All-Star Tryouts And Financial Agreements

[azmom]

It seems that a few gyms around here are requiring a parent to sign a financial agreement when the child goes to team placements. One gym states that by trying out you agree to be placed on a team and if you decide not to continue on with the gym then you have to notify them in writing by a certain date and you have pay 1/12 of the tuition and etc. (about $350) Another gym has you sign a statement that states you will pay the tuition and etc and if you decide not to stay at that gym you have to pay a buy out fee. ($500).

All these financial agreements and signed and due before your child can tryout.

This seems to be new here. Does anyone else have to commit before you even know what team you are being placed on?

I understand that gyms want to stop people from going from one gym to another to see what teams they will be placed on but there seems something wrong with this.

What is others experience with this?

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

We do not have that BEFORE TRYOUTS.

No commitment required until afterward.

That's really strange.

It's the equivalent of PAYING A DEPOSIT to Yale BEFORE you know you got accepted!

 

[cheercurl]

It seems that a few gyms around here are requiring a parent to sign a financial agreement when the child goes to team placements. One gym states that by trying out you agree to be placed on a team and if you decide not to continue on with the gym then you have to notify them in writing by a certain date and you have pay 1/12 of the tuition and etc. (about $350) Another gym has you sign a statement that states you will pay the tuition and etc and if you decide not to stay at that gym you have to pay a buy out fee. ($500).

All these financial agreements and signed and due before your child can tryout.

This seems to be new here. Does anyone else have to commit before you even know what team you are being placed on?

I understand that gyms want to stop people from going from one gym to another to see what teams they will be placed on but there seems something wrong with this.

What is others experience with this?

I could not decide whether I think this is funny or bullying. I went with the funny icon. They can put in my contract/financial agreement that I owe them my first born son and a pint of blood and $3000.00 if said cheerleader doesn't finish out the year...doesn't mean they are going to get it. Oh and Good luck trying to collect for services not rendered. #justsayin #HAHAHAHA #WhoDoTheyThinkTheyAre? #PoorBusiness #CrappyManagement

They are offering me a service that I pay dearly for...If I don't like what they are selling I am entitled to politely or not so politely decline.

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

Similar equivalent:

*walks into Best Buy*

Sales rep: What can I interest you in?
Me: Looking for a Macbook Pro?
Sales rep: Okay, well in order to shop for Macs, we require a $100 deposit.
Me: But I'm just looking....

That's the point of a tryout. You are TRYING IT OUT.

It's not a "SIGN-UP OUT."

 

[cheermommaRN]

Some gyms out here have "commitment fees" where you pay $250 at tryouts and forfeit that money if you decide not to join the gym after placements. Others have "buyouts" where if you leave after December you have to pay an exit fee. Others you just lose anything you have already paid for (like practice clothes).


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[cheercurl]

Some gyms out here have "commitment fees" where you pay $250 at tryouts and forfeit that money if you decide not to join the gym after placements. Others have "buyouts" where if you leave after December you have to pay an exit fee. Others you just lose anything you have already paid for (like practice clothes).


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Honestly ridiculous....

 

[Carriejoe]

Is this in an area where there is a lot of competition between gyms? This is something I've never heard of!

 

[cheermomforever]

Do not sign anything unless u r sure of what gym u r going to commit to.........that is a crazy amount of $,,,,,,25-35 is usual


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[piglet]

$,,,,,,25-35 is usual

That's what I was thinking--under $50. One gym we'd looked at earlier in the year is charging $100 at tryouts. Ouch. I wonder if they were getting a lot (?) of cheerleaders who were just kicking tires? Or maybe tryout fees are a new revenue source?

 

[CheerExtra]

There's a gym near me where if you try out you have to sign a contract that says if you get placed on a team you are required to pay for the first months tuition regardless if you stay or not. Iv heard they place athletes on teams that they will for sure be unhappy with and quit just to take that first months money from everyone trying out. For example if they have a Senior 4 team and a couple extra level 4 athletes they don't want, they'll just throw them on a Junior 3 or Senior 2 team and so the athlete will either help that team win comps or they'll quit and the gym takes their money. Its a win win situation for that gym and gyms with similar policy.

 

[CheerBank]

Our gym charges a tryout fee which I believe was $40 last year. I understand why they do this; they do not want to sit and make their teams based on what they saw at tryouts (especially for any new people) only to have that person then walk away unhappy with placement. It's a waste of time for the owners and coaches, and this gives at least some compensation to the gym. Once you've accepted your team placement, the $40 tryout fee becomes the annual registration fee. Maybe Susie won't tryout at all 5 local gyms if she is paying for each tryout.

As a business owner I get it. I run an agency that sends teachers to work with kids. If we have interviewed you and offered you cases, and then you decide you don't want the job any longer, you've wasted my time which is valuable to me. There have been quite a few times I've said to my director of services that I wish we could send someone a bill for the interview and for the time we take to explain policies and procedures if after doing so they decide not to take the job.




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[TheVipersMom]

Oh wow I don't think anyone would like this..

We have 160$ tryout fee! (New members only)
Our tryouts last 2 weeks and you must attend every tryout day in that 2 weeks. We start practice immediately. The 160$ is what tuition is each month. You do not have to pay anything else for the month of April that will cover you after tryouts.

Then again I don't think we have many people tryout that don't plan on staying.

Old people don't have to pay anything for tryouts if our tuition was rolled over because it was deducted on the first of the month already. So basically no matter what wether you are old or new you just pay for a month since tryouts take two weeks you are basically forfeiting two weeks of pay if you choose not to stay after tryouts.


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[cheermommaRN]

I pay $15, new people pay $25 at tryouts.
The least I've paid is $0 and that was at Heat. The most I've paid is $250 at Spirit.


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[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

I fully understand having a tryout fee. I get it. We have one.

I don't understand why it has to be (in some cases) over $100.

I also am failing to understand why program related fees are being asked of kids who are just TRYING OUT.

Ex: Why does Jenny need to agree to join a team and pay tuition at at her tryout? Particularly if she's youth age and just checking it out, she might decide that she hates cheer after that 2 day tryout and doesn't want to do it.

Her parent just ate $350 in first month tuition for a program she didn't join.

Is there a point after tryouts where you need to ask parents for those fees? Yes. Should kids be in a gym and on a team in July without paying a dime? No. But tryouts is too early in the game.

Typically for us, first week of practice is the "Need to know because you're going to start being charged for tuition" We have a short break (2 weeks) after tryouts and before first practices and that time period helps people make up their minds.

I have a very "leave or don't leave, just let me know either way so I don't charge you for a uniform and stuff because I can't give you a refund" attitude. We don't need to "lock you in" at tryouts but at a certain point, I need to know for planning purposes.

 

[cheercurl]

Our gym charges a tryout fee which I believe was $40 last year. I understand why they do this; they do not want to sit and make their teams based on what they saw at tryouts (especially for any new people) only to have that person then walk away unhappy with placement. It's a waste of time for the owners and coaches, and this gives at least some compensation to the gym. Once you've accepted your team placement, the $40 tryout fee becomes the annual registration fee. Maybe Susie won't tryout at all 5 local gyms if she is paying for each tryout.

As a business owner I get it. I run an agency that sends teachers to work with kids. If we have interviewed you and offered you cases, and then you decide you don't want the job any longer, you've wasted my time which is valuable to me. There have been quite a few times I've said to my director of services that I wish we could send someone a bill for the interview and for the time we take to explain policies and procedures if after doing so they decide not to take the job.




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Guess what? I am also interviewing you...sorry I wasted your time. This is not just your time to see whether an athlete is a good fit or not. It is a parent and athletes chance to see if this is the gym they want to be part of.