All-Star Cea Chicago

[Tator tots]

Some companies ask you to leave immediately when you put in your notice. So even if you do it the "correct" way, meaning 2 weeks notice or maybe a month (or in cheer, let them know you'll be leaving at the end of the season), the company will politely ask you to leave that day, as to protect the companies interests. Its not always because of some bad blood in the past.

Anyway, while we're taking guesses, what if they found out her plans to leave at the end of the year and in order to "protect the brand", asked her to leave right then, thinking the kids wouldn't follow since its the middle of the season?

 

[EmmytheFlyer]

Ice allows athletes to train at other gyms. In fact most ice athletes who take privates take them from coaches at other gyms. There is really only 1 coach who can teach tumbling and he doesn't have a lot of time for privates. He is also kind of intense and not a good fit for a lot of kids. Most kids at Ice go to a gymnastics gym, GTIL or IA for privates so it wouldn't have been an issue. However I don't think Kaley teaches tumbling. She teaches stretching and fitness though. And I'm sure some would have gone to her for those classes. Not sure if thst would be enough to pay the bills or not though.

I don't know that she actively recruited. I got the impression she was caught off guard when she was fired. The thing about Kaley is that the kids on her teams LOVE her. She has almost a cult like following with them. The core group that left have been with her for years. If she hadn't opened the gym I suspect many of those girls would have just sat the rest of the season out. Other teams at Ice don't have that kind of loyalty to a coach. They are more loyal to the gym as a whole, but Passion was all about Kaley.

She was caught so off guard that she broke her apartment lease that she split with two other ICE people a couple weeks prior to her being fired.

 

[KDCheerMom]

I assume Illinois Allstars


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[AlwaysLearning]

I don't know that she actively recruited. I got the impression she was caught off guard when she was fired. The thing about Kaley is that the kids on her teams LOVE her. She has almost a cult like following with them. The core group that left have been with her for years. If she hadn't opened the gym I suspect many of those girls would have just sat the rest of the season out. Other teams at Ice don't have that kind of loyalty to a coach. They are more loyal to the gym as a whole, but Passion was all about Kaley.

I've seen this happen before in cheer and other sports. If an organization wants to build gym loyalty vs coach loyalty they need to be very careful how they assign coaches. The longer a coach has the same group of kids, the more endeared those kids & families become to that coach and not the organization. Having a coach bond with kids is great, but it's not always in the gym's best interest to have a coach take kids from minis to worlds.

I feel having a new coach every couple of years is healthy. Every coach sees different things that need fixing. Kids grow up and mature or get lazy over time. Sometimes it's hard for a coach to separate 13yo Susie from her 6yo self in both a positive and negative manner.

 

[632_beans]

I assume Illinois Allstars


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Oh, that's right! OK

 

[tumbleyoda]

One of the things we tend to forget about in this industry is that business and ethics, sportsmanship, and fair play are not always on the same side. Decisions that are made for the good of the business often end up seeming unfair or disloyal to somebody who does not have to bear the full financial and emotional weight of the decision. The business side of this industry (like most) is often cutthroat, back room deals, and negotiations that have been in place long before many who are affected get wind of them.

From a business side I can totally see letting someone go if they found out of a plan to leave. Especially since it has already happened to them before. I don't think of that as a miscalculation. That was a decision. Now a miscalculation may be misjudging the extent of support internally and externally there truly was to open a mega gym franchise that quickly. A miscalculation may be if there was not a non compete in place. A miscalculation may be if there was not a no recruitment of athletes contract in place. This obviously was not a I am no longer working here so lets open up a gym right now type decision. Planning at some level had to of occurred prior to the day of termination/quitting - whatever really transpired. Again only Darlene and Kaley know.

Another thing to remember. Most cheer coaches want to coach cheer! They want to compete and prove they are the best just like the athletes. They don't want to teach classes or teach tumbling. That is not what they are passionate about. This is why there are so few really good trained tumbling coaches available in cheerleading - because even the ones that can teach tumbling prefer not to. They would rather be coaching cheer and only pick up extra hours teaching tumbling for money that they would gladly replace with another team or two to coach. (another discussion for another day) So IMO while it makes sense from an ethical and sportsmanship point of view to do this until the end of the year, business wise to them it does not make sense. Again especially with the IHSA rules, they know that in one week numerous athletes will be available to cheer prep or All Stars for the rest of the year. So from a business timeline the RIGHT time to open a gym in Illinois is right around this time of year.

This situation has so many interesting dynamics not just for the gyms involved but for the industry as a whole. Wishing everyone the best.

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

So you're saying that if you have a job at Grocery Store A and get approached by Grocery Store B because they want you to be their store manager, but first they need to establish themselves, get the building up, codes done...etc, and the position will start 6 months later, you're going to quite A and wait that 6 months because of loyalty? Puh-lease!

As it's been stated, she was leaving (and this has come from both sides of the sources so I'm gonna assume this information is mostly factual) the program at the end of the season. Whether or not others were following her isn't really a factor...she was willing to spend the next 3 and a half months committed to her team at ICE and the owner at ICE fired her. Whether or not I agree with that decision she was let go. If you want to play the game of semantics, neither were loyal to the other---but in no way do I think either were more loyal than the other.

As for 'stealing' kids, I disagree with the word stealing----she didn't grab up 17 athletes and run out the door with them to another building. They left, on their own accord, for whatever reasons they did. She isn't responsible for that and while I believe most in this thread would not have let their kids leave mid-season, these parents clearly felt it was the better idea. It's been stated a few times that a lot of the athletes closest to her have been with her since their Mini days, those bonds formed that early are strong...I think for the majority of athletes who just left were leaving the second she did. It didn't matter whether or not ICE let her stay, they were gone the second she was, it just happened to be sooner than they planned.

I'm a person who is very much, 'put your money where your mouth is,' and in this case I see these parents leaving as doing just that. When it came down to it, the coach made the sport for their kids---not ICE. Had it been the other way around, she wouldn't have teams to put together because the athletes would have stayed put.

I can't follow your grocery store analogy. Especially since grocery stores and cheerleading gyms aren't the same thing - whether you're an employee or customer. Which has been stated already in this thread.

I don't care if she did or didn't intentionally lead kids out of a gym. She opened a gym mid season, offered teams, and allowed kids to jump ship, ruining other teams. Again, SHE COULD'VE WAITED TIL NEXT SEASON AND OFFERED CLASSES. I doubt the kids that followed her would've quit cheer altogether if she didn't offer a team at CEA. I'm sure they would've stayed put.

Also, I can't get behind these kids jumping ship when it seems nothing was happening that would put them in harms way. So you're disappointed in your team or your gym or the way the season is turning out. Sorry to be blunt but wah wah, the world is not fair, suck it up buttercup. Not every season is rainbows and sunshine and trophies. Sometimes you don't get what you paid for. Sometimes it doesn't go the way you had hoped. Unless your safety is being comprimised, the right thing to do is stay. You made a commitment to your fellow team mates who are also going through the same thing you are. Who are also paying the same amount of money you are. What you chose to do AFTER the season is over is up to you. But have some integrity and follow through on the commitment you made to your team mates. If you can't be a TEAM player in best of times or the not best of times, then maybe a TEAM sport isn't for you.

I was in a really sh*tty situation the last year at my first gym and I followed through til the end. It really wasn't the end of the world. I really have no sympathy for this Kaley lady or the kids who jumped ship. I feel for the kids who are now left without a team.

 

[catlady]

@SL&AM Any one of us parents could be put into this situation. This coach, most certainly needs to pay her bills and no matter what the circumstances, I WANT her to be able to pay her bills and be successful. With that said, as a parent, after investing in gym fees, comp fees, choreography, music, uniforms, etc, etc, etc I would like some type of assurance that my child's team can't just up and follow a coach they prefer right before Nationals. New gyms have the option of offering tumbling, stunt, prep teams, half/quarter teams, etc. until a new season starts. I don't want my kids, or I, to be in the position of trying to figure out who is staying/leaving and can I afford to forfeit comp fees, uniforms and possible flights three months before the season ends. As @tumbleyoda said, this situation has many interesting dynamics, from an ethical, consumer and employee right stance. I don't have the answer but, I would like to see our kids and our investment be taken into consideration when it is this late in the season.

 

[KDCheerMom]

Just to be clear - the coaches who decided to move to GTIL did so after finishing out their commitment to ICE.


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[tumbleyoda]

Just to be clear - the coaches who decided to move to GTIL did so after finishing out their commitment to ICE.


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True. But it still leaves the same hurt feelings I am sure.

 

[EmmytheFlyer]

Just to be clear - the coaches who decided to move to GTIL did so after finishing out their commitment to ICE.


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My daughter misses Justin!! As do I. He's a great coach and you guys are really lucky!

 

[KDCheerMom]

True. But it still leaves the same hurt feelings I am sure.

Understood - just don't want it implied that it happened the same way.

I want to thank the ICE parents who came here and explained what they know.


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[KDCheerMom]

My daughter misses Justin!! As do I. He's a great coach and you guys are really lucky!

Justin coaches my CPs team and for the record is very supportive of all his athletes past and present!!!


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[EmmytheFlyer]

Justin is now our coach and for the record - he is very supportive of all his athletes past and present!!!

That he is!

 

[Cheer0825]

I can't follow your grocery store analogy. Especially since grocery stores and cheerleading gyms aren't the same thing - whether you're an employee or customer. Which has been stated already in this thread.

I don't care if she did or didn't intentionally lead kids out of a gym. She opened a gym mid season, offered teams, and allowed kids to jump ship, ruining other teams. Again, SHE COULD'VE WAITED TIL NEXT SEASON AND OFFERED CLASSES. I doubt the kids that followed her would've quit cheer altogether if she didn't offer a team at CEA. I'm sure they would've stayed put.

Also, I can't get behind these kids jumping ship when it seems nothing was happening that would put them in harms way. So you're disappointed in your team or your gym or the way the season is turning out. Sorry to be blunt but wah wah, the world is not fair, suck it up buttercup. Not every season is rainbows and sunshine and trophies. Sometimes you don't get what you paid for. Sometimes it doesn't go the way you had hoped. Unless your safety is being comprimised, the right thing to do is stay. You made a commitment to your fellow team mates who are also going through the same thing you are. Who are also paying the same amount of money you are. What you chose to do AFTER the season is over is up to you. But have some integrity and follow through on the commitment you made to your team mates. If you can't be a TEAM player in best of times or the not best of times, then maybe a TEAM sport isn't for you.

I was in a really sh*tty situation the last year at my first gym and I followed through til the end. It really wasn't the end of the world. I really have no sympathy for this Kaley lady or the kids who jumped ship. I feel for the kids who are now left without a team.

The whole "suck it up" way of thinking really doesn't seem fair especially in a sport like cheerleading where the amount of time you have to participate in the sport is very limited.
As an athlete I can understand why the girls would want to leave if they were unhappy especially when you get older and only have a few more seasons left to enjoy the sport, why would want to waste time a gym where your unhappy.

One of my biggest regrets in my cheer career is that it took me so long to move to the gym I am at right now. I was unhappy with the gym I was at before but for 3 seasons I stuck it out due "loyalty" and fear of losing my friends who were never kind to the people who left in the past. when you get to the age of 16,17, or 18 you really start to realize how little time you have left to be apart of cheerleading. I don't blame these girls for trying to take advantage of the time they have