Is there anyway that we can get notes, or an overview of what was discussed? In the video it says to check the website, but there isn't any information on their either. It would be awesome if the meetings in the future were broadcast online.
Here is what I posted about it somewhere else. Obviously there were many other things, but these are a few that stuck with me as a coach/owner:
I'll share. Personally, I loved it. A group of us went to dinner Friday night and I feel like I have a totally different view of our industry now based on the stories I heard. It's time to get educated on what is going on, and start making decisions about the companies you want to support.
Here are some of the ideas I really loved that were thrown out.
1. Base Appreciation Week: Since we are so focused on flyers, everything usually revolves around them. Turn the tables, and have your flyers do something nice for the bases to thank them. For the week, praise bases. Have another team come in, watch, and cheer on the bases instead of the flyers. Make them feel important.
2. Courtney casually talked about her gym parents and their relationships with each other. One of the things that stuck out was her saying "honestly, the kids are indifferent about cheer. But the parents are so invested that there is no way those kids will leave." She talked about how the parents have parties, social gatherings, and tons of other stuff so that they are all friends outside of the gym. They are friends, and for some of those parents, that is their social network. She has a lunch on Thursdays in different cities, and any parent is welcome to come. They don't talk cheer for the most part, but she gets to hear tidbits on info from them that sometimes help her get an idea of what they are feeling/thinking. She also has parties at her house and invites the parents. She said "They might talk about me, and I can't stop that, but if I'm inviting them into my home maybe they'll think twice about it."
3. Welcome Committee: For parents that come into your gym, it's often a little crazy because your parents already have little cliques. If you have a parent that is willing and really awesome and welcoming, make them the welcome committee for new parents. They can show the new parents the ropes, introduce them, and hopefully help them feel more adjusted and welcome.
Those are three things that you might be able to bring back into your gym that I liked. Otherwise, just get informed. That's all I can stress. The meeting was in no way anti-varsity or anti-USASF, it was pro-gym. It was making your gym better and more successful, and what you can do to help yourself stay afloat. I heard great things about Randy's talk to the coaches about being a great employee, so if anyone can touch on that I would love to hear it.
