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Does your gymnastics club have a parent group? If not, make one. In the USA the gym owners aren't supposed to be a part of the non-profit parent booster club and a part of their meetings, though I know of clubs that break that rule. You could complain as a group and get the coach out. If it's serious, you could report it to the governing gymnastics body in your region also, to ban them from[ Read More... ]

got some interesting information.can you help?

Kayleigh, any news on that?

We are a group of parents who want to speak to anyone who knows a gym coach called Sally Holmes from South Africa.We feel worried about the way she treats some of our girls.We have heard some rumours but would like some facts.Many thanks

"They treat ALL athletes alike no matter who is on the podium..." A couple of coaches at my gym totally do no do this. And those coaches do not do this too: "They do not buy athletes personal gifts or gadgets (Ipods,etc)...nor do they make scarves and such...unless they do it for the entire team!" for their 'star' athletes. You should totally be allowed to watch practices!

My daughter and I share this gymchat name. I agree with you Rollo...I am a coach and a single mother of an elite athlete. I refuse to coach her and I refuse to pay for private lessons. I trust our coaching staff to get the job done during class. They have done an excellent job! So has the National elite training staff! These instances that happen are very few. We need to just be aware...not[ Read More... ]

There are some parents that do private lessons at my gym to suck up to the coaches, and even take it further and bring lunch or breakfast, depending on the time of day, to them as well. One of the coaches in particular really likes it and responds to it, and keeps raising the private lesson rates too. There are a lot of these parents, so they will pay the extra money. Some even do privates[ Read More... ]

The TRULY good coach isn't going to LET a parent "kiss up" to get on their good side. We are going to expect the child to do the work and bring forth their drive to do it. If a gymnast truly wants the sport (not the parents), then the gymnast will "get r done." This coach abhores any "suck up" parents...I absolutely cannot stand the "OH, lets do a private lesson" groupy to 'suck up' to a[ Read More... ]

Update articles on the WOGA case are on the News page now; the coach from WOGA Christopher Wagoner pleads guilty to get a plea bargain and go to jail for 15 years. He has manipulated the 14 yr. old and her family, first by dropping her off to her home when the family needed help, then reducing the private lesson fee in exchange to making him dinner, doing family/friend stuff, massaging the girl[ Read More... ]

There is another thread in the Parent's Palooza section of this message board at http://www.gymchat.com/messageboards/viewtopic.php?t=24 regarding coaches' misconduct, sexual abuse, such as the WOGA case. There is more info. on the WOGA case out now and how a coach can manipulate his/her gymnast, on an article on the Gym Chat news page (this news page is good for checking on gymnastics news and[ Read More... ]