All-Star Mom's List For Coaches (spinoff Of Coaches List For Moms)

[NEliteSteven]

I think all of the moms should open their own gyms, and start coaching 2 or 3 teams. I have a feeling this laundry list of perfection wouldn't last too long.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

Oh I don't know...you gotta see my cp's impression. She DOES go to school in a city school in Chicago...so she gets it honestly. And she is the biggest Anjelah Johnson fan on the planet.

Haha... Anjelah Johnson is in our daily vocab!!! Love It!!![/quote]

She is HILARIOUS. Definitely in our daily vocab too. My daughter says "And throw your purse in a tree" at the end of EVERYTHING.

 

[AZCheerMom]

Haha... Anjelah Johnson is in our daily vocab!!! Love It!!!

She is HILARIOUS. Definitely in our daily vocab too. My daughter says "And throw your purse in a tree" at the end of EVERYTHING. [/quote]

I get... "I help find you boy frend"... ALL THE TIME!!!

 

[socratesofcheer]

1. Remember that I'm paying you, not the other way around

Remember you are paying for a service, nothing more. If you don't like the quality of your service then take your business elsewhere.
In response to all of your other points, it sounds like you are/were in the wrong gym. You put up with bad business for far too long.

 

[CheermomCLT]

I stated this in another post "if you look for a negative you are going to find one in EVERYTHING!" Either this board has a lot of angry people, or people that just think they can do it better. Parents sure seem to think they can run a gym better or coach a team better. But the joke is on them because they sure pay a lot of money to think that way! We LOVE our coaches appreciate all they do. Our level 1 choaches cheer just as loud for their teams as the 3's and 4's. Some parents are so quick to complain about coaches being too strict, to hard on the kids, etc, etc etc, but if coaches let their kids run all over and not work during practice they would be the first to complain when their Cp's team is not doing well and not winning. This is supposed to be a fun activity for kids not a life or death situation.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

I think all of the moms should open their own gyms, and start coaching 2 or 3 teams. I have a feeling this laundry list of perfection wouldn't last too long.

<sigh> You are sooooooo one of my favorite posters. usually. But here goes...

"laundry list of perfection"? I wish everyone would understand that I started this thread as a reply to the other one. Because I didn't want to hijack that one with it - I figured everyone would just say "Start your own thread if you want to tell your side" so I did. It's not a laundry list of perfection - it's a response to the page long list of ways we can be "less annoying".

I'm asking for perfection if I ask you not to help other kids during my $60/hour private???
It's perfection if I want you to treat your Mini 1's that spend the same thousands of dollars like valuable athletes as much as you do your Senior 5's?
It's perfection if I ask you not to stuff your face with pizza in front of my starving kid who got out of school at 3:00, hopped on an hour long train ride to my job, and hopped in the car for another hour, changed her clothes and put her hair up in the car only to be basically pushed out of the moving car in the parking lot so she isn't late to practice and maybe during all that she might have been lucky enough to scarf down an apple???

I'll admit that parts of the thread have taken a turn towards "coach bashing" but I would hardly say we're asking for perfection. I'm just asking for coaches to not tell me to do things on "their schedule" because they're "VERY busy and trying to have a life". I LIVE MY LIFE ON YOUR SCHEDULE - even my JOB is scheduled around practice.

So really, if once in awhile i end up bothering you at an inconvenient time, please remember that I'm human - and I am also busy trying to make sure that come he!! or highwater, my kids are going to be at that gym on time, with their tuition paid. I can only dream of "having a life" - maybe you can tell me what that's like.

 

[Just-a-Mom]

I stated this in another post "if you look for a negative you are going to find one in EVERYTHING!" Either this board has a lot of angry people, or people that just think they can do it better. Parents sure seem to think they can run a gym better or coach a team better. But the joke is on them because they sure pay a lot of money to think that way! We LOVE our coaches appreciate all they do. Our level 1 choaches cheer just as loud for their teams as the 3's and 4's. Some parents are so quick to complain about coaches being too strict, to hard on the kids, etc, etc etc, but if coaches let their kids run all over and not work during practice they would be the first to complain when their Cp's team is not doing well and not winning. This is supposed to be a fun activity for kids not a life or death situation.

It's not that I look for negative. I've stated probably a thousand times that I LOVE OUR GYM AND OUR COACHES. And I even said in this thread that these were based on PAST experiences. And I don't know if I could or couldn't do it better - but I probably couldn't, since I've never cheered or coached. I for sure can't make pizzas better than Lou Malnati's, but that doesn't mean if they sell me a lousy one I'm not going to say something. I'm not going to just sit at my table and say "Oh well, it's better than I could make."

I appreciate the coaches for all their work. The ones we have right now are a dream come true for me. Every time we leave the gym I say a small prayer that they stay there, and a small prayer of thanks that we found this gym. For the gazillionth time, I took offense to a whole thread on why parents are annoying (the second thread like that in a couple weeks - the other one was posted by a teenager so I left it alone). Are there parents that are annoying? Of course - that's the nature of people, there are annoying people in all facets of life: work, school, sports, etc. But to make a list of things we do that are annoying was, well, annoying in itself. So I posted a list.

It's annoying to have a whole thread dedicated listing everything someone does WRONG, isn't it?

 

[eliteathletics]

I think all of the moms should open their own gyms, and start coaching 2 or 3 teams. I have a feeling this laundry list of perfection wouldn't last too long.

wow- I have been reading along both threads- and I am an allstar paying mom and I not only run an entire youth league- I coach 2 teams for FREE and I feel that both sides have valid points- however for free I strive to give these kids the best job I can give because it directly reflects ME! These kids have confidence and know that there are no favorites- yes it can be done- I dont allow parents to tell me how to run my program BUT I listen to their complaints, comments, ideas on my time. They call me, text me, email whenever and I do my best to get right back to them.
However when I'm paying a gym thousands of dollars to perform a job I do expect good service for my child. There is no reason that a coach has to show favorites to any child, if you set rules those rules need to apply to the whole team. The gym needs to offer the same service to the babies that they do the super seniors. Yes there is something to say for seniority, however that does not give you the right to think that the whole place revolves around you.
Coaches do not like to be told how to coach- But us parents dont want to be told how to parent either. If I was promised something I expect to get it- I paid for it - its that simple.
AND all Parents and Coaches must remember this- respect isnt given- it's earned. Its a 2 way street which goes from coach to parent, parent to coach AND coach to cheerleader -cheerleader to coach.

 

[specialtpass]

I think all of the moms should open their own gyms, and start coaching 2 or 3 teams. I have a feeling this laundry list of perfection wouldn't last too long.

There is another thread where the coaches can dish it out to the parents and we are taking it. It's all a very healthy exchange IMO. I plan to read it all and hopefully learn a little something. I would hope the coaches can do the same over here.

 

[imrichhowboutu]

She is HILARIOUS. Definitely in our daily vocab too. My daughter says "And throw your purse in a tree" at the end of EVERYTHING.

I get... "I help find you boy frend"... ALL THE TIME!!!

ANNDDDDD,
I make you nail shine like diamond in sky

 

[Just-a-Mom]

ANNDDDDD,
I make you nail shine like diamond in sky

Every time I get my nails done I die laughing when they ask if I want the gel. And I swear we say "Beautiful Nail.....juuuuust one..." at least a thousand times a day. I. love. her. I think she might be my youtube entertainment for the day today.

 

[srt418]

If your kid is that hungry at practice, I advise that she/he brings a snack with them to eat while in the car/train. I'm a coach. During my 15 min. breaks, I eat snacks. The gym owners buy snacks for all the coaches because we are usually there all night. Last fall, I had THREE jobs and was a full time student at UCF. So I literally just brought snacks (granola bars, peanut butter crackers, fruit, etc). If your child is starving, have them pack a snack to eat. I did that when I cheered too. It worked well.

That being said, the only time I have ever eaten a snack while working was while my private lesson was warming up. And that was once. I would never eat during a tumbling class or a practice.

 

[NEliteSteven]

<sigh> You are sooooooo one of my favorite posters. usually. But here goes...

"laundry list of perfection"? I wish everyone would understand that I started this thread as a reply to the other one. Because I didn't want to hijack that one with it - I figured everyone would just say "Start your own thread if you want to tell your side" so I did. It's not a laundry list of perfection - it's a response to the page long list of ways we can be "less annoying".

I'm asking for perfection if I ask you not to help other kids during my $60/hour private???
It's perfection if I want you to treat your Mini 1's that spend the same thousands of dollars like valuable athletes as much as you do your Senior 5's?
It's perfection if I ask you not to stuff your face with pizza in front of my starving kid who got out of school at 3:00, hopped on an hour long train ride to my job, and hopped in the car for another hour, changed her clothes and put her hair up in the car only to be basically pushed out of the moving car in the parking lot so she isn't late to practice and maybe during all that she might have been lucky enough to scarf down an apple???

I'll admit that parts of the thread have taken a turn towards "coach bashing" but I would hardly say we're asking for perfection. I'm just asking for coaches to not tell me to do things on "their schedule" because they're "VERY busy and trying to have a life". I LIVE MY LIFE ON YOUR SCHEDULE - even my JOB is scheduled around practice.

So really, if once in awhile i end up bothering you at an inconvenient time, please remember that I'm human - and I am also busy trying to make sure that come he!! or highwater, my kids are going to be at that gym on time, with their tuition paid. I can only dream of "having a life" - maybe you can tell me what that's like.

Likewise, you are usually one of my favorite posters. I completely 100% understand where you're coming from. There are going to be mistakes made by both parties, I just feel like there is a lot of nitpicking going both ways. So maybe on Wednesdays practice I hadn't eaten all day and needed a McDouble, that shouldn't lead to major frustration. Or maybe my Senior 3 had a really good practice, and Youth 2 didn't; I don't think posting on facebook 'Great/Awesome/Amazing practice with Senior 3" should lead to a Youth 2 rebellion. If these are some of your biggest problems at a gym, then maybe you don't have it so bad. (But the private tumbling thing, I totally get. It's like that episode of Will and Grace when Grace is hiding while watching a personal training session and copying what they're doing. haha)

 

[ONE44cheer]

So happy I am only guilty of #3, sorry but I gotta eat sometime (when you own the gym, been there all day and hadn't seen daylight my stomach punches me and says eat) LOL... A lot of our parents get together and go eat during practice, then come back for the last hour of practice to watch!

I have to agree with this one! I really never eat when kids and parents are in the gym....but on those days where you have been at the gym all day long...you have to eat. we as coaches need to have energy to spot your children.

 

[drewpate]

this snowballed, didn't read the whol thread but the part about eating did crack me up.

I honestly completely agree with most of what I have read so far, and I think this should go both ways. If we as coaches want to have a more professional atmosphere when parents deal with us then we also need to be just as or even more professional in our dealings with the clients and their children. We all have a lot of common ground, almost all of us, parents and coaches, are either full time workers or full time students outside of the gym time, we all love the kids there (hopefully ) and the parents want a quality service given to them for the good money they pay, and I would say that most coaches want to provide said service and really do try there best, but not all do.

I am glad to say that for the msot part, I don't make or at least try not to make a lot of these mistakes. I try very hard to push my self to be a professional, and put on my game face before I come into the gym. (I liked what @Ceacoach said about her conversation to herself every day at the same stopsign. I definitely do something similar) Each and every day I try to find a way to be a better coach than the day before, and when I do make mistakes, which is plenty, I don't dwell on them, but I find what I can to better myself and move on.

And while my list wasn't to offend parents, but honestly to help parents understand why they may not be getting the reaction that they want from their coaches. And I'm also not offended by this thread, I feel it is great. As a professional, I am always critiquing myself and asking others to do the same. I like that parents are picky about where they choose to spend there money, and I really am honored that as many parents do think that my instruction is worth the money they are paying, and a lot of the parents have ten times the confidence in me than I do sometimes, and i think its that slight insecurity on the inside that keeps me on edge, I honestly don't want to let the kids down, and that is what makes me good at my job.

I feel for the parents, especially parents who are at gyms that don't do things the right way or who pay for a private lesson and the coach is fifteen minutes late, stuffing their face with taco bell, and talking to another coach the entire time. You should complain and be vocal about that, not sit back and let it happen. Missing privates just makes no sense to me, while I have been stood up for privates many times, I never miss the chance to make that kind of money for what I agree isn't a tremendous amount of work. IDK if i would even charge as much as what is at my gym if I had the choice. (set rates)
I will admit that there are a lot of unprofessional people in the cheer world, and I am sorry if my thread made me seem like one, but I stand by my intent.