Is this Professional and ethical behavior?

Date: Sat Nov 24 2:13 PM, 2007

Is this Professional and ethical behavior?

Date: Sat Nov 24 7:17 PM, 2007

Who is approaching who? Parents inquiring at the gym or the gym chasing down parents with flyers as they pick up their child?

Jodi · Senior Member

If you have a good relationship, talk to the gym. Sometimes cheerleaders want to go beyond the youth level or even they no longer like the girls they cheer with..sad but true. If talking does not resolve anything perhaps trying another program to work with...my I suggest cheergyms.com? I could be bias.

Hopefully for the kids, it will work out to help both your programs grow!!

Date: Sun Nov 25 8:28 AM, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

Who is approaching who? Parents inquiring at the gym or the gym chasing down parents with flyers as they pick up their child?

We do understand that by exposing our particpants to the gym that we may loose some but we would hope that it's at an end of a season when it's an appropriate time to decide what next year holds.

And to answer your question yes this gym chases parents down with fliers when the parents have not even inquired. This gym also uses the addresses off of insurance waiver we had to fill out to have stunt camps and practices inside the facility to mail fliers out and call parents. We did attempt to talk to the gym about this issue but their response was that they did nothing wrong.

One of the tumbling instructor/ coaches even solisted one of our coaches daughters during her tumbling lesson. It made the little girl feel uncomfortable.
It feels like desperation and it feels sleezy. If gyms are reading this just a warning be careful...some of the parents and kids you approach are perfectly happy and you are making them feel uncomfortable and yourselves look bad.

Thanks for your responses. I appreciate the fact that there are respectable gyms out there.

Date: Sun Nov 25 8:44 AM, 2007

There are so many gyms out there. If your not happy, move on! If the girl feels that uncomfortable, find a new tumbling place.

Date: Sun Nov 25 8:56 AM, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

There are so many gyms out there. If your not happy, move on! If the girl feels that uncomfortable, find a new tumbling place.

Well we have moved on and are doing quite well on our own but I was just wondering if all gyms operate this way?

Date: Sun Nov 25 8:57 AM, 2007

Bottom line running a competivie cheerleading gym is a business. You not only compete on the floor, but you compete for business with the gym down the street, or in the next town. For a business to compile a mailing list from forms that you may have signed is nothing new. We all have been put on mailing list this way. Althrough it's annoying it is not illegal. The coaches and other staff at any gym I've ever been to are constantly promoting thier gyms, and trying to recruit new kids. How they conduct themselves is important. As parents we need to make a informed decision when joining a gym. Check out thier business practices also.

Worlds Watcher · GURU

Anonymous wrote:
...For a business to compile a mailing list from forms that you may have signed is nothing new. We all have been put on mailing list this way. Althrough it's annoying it is not illegal...

You may want to check with your legal staff. And if you don't have one, you might want to get one. There are very strick guidelines and laws about mailing lists and how they are obtained and used.

Date: Sun Nov 25 9:03 AM, 2007

Very good point! Competitive cheerleading is a business. People tend to forget that. Youth organizations are VOLUNTEER/NON PROFIT groups. Your number one goal is to not keep the lights on or the water running. You shouldn't compare the two.

Date: Sun Nov 25 9:06 AM, 2007

not all are non profit

Date: Sun Nov 25 9:11 AM, 2007

We have gotten flyers or mailers from every gym or tumbling center that we have attended classes at. You always get put on mailing list when you sign up. This is extremely common. No different then signing up at a store for discount cards, etc. If you don't want to be on thier mailing list tell them. They should remove you. I have another question about ethics. I know that alot of high schools do not let thier cheerleaders do both high school and All Star Cheer. What happens when they do, and the competitive cheer gym develops a monopoly of sorts because of it, i.e.; The all star gyms coaches coach the team, if your not a member of this gym, or your a member of a rival gym, your chances of making the school squad are not as good. I find this type of behavior more disturbing and unethical. Where should the line be drawn. What are your thoughts.

Date: Sun Nov 25 9:25 AM, 2007

I agree that this goes on and that is why I'm for if your going to do High School you should not do All Star. To many conflicts.

Date: Sun Nov 25 11:00 AM, 2007

Cheerleading Gyms are a business and if you ask any successful cheerleading gym they will tell you that their rec programs are most important to them when it comes to the gym's income.

A gym owner wants teams such as youth football teams to rent the gym, have their kids sign up for classes and privates, attend their stunt and tumbling clinics/camps, etc before they want those kids to be on their all star program.

It is however, hard to have coaches completely understand this as they are looking at what is best for their team.

It sounds like this issue is resolved but if not, speak with the owner in a non threatening way and be open about the subject. Express your concerns. If the owner allows this type of behavior (recruiting for their current teams) then it may not be the right gym to attend.

Date: Sun Nov 25 11:13 AM, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There are so many gyms out there. If your not happy, move on! If the girl feels that uncomfortable, find a new tumbling place.

Well we have moved on and are doing quite well on our own but I was just wondering if all gyms operate this way?

It looks like the issue is resolved. Hope your enjoying your new gym or doing well on your own.

Date: Sun Nov 25 12:34 PM, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

We have gotten flyers or mailers from every gym or tumbling center that we have attended classes at. You always get put on mailing list when you sign up. This is extremely common. No different then signing up at a store for discount cards, etc. If you don't want to be on thier mailing list tell them. They should remove you. I have another question about ethics. I know that alot of high schools do not let thier cheerleaders do both high school and All Star Cheer. What happens when they do, and the competitive cheer gym develops a monopoly of sorts because of it, i.e.; The all star gyms coaches coach the team, if your not a member of this gym, or your a member of a rival gym, your chances of making the school squad are not as good. I find this type of behavior more disturbing and unethical. Where should the line be drawn. What are your thoughts.

First of all not every member of any high school is completely on an all star team. So that theory is out the window. Second if you really feel that it is an issue, than approach the school administration about it. Also all star coaches do this is a job, so coaching at a school is a job. They have every right to pick and choose cheerleaders as they see fit. They are hired by the school just as any coach, so give them the respect. Cheerleading is one of the few sports where people think their child has been "wronged" if they didn't make it. Maybe your child just didn't cut it.

Date: Sun Nov 25 12:35 PM, 2007

Isn't that what midseason teams are? Those kids are done with youth football and then gyms can get them for half a year for two reasons 1) money 2) recruits

Are all of the kids on midseason teams from youth football? No, but a majority of them are.

Date: Sun Nov 25 12:37 PM, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

I agree that this goes on and that is why I'm for if your going to do High School you should not do All Star. To many conflicts.

I think people really miss the true spirit of what all star/competitive cheer is about. You want to recruit the best kids around from various teams and backgrounds in order to compete the best. That is how you get the term "all-star" All though we have gotten away from that in a sense by allowing all participants compete, coaches/owners do want to recruit some of the best athletes as in any other sport. Being on a youth, school, or college team doesn't bind you from doing all stars if the schedules fit. Many high school cheerleaders do competitive soccer, dance, and swimming. Just because its cheerleading , people have issues. If your daughter can handle both, let them, but no parent, school or coach should deny any child an opportunity to persue their individual desires. Also there is something called time management and scheduling.

Date: Sun Nov 25 1:15 PM, 2007

I have no problem with girls doing both. As long as they are separate. Meaning the All Star Gym should have no say in tryouts and who makes the team. They should be separate and have no influence over each other. I know a lot of high school teams practice at All Star gyms, and even get help in coaching, and choreograhpy, but they have no business being that involved that it effects who makes the team and who doesn't.

Date: Sun Nov 25 1:57 PM, 2007

Anonymous wrote:

I have no problem with girls doing both. As long as they are separate. Meaning the All Star Gym should have no say in tryouts and who makes the team. They should be separate and have no influence over each other. I know a lot of high school teams practice at All Star gyms, and even get help in coaching, and choreograhpy, but they have no business being that involved that it effects who makes the team and who doesn't.

If the coach is in charge of both the high school and all star program, I would say she or he does have a say in tryouts. There is no line around the block to be a high school cheerleading coach, so if you feel so strongly about it then sign up to coach or find someone else who will. I would feel glad to have my daughter coached by an all star coach, then I know she would be getting great training.

Date: Sun Nov 25 5:00 PM, 2007

I don't agree when there is no line drawn between the control the All Star Gym has over the High School team. Not everyone is involved in All Stars. There also maybe kids that belong to another rival gym. Sorry to big of a conflict of interest. Thats having a monopoly and that is not fair or ethical.