Free advice from an old lady
Created with Dall-E 3
I’ve been following U.S.A. men’s gymnastics (elite and NCAA) for a while, and I’ve noticed some issues that have come up repeatedly.
I have free advice I’d like to share about how decrease drama. Us old people like to do that.
You may be asking yourself “What the H___ does she know? She’s never been a coach or a gymnast”. My qualifications are I’m old and worked in a job where if I did it wrong, I could end up in the Federal Pen or kill someone. It also had lots of rules.
#1 - Proofread your documents.
Misspelled names, ranking systems using incorrect dates, or qualification procedures that are ambiguous may not seem like a big deal (except for that last one).
Of course the goal is to get things right the first time and not confuse people more than they already are, but…
These documents are the face of the organization the public sees. People are going to assume if you mess up on the simple stuff, the problems go all the way down.
#2 - Rules and penalties should be spelled out as clearly as possible.
Rules for sporting organizations should look like the motor vehicle code (or the Code of Points). These go into excruciating detail, but can prevent a lot of drama later.
I drove solo in the carpool lane, ignoring the sign that said I would have to pay at least a certain bunch of $$ if I did it. I got caught and paid it. I couldn’t really argue about the amount, because I drove right past the sign it was written on.
It didn’t involve me showing up in Traffic Court wondering if I was going to have to pay 1 $ or maybe spend life in prison. I couldn’t complain “Well, Joe drove in there last week, he paid 50 cents, but I have to pay 1,000$.”
Clearly defined rules and penalties protect everyone, safeguarding against both arbitrary punishments and accusations of unfairness or conflict of interest.
#3 - Ensure everyone understands both the rules and the penalties for not following them.
Consider creating tests on the rules (or Olympic qualifying procedures, for that matter), that everyone involved has to take and pass. If such a mechanism is already in place, consider reviewing it.
If a regulation or procedure is very, very, very important (or the punishment for infringement is severe) consider having people sign a document they read and understood it.
I had to take many such tests/sign such documents to keep my job. Every year. There were some tests people had to keep taking until they got a perfect score. These mostly involved rules which if I decided not to follow them (or violated because I did not understand or even know about them), I could end up in Federal Prison or otherwise cause a huge mess.
The goal is to prevent infractions and misunderstandings in the first place.
Never assume something is obvious, or “no one would ever do that.”
#4 -When things go wrong, first examine the system to identify improvements moving forward. Try to maintain focus on systemic solutions rather than individual blame.
#5 - Something may take a day to fix now, but it’s worth it if it prevents months of trouble later.