Holy smokes. It’s been a week. We finished our novice and prep seasons a few weeks ago. You’d think that would calm a few things down with 6 teams no longer on the competition schedule, but if you have novice and prep athletes, you know their parents are often the most eager for tryouts. In our gym, these programs often have the most excited athletes and parents. They’re fired up and working hard for tryouts, so that means a lot of private lessons, tumbling clinics and questions at the front desk. It also means a lot of emails and Facebook messages.

I recently realized that it doesn’t matter if your information is in your packet or not. There are a group of parents who are going to ask anyway. Here’s why: 

  1. Not everyone has the same learning style. Some people can read a book and retain less information in 200 pages than they could in a 2-hour movie. A lot of people learn audibly and visually. Consider a video or parent meeting to go over the most important points as well. (I’m a little shocked when parents drive 30 min for a parent meeting to walk through the packet. There’s rarely anything I say that isn’t listed in the packet, but they LIKE the live version!) 
  2. My kids have done a lot of sports, and I’m not sure I’ve ever been given an 18-page packet and told everything I need to know is in that packet. In fact, I wish football or swim had it. I would have felt far more informed. Nevertheless, it’s overwhelming to a lot of parents. As often as you skim my blogs, they’re skimming your packet…then you’re wondering why they missed a detail here and there. 
  3. I’ve been reading the bible since I was in 7th grade. I definitely couldn’t recite every verse in it. I couldn’t even recite every verse in just one of the chapters. So, why are we expecting our parents to memorize our cheer packets and know the choreography dates off the top of their head? I had a mom ask me what the dates were today. As much as I wanted to say, “Per page 11 in the packet….” I also, knew, I’M THAT MOM! I’m 100% the one saying, “Mrs. Ray, I’m sorry Addy will miss the mandatory band concert. We will be in Florida for cheer” or “Sorry Dr. Spencer, I know our orthodontist appointment has a strict cancellation policy, but I forgot I’ll be on a flight at that time.” I can tell you right now, if the orthodontist or band teacher said, “Per the parent handbook….” I’d not be a very happy parent. So, remember your parents won’t be able to recite your packet and referring to it 6 months after they signed a contract won’t be very helpful. If you want them to remember things, remind them throughout the season.

So, if you just spent 15-20 hours finishing your packet and now you’re frustrated because you feel like people are just going to ask you anyway, don’t get defeated. It’s important to have your information out there so those who learn through reading have the details. Those who don’t learn best that way will still ask, and that’s OK! It’s your job to answer the questions. Get creative. Can you make a graphic or post a Top 10 Things You Should Know on your Instagram story?

​​