All-Star Drama And Unorganization

[CheerBank]

I judge pretty much any new venture I walk into by how organized they are. If something is organized it is more likely to be safe and successful. If something is flying by the seat of their pants it is rare it will be successful and safe. And the less organized the MORE drama that tends to occur.

Sometimes the first appearances of gyms are deceiving, especially when you are a new cheer parent and have no clue what to expect. And drama does not surface until you are there for a little while.

 

[WCMAN]

I'm a little OCD so disorganization drives me insane. The drama is off the charts and on a whole new level. Unfortunately the owner/coach thrives on it.

Some of the disorganization:
1. $350 uniforms ordered last season. Never received uniforms until Mid-Jan and no shorts. (just tops) it is now almost the end of summer..still no shorts. We may not get them and they want to refund us $60. Lol we only wore the tops for 4 or 5 comps I believe. Just had the girls wear purple spankies for bottoms.

2. 2 of our teams had full paid US finals bids and another had a partial. Parents reserved rooms, took vacations etc because they said we we're going no matter what. The other 2 coaches would stay behind for the worlds team. Cancelled us going the week before due to the owner not feeling like going to both VA and FL. Screwed a ton of parents

3. 3 diff comps in the past 2 seasons my daughters team had no coach. Performed and did warm ups on their own and with the help of older teams

...the list goes on....

That's not drama...That's a BAD OWNER!!!

 

[CFAalexa]

Our biggest problem is that some of the coaches have favorites. Now with facebook some of the girls can see that the coaches are buying certain girls gifts and going out with them. And I'm not talking about a senior or international team, I talking about a junior team. I've never seen this before, and not only isn't it fair, but it's hurtful to my cp.

i hate when coaches do that. They should be fair to all the cheerleaders.

 

[CFAalexa]

Our biggest problem is that some of the coaches have favorites. Now with facebook some of the girls can see that the coaches are buying certain girls gifts and going out with them. And I'm not talking about a senior or international team, I talking about a junior team. I've never seen this before, and not only isn't it fair, but it's hurtful to my cp.

The coach/coaches are there for a reason, to coach. Not to hang around and show favorites. It annoys me to see people take favorites. and I would feel hurt too.

 

[KDCheerMom]

Our biggest problem is that some of the coaches have favorites. Now with facebook some of the girls can see that the coaches are buying certain girls gifts and going out with them. And I'm not talking about a senior or international team, I talking about a junior team. I've never seen this before, and not only isn't it fair, but it's hurtful to my cp.

very disturbing!!!

 

[Werkwerk06]

How bad is it in your gym?
If you have it, does it always seem to be the same people?
Are the coaches helpful or some of the problem?

Is your gym organized?
What kind of problems?
Have you left a gym due to any of the above?


I'm having some internal conflict (obviously!) trying to see other people's point of views :)

grass is never greener on the other side ;) its every gym . and its always the parents . cheer parents are nuts . you have to keep to yourself !

 

[CheerBank]

grass is never greener on the other side ;) its every gym . and its always the parents . cheer parents are nuts . you have to keep to yourself !

The parents may start it but it's how a gym handles it that sets the better ones apart from the wolf pack. I've been at gyms where the coaches are just as immature as some of the kids/parents and nothing good comes out of that situation.

 

[mommadonna]

grass is never greener on the other side ;) its every gym . and its always the parents . cheer parents are nuts . you have to keep to yourself !

Not always...and not all of us parents are crazy. Look at any organized sport and you'll find groups of crazy folks. That doesn't mean everyone associated with it is crazy. Gyms are just like any other business. Some are run well, and some are not. It has to do with the experience and commitment of those who run them. Luckily, as consumers, we usually have choices. (unless the next gym is a gazillion miles away) We can choose to patronize a business or not. Businesses with owners who make bad decisions and act in an unethical manner get weeded out sooner or later. As for drama, hopefully the grown people can act like responsible adults and handle it among themselves, and hopefully the coaches will act responsibly and handle the drama among the kids. Cheer parents are not the root of all evil.

 

[CheerPrideNJ]

I'm a little OCD so disorganization drives me insane. The drama is off the charts and on a whole new level. Unfortunately the owner/coach thrives on it.

Some of the disorganization:
1. $350 uniforms ordered last season. Never received uniforms until Mid-Jan and no shorts. (just tops) it is now almost the end of summer..still no shorts. We may not get them and they want to refund us $60. Lol we only wore the tops for 4 or 5 comps I believe. Just had the girls wear purple spankies for bottoms.

2. 2 of our teams had full paid US finals bids and another had a partial. Parents reserved rooms, took vacations etc because they said we we're going no matter what. The other 2 coaches would stay behind for the worlds team. Cancelled us going the week before due to the owner not feeling like going to both VA and FL. Screwed a ton of parents

3. 3 diff comps in the past 2 seasons my daughters team had no coach. Performed and did warm ups on their own and with the help of older teams

...the list goes on....

Personally, I think that's inexcusable. Coaches shouldn't miss PRACTICES, let alone competitions! I'm shocked that an EP would allow a team to go through warm-ups and competing without an adult representative of the gym present. I have certainly seen/heard some pretty ridiculous things in my time, in terms of drama- parents fistfighting and threatening coaches, coaches who berate small children, owners who have absolutely no leadership or control over what goes on in their own program, etc. I plan on using those experiences to make sure my gym DOESN'T run like some of the places I've worked for or friends/family have been involved with!

 

[CheerPrideNJ]

It shocks me the troubles you guys have had. We're a teeny tiny program (a massive 2 teams). I understand that the bigger a program them ore there is to keep track of, but we pride ourselves on being organized. We work very hard to have all the information available on our website/facebook as soon as we have it. Including cost, events, practices. I'm insane for sending out as many facebook messages (to the kids) and emails (to the parents). And I work full time too at my 'pay the bills job'.

My heart goes out to you guys dealing with the disorganization.

This is exactly our situation! Myself and the other owner both work full time and split the managerial responsibilities evenly. We do email updates probably twice a week, send mass text reminders, a monthly newsletter, and are even in contact with our athletes via text message to get them motivated. We also try- key word being TRY lol- to update the website, Facebook, and twitter as often as possible. It's a lot of work, but it makes us feel like we're well-connected with our families, which will hopefully pan out to be a good business decision for our future! Again, we're in our first year and still have a lot of learning to do, but I do think we're way ahead of the game compared to some other programs that have been around for a lot longer!

 

[CheerBank]

This is exactly our situation! Myself and the other owner both work full time and split the managerial responsibilities evenly. We do email updates probably twice a week, send mass text reminders, a monthly newsletter, and are even in contact with our athletes via text message to get them motivated. We also try- key word being TRY lol- to update the website, Facebook, and twitter as often as possible. It's a lot of work, but it makes us feel like we're well-connected with our families, which will hopefully pan out to be a good business decision for our future! Again, we're in our first year and still have a lot of learning to do, but I do think we're way ahead of the game compared to some other programs that have been around for a lot longer!

It sounds like you are so on the right track for a successful gym. It's great to see owners who are so forward thinking and who realize that good communication with their athletes and parents is so essential. Good luck on the upcoming season!

 

[cheernerd5678]

wow! and i thought my previous gyms were bad... not as bad as some of these! but i'll tell the story anyway...
My first gym, i got through the first season just fine. at the end of the season, it turned out the owner had been stealing money, people found out so she turned the gym over to two moms... they tried to keep the gym running, but with a move to a new location and people not paying up, they couldn't keep it open and the gym closed.
when the gym closed, the owner of the old gym partnered with a gymnastics coach (J) in town to try to get something together for us to have a gym. (when the old gym closed the gym about an hour away took in some of our athletes, but a lot of girls didn't want to make the drive or heard rumors about the gym and didn't want to go). So a program was started, first practicing in the basement of our coach's house, then moving to our local indoor soccer field.... thing was, the owner of the old gym/coach of the new gym (we'll call her T) was kind of... odd... so J (gymnastics coach) fired her... people were angry and we lost about half of our team... new coach came in, J wasn't paying her so she left towards the end of the season... T partnered with another gymnastics program to start a cheer team, then ended up moving... now T's girls split in half and are half at one gymnastics program and half at another.
now they are calling the girls from my gym to try to get them to switch gyms.... that's classy.

 

[Hotelcalifornia]

The parents may start it but it's how a gym handles it that sets the better ones apart from the wolf pack. I've been at gyms where the coaches are just as immature as some of the kids/parents and nothing good comes out of that situation.

Oh definitely been there. It’s sad for the kids. You would think there should be accountability, unfortunately (like in our town) it’s a joke. Coaches/owners behaving worse than the kids and say your kid is injured ( from the gym ) it’s on you! Then no other program is close so if you’re wanting to cheer? You deal. It’s sad and infuriating to watch the pathetic behavior.

 

[Hotelcalifornia]

Oh definitely been there. It’s sad for the kids. You would think there should be accountability, unfortunately (like in our town) it’s a joke. Coaches/owners behaving worse than the kids and say your kid is injured ( from the gym ) it’s on you! Then no other program is close so if you’re wanting to cheer? You deal. It’s sad and infuriating to watch the pathetic behavior.

And did I mention they kept the tuition money and refused to refund it?? Another level scumbags. Pathetic excuses for a cheer coach/gym/program. And only favors their kids (who suck by themselves). Yes I understand.