Random Issues

The rink's mangement called a meeting with the coaches last night. This seems to be one positive step towards communication, and many issues were brought up. I note some issues here, purely from my own point of view. To be fair, managing something like this is no easy feat, and I have learned to accept many (but certainly not all) of the decisions the management have taken.

Lesson scheduling system
Well, no system is perfect, and the current one, though getting better, is rather manual, and many skaters find it "troublesome". Perhaps the grand plan of a computerised system would make it less troublesome, but I certainly hope that there won't be too many problems when it is implemented.

Keeping hours
This is a pet peeve of mine. The first time I quit coaching at this rink was because of a new "rule" implemented that required coaches to commit to and stay at the rink for fixed hours each week.

When I came back, there was no longer such a requirement, but I would certainly appreciate not having to wait 2 hours between lessons, for just one more student. If the rink doesn't want to make it its responsibility to put in new students for me in between, or pay me for the 2 hours I have to wait, I don't see why I must agree to take on that kind of schedule. Or even if I agreed to it, what is the rink to say about what I do during the time between lessons when they do not pay me?

Lost lessons & commission
Well, at least the management agreed that if a student doesn't show up and forfeits a lesson, coaches should still receive the commission since they are already there.

There is still the problem of students forgeting cards - this is a real issue of accountability, since if the card was not signed, the student can, technically, return and demand for that lesson again... and it has happened before! I pointed out that, since the coach is waiting but still can't conduct a lesson, students should be made to forfeit the lesson if they forget the card. Err, that's a little harsh, isn't it?

But that makes me wonder, if the student's card is not signed, how are such forfeits going to be enforced??

Skates?
Issues about skates came up, and I jumped at the chance to surface my growing impatience of students having to cancel lessons because they are still waiting for new skates, and have totally outgrown their current ones. The damage by now is 6 weeks, and NO, it really doesn't seem like the boots are in yet!