All-Star What Are The Signs Of A Struggling Gym/program?

[onecheermom]

As in, literally screams? Like, the kinds of coaches that don't know how to coach and resort to yelling as a expression of their frustration and desperation?

will answer for piglet..... Yep... as in literally screams.. can't make this stuff up.

 

[MissCongeniality]

Most gyms have a not for profit booster club setup specifically for fundraising. At my current gym, all fundraising funds/donations/sponsor checks are made payable to the booster club. They in-turn will credit the athletes cheer account.

If the booster club is set up as a 501(c)3 (and it sounds like it is from your description) then what they are doing is actually a big no-no. Yep, "everyone does it", but also many have had to fork over huge fines too. See 501(c)3 and gymnastics (google) for some good info.

 

[piglet]

As in, literally screams? Like, the kinds of coaches that don't know how to coach and resort to yelling as a expression of their frustration and desperation?

Literal screams. It's impossible to justify.

 

[alpaca]

Literal screams. It's impossible to justify.

CP's coach screams, and more. Last night he came up to her as she was "setting" for a BHS, like she had just started the squat and was concentrating, and yelled BOOOO really loud. It's the kind of thing that a little brother would do, not a grown adult in a leadership position. And actually, it could have been dangerous if she has started and fell the wrong way.

 

[Ally13]

CP's coach screams, and more. Last night he came up to her as she was "setting" for a BHS, like she had just started the squat and was concentrating, and yelled BOOOO really loud. It's the kind of thing that a little brother would do, not a grown adult in a leadership position. And actually, it could have been dangerous if she has started and fell the wrong way.

Maybe I'm dramatic, but I think would pull my kid from that gym if a coach did that. At the very least I would raise hell with their boss. That's not okay at all. She could have been seriously injured. Tumbling is dangerous, even simple skills like BHSs, and requires a lot of mental focus. If a coach sees an athlete trying to set up for skills and purposefully tries to scare them while doing so then he/she is endangering athletes and could cause injuries, mental blocks, etc.

 

[Ally13]

If the booster club is set up as a 501(c)3 (and it sounds like it is from your description) then what they are doing is actually a big no-no. Yep, "everyone does it", but also many have had to fork over huge fines too. See 501(c)3 and gymnastics (google) for some good info.

I was curious and USA Gymnaatics has a good piece about the situation

USA Gymnastics | Member Clubs

 

[alpaca]

Maybe I'm dramatic, but I think would pull my kid from that gym if a coach did that. At the very least I would raise hell with their boss. That's not okay at all. She could have been seriously injured. Tumbling is dangerous, even simple skills like BHSs, and requires a lot of mental focus. If a coach sees an athlete trying to set up for skills and purposefully tries to scare them while doing so then he/she is endangering athletes and could cause injuries, mental blocks, etc.

I agree, it's been taken care of

 

[MissCongeniality]

I was curious and USA Gymnaatics has a good piece about the situation

USA Gymnastics | Member Clubs

Great article--- here is another:
IRS Rejects Gymnastics Booster Club's 501(c)(3) Application and Orders It to Pay Back Taxes: M&R Blog

The reality is that most booster clubs are breaking the rules. I can't tell you how many times I hear "well that is how XYZ does it". I also have heard of booster clubs maintaining two separate sets of books. Mmmmm hmmmmm.... I am not a whistleblower (despite my current job) so take this info for what you will... but I know that I was very careful to extricate myself from the board of a booster club that I was part of (and we ran it by the book! Had legal help) but I didn't want to be named if any fall out occurred long after I was gone if other parents tried to do things "the way XYZ does"

 

[Official OWECheer]

Literal screams. It's impossible to justify.

Makes the situation worse, if anything.

@MissCongeniality two sets of books? Now THAT is shady.

I know that some people might not click on the article due to anticipated length so I wanted to paste a really important bit:

"The IRS identified several problems with the Booster Club's operations, including that the gymnastics club owner sat on the Board of Directors; requiring mandatory Booster Club membership dues; putting fundraising money raised by parents into accounts earmarked in direct proportion to that family's fundraising, rather than into the Booster Club's General Account; and the fact that the Booster Club used 25% of its fundraising dollars to purchase equipment for the gym. These activities raised concerns of both private inurement to parents, and private benefit to the gym. The IRS also identified the fact that the Booster Club's fundraising efforts provided a special benefit to the to the director who owned the gym as problematic because the money raised enabled athletes to compete on teams sponsored by the gym (resulting in a substantial private benefit to the gym owner)."

I know that this is the all-star forum, but in the context of a scholastic program, let's say that a high school team is running a team fundraiser (say, running concession stands at athletic events; as opposed to an individual fundraiser, like selling Avon or candles) to pay for new uniforms. Suzy and her dad raise money money in this fundraiser than any other family in the program. If the booster club were to allocate a greater portion of the money to Suzy’s account (in direct proportion to the amount of money she raised) would that pose a egalitarian issue even though the program is not for-profit? I'm guessing so, but I'm not sure.

"This decision highlights numerous cautionary tales relating to running a booster or gymnastics club. These include, without limitation, avoiding booster club connections with the gym, avoiding private inurement stemming from fundraising systems that benefit family's proportionally in any way, mandatory fundraising, and private benefits inuring to the gym's benefit as well. Failure to do so properly can result in the booster club paying back taxes on funds raised, and the gym paying back taxes on benefits it received. However, perhaps most striking about PLR 201507023 was the IRS’s conclusion that use of fundraising dollars to enable athletes to compete on teams sponsored by the gym results is a substantial private benefit to the gym, with potential tax consequences for the gym. This represents a new, significant change in direction by the IRS that potentially concerns all for-profit athletic club “booster clubs” that raise funds for athletes competing on teams at a for-profit club."

Very interesting. Didn't realize how common this was.

 

[alpaca]

Great article--- here is another:
IRS Rejects Gymnastics Booster Club's 501(c)(3) Application and Orders It to Pay Back Taxes: M&R Blog

The reality is that most booster clubs are breaking the rules. I can't tell you how many times I hear "well that is how XYZ does it". I also have heard of booster clubs maintaining two separate sets of books. Mmmmm hmmmmm.... I am not a whistleblower (despite my current job) so take this info for what you will... but I know that I was very careful to extricate myself from the board of a booster club that I was part of (and we ran it by the book! Had legal help) but I didn't want to be named if any fall out occurred long after I was gone if other parents tried to do things "the way XYZ does"

Not cheer related but whistleblowing related.

This reminded me of a job I had 20 years ago. There was a lot going on that was illegal and immoral. I was very bothered by what was going on but I didn't have any tangible proof so instead of reporting it I left the job. A few months later I called the place to keep in touch with previous co-workers (this was before everyone had email) I asked to speak with one of the secretaries. That was the wrong thing for me to do. I was told to never speak her name again. Apparently, this person DID have proof of what was going on, she turned federal whistleblower and took early retirement with her award money. I was actually very pleased. Justice was served, and she got a reward.

 

[cheermomforever]

Maybe I'm dramatic, but I think would pull my kid from that gym if a coach did that. At the very least I would raise hell with their boss. That's not okay at all. She could have been seriously injured. Tumbling is dangerous, even simple skills like BHSs, and requires a lot of mental focus. If a coach sees an athlete trying to set up for skills and purposefully tries to scare them while doing so then he/she is endangering athletes and could cause injuries, mental blocks, etc.

Yep definitely voice your concerns about this idiotic coach!

 

[BlueCat]

The above posts demonstrate some of the many reasons we do NOT have a booster club and generally avoid fundraisers that involve the gym in any official capacity.

 

[Pebbles49]

CP's coach screams, and more. Last night he came up to her as she was "setting" for a BHS, like she had just started the squat and was concentrating, and yelled BOOOO really loud. It's the kind of thing that a little brother would do, not a grown adult in a leadership position. And actually, it could have been dangerous if she has started and fell the wrong way.

When I read this post, I first thought of maybe the coach was trying to put in the element of performance and how much an athlete must be focused on what they are doing when they are performing... When athletes are performing, they must encountered worse distractions and the athletes must be able to shut out these distractions, but I am not making any excuses for this coach's action, but I do not know, his/her reasoning for doing this... I remembered the coaches will do distractions and the athletes were in hyper focus mode in the routine or what they are doing at that moment they all were able to shut it out...

 

[alpaca]

When I read this post, I first thought of maybe the coach was trying to put in the element of performance and how much an athlete must be focused on what they are doing when they are performing... When athletes are performing, they must encountered worse distractions and the athletes must be able to shut out these distractions, but I am not making any excuses for this coach's action, but I do not know, his/her reasoning for doing this... I remembered the coaches will do distractions and the athletes were in hyper focus mode in the routine or what they are doing at that moment they all were able to shut it out...

I considered that. Because you are right, focus among distraction is important. But when I later talked to cp about it, she told me that he has done it several times. And he laughs afterwards. Its a classic jump scare. So I don't believe he is doing it as a teaching tool.

 

[Amie815]

I have some questions about the above info with the booster club.

Say there is a fundraiser selling wreaths, no one is required to sell, the people who did sell only get the profits based on what they sold, not as a group. The money is collected and given to the booster club who then calculates everyone's profit and gives a check to the business side of the gym and they in turn credit the accounts for those who earned profit. Is that not how the booster club is suppose to be run?

Or what about working like concerts and sporting games? There is a group of people who work, but not everyone who is a member of the booster club. The money earned for the event is divided equally by the number of people who worked the event and then like above that money goes to the booster club which then divides it up and gives a check to the gym who credits the accounts.

Are booster clubs not allowed to charge membership fees? Keep a certain percentage of every fundraiser to use towards other items like helping pay for the banquet, etc?

I am genuinely confused and would love some help understanding this.