Well its been a long strange season this year with lots of drama.
I don't do drama well.
But yesterday I was informed by the Asst Coach that the Head Coach is upset with me. Head Coach has put on a public face of being supportive of me helping the Russian fencer Dasha. Head Coach has put on the public face of wanting to solve problems on the fencing team.
Behind closed doors things are apparently different.
I have very little contact with the head coach. The team divides into 3 squads. Foil. Epee. Saber. The RULES, STRATEGIES, TIMING and the TECHNIQUES used by each weapon are very different. I take the Saber squad and work with them in one of the school hallways. Epee Coach works in another area with the Epee squad. Head coach works with Foil in yet another area. So we don't really mix, talk, hang out together.
Head coach publicly admitted in a letter to the school that I can provide things to Dasha (and others) that she cannot provide and asked the school to cut through some red tape to make me an official coach. She privately told the Asst Coach that she believes my efforts to help are undercutting her authority and also are taking opportunities away from her to help the fencers in ways that she wants to help. She cited instances that where I offered to help that will occur AFTER the season ends! If it's AFTER the season then how, as a private club coach, supposed to be at fault when many of these very same kids come to my private fencing club?
The latest controversy is that Dasha's mother has asked me to take her to 4 more tournaments. 1 is in 2 weeks, the other 3 fall after the end of the high school season. The event in 2 weeks occurs on Sunday/Monday and the high school has an event on Saturday so there is no conflict with the season. The new rules allow for the students to participate in events that are not in conflict with the school events. ALSO the Head Coach wants to take Dasha to an event in Ohio in March (after season ends) but Dasha & her mom want me to take her to that event. So head coach feels slighted. She cannot be a 'strip coach' for Dasha at the event because she doesn't know the Saber rules. She cannot actually help Dasha at the event other than to drive her to the event. But she wants to be Dasha's puppet master to parade her around like a prize pony???
Long story short. The assistant coach is pissed at the head coach for all the silly antics of this season. The assistant coach believes she was misled(?) or manipulated(?) by the coach about many of the school and conference rules (which now have changed due to a mid-season revolt by several key fencers). The assistant coach is working to protect me.
I knew that this year would be different. Started out very fun. Became very problematic fairly quickly. Now I know I have done the right thing and if I end up getting "fired" from my volunteer position I will leave knowing that things got fixed because of my efforts. There are other teams that want me to coach for them, its not as if I don't have someplace to go.
I don't do drama well.
But yesterday I was informed by the Asst Coach that the Head Coach is upset with me. Head Coach has put on a public face of being supportive of me helping the Russian fencer Dasha. Head Coach has put on the public face of wanting to solve problems on the fencing team.
Behind closed doors things are apparently different.
I have very little contact with the head coach. The team divides into 3 squads. Foil. Epee. Saber. The RULES, STRATEGIES, TIMING and the TECHNIQUES used by each weapon are very different. I take the Saber squad and work with them in one of the school hallways. Epee Coach works in another area with the Epee squad. Head coach works with Foil in yet another area. So we don't really mix, talk, hang out together.
Head coach publicly admitted in a letter to the school that I can provide things to Dasha (and others) that she cannot provide and asked the school to cut through some red tape to make me an official coach. She privately told the Asst Coach that she believes my efforts to help are undercutting her authority and also are taking opportunities away from her to help the fencers in ways that she wants to help. She cited instances that where I offered to help that will occur AFTER the season ends! If it's AFTER the season then how, as a private club coach, supposed to be at fault when many of these very same kids come to my private fencing club?
The latest controversy is that Dasha's mother has asked me to take her to 4 more tournaments. 1 is in 2 weeks, the other 3 fall after the end of the high school season. The event in 2 weeks occurs on Sunday/Monday and the high school has an event on Saturday so there is no conflict with the season. The new rules allow for the students to participate in events that are not in conflict with the school events. ALSO the Head Coach wants to take Dasha to an event in Ohio in March (after season ends) but Dasha & her mom want me to take her to that event. So head coach feels slighted. She cannot be a 'strip coach' for Dasha at the event because she doesn't know the Saber rules. She cannot actually help Dasha at the event other than to drive her to the event. But she wants to be Dasha's puppet master to parade her around like a prize pony???
Long story short. The assistant coach is pissed at the head coach for all the silly antics of this season. The assistant coach believes she was misled(?) or manipulated(?) by the coach about many of the school and conference rules (which now have changed due to a mid-season revolt by several key fencers). The assistant coach is working to protect me.
I knew that this year would be different. Started out very fun. Became very problematic fairly quickly. Now I know I have done the right thing and if I end up getting "fired" from my volunteer position I will leave knowing that things got fixed because of my efforts. There are other teams that want me to coach for them, its not as if I don't have someplace to go.