- Dec 14, 2009
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I don't understand the issue with someone taking tumbling classes at gym A but cheering for gym B. First of all, it is income. Second, what if they decide they love gym A and finish their commitment with gym B and join A next season? If you don't allow them in your gym, you can be sure they will never join your cheer program.
There are several potential reasons and not all of them bad and drama filled. Yes it is income but sometimes as in any business you have to decide where you want to make your money and if it helps you short term or long term.
You have to understand that in the majority of cases, contrary to parents beliefs, the tumbling program is not a stand alone program at most gyms. Meaning the tumbling program primarily exists as a feeder and a developmental partner of that facilities cheer, gymnastics or power tumbling program. Every spot is initially projected to be for an athlete that is enrolled in that program. Anyone outside of that scope, takes away a spot for a current customer which they are trying to progress them to make their total product - including their competitive teams - better. That is their priority.
Then it can't be assumed that the tumbling instructor/gym that they are going to will always do a good job because you are paying them. We had athletes that we allowed to go to other facilities to tumble because we merged our outlying locations into one larger location. They wanted that option because of their distance from the gym, traffic, school, etc. It was not what we wanted, but we were trying to meet their needs. In every case the athlete stopped going to the other gym(s) before the year was out because they felt that the "tumbling gym" did not care about them and their progressions since they were not on their teams, nor what they were tying to learn for to cheer in college. But they didn't stop taking that money either. All the gym saw was $$$. And those were the athletes that progressed the least in tumbling that calendar year.
If everyone - athlete, parent, tumbling coach and cheer coach were all respectful and professional about it, then I suppose it there would be way less issues. Sadly that is not always the case. I think in that case is a few bad apples have spoiled it for the whole bunch.
In our area all of the local surrounding gyms provide plenty of classes and private lessons for their customers so there really is no need to go to another gym to tumble. Now if that is not offered, then it makes more sense. Our classes are first come first served and if our students don't get that spot, that is on them. We have had athletes from other gyms tumble in our classes, open gym and occasional private lessons. But we also run our tumbling program more independently of the cheer program than most gyms do. As long as everyone is respectful, we work with it.