After 3 years of commitment to Pearland Elite, I was extremely disappointed and honestly…read moreheartbroken by the way my daughter Taylor's enrollment ended.
Rather than having a direct conversation with me as her parent, Taylor was unenrolled following information surrounding a tryout at another gym. From my perspective, the decision appeared to be based on hearsay and assumptions rather than anyone simply picking up the phone and speaking with me first. After three years of our family investing time, money, trust, and Taylor pouring countless hours into this program, we deserved that basic professional courtesy.
What makes this even harder is that Taylor genuinely loved Pearland Elite and absolutely adored her coach ( Kelly) . This was her gymnastics home for three years. These coaches and teammates were a major part of her childhood as she was home schooled there, so the way everything ended is something that will likely remain a core memory for her and unfortunately, not for the right reasons.
In my opinion, the decision made by Tasha and Nick to unenroll my daughter felt emotional and reactive, rather than thoughtful and centered around an athlete who had been loyal to their program for years. A conversation could have changed the entire way this situation was handled.
Exploring another gym was never about disrespecting her coaches or forgetting everything Pearland Elite had done for Taylor. It was about being parents and doing our due diligence for a child who has serious goals in this sport. Parents should be able to explore opportunities, ask questions, attend a tryout, and determine the best path for their child without fearing their child will immediately be removed from a program based on secondhand information.
I also had heard of interactions with Nick that made me uncomfortable, including comments that I personally perceived as racially inappropriate and insensitive. Combined with how this situation was handled, it changed the way I viewed the leadership of the gym.
Taylor worked hard, competed, represented Pearland Elite proudly, loved her coaches, and gave that program three years of her childhood. Regardless of where an athlete ultimately chooses to train, that level of dedication deserves respect, compassion, professionalism, and at minimum a conversation with her parent.
We have moved forward and I am grateful Taylor is continuing her journey in an environment that aligns with the direction she wants to go. But I will always wish her chapter at Pearland Elite had been allowed to close with the same love and respect that she gave them for three years.
It wasn't simply that our relationship with the gym ended. It was the way they chose to end it that I will never agree with.