Dear Alex Spears YMCA,
The lack of organization and forethought put into your facility's youth soccer program should embarrass and shame your board of directors. Because of the lack of planning, we will not play any sport associated with your facility again.
This morning my son, my 3-month-old daughter, and I attended the "Meet & Greet" soccer session. From what we were led to believe, I expected to a) meet the coach (in our case the assistant coach, which was fine) and b) receive the schedule for the season, including game dates and times. I also expected to find out when team pictures would be taken and to sign up for a day to bring snack.
We arrived at the fields in 40 degree weather. I considered leaving, as my baby is sick already, but I thought this surely wouldn't take long. I should have known better...
We were first directed, by one clueless person in an orange vest ("STAFF"), to Field 1 and 2 where a supposedly knowledgeable person in an orange vest would direct us to our team. We crossed the busy parking lot (where no one was directing traffic; instead they were watching cars go by while they chatted with one another) to get to the field to which we were sent.
At this field, we waited (in the cold and wind) in line to talk to the man in the orange vest. We were eventually told that our team would be on Field 2. We wandered from team cluster to team cluster...to find out that no, our team was not on this field.
After 10 minutes of moving from field to field, I got back into another line to talk to a different man in an orange vest. This man was complaining that, "We told the coaches to check in with us first so we could tell them where to go, but they're just going wherever they want." After he finished complaining and wasting more of my time while we were out in the cold, he told me, "Your team is on Field 2." I explained that I'd been to every team on Field 2, and my son's team was not there. "Oh, not that Field 2. The one on the other side of the parking lot."
Two Field 2s. Excellent planning.
When we crossed the parking lot again, we did indeed get to our team. The assistant coach was handing out practice schedules only. No game schedule, no picture date, and as far as I could tell, no signing up for snack. You know what? Our coach had already graciously called the parents to tell us the team name AND the practice schedule.
Which means I took both of my children out on a Saturday morning in the cold for absolutely no reason. We knew our practice schedule and we were misled to think this "Meet & Greet" would be useful.
This will be the last time my child plays soccer at Alex Spears YMCA. We are sticking with the YMCA this season, rather than pulling him out and demanding our money back, only because it is too late to sign up for soccer anywhere else for the spring season. However, in the fall, I know of at least three places that are less expensive and more organized.
Perhaps if the Alex Spears YMCA concentrated less on having a large number of members and more on the individual, we would stay. By not planning ahead and not giving your coaches proper instruction, you send a clear message to parents: we don't care.
Sincerely,
Becky Quigley
A frustrated parent
The lack of organization and forethought put into your facility's youth soccer program should embarrass and shame your board of directors. Because of the lack of planning, we will not play any sport associated with your facility again.
This morning my son, my 3-month-old daughter, and I attended the "Meet & Greet" soccer session. From what we were led to believe, I expected to a) meet the coach (in our case the assistant coach, which was fine) and b) receive the schedule for the season, including game dates and times. I also expected to find out when team pictures would be taken and to sign up for a day to bring snack.
We arrived at the fields in 40 degree weather. I considered leaving, as my baby is sick already, but I thought this surely wouldn't take long. I should have known better...
We were first directed, by one clueless person in an orange vest ("STAFF"), to Field 1 and 2 where a supposedly knowledgeable person in an orange vest would direct us to our team. We crossed the busy parking lot (where no one was directing traffic; instead they were watching cars go by while they chatted with one another) to get to the field to which we were sent.
At this field, we waited (in the cold and wind) in line to talk to the man in the orange vest. We were eventually told that our team would be on Field 2. We wandered from team cluster to team cluster...to find out that no, our team was not on this field.
After 10 minutes of moving from field to field, I got back into another line to talk to a different man in an orange vest. This man was complaining that, "We told the coaches to check in with us first so we could tell them where to go, but they're just going wherever they want." After he finished complaining and wasting more of my time while we were out in the cold, he told me, "Your team is on Field 2." I explained that I'd been to every team on Field 2, and my son's team was not there. "Oh, not that Field 2. The one on the other side of the parking lot."
Two Field 2s. Excellent planning.
When we crossed the parking lot again, we did indeed get to our team. The assistant coach was handing out practice schedules only. No game schedule, no picture date, and as far as I could tell, no signing up for snack. You know what? Our coach had already graciously called the parents to tell us the team name AND the practice schedule.
Which means I took both of my children out on a Saturday morning in the cold for absolutely no reason. We knew our practice schedule and we were misled to think this "Meet & Greet" would be useful.
This will be the last time my child plays soccer at Alex Spears YMCA. We are sticking with the YMCA this season, rather than pulling him out and demanding our money back, only because it is too late to sign up for soccer anywhere else for the spring season. However, in the fall, I know of at least three places that are less expensive and more organized.
Perhaps if the Alex Spears YMCA concentrated less on having a large number of members and more on the individual, we would stay. By not planning ahead and not giving your coaches proper instruction, you send a clear message to parents: we don't care.
Sincerely,
Becky Quigley
A frustrated parent
4 Comments:
You tell em'!! I would have been pissed too. Our soccer is not very organized either. But I would have thought the YMCA would have been more organized than most. Poor Jake I hope he is not to upset about not playing. And I hope little Annie is feeling better.
Yes, like Tracy said, ours isn't very organized either. But it actually sounds better organized than this is. And here I was pissed because we froze our butts off today waiting forever to have pictures made and play a game!
Fencing at the Downtown YWCA...indoors year-round. Soon, he will be old enough...
http://greensborofencing.com
(Shamless plug for superior program ends)
The fencing page at the YWCA is bookmarked and waiting for his 9th birthday. In the meantime, I need to talk to you and Mark about this summer and when you guys can work with Jake. After all, he tells everyone he wants to be an Olympic fencer (if he can't be a Dark Lord of the Sith...).
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