High School Tumbling Expectation Frustrations

[Ricej]

This is going to be long. I’ve never posted on here but I’m a little frustrated with my current situation and just need some feedback.

My assistant coach at my high school is very hard-nosed. He’s intense, has very strict expectations, but is good in teaching technique and skills. I have 40 girls in my program (30 Varsity, 10 JV), a handful really like him, a good portion don’t mind him, and a handful hate him.

We also compete and have started competing at UCA in Orlando. For my team that I take to Orlando, they are expected to take tumbling. This is an additional cost for each girl. My assistant coach offers both tumbling classes and privates, but the girls are not required to take classes/privates from him. They can take from a local gymnastics gym, etc. however both my assistant and I think it’s best to take from him because he has more interest in you and your skills progressing because he’s also the cheer coach! However, a handful of my girls either (1) don’t get why he just doesn’t tumble them at practice for free or (2) that he just wants you to take tumbling because he wants your money. All his tumbling classes/privates are at a local gym that he rents the floor from.

So, I don’t know how to explain this to my kids/parents anymore than I already have. Yes, he wants your business (this is his livelihood…this IS what he does), but he also wants kids to progress and look good on the floor. No, you do not get to tumble for free at practice. Granted, during competition practices, we will have the kids throw their skills and either spot or correct technique, but all in all, it is not tumbling class.

Next year I’m just going to have the kids pay an upfront fee for tumbling class and they just have to take it through him, and that’s that. But, for this year, it’s such a grey line, and I’m sick of dealing with it!

Any suggestions??

 

[Tosh]

Wow! If he is associated as an instructure at a local gym, I would have all the girls register for tumbling classes at the gym and he can make arrangements with the gym regarding compensation and teach that class. I do understand your frustration, but your parents have to want whats best for the "squad" not JUST their child. This is a team sport and no matter how good Susie is, she can not compete by herself. For our HS squads, JV and Varisty, tumbling is mandatory. We also have parents that pay the tumbling coach/booty't coach for privates. The bottom line is either they want to be competitive and good, or not.
Good luck!

 

[munchkinmom]

It also depends on your school's regulations. Around here cheer is a sport and so you would not be able to charge instruction fees. Coaches get paid or don't at county/school predetermined levels (normally a set number of paid positions at a set stipend, extra can be volunteer) and that is the end of it. Bad things happen when schools try to pay extra to coaches or hire excess coaches. I'm not sure what the rules would be for splitting facility rental cost. That might be allowable or it might have to take it out of a "team" fund that is paid for by fundraisers.

Even non-sports have regulations about who can be paid what. Teachers can't even do voluntary paid tutoring of students that (i forget which way this goes exactly) either go to their school or attend school in the district they teach in during the school year. It's considered a conflict of interest - asking extra money for what they're expected to accomplish "during hours".

That's just here, obviously your conditions could be very different, but it's something to make sure of.

 

[BuegeSmalls]

At my high school everyone in the HS cheer program was required to take tumbling. We brought in coaches and the cost for the classes were pretty low. You weren't required to take classes through the school. You could take them at an all star gym, gymnastics gym. It didn't matter where you took them as long as you took classes. Not sure if that helps at all. :/

 

[AScheer]

My first and second year I did different combinations of required tumbling and had similar situations to the one you're in. I finally just said everyone has to take here, from this person, at this time, together. There were a few complainers to start, but it has alleviated so many headaches. This is our 3rd year now doing it like this and there are no issues. The girls don't know any different now. They are told before tryouts what day, times, and prices/month. If they have a problem with it they're told not to tryout. If they want to take additional classes or privates that is up to them. There is a school board rule that I can't require them to take the class, however since we have 2 teams I can require that the competition one does, because it is a chosen extra and there is another option for those that may have an issue. Both of our teams take classes though and we've never had anyone refuse.

Our school system also has a lot of rules about paying people extra etc like someone said above. You may want to make sure you don't. Per parents requests last year I started giving privates after practices. Then I was "informed" that that isn't allowed and I had to stop. There are also rules about we can't have someone come to the school and pay them but if we go to a gym we can.