Let’s start with the positive. The vast majority of our families are clearly pleased with the direction of Synergy. They also recognized the strong commitment to our skaters and work ethic of our coaches. Skaters expect to be pushed hard and believe almost all of our coaches are making them better each and every practice. The surveys also indicated that a spirit of teamwork and sportsmanship are central to our teams in large part due to the leadership of our coaching staff. In addition, skaters trust and respect their coaches.
We do also have some areas that need attention. The most consistent theme was a need for better communication at both the club and team level. While some people saw some improvement in this area, there is a clear need for more communication in a timely manner. There was also some concern about how well coaches made use of practice time. Another concern was that rules were not always consistently enforced. Finally, there was a concern that coaches and parents are not working together as well as they should. This included a feeling by some that coaches distanced themselves from parents and did not always show respect for them.
What are we doing with this information? First, the Board has reviewed a summary of the results and approved some changes for this season to improve communication. For the first time, we will have a biweekly Synergy newsletter designed to provide more timely information to families. We also had a formal team manager training that included website training and a discussion about effective communication. Second, coaches have received summaries of their results and have been asked to review them carefully. In addition, I will discuss these results with the staff at the next coaches meeting. We will discuss ways to facilitate better teamwork between parents and coaches.
Thank you to all who participated. We intend to conduct evaluations a bit earlier this season. Please participate. It is a great way to have your opinions heard.
Laura Arnold
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