judges, they might take all the good food... then the judges will be cranky and score the girls in later sessions harder. By keeping them separate, the judges can get good food too (and different than the coaches).

 

[ckulat]

I tried explaining judges get "better" food and we kept them separate so there was no influencing the judges, but I was ignored. I am just going to sit back and & work my shift, stay out of the details.

 

[Seeker]

Yeah...I've always seen them separate too. Don't know if it's a rule, or just common practice though.

 

[gymmomtoo]

Sounds like the other people at your gym are going to have to learn the hard way.

 

[gymmomof1]

Perhaps you could suggest someone checking it out on chalk bucket. At dds gym we too keep the coaches and judges separate and different food. Hope the meet goes well

 

[kayjaybe]

When we host meets, coaches & judges eat separately.

First - the coaches rarely leave the main floor. They eat quickly between sessions or as they are waiting for awards.

The judges leave the floor and go into a private room with a closed door for their meals. And yes, the judges have "better" food than the coaches. (Although since I've taken over coaches & concessions food, I've been working to change this a bit.) But the coaches food is different. They are kind of eating on the run and don't have a place to sit and eat, so they must have things that are stand-up friendly.

If your current gym has never hosted a meet before, they certainly have BEEN to meets. Ask the coaches if they have ever been to a meet where the judges & coaches eat together. If they have, then I guess it is OK. If they haven't, then that is more ammo for you.

 

[gymdog]

I doubt there is a rule about it because there's no rules about hospitality. It's not really part of the "meet" meet.

But it's pretty much common that if there is sit down hospitality that it's separate.

Sometimes the food is the same and the seating areas are just separated by a curtain or something.

 

[raenndrops]

http://usagym.org/docs/Member Services/webinars/sept13.pdf

You should forward this to whomever is in charge... without saying it outright, it says they are separate (separate areas of the pdf cover feeding judges and feeding coaches). Good luck.

 

[GymMom67]

http://usagym.org/docs/Member Services/webinars/sept13.pdf

This is by the woman who is pretty much in charge of most of the meets we attend and the one we host at our gym and she is wonderful!

 

[Aussie_coach]

Really? Your competitions feed the coaches? That is quite generous!

I do agree that it is the best course of action to have a separate place for judges to eat. For starters it gives them a chance to eat in piece without any worry of coaches hounding them about scores given etc. It discourages any obvious favouritism. Its not good when all the coaches and judges from the top club sit down and eat together.

 

[JessMom]

We always separate judges and coaches and we always feed them both . Once we had to put them in the same room and put up a divider

 

[wnl256]

I do agree that it is the best course of action to have a separate place for judges to eat. For starters it gives them a chance to eat in piece without any worry of coaches hounding them about scores given etc. It discourages any obvious favouritism.

Oh is that the reason? I just figured it was to keep the coaches from getting jealous about the fact that the judges were getting all the good food.

 

[2G1B]

At our old gym we hosted a lot of meets and always had separate areas for judges and coaches. The food was the same though (and it was all really good). I just can't see how anyone would think that it would be a good idea to put the coaches and judges in the same room/area. Sure, they might just be talking and joking around; but if little Suzy's mom sees that and then one of the kids on that chatty coach's team beats little Suzy... well, we know that Suzy's mom is going to possibly raise a stink about the favoritism.

 

[Coach2400]

For the 20 years that I sat, sharing a meal with judges I have only witnessed conversation amongst judges and coaches about stuff outside the gymnastics world. We save questions and such for when we are in clinics or during the actual meet. We are all adults and behave so during meals

 

[raenndrops]

I doubt there is a rule about it because there's no rules about hospitality. It's not really part of the "meet" meet.

I know that at least for State meets (and other "important" meets), there is a per diem for judges factored into the budget. Host gyms can choose to feed the judges "in house" or send them to a restaurant (or let them fend for themselves and pay the per diem to each judge). It is most cost effective to feed in house.

 

[gymdog]

I know that at least for State meets (and other "important" meets), there is a per diem for judges factored into the budget. Host gyms can choose to feed the judges "in house" or send them to a restaurant (or let them fend for themselves and pay the per diem to each judge). It is most cost effective to feed in house.

Okay, but not for coaches really. They always have some kind of food or vouchers. But they don't have to provide certain things or certain set ups. We get a per diem regardless of the hospitality from our gym. I guess judges are paid by the meet but I assumed they still got a per diem too. I suppose not but it may vary by state. I'd have to ask gymkat, I'm sure she knows.

 

[gothgymmom]

Every meet I have been to, the judges had a seperate room with seperate food. Coaches from every team received food vouchers so they could come to the concession stand and get their food for free. Since we work at our home meet, we get to go into the judges room to refill things. its nothing special, just tables, chairs, and maybe a few table decorations. id rather eat with my DD after she competes than a special room.

 

[ckulat]

Thanks everyone!! I had one of our coaches let her know they should be separated. I will forward the webinar as well.