All-Star Mom's List For Coaches (spinoff Of Coaches List For Moms)

[pinksparklybow]

Two quick things to note:
1. You are paying the gym owner - NOT the coach. Most coaches make diddly. Privates excluded. I easily put in twice as much time out of the gym as I do in it (researching, studying score sheets, etc) and all of that is unpaid. I know you most likely do the same thing with your work and extracurriculars so no need to further explain.
2. Many coaches agree with you that level 5 is not the only team in the gym as most coaches are NOT coaching the level 5 teams. There are many other levels. We feel your pain.

 

[Fameous MOM]

Wow, that's alot for a private so maybe I would be a little more annoyed if that happened to me.
Plus my daughter wouldn't have so many! Lol
At our gym every coach charges different prices but I've had 3 different things for the people I'd have do it.
1st coach I let do it made it 8$ for 30 mins and $15 for an hour.
2nd coach I let do it made it $10 for 30 mins or $20 for an hour.
And the most I ever paid is the person I'm paying now-
15$ for 30 mins or 30$ for an hour!

You are LUCKY!!! I wish! :)

 

[mom24girls]

We also pay $30 for 30 minutes and I agree privates are called privates for a reason.

 

[cheermuse]

I agree with the PRIVATE issues.

1. If your not going to value the time & money I am putting out for the private. Dont get pissy with me when I take my child to another local gym for tumble privates (regardless if its our rival). #itiswhatitis. $50 an hour can easily be applied to my gas tank!
2. Stop the favortism. If the the rule is________. Stop catering to those parents who you continue to allow to break the rules, because they use their "lil Suzie" as cheer pawns and threatening to leave your gym if you dont agree to their wishes/demands.
3. Be consistent with enforcing the rules and policies of your gym. ALL SEASON LONG!
4. Train your Jr/student coaches properly. You cant have 18 year old head coaching a Jr team where the average age is 13-14. Those kids see her as an equal not a coach especially when the team towers her in height.
5. For the psycho cheer moms. Stop whining to coaches because your suzie was moved to the back because she refused to throw her BHS (due to season and half mental block). Because you have to listen to her cry and snot on the drive home of how devasted she is.
6. Stop putting boy on higher level team (level 4/5) just because he is male. When its obvious he barely has BHS without a spot.

 

[KRECCheer]

-Don't put a sour face on and look miserable at the front of the mat when something goes wrong. This one drives me crazy! The kids that know something happened are looking at you to help them get through the rest.. and the one's that don't know are cheering their hearts out until they look at your sour puss! Is it easy to put on a brave face and keep cheering for them when you know they just blew it...NOPE.... but that's what being a great coach is all about.

.

Ugh, this can go to the parent that does this to their child as well. Sometimes, Kids just have a bad performance. Please stop saying whatever it is you are saying to your child when they miss a tumbling pass. I want her smiling on that comp mat and not looking at you in the front row thinking "oh my gosh, mom is going to kill me!" If I can suck it up, so can you!!!

@Just-a-Mom
I would never eat in front of anyone at practice because our gym is super tiny and I hate when people eat on the floor!!! One crumb and I am freaking out!

 

[imrichhowboutu]

6. Stop putting boy on higher level team (level 4/5) just because he is male. When its obvious he barely has BHS without a spot.

I don't think tumbling has any relation to stunting ability. And if there are other boys on the team (so it is already coed) then might as well put him there. I say the majority of boys can pick up on stunting technique better than the majority of girls at the same tumbling level as them. So while he may only have a BHS, he will be helpful in level 4 stunts, baskets, pyramids. If that girl with barely a BHS could do the same, I'm sure she would be moved ahead of her tumbling progression also.

 

[cheercrazees]

Here is my biggest issue with coaches..... and maybe gym owners....

STOP adhering to Suzy's mom, when she goes off on a tangent about she should be center flyer, or point jumper, on level 5 with a RBHS tuck, etc...

The trend seems to be, you get your way....

I would like to have respect for my gym/coaches by knowing things are done by SKILL, not by who is buying them expensive gifts, going out to dinner, throwing a fit in the parent room, or the kid happens to be your "favorite"!!

but...this is not a perfect world so.......

 

[cheer8]

OK. drewpate nicely made a list for us moms on how to not be so annoying, so I thought I'd make us a list as well.

1. Remember that I'm paying you, not the other way around.

2. Remember that despite how annoying some of us are, we are doing the best we can with limited money, limited time, and limited patience. It's really not all glitter and Uggs for us - it take a LOT of dedication to be a cheer mom.

3. Please stop eating in front of us. We're starving too. We also just came from our day jobs, so we also haven't had 5 minutes to eat.

4. PLEASE STOP MISSING PRIVATES - and if you're going to, let me know BEFORE I drive to the gym. I've had this happen more times than I can count. And it's ALWAYS that they put it in their phone and forgot. I've called one coach from the gym and he was in NEW YORK on vacation. I think you'd like me to notify you if we were going out of town, please do the same.

5. And on the same token, when i am paying for a private, please stop helping other kids in the gym - I know they're Level 5 and are reeeeeally important, but their moms can pay for privates too if they need help. I'm paying for your undivided attention for an hour. Please give it to my child.

6. Lastly, and I think this is my biggest one. There is more than 1 team in your gym. Level 5 isn't the only one you have. When you have time to SIT in the parent area and talk to Suzy 5's mom for an hour ... it kinda makes me doubt your whole "I'm too busy to talk to you" stance. And it kinda makes my daughter feel bad when you treat your level 5's like they are the only ones that matter. And I know every coach on here says "That's not how we are at our gym - we love all our teams equally," but you are. You may not even realize it, but you ARE. Just like we sometimes don't realize how "Suzie's Mom" we're being...you don't realize how "Suzie's coach" you're being. Every time you start a sentence with "Woot! Senior 5 just did...(insert wonderful thing your level 5 team did here)!" think of a mom saying "I'm not that mom but..." Maybe once a week try to say something about another team? ***And NOT as the end of a Senior 5 praise (eg. "Woot! Senior 5, 2nd place!!! Way to rock it!!!!!...oh and Youth 2 got first. wtg"

Sorry I'm offending probably every coach on here, but we've just spent the last 2 days talking about how annoying we are as moms, I thought I'd give a little back.;)

So happy I am only guilty of #3, sorry but I gotta eat sometime (when you own the gym, been there all day and hadn't seen daylight my stomach punches me and says eat) LOL... A lot of our parents get together and go eat during practice, then come back for the last hour of practice to watch!

 

[cheermuse]

I don't think tumbling has any relation to stunting ability. And if there are other boys on the team (so it is already coed) then might as well put him there. I say the majority of boys can pick up on stunting technique better than the majority of girls at the same tumbling level as them. So while he may only have a BHS, he will be helpful in level 4 stunts, baskets, pyramids. If that girl with barely a BHS could do the same, I'm sure she would be moved ahead of her tumbling progression also.

Im a firm believer that it takes more than one skill to be a cheer athlete. That skills doesnt have to be tumbling. This child is the only boy in the gym and he doesnt stunt during routine. I agree kids progress differently. The girl with no BHS, her mom whines to coaches about them moving her to the back, Then they allow her to stay in primo spot because "mom" is constantly chirping in their ear about lil suzies devastation. Yet she refuses to take classes or come to open gym to even try to put forth an effort.

 

[KRECCheer]

I would like to have respect for my gym/coaches by knowing things are done by SKILL, not by who is buying them expensive gifts, going out to dinner, throwing a fit in the parent room, or the kid happens to be your "favorite"!!

but...this is not a perfect world so.......

Does this happen in your gym??!!
I wish someone would buy this poor girl dinner, although it still wouldnt help anyones case. Your kid still has to work hard and earn their spot, but it would be free dinner for me! woo. :)

 

[imrichhowboutu]

Im a firm believer that it takes more than one skill to be a cheer athlete. That skills doesnt have to be tumbling. This child is the only boy in the gym and he doesnt stunt during routine. I agree kids progress differently. The girl with no BHS, her mom whines to coaches about them moving her to the back, Then they allow her to stay in primo spot because "mom" is constantly chirping in their ear about lil suzies devastation. Yet she refuses to take classes or come to open gym to even try to put forth an effort.

Oh well if he isn't doing anything else then that isn't a wise use of the male. Especially since it makes the team coed. Dislike

 

[Just-a-Mom]

Two quick things to note:
1. You are paying the gym owner - NOT the coach. Most coaches make diddly. Privates excluded. I easily put in twice as much time out of the gym as I do in it (researching, studying score sheets, etc) and all of that is unpaid. I know you most likely do the same thing with your work and extracurriculars so no need to further explain.
2. Many coaches agree with you that level 5 is not the only team in the gym as most coaches are NOT coaching the level 5 teams. There are many other levels. We feel your pain.

1. Guess what...McDonald's emplyees also make diddly. I wouldn't be real excited if THEY told me how to be a less annoying customer either. I don't care who I'm paying. The fact of the matter is that I AM paying. I'm paying for a product and the coach is part of the product. How much the coach gets paid is between the owner and them. Not me. All I know is I'm spending the better part of my annual income on this, so I'm not real receptive to being told how to be "less annoying." And as I've stated numerous times on this board: I spend more on cheer than I do on any other bill I have. So you can bet I'm going to be picky about what I receive for that money.

2. I know that the non-level-5-coaching coaches feel our pain. And I love them for that.

Maybe those coaches should be in charge of Facebook statuses then. It is SOOOOOO disheartening for both parents and kids when you get home from a 14-hour competition day and the update from your gym is "WOOOOO HOOOOO! Way to rock it out SENIOR 5!!! 7th place!!! Amazing!!!!! Youth 2, Mini 1, Junior 3 also great - first place in each of their divisions." And no, I'm not making this up, or exaggerating. I have about 50 gyms as my "friend" on Facebook and I see this ALL. THE. TIME.

 

[SandeRae]

Like I said with the puppy analogy earlier, you are paying for a product, the store owner shouldnt tell you how to be a less annoying customer. Isnt the saying " The customer is always right"? I know that term cant exactly apply to the cheerleading world because, no, the parents are not always right but they are paying you to do a job and a good one at that.

 

[ChrissyBabe1991]

1. Guess what...McDonald's emplyees also make diddly. I wouldn't be real excited if THEY told me how to be a less annoying customer either. I don't care who I'm paying. The fact of the matter is that I AM paying. I'm paying for a product and the coach is part of the product. How much the coach gets paid is between the owner and them. Not me. All I know is I'm spending the better part of my annual income on this, so I'm not real receptive to being told how to be "less annoying." And as I've stated numerous times on this board: I spend more on cheer than I do on any other bill I have. So you can bet I'm going to be picky about what I receive for that money.

2. I know that the non-level-5-coaching coaches feel our pain. And I love them for that.

Maybe those coaches should be in charge of Facebook statuses then. It is SOOOOOO disheartening for both parents and kids when you get home from a 14-hour competition day and the update from your gym is "WOOOOO HOOOOO! Way to rock it out SENIOR 5!!! 7th place!!! Amazing!!!!! Youth 2, Mini 1, Junior 3 also great - first place in each of their divisions." And no, I'm not making this up, or exaggerating. I have about 50 gyms as my "friend" on Facebook and I see this ALL. THE. TIME.

I SEE THIS ALL THE TIME. I've went as far as yelling at a previous coach for her lack of compassion for the lower level teams. I've also deleted other owners of gyms in the NYS area because this happens ALL THE TIME.

its gets annoying....as a soon to be mom i think id like to add something to (what ive seen from coachign and cheering too)

1) PLEASE DO NOT YELL AT YOUR TINYS OR MINIS. I hate to see them cry, yes you need to be tough sometimes but every single day is not good for children those ages. They learn but teaching not by yelling.

 

[imrichhowboutu]

1. Guess what...McDonald's emplyees also make diddly. I wouldn't be real excited if THEY told me how to be a less annoying customer either. I don't care who I'm paying. The fact of the matter is that I AM paying. I'm paying for a product and the coach is part of the product. How much the coach gets paid is between the owner and them. Not me. All I know is I'm spending the better part of my annual income on this, so I'm not real receptive to being told how to be "less annoying." And as I've stated numerous times on this board: I spend more on cheer than I do on any other bill I have. So you can bet I'm going to be picky about what I receive for that money.

2. I know that the non-level-5-coaching coaches feel our pain. And I love them for that.

Maybe those coaches should be in charge of Facebook statuses then. It is SOOOOOO disheartening for both parents and kids when you get home from a 14-hour competition day and the update from your gym is "WOOOOO HOOOOO! Way to rock it out SENIOR 5!!! 7th place!!! Amazing!!!!! Youth 2, Mini 1, Junior 3 also great - first place in each of their divisions." And no, I'm not making this up, or exaggerating. I have about 50 gyms as my "friend" on Facebook and I see this ALL. THE. TIME.

As for gyms not caring about lower levels, I don't think that is a great business plan for them. Level 5 usually accounts for way less than 25% of your gyms population. I couldn't imagine if companies started sending out targeted messages that don't appeal to the majority of their consumer base.

And I agree with you about how much you pay. You are paying for a service. If I pay for my lawn to be mowed, I don't care that the owner has something worked out with someone to pay them a low wage under the table. They should be able to complete the task at hand in an efficient manner. (I'm not saying that I am against labor laws and support using illegal immigrants, just couldn't think of another example.)