Anon Red flag or bad ethics?

[Anonymous (e5f5)]

Let me first say that my DD is on good terms with the HC gymnasts child.

However we have noticed a pattern of the HC child bringing two close friend gymnasts before hours and after hours to the gym to hang out which when in the gym leads to tumbling etc.

Jealousy is not the issue as I said my DD is on good terms with the gymnasts.

My only thought is that if anyone isn’t friends with the HC gymnast's then they would be paying to go to the gym after hours to tumble or work on new skills. And privates are not cheap.

I am not enormously upset of this but I do find it bad practice if the standards aren’t across the board as it is a service we pay for. Even if they are hanging out I would not want my DD to tumble without paying for the time.

Thoughts?

 

[RTT2]

I don’t really understand the issue here. Every gym owner or head coach I’ve come across with kids has their kids in the gym with them regularly. It’s got to be a lot more fun for the kid to have some friends to hang out with. If the coach had to pay for childcare outside of the gym and then couldn’t afford to have that job as a head coach would that be better?

 

[Anonymous (7b45)]

I would not take issue with this. The HC's child likely has to be there early and stay late and the HC is just trying to keep them from getting bored. I would think that it is unlikely they are getting any sort of true "coaching" per se. Our gym runs a school in the building as an option for kids who train during the day and those girls have their "recess", before care/after care in the gym. I remember many parents being in a huff about it but really, despite spending 1+ hours per day extra in the gym, they are just playing around and not actually training. It has never resulted in any of them getting more skills or scoring higher; if anything it has resulted in some pretty stupid and preventable injuries.

 

[Anonymous (bfdf)]

I think this depends a lot on the local culture.
Where I'm from, I'm unsure how people would feel, but I think especially if they gymnast already pays for a lot of hours they wouldn't mind?
If your dad works in a café he may take home the donuts that are left over that they can't sell the next day. I can't think of good examples right now, but I think there's lots of places where a parent works that sometimes gives their kid access to things other kids don't get for free.
What I wonder is, do they go to the gym because they can, or because they have to? As in, if the HC is taking his daughter to the gym early because he has to be there early and can't go pick up his kid later, then it makes a lot of sense. If the kids friends want to hang out with her and she has to be at the gym early because of her dad, it would be weird to ask her friends to pay to hang out with her. Especially since them hanging out in the gym instead of at home may be saving the HC money because they don't need to get a babysitter.

So in the end, I think it all just depends on the circumstances and what is normal in your culture. I can't give you any answers, just these things to think about.

 

[Anonymous (dd72)]

I’d say mind your own business on this one and also it does not sound like a red flag or poor ethics. They may be ‘tumbling’ but it’s unlikely they are receiving extra coaching or even doing the same skills like in a real practice and if they are, this is not your problem.

 

[Gymfamily4]

They are probably just playing around and forming bad habits anyway!

 

[Anonymous (cf22)]

At our gym there are a couple of compulsory gymnasts whose parents work at the front desk. They have access to all of the equipment after practice and on weekends/breaks. That wouldn’t be an issue except that the gym and coaches have very strict rules on what athletes are allowed to do in the gym if they arrive early (basically nothing but stretching and handstands) but these rules don’t apply to those girls when they’re there with their parents on non-workout days. Team gymnasts are also prohibited from attending open gyms at our gym and any others.

The girls whose parents work at the gym have essentially hours of time to use trampolines, bars and mats to try new things and play.

It would be fine except they’re constantly held up as the examples and others are criticized for not getting skills as quickly. It’s hard to get a back tuck as quickly as someone who can play on trampolines and mats all weekend when you’re constrained to 45 minute rotations and taking turns at drills! I’ve also heard that when multiple parents apply for front desk jobs, they always go to the most advanced gymnast’s parent. That’s another post altogether.

 

[Anonymous (d3e0)]

I’d have no issue with this. Perk of the job being a coaches kid. I can’t imagine having to work coaches hours and have kids, have a little empathy.

 

[Anonymous (cd7d)]

There are perks and drawbacks to being a coaches’ kid. What they do doesn’t affect you, so it’s really none of your business.

 

[Anonymous (35d4)]

I'd have no issues at all with this. No ethics or red flag issues...its kids hanging at their parents work with friends. What else should they do???

 

[Anonymous (266d)]

Stay in your lane. This is none of your business.

 

[Anonymous (30bf)]

This is very normal. Bowling alley owner’s kid is at the bowling alley a lot…

 

[Anonymous (63b1)]

At our gym there are a couple of compulsory gymnasts whose parents work at the front desk. They have access to all of the equipment after practice and on weekends/breaks. That wouldn’t be an issue except that the gym and coaches have very strict rules on what athletes are allowed to do in the gym if they arrive early (basically nothing but stretching and handstands) but these rules don’t apply to those girls when they’re there with their parents on non-workout days. Team gymnasts are also prohibited from attending open gyms at our gym and any others.

The girls whose parents work at the gym have essentially hours of time to use trampolines, bars and mats to try new things and play.

It would be fine except they’re constantly held up as the examples and others are criticized for not getting skills as quickly. It’s hard to get a back tuck as quickly as someone who can play on trampolines and mats all weekend when you’re constrained to 45 minute rotations and taking turns at drills! I’ve also heard that when multiple parents apply for front desk jobs, they always go to the most advanced gymnast’s parent. That’s another post altogether.

That’s definitely not good! I’ve never heard of a gym banning team kids from open gym!

 

[Anonymous (cd7d)]

That’s definitely not good! I’ve never heard of a gym banning team kids from open gym!

Open gym at our gym is primarily for rec kids and preschoolers. It’s not safe for team kids to practice around a bunch of poorly supervised little kids who are just there to jump into the pit.

 

[Anonymous (9870)]

I’d have no issue with this. Perk of the job being a coaches kid. I can’t imagine having to work coaches hours and have kids, have a little empathy.

Agreed. My kids have logged thousands of hours in the gym/track as I coach. I couldn't/wouldn't expect them to just sit and stare at the walls or a phone screen.

 

[Anonymous (ed7a)]

Open gym at our gym is primarily for rec kids and preschoolers. It’s not safe for team kids to practice around a bunch of poorly supervised little kids who are just there to jump into the pit.

Why isn't the open gym better supervised?
Some gyms offer 2 parts of open gym ... the first 1.5-2 hours anyone can come. The second 1.5-2 hours is only for competition gymnasts and cheerleaders. There is one price for a single session and another for both combined. The open gym is supervised so people can actually do stuff, even cross-tumble, without worrying about a little kid running in front of them.

But if your gym doesn't know how to supervise participants for safety reasons, the competitive gymnasts should be able to go to open gym at a better-supervised facility.

 

[Anonymous (cf22)]

I posted about open gym- our gym’s open gym is open to elementary aged children through HS and included team kids from other gyms (obvious when they’re working routines) and cheerleaders. But our own team kids are not allowed to attend ours or any others because the coaches are strict about injury prevention, progression and avoiding bad habit formation. That’s the reason why it’s annoying that some kids on the team are allowed to have extra gym time, because no one else has access to it.

 

[Dahlialover]

I posted about open gym- our gym’s open gym is open to elementary aged children through HS and included team kids from other gyms (obvious when they’re working routines) and cheerleaders. But our own team kids are not allowed to attend ours or any others because the coaches are strict about injury prevention, progression and avoiding bad habit formation. That’s the reason why it’s annoying that some kids on the team are allowed to have extra gym time, because no one else has access to it.

If the disparity in gym access makes you jealous, perhaps the real issue is that your child’s training hours are not as high as you’d like. I assume your gym prohibits open gym because they think that they are offering sufficient training opportunities within their regular schedule. That’s the idea at our gym. If that isn’t the case for your child, maybe you should look elsewhere.

I’m curious, What level and hours are we talking here?

 

[Anonymous (cf22)]

If the disparity in gym access makes you jealous, perhaps the real issue is that your child’s training hours are not as high as you’d like. I assume your gym prohibits open gym because they think that they are offering sufficient training opportunities within their regular schedule. That’s the idea at our gym. If that isn’t the case for your child, maybe you should look elsewhere.

I’m curious, What level and hours are we talking here?

Compulsory, 12 at my child’s level and 16 for others. It was more than enough time until recently. The gym has acknowledged that there isn’t enough time on equipment (rotations are short and there’s a lot of downtime) but they’re in a pickle. They added a big group of new athletes in anticipation of moving to a different site completely but it didn’t work out.