"fraternizing" With Coaches

[boney1]

What's the harm? Coaches do have lives outside of cheerleading; which I think is very good. If my friend became my cp coach, believe me our friendship will remain the same.

 

[TheVipersMom]

I really don't see anything wrong with it. My daughter cheers at CCE and every one of the coaches are really nice. I'm cool with all of them and I really like them because they are genuinely nice people. Now I'm not like best friends with them so I don't hang out with them outside of cheer functions. However I know some of them have a few friends whose kids cheer and I don't feel not one bit those kids are favored over others. Now those kids work really hard and since my 6 year old is at the gym Sunday through Thursday I see them a lot. I have seen every team except 1 practice at 1 day or another through the week and all kids are treated the same.


The kids who work hard and are
really good are in the front but in most the routines you get to see everyone because they move around a lot. The only reason I feel that people in general at any gym see this as a problem is because usually the kids that people might say are favored are the ones who spend more time in the spotlight. These kids that spend more time up front is usually the better kids. The kids that are better are usually the ones with the parents who get more involved because they push their children and support them. Since the parents are the ones who support the kids most are probably in the gym more encouraging their child to push for another skill or bringing them to tumbling which isn't required. So people think because the parents are buddy buddy with the coaches because they spend more time with them throughout the week when in all actuality the reason that kid has that spot is because they deserve it which has nothing to do with the relationship of a parent and or coach.

Although we can speculate what these coaches and parents do outside of cheer but the truth is we don't know. A coach regardless of friendship or boundaries wants to build a winning team not a winning individual (unless individuals is what you compete in) so the kids that perform and really kill the dance or tumble better should have more opportunity to be seen. They deserve it.

Now I know I took it off subject a little bit because you all are talking about them hanging out outside of work or being friends. However the reason I said everything I said was because according to another topic on here people were saying that these kids get the spotlight because of friendships so that where I figure this was heading.
You spend so much time with these people it's like family most of them would do anything for you and I find that really nice. Just one of the many reasons I would never leave the gym.

 

[Fameous MOM]

I think it is inappropriate! Ithink when parents hang out with coaches then the kids get too close to the coaches. I would say the kids suffer because then they are seen as favorites. You don't see teachers(school) hanging out with parents and students, managers at big companies don't hang out with employees. It clouds the line between professional and personal. I am all for cheer banquets and parties but on a professional level!

 

[hey]

Kind of odd not going to lie... I think there needs to be a line, but it is nice to have communication at a degree with coaches outside of the gym.

 

[CoachKelly]

I am from a very small town where alot of my cheer parents were my friend or I knew them already before becoming their cheerleaders Coach. Yes, I have had dinner and such with them and when we go to a Competition that requires travel we all sit around the Pool while the cheerleaders swim and we talk and chat. I have developed nice bonds with some of them and they feel they can trust me and will come to me with problems(cheer). But again we live in a small town where everyone does know your name.

 

[TheRealAlishaD]

I definitely don't see the harm in the parents and the coaches hanging out together, they're all adults and can fend for themselves. Now, the children hanging out with their coaches is something different. That opens the doors for so many potentially bad situations. I am all for bonding with my team's parents, but if my athlete's parents aren't present, we go nowhere and do nothing outside of the gym. Just my opinion.

 

[glitterdiva]

I hang out with my parents outside of cheer, but it is very clear about what we talk about. I wont gossip about other kids with them. They also understand once I go into coaching moad we become very profesional.

 

[CricketCheerMom]

To some people they see that is shows favoritism but to me in my situation these people just happened to have come to the gym from the beginning when these Mom's openned the gym. Our gym has owner who are not coaches and it would be unfair to say they can't have any friends. That is part of the experience. If they were a coach it would be different.

Over the past few years I've become more aware of how involved some parents are with their kids' coaches. Going out to dinner with each other, hanging out at each others' houses, working out together, traveling to out of town competitions together... It took me a bit by surprise, as I thought certainly that is inappropriate, but it happens so frequently I'm starting to wonder if maybe I'm being prude. Love to hear how others feel about this. Especially from the coaches and athletes viewpoints.

 

[Goosepatrick]

When you are around a gym for 10 years and your athlete spends more time with your coaches than with the parent, I think it's important that a bond is shared between the coach and the parent. I think it's harder on the kids when this happens due to the favoritism assumptions, but it's important for the adults to have relationships.

 

[CheerChick123]

Have seen many problems with coaches hagin with parents.