Gym Owner/coach Question

[Mamarazzi]

Hypothetical situation:

Two cheerleaders, identical skills and abilities, both have been at the gym for the same length of time, both have a great attitude. Cheerleader A's parent always keeps their tuition balance at $0. Cheerleader B's parent works lots of fundraisers to try to reduce a large balance and sometimes can't make payments. There is one spot on the team left.

Who gets the spot?

 

[NJ Coach]

All things being equal...the one who pays on time gets the spot.

 

[Mamarazzi]

All things being equal...the one who pays on time gets the spot.

Fair. And if Cheerleader B is better in one or more area(s)?

 

[cupieqt]

The girl that pays on time is still your best bet.

 

[Num1Stunta]

Personally, if a kid is gonna bust their butt to fundraise and still can't make the payments, as long as an effort is there I really can't fault that. There would have to be some other criteria to consider, other than financial. No one is EXACTLY created equal. I'd take them both, honestly... BUT, for the sake of your question, I will say that personally I would choose Kid B, and here is why:

I fundraised my butt off in high school to pay for a chorus trip to England, because my parents couldn't afford to send me. It got to be the last few weeks before, and I still had money owed. My chorus teacher paid my balance for me so I could go. He also paid for my music when I made it into Regional Chorus. That, to me, was just amazing. He did that for a lot of kids over the years, and that generosity got passed down to me. If I see a kid who is really into it, works hard to fundraise, and just can't come up with the funds, I don't have a problem reaching into my own pocket to help them out. (much to the chagrin of my cable bill lol) SO, to me, working hard and fundraising shows more heart than being able to simply write a check. I'd want to help out Kid B, and if Kid A was unhappy, they'd probably have a much easier time going to another gym than Kid B... jmo

 

[Mamarazzi]

You're very right, @Num1Stunta , if the kid has done fundraising. I'm trying to put everything in it's neat little box and figure out which is more important - the money or the win. A lot of people at my gym are freaking right now because they can't register for next year without paying their balance. And some balances are BIG. So on one hand, effort does mean a lot, but all year our family has ridden on the edge of sitting in the dark with no water because we made the committment to pay and travel. If you don't have it, fine, but don't cheer.

 

[Num1Stunta]

You're very right, @Num1Stunta , if the kid has done fundraising. I'm trying to put everything in it's neat little box and figure out which is more important - the money or the win. A lot of people at my gym are freaking right now because they can't register for next year without paying their balance. And some balances are BIG. So on one hand, effort does mean a lot, but all year our family has ridden on the edge of sitting in the dark with no water because we made the committment to pay and travel. If you don't have it, fine, but don't cheer.

I see what you're saying. I know a lot of families who are in the same situation. I feel like if you're at least making an effort- send the kid to practice with 5 or 10 bucks twice a week, anything- then that will at least chip away at it. I just don't think anyone should ever be excluded from doing something which they excel at or even just plain love, if the only factor is financial. Am I an idealist? Absolutely. But, in my heart, I know there's always a way- a sponsor that will come through, a family member, a gym owner who will let certain things slide, etc. Like I said before, I had someone helping me along when my family simply could not financially do so, and that wasn't the only time.

There was a time that we almost lost the house, because they were so behind on the mortgage. My mother never said to me I couldn't do something, she just made it very clear that I had to come up with the funds myself. I used to babysit from the time I was 12 until I was old enough to get a "real" job at 16. I also had some aunts who threw me cash everytime I'd visit, which helped too. I fundraised like crazy (and, to be fair, my parents did too), and I pocketed half of my lunch money in high school to save up so that I could cheer in the Thanksgiving Day parade for UCA All Stars.

I didn't know what a Coach bag was, didn't own a cell phone, thought that k-mart fashion was haute couture, didn't know why everyone walked around with horses or alligators on their shirts, and grew up thinking the Thrift Store was great. I was certainly not a "poor kid"- just average, middle class. I think kids nowadays are so spoiled with material things that cost so much, you could forego owning them and easily pay for other things. I can't see a kid with Uggs, an iphone, and a $300 Northface jacket, and think "oh, how sad that they can't pay their bill." Bottom line is, if you can afford all of the expensive stuff that I NEVER had as a kid, then you can afford to cut back on those things and pay for something beneficial like cheerleading 5 years from now, they're not gonna remember owning a nice ipod or wearing a juicy couture top- they're going to remember the memories and experiences they created from cheering.

Hope that wasn't too judgemental lol... not really referring to you specifically, but it just got me thinking Where there's a will, there's a way! Sometimes it's just a matter of re-prioritizing, and getting those kids out hustling

 

[cheermommaRN]

I <3 You...can you come move to Texas and coach for Spirit? lol

 

[Fameous MOM]

I say as long as the balance is not huge then I would let them cheer. Maybe set up strict payment arrangements.

 

[Mamarazzi]

not really referring to you specifically, but it just got me thinking

Not taking it personally - because that isn't me at all. We have our priorities in order. Cheer gets paid for because we committed. CP doesn't have an ipod or North Face, and my 6-year-old Honda (non-SUV) wears our gym sticker proudly
Frankly, it's irritating to me when I see kids whose parents have spoken to me about financial problems get freaked out at registration time - and they act like they didn't know it was coming. Parents haven't done a fundraiser all year, never looked at a statement to check if there's any erroneous balance, kids wear real Uggs... I agree that these kids need to learn to hustle. Bottom line, if you want it, work for it. If you're unable to work for it, don't do it.

 

[simplymom]

Most gyms have their costs laid out in their try out packet. We all know that it's expensive to be an Allstar cheerleader. I am not an elitist by any means, but if you can't afford it...don't make the commitment. You have a team that's counting on you. It's not fair to ask the gym to cover your bill. That raises the cost for everyone else. Of course there are exceptions and unexpected situations arise over the course of a year. Unfortunately the cheer world misses out on some extremely talented kids because of money.

 

[NJ Coach]

Fair. And if Cheerleader B is better in one or more area(s)?

If Cheerleader B is better, and makes the effort to pay, I'd give her the spot. To do a lot of fundraisers, and still have trouble making payments isn't her fault. I'd say the effort to pay is worth a lot too. It's not easy to do that many fundraisers (eventually you run out of people to hit up).

There is no easy answer. If Cheerleader B makes the team better, and continues fundraising and making payments, a balance (depending on the size) may not be that big of a deal. At some point, I'd probably offer her ways to help work off the balance. We had kids volunteer coach the babies, clean the gym ect.

 

[Mamarazzi]

OK, so basically, the kids need to get involved and help pay their own way, and it sounds like it's as much about the team as it is about the money.

 

[bobbijean13]

Cheerleader B. She puts in the effort and hard work of fundraising to be part of the team

 

[NJ Coach]

OK, so basically, the kids need to get involved and help pay their own way, and it sounds like it's as much about the team as it is about the money.

Not neccessarily, but this is a business. It is a little about both, and depending on the size of the balance owed, it may come down to money. Like I said, there are ways of getting that balance down in addition to fundraising. I've had kids volunteer for mini/tiny teams. I've had parents offer to clean the gym in return for lowered tuition ect. Any effort to help pay down a balance is a good thing.

Without knowing any particulars, I take the kid that is the best fit for the team. That may be A or B. The money issue wouldn't be my first thought...of course, I'm not an owner so I don't usually think of that anyway. You choose who helps the team the most. If the balance is huge (like they haven't paid anything) then shame of the gym for letting it get that bad.