Coaches moved to another rink

[pinesiskin]

Hi all!

My daughter has a head coach, but because he’s so busy, he also assembled a “team” with two other coaches for her. The team was amazing! We couldn’t have been more thrilled and she was progressing with speed for the past six months. Exponential.

Last month the two supporting coaches left our rink and moved to another rink nearby. I was upset but still willing to travel the extra distance because they’re really that good. However, our head coach has been dissuading this. He doesn’t like that rink, thinks they’re poachers, etc. He doesn’t seem to dislike the two coaches at all and is still friendly with them, but said that he “wants to keep it all under one roof”. He wasn’t on the ice during her sessions with them, so it sounds more like fear of poaching. He mentioned spies from the other rink, etc. I’m not joking.

He’s tried to hook us up with other coaches, but…no comparison. One is so old he can’t help her jump (lovely guy tho!) and the other can’t make time for her because she watches her grandchild. They came out of retirement because they were bored, apparently. Most of the other coaches that compare with the first two are too busy.

I love our head coach, but I don’t like that he seems willing to compromise her growth for his own personal/historical reasons. I’m not naive, I know it’s a business (and we are excellent customers) and yes, I know all about coaches sensitivity to poaching, but it seems unfair that he’s the one who put our team together, and we trusted him, when we asked him to be her head coach, politely fired two other coaches she was working with, and took his suggestion of the pair who left, but now he doesn’t trust us? Hmmm….

Ps: not an issue about why they left rink. It’s a very drama filled rink according to basically everyone.

 

[iceskating21]

If he is the head coach, he does have the right to decide who is in the team. I can see why you don't like it. But honestly, if he doesn't want them to be there, even if he keeps the team, they won't work well together anymore. Is there any other coach who can support in your rink? You can tell him why you want supporting coaches, like scheduling issue and etc. See whether he can put someone else there.

 

[christy]

It sounds like the loss of the team wasn't his choice, but the people he is now offering are not working out. I'd talk to him and say they aren't working and could he offer alternatives. If he can then give them a chance, if he can't then you have to decide whether to stick with him alone (because the team aren't adding any value) or follow the other coaches.

 

[NanaPat]

I can't really argue with Christy's advice, but I have a slightly different take.

You need to ask yourself a couple of questions.

Are the two supporting coaches willing to continue as supporting coaches if you continue with your current head coach?

Would you consider either of them as your new "head coach"? Or could you find a new head coach from the rink they have moved to?

If the answer to both questions are yes, then you are in a strong position to bargain with the current head coach. You can put it to him that you strongly want to continue with the present coaching team (if that's your first choice). If he refuses, you should go to plan B.

It sounds to me like the "head coach" doesn't care much about your child, and I would be very tempted to dump him as my first choice.

 

[WednesdayMarch]

If the "head coach" doesn't care enough about your child to actually coach her himself and can only come up with a couple of ancient retirees as her "team", who are basically the ones who coach her most of the time, despite the fact they can't (a) do the job and (b) actually be there to coach her, then...

I'd be quietly investigating the opportunities at the other rink.

 

[tstop4me]

I can't really argue with Christy's advice, but I have a slightly different take.

You need to ask yourself a couple of questions.

Are the two supporting coaches willing to continue as supporting coaches if you continue with your current head coach?

Would you consider either of them as your new "head coach"? Or could you find a new head coach from the rink they have moved to?

If the answer to both questions are yes, then you are in a strong position to bargain with the current head coach. You can put it to him that you strongly want to continue with the present coaching team (if that's your first choice). If he refuses, you should go to plan B.

It sounds to me like the "head coach" doesn't care much about your child, and I would be very tempted to dump him as my first choice.

<<Emphasis added.>> Perhaps. But towards what end? Even if the supporting coaches were willing to continue their previous arrangement, the head coach has already indicated that he does not prefer to continue their previous arrangement. So if the OP gives the head coach an ultimatum, and if the head coach decides for whatever reason (e.g., he wants the $$$) to say OK, the results likely will not be satisfactory: a coerced team will not be the previous harmonious, functional team anymore, but a new team, at best somewhat less harmonious and less functional, at worst rancorous and dysfunctional. The former team broke up. Need to accept it and move on (e.g., options discussed by christy).

 

[theblade]

Are the two supporting coaches willing to continue as supporting coaches if you continue with your current head coach?

Would you consider either of them as your new "head coach"? Or could you find a new head coach from the rink they have moved to?

If the answer to both questions are yes, then you are in a strong position to bargain with the current head coach. You can put it to him that you strongly want to continue with the present coaching team (if that's your first choice). If he refuses, you should go to plan B.

It sounds to me like the "head coach" doesn't care much about your child, and I would be very tempted to dump him as my first choice.

I have been in a similar position, and things didn't end well for my skater. I really hate when head coaches have other team members that don't fit your skater's needs, but you're forced to use them because they are the team package.

If the head coach doesn't always teach your kid, and the other two at the other rink are better for your kid's growth, there's your answer.

It's your money. In these unprecedented times, do not accept coaching that doesn't work for your kid. The sport is too expensive and only grows more so.

You can be direct with the head coach, in that the team worked best for your child, and doesn't now. If the coach doesn't like it, that's unfortunate, but still doesn't help your skater and you can't afford to have only 1/3 of your lesson money work.

Signed, parent of a skater that had a bad fit coaching team-wise, and now has a great fit coaching team-wise