Parents Wow...this is either a warning or a testimonial

[thawley64]

For the last couple of months, our gym has been trying to "up it's game." I've talked about it before that they've not had a good reputation and wanted to try to become more of a high player. We thought about leaving but decided to stay until the end of the season when we would be ready to go to the gym of our choice. The gym owner found out that we had shopped and I think was kind of hurt. This might be shocking to most of you...

On a number of occasions, I think in attempts to try to become more organized, parents would recieve letters in their inboxes with monies due for things like meets and uniforms and other fees that were at extreme last minute. For example, one of the meets the fee was due on the very day that we got the notice. One of the parents was not in town that day and didn't get a chance to pay and so they cannot go to the meet. Uniforms were ordered in July and are not here (one week before the meet). An out of state meet was changed to another state and the fee for the new meet was due the very day we found out. Then, new sweats were added and parents were asked to pay by the following Friday. Some parents groaned at this last piece. So what did my husband do? He asked about it and pointed out that some of these last minute changes might be too much for many of the families. The owner and the dad got into a contest of words and guess what? Our children are asked to leave the gym effective immediately...

I have asked that the parent who could not go to the meet because she didn't know the fee was due be allowed to take our dd's spot at the meet and we would just donate her late leo whenever it comes in. At this point, it's too late to go to the alternative gym because the season is way too underway. This gym is much more rigorous that ours and they told us if we were coming, we should not wait. Well, it's two months later and the season has already begun.

I am at a loss and don't know what to do nor do I know what to tell my children. My advise would not be to NOT question nutty decisions, but if you're not strong enough to face this kind of reaction as a family, then maybe you should just eat it up and shut up about things.

I'm open to suggestions... ray:

 

[Trixiebelle]

Oh my - I am so sorry to hear this. I can't imagine any business being run like this. I don't have any words of wisdom and can only say that this is very shocking and I'm sorry you are going through this.

 

[bogwoppit]

Call the other gym and tell them you would like to bring your children there. I don't know of any gym that would turn you down. It may not be in the prefect class, but at least the kids will have something.

Sadly gym owners can do what they like and they can be just as irrational as parents sometimes.

I totally feel for you and the kids, but at least your hubby stood up for his principals, better than whining in the bleachers! Way to go.

Let us know how it goes. I am 100% certain the other gym will take your kids, prove me right!

 

[Tuduri]

Business plan lacks good will

It is bad business for a gym to have the reputation of being mean spirited. They will end up losing business due to people leaving or new recruits going to another gym. In this case, I think the issue is whether the word gets out to other parents in the gym and to prospective families. I would wager that the gym's owner will not be happy when the word get's out.

If you have a booster club, I would address this issue there and be able to communicate with other families in the gym. Our booster club is run by the parents, not the owner. Our booster club puts on its own meet, The Spirit of the Flame, not the owner. And our booster club is self-funded and pays for all the fees in advance, not the owner. Sure, the tuition is paid to the owner, but all the other fees are handled by the booster club, including paying the coaches for travel, meet fees, uniforms, etc. Fortunately, our owner is a pretty nice guy.

I would also try to communicate with other families on-line. I can't believe that they would tolerate this situation if they knew what was going on. Likewise, if the other gym knew the situation, maybe they might be more willing to allow your daughter to join them, even mid-season. Even if she were not to compete this season, she could continue to work out. Depending on your daughter's skill level, a few weeks of inaction can really set her back training wise.

Julio Garcia,
Jamy's dad

 

[thawley64]

It's all good

They're only 8 and in the scheme of things, this kind of experience strengthens all of us...and there's a long, long time to go before college. We can wait and go to the new place in a couple of months. ptimist:

 

[thawley64]

but at least your hubby stood up for his principals, better than whining in the bleachers! Way to go.

Let us know how it goes. I am 100% certain the other gym will take your kids, prove me right!

Thank you for that! My husband is smiling. I'm going to call the gym. They're public and they have strict rules, but they can at least let them practice I think. I'll update.

 

[gym law mom]

I say congrats to your dh. So many gyms pull this last minute stuff with needing money in just a few days. With our current economic situation, they should be counting their blessings that they're still in business.

Just immature of the owner to ask you to leave. In the end he may hurt his own reputation and drive others away, but in the short term all he did was hurt children who wanted to do gymnastics.

Hope things work out well at the new gym. Might be nice to just have the girls practice and not worry about meets/team right now and you can get a good idea of how this gym operates.

 

[Gymdad2]

Our gym is just about like Tuduri's. The Booster club handles all fees and expenses other than monthly tuition, and we get a balance statement from the the booster treasurer at the beginning of June with our current funds, what the expected assesssment for the coming season will be. Partial payment is due by Aug 1, and then every other month until the end of season, adjusted down to reflect any fund raising done during the season. A good booster club can really make a difference, but it does take commitment on the part of all of the parents.

 

[taximom]

So sorry to hear about this awful experience. Congrats to your hubby for standing up for common sense and directly addressing the issues. Please call the other club I too believe that they would be happy to have your family!

 

[UnoMas]

I'm very sorry to hear this, but not entirely shocked.

It may end up being the absolute best thing for your children to move to a different gym. I agree with others, please call the other club and get them started. Lots of people have switched gyms mid-season.

 

[my4buffaloes]

In would try to talk to the new gym you want to go to. Explain what happened. It might not be too late. Your daughter might end up just practicing with them for awhile if it is too late to get in on some of the meets, but at least all will not be lost. It is tough in gymnastics because you can't really take time off without it really affecting you. Good luck, the entire situation stinks. I'm sorry you had to go through this.
Jennifer

 

[thawley64]

A good booster club can really make a difference, but it does take commitment on the part of all of the parents.

There is no booster club. The parents are basically like children and the owners the parents. They do not want a booster club. There's a lot to learn in this sport. I've never seen anything like it. The kids just like to flip, but the adults in the sport make it so bad sometimes.

 

[Gymdad2]

You are so right that parents can be a problem, but parents can also do an lot of good too. I agree with the others that it might be time to look for another gym. I would consider it a huge red flag if the owner refused to allow a booster club.

 

[thawley64]

I've become stuck

Guys, I feel so bad. Like the victim of a crime might feel. I might be going along my day and then all of a sudden I'll start crying, like now. I pick up the phone to call the other gym and then put it down. I think this experience has given me a bad taste for this sport. My kids don't want to change because they'll miss their friends. At the same time my daughter wants to go to the meet that she was kicked out of to cheer on her peers. I feel like I'm going insane. I need to do something about it so that no one else has to go through it. I was told that the last time a family went to another gym just to try it out (happened to be the same one we went to) they were treated just as terribly. They are now at the other gym still after several years. I know we'll end up there, but I can't get rid of the feelings of shame and disgust. It's really like a crime victim. This is so strange. I'm sharing in case it helps anyone for the future. Thanks for listening.

 

[jdf]

You are feeling really bad right now, and will for a while, but it will pass. My dd left a gym under bad circumstances, (thought not as dramatic as yours), about 6 months ago, and is now feeling at home and doing well in the new gym. I predict it will be harder for you to get over than your children. Just give yourself time.

 

[emorymom]

Please go ahead and call the new gym. It won't make everything better but you might feel a little better tomorrow knowing what the new plan is.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you.

 

[bogwoppit]

Call the new gym. Your kids will move on much more quickly than you do. As soon as you see they are happy at the new gym you will be able to let go of the injustice from the old gym.

 

[bookworm]

At this point, cut your losses (the old gym ) and move on...the more you ruminate about it, the worse you will continue to feel and to some extent, your kids will pick up on this. I can assure you that the gym with the bad behavior doesn't give their actions a second thought so the "what ifs" are not worth your time.

This happened to us when we switched gyms a few years ago...the gym got wind that we were looking and treated us horribly so I ended up pulling my daughter and going to the new gym where she has thrived! And the old gym has continued to go dowhill...

 

[nettyinpa]

I agree with the last few posters. Make the call today, get your kids out of that other gym and its unbelievable environment. No way should you put up with that kind of treatment from them. Sure, it's a public place, they run the gym the way they want but I don't think they handled it right by kicking you out of the gym. Right there is a sign your kids belong somewhere else. As far as missing their friends, believe me, they'll make new ones at the new gym. Who knows, if you leave, some of the other families may follow. At least they'll still be getting in some practice time without all this drama hanging over their heads. Make a fresh start and make the call. It's not worth driving yourself crazy over. :grouphug: We're here for you! Good luck with your decision.

 

[maddiemei]

Oh my goodness... this sounds like the gym we just left. Ours involves the booster club and the gym owner.

The booster club was very unorganized to the point that families were having to call to get information about show times for meets and such. We were new level 3 parents and would get called out for being "troublemakers" and trying to go around the booster club to get information. One instance was, we were about to go on fall break. There was a meet the weekend of fall break and we still did not know what time we were supposed to be there. Families on the team were trying to decide to come back on Thursday to practice Friday or if they could stay until Friday if the meet was going to be on Sunday. I pulled up the gym website and saw the meet was canceled. The mother next to me called the gym to confirm. We got blasted for doing that. We were told that it was not our business to call the other gym. The point was, we needed to know and we paid for it. The biggest was just how unorganized it all was. Parents had no idea how much money was in their accounts, if you asked questions you were labeled a troublemaker and so forth. When the old officers got kicked out and the new officers came in they still couldn't account for all of the money. Instead of doing an external audit, the booster club decided amongst themselves to do an internal audit. Shouldn't that have been a vote. I feel bad for the families who have been there for a while. The money isn't accounted for and no receipts were ever shown even though they were asked.

After all of this, we started shopping for other gyms. We went back to the one that we had left when my daughter wanted to take a year off. It is 17.5 miles from our house (other gym is 26) and it is $135 for level 4/prep op silver and 9 hours a week. The gym we were at was $140 for level 3 and 7 hours a week. When they moved up to level 4 it jumped to $195. The coaches at the new gym are great. The staff answers all of your questions and never belittles you. There is no gossiping. They praise the kids instead of making them sit in a split on a mushroom because they didn't keep their leg straight on a stride circle (this happened 4 times to my daughter-who is 7) and they don't make you do push-ups when you mess-up.

You have to give notice to the old gym that you are leaving and so we did. We told them after states in November, we would be leaving. In hindsight, we should have not said anything but we were broken. My daughter and her friend did not want to go to gym and would cry when they had to go to old gym. When they tried out at the new gym, the joy came back. Well the booster club and the owner decided that they would go ahead and kick the girls off of team 2 weeks prior to states. Luckily new gym is going to take them so it all worked out.

I have never experienced so much drama. I knew it was there, but it is sad. These are little girls for goodness sakes.

Good luck with the gym drama. It is very frustrating, but so relieving when you get that monkey off your back .