How do you handle a personal issue when it's affecting a coach professionally?
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Help! An awkward situation has developed at our club, involving one of the coaches who has taught my daughter for several years in group and private lessons, and who has been with the club for over 10 years. The quality of this coach's teaching has significantly deteriorated due to her personal weight problems (she is grossly obese), yet the club has done nothing to address this with her, nor have they offered any other coaches with equal experience for skaters to choose. I'd hate to have my daughter go to another club (we are in a smaller community) as she's developed excellent relations with other club members, and overall, the club is very supportive. However (and this seems typical), the executive and coaching member relationships are very political, and addressing this concern is quite difficult. My daughter has complained that her coach is not performing the way she once did, and wonders why. How do you handle a personal issue when it's affecting a coach professionally? Sandy |
Marie says:
Being obese doens't necessitate being a bad coach. There are several heavy coaches that I know of in the US who are very successful in producing top notch competitors. It could be that the coach may be having some other problem(s) that may be preventing her from completely focusing on teaching (also possibly the cause of her weight gain?). Have you discussed this problem with other parents? Perhaps you can approach the club officials collectively.
Linda says:
Handling any personal issue is tough. Even though this is a difficult situation, the club officers should be addressing it. It may take parents continuing to express their disatisfaction to the club officers before something is done. Perhaps there are any parents in the club who have handled a similar situation at work. They could provide some advice to club officers about ways of handling this.
However it is handled, it must be professional and positive. When addressing the situation, focus on the past positive contributions and be specific about current problems. Give examples of past performance where problems occured. The parents need to give the officers specifics of what they expect from club coaches. The officers need to know how many parents are unhappy and that this is a situation that needs to be addressed.
Amanda'sMom says:
If you should decide to switch coaches, the coach's weight should not be the reason why you are switching coaches, or you could be liable for discrimination. If, however, your concern is of the quality of the coach's teaching, then you have a valid reason for switching coaches.