All-Star Coaches Certification

[alpaca]

Our owner paid for all our coaches to get certified.

Before i started this thread I assumed that all gyms did this (but apparently not). It is a legitimate business expense and adds to the safety and professionalism of the gym. Not paying for coach certification may be penny-wise but it is pound foolish

Imagine if someone gets hurt at the gym and it is discovered that the coaches were not certified. Yes, we all sign releases and I'm sure that the gym has insurance (that's got to be a requirement to register your athletes through USASF, right? Please tell me that is true.) But the bad PR that could come from such an event just isn't worth it.

eta: spelling error

 

[Ashley]

Before i started this thread I aimed that all gyms did this (but apparently not). It is a legitimate business expense and adds to the safety and professionalism of the gym. Not paying for coach certification may be penny-wise but it is pound foolish

Imagine if someone gets hurt at the gym and it is discovered that the coaches were not certified. Yes, we all sign releases and I'm sure that the gym has insurance (that's got to be a requirement to register your athletes through USASF, right? Please tell me that is true.) But the bad PR that could come from such an event just isn't worth it.

There's been some interesting discussions about who should pay for it in ASGA. The credentials go with the coach even if he or she leaves the current gym. Plus it's not uncommon in other industries to require employees to have certain certifications as a prerequisite to employment. It's nice for gyms to pay for it, but I don't think they should have to do so. On the other hand, requiring a $200+ credential for a part time job (and I'm just a volunteer, I don't even get paid) is a lot.

 

[alpaca]

There's been some interesting discussions about who should pay for it in ASGA. The credentials go with the coach even if he or she leaves the current gym. Plus it's not uncommon in other industries to require employees to have certain certifications as a prerequisite to employment. It's nice for gyms to pay for it, but I don't think they should have to do so. On the other hand, requiring a $200+ credential for a part time job (and I'm just a volunteer, I don't even get paid) is a lot.

I understand. In my industry, licensure and continuing education is required. It is considered a "benefit" and part of the total compensation package when a company either pays for the continuing education, or pays salary/hourly wage while you attend the continuing education. Companies want/need their employees to be knowledgable in the regs of their field and many see the value in providing this employee perk. It is considered investing in the business. Not all companies do it, but its always something I asked about/negotiated when deciding where to work.

Many years ago I considered helping out at my kids school in the cafeteria. The pay was only $8 an hour, but they were desperate and at the time I was available. Then I learned that I would have to pay $75 for fingerprinting every year in order to work 3 hours a day. It didn't make sense financially for me to take that job. They lost out on a potential employee because of it and continued to struggle.

If you are the only gym in town, it may not be necessary to offer this perk. But if I was a gym owner, I would consider it a cost of doing business in order to attract and retain talent.

 

[XtremeWpg]

We pay for our own level 1-2, the gym pays for 3-5 if we do it. In Manitoba you must be credentialed to the level your team competes at, or else your team can't compete.

 

[Michael White]

I started to post about this yesterday. Things you learn even after being in cheer for a decade - I always had the "must be certified" philosophy myself, but not in this world. It is expensive to become certified, and some small gyms will not pay for their coaches to become certified, and some great coaches just don't have the means to complete the training. Most importantly, the certification process is flawed and really does not ensure that coach has the ability to spot safely. I know coaches who are not certified but I trust them implicitly to spot my child. The opposite holds true as well.

I feel like I'd only credential if it was make or break in aquiring a position at a new gym. I've been spotting and coaching for years and try to learn as much as I can whenever possible. Imagine telling a successful business owner (automotive, contractor, etc.) that you won't go to them anymore because they aren't educated. As long as they're amazing at what they do, does it matter if they are credentialed or not? I'm not saying that describes me, not at all, but it is something I would think about if I had a child in the sport.

 

[EMMbaleena]

I had my hands-on test this weekend and the proctor said that they're trying to standardize it. So that you can't get a proctor who either asks you only super basic questions or one who asks you to teach only the trickiest skills in each level.

Level 1 was by far the hardest and level 5 the easiest, in my opinion - I'm an assistant coach on a level 6 team so I don't get much exposure to the lower levels. But I did do a lot of prep before my practical exam, so I know a lot more than I did last season when I just paid $30.

I had a hands on exam this year as well along with two other coaches in my gym. We were all asked the same questions, but each proctor seemed to require different levels of explanation on the skills. I'll be interested in seeing if or how they're able to standardize that!

Before i started this thread I assumed that all gyms did this (but apparently not). It is a legitimate business expense and adds to the safety and professionalism of the gym. Not paying for coach certification may be penny-wise but it is pound foolish

Imagine if someone gets hurt at the gym and it is discovered that the coaches were not certified. Yes, we all sign releases and I'm sure that the gym has insurance (that's got to be a requirement to register your athletes through USASF, right? Please tell me that is true.) But the bad PR that could come from such an event just isn't worth it.

eta: spelling error

I definitely get where you're coming from. I think it is worthwhile to have someone in the gym certified and market that. I'm well aware of gyms in my immediate area that do not have anyone in their gym certified and it makes me wonder if they're up to date on all the different changes... However, is it necessary to have all coaches certified? Probably not. IMO it's similar to what a college degree used to be (now everyone has to have one...stay with me here...)...if you have lots of experience and keep up with the industry and the ever changing rules on your own and you can prove that to your clients without the credentials, then you go for it. However, if you're newer in the industry and you don't have loads of experience, then the credentials are a nice way to say 'hey, i'm doing what is necessary to learn my job'.

ETA: OOPS! got click happy and pressed post to early.

 

[Ashley]

I feel like I'd only credential if it was make or break in aquiring a position at a new gym. I've been spotting and coaching for years and try to learn as much as I can whenever possible. Imagine telling a successful business owner (automotive, contractor, etc.) that you won't go to them anymore because they aren't educated. As long as they're amazing at what they do, does it matter if they are credentialed or not? I'm not saying that describes me, not at all, but it is something I would think about if I had a child in the sport.

I only did it because of worlds. I had to be listed as an alternate on our roster (turns out I went into the routine anyway in warmups so yay?) because I wasn't credentialed. I did music for our small senior team and it was frustrating to not be able to go to warmups with them. Another coach had to bring the ipod out to me.

I had a hands on exam this year as well along with two other coaches in my gym. We were all asked the same questions, but each proctor was different in how detailed they wanted explanations. I'll be interested in seeing if or how they're able to standardize that.

My proctor asked a lot of questions when they wanted more details. I don't know how common that is or not.

 

[ACEDAD]

Can't imagine running a gym and trusting kids' safety to a coach that wasn't credentialed. If a kid gets hurt, how do you explain/justify that?


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[mamabear]

Can't imagine running a gym and trusting kids' safety to a coach that wasn't credentialed. If a kid gets hurt, how do you explain/justify that?


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Can a gym get private insurance and not go through USASF?

 

[ACEDAD]

Can a gym get private insurance and not go through USASF?

Of course. The USASF option is like any association group coverage: theoretically cheaper because it's provided by a firm that understands the industry.

 

[Michael White]

Can't imagine running a gym and trusting kids' safety to a coach that wasn't credentialed. If a kid gets hurt, how do you explain/justify that?


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I'm not going to try to convince anyone, but a certification is not indicative of any higher level of safety. All information that can be gleaned from a certification is widely available online, or even in person assuming one is taught correctly.

 

[california cheer mom]

I'm not going to try to convince anyone, but a certification is not indicative of any higher level of safety. All information that can be gleaned from a certification is widely available online, or even in person assuming one is taught correctly.

But parents can't tell the difference between that person and someone who walks in off the street and pretends to know it all. The certification provides some verification of knowledge.

 

[alpaca]

I'm not going to try to convince anyone, but a certification is not indicative of any higher level of safety. All information that can be gleaned from a certification is widely available online, or even in person assuming one is taught correctly.

I understand what you are saying. In my field I know of people that are not licensed that I would trust to do the job over people that are licensed. (Hi, I'm Dr. Nick)

With that said, if you were a parent looking at gyms. And one gym just sent all of their coaches to certify/re-certify. And a competing gym didn't send anyone, and the regional conference was within driving distance wouldn't that tell you something?

Far fetched? Not at all, its a real life example of 2 gyms in my area and its what made me start thinking of this issue. That gym without the certification? They've had some injuries in the past year that they were unprepared to deal with. Perhaps if all the coaches had participated in safety training, at least one person would have been prepared.

 

[WinstonsGirl]

Training/certification won't guarantee that someone is a better coach than someone who isn't certified, but in the case of an injury and someone getting sued, the first thing lawyers will look at is if someone is certified or not. Cover your butt and get certified if you're a coach

 

[ACEDAD]

I'm not going to try to convince anyone, but a certification is not indicative of any higher level of safety. All information that can be gleaned from a certification is widely available online, or even in person assuming one is taught correctly.

Others have said much the same, but any certification, license, degree, etc is not indicative of more knowledge or higher level of preparation by itself. But it does show a level of effort and intent.