My 7 year old daughter is enrolled in this facility. I just moved back from out of state Arkansas and the first thing I noticed was over a handful of boys, aged from elementary to high schoolers, shirtless, walking around half naked during practice.
What concerned me the most was there was a group of elementary little girls in the corner, along with my little daughter, and these shirtless/half naked boys (looking like a Chippendales Las Vegas crew) were surrounding them, barely wearing clothes. In my eyes, that is not okay, because little girls are very very sensitive.
I brought to attention my concern to the owner, Adam, and it was like pulling teeth, asking him why his boys are walking around half naked/shirtless in front of kids. The owner, Adam, tried to justify it by saying he was very conservative and that the reason was because it was "hot" in the gym. He also tried to justify the situation by trying to provide an example males being shirtless at the beach/swimming pool, however, I recommended them putting on a tank top or an underarm our tee shirt. I also advised that this isn't a swimming pool or beach. You don't see professional gymnast performing half naked, with just tiny shorts on with their nipples showing. You don't see any of the females or little girls dress inappropriately. The coaches here should be a better example for these children, because our children are the future.
I get that the temperature can be warm in the Inland Empire, however, my rebuttal that changed his mind was when I pointed out a handful of other boys wearing long sleeves and sweat pants. After I pointed out the smaller boys that were wearing long sleeves and sweat pants, it was still like pulling teeth with this guy. I threatened to take my daughter out of class immediately and that's when he went and asked the shirtless teenagers/boys to put on a shirt, and they immediately covered up. And what also concerns me is the back wall where the gymnast stretch. There is no way you can watch or see the coaches from where the parental seating is at all. Your vision is blocked. That concerned me highly because as a father, I like to watch and see who's around my child...I'm not like most parents who just stay glued to their computers/tablets/or phones during practice. These classes aren't cheap, and I want to make sure all is well.
It doesn't make sense having teenage boys, looking like grown men, being half naked/shirtless walking or practicing gymnastic in front of these little sensitive girls. What made me upset was that no other parent wanted to speak up about this unfair dress code.
Very simple solution, have the males wear a tank top/underarmor if it's hot. Don't justify the situation. Also, I believe if you have males walking around covered up, that shows respect/morals/ and a higher degree of integrity. Integrity lacks nowadays.
It's very important to make sure to keep an eye out on your precious children. It's very important to know what type of people are around your children. read more