Is Change GOOD?

Ok chickadees....I do apologize for slacking on the blogging. It has been a hectic summer and fall is proving to be interesting.

As most of you know I took a job as an Age-Group coach of a semi-local swim team. I was offered a salary of a mere $1000 per month...flat fee. No gas money to meets, food allowance, overnight accommodations, etc. I accepted the job because it was swimming, which in the past has proved more than once to be an overwhelming addiction. So even though the pay was small, I thought the team would be one of growth with a bright future. The "Head Coach" (HC) of the team is a man in his early 50's with kids that had been on many swim teams in the past. HC seemed to be a man of reason and was seemingly understanding when I told him that even though I had been all consumed by swimming in my past, I now have a family and a smallish ranch at home that would be my top priority. HC said that he understood and agreed that I would need to take time off for the Bean's softball games, sleep overs, and such. At the signing of my initial contract HC made no mention of a salary reduction in the fall season. So the summer came and went....I coached 38 members of a 51 member team. I coached them according to HC's standards even though it meant a inefficient breaststroke kick, horrible looking butterflyers, and a lack of swimmers qualifying for the State Games. It also meant that I would miss the Bean's softball games, including her awesome performance on the All-Star team. It meant that I would let go of 9 clients from my "pseudo" private practice because I could no longer find the time for individual sessions. By the end of the summer, HC came to me and asked if I could donate money for individual awards but I would have no say in who received these awards. (In the end the award for the most improved swimmer when to a wretched child that only finished 7 practices all summer and refuses to swim backstroke and butterfly.) HC also asked if I would volunteer for the two weeks in August as he didn't have the money to pay me for half a month. I of course, declined to donate as I had already purchased T-Shirts for the Bean's All-Star softball team and I opted to take a two week break from swimming instead of volunteering my time. So...that brings us to August 31st, the first day of fall practice. I walk into a pool that is very loud, with 20some new kids running (RUNNING) amok on a wet pool deck. No HC in sight. Turns out that HC had some kind of appointment and neglected to tell me that, A) we would be holding new swimmer tryouts. and B) that he would not be showing up to practice. He then had the nerve to send me a nasty-gram via email that I should have been able to tell him about all the new parents and should have been able to group new swimmers in 20 minutes. I had a lot of feelings about August 31st, it's best we don't go into them now. Then just a day later, while at Masters practice (a small group of 15 swimmers that I started) I found stuck in the back of my box at the pool a envelope with my name on it. It was my contract for the fall/spring season. My salary had been slashed from the mere $1000 per month to $600 per month with only $300 for December. Now mind you, I will do a lot for swimming but having my salary cut by so much, with the added responsibility of the Masters team, and having to drive to the pool (which is an hour away) twice per day was a bit outside my end line. I talked to HC about the cut in pay, to which he replied, "I told you that you would receive less in the fall." I told HC, that I don't remember that conversation. I told HC that I would go home and talk to my partner and respond with a counter offer as I could not coach for that amount of money. He said that his pay was about the same as any team in Colorado Springs. I really, really, really, really wanted to argue this point but thought better of it. At the Pike's Peak League Championships I was offered a job with less responsibility but with a chunk more money attached. I only declined the offer because Manitou is a bit closer than Colorado Springs and because I was enjoying watching this little team change and improve. At any rate, I told HC that I was not a new coach, that I had a bit of experience and that I knew I was worth more than $600 per month. HC sent me an email detailing what I would be making hourly at $600 per month...on average my hourly rate was about $9.50 per hour. Now I ask you....would you work for $9.50 per hour? My very first coaching job, while I was still in high school (a million years ago) paid better than HC wanted to pay me. I did respond with a counter offer of a measly $750 per month as long as I only made 5 trips per week. I would still attend all of the developmental meets and pay for my own food and hotel accommodations. As far as I was concerned he was still getting a bargain. After milling it over for several days I received an email in which HC said that he could only offer what was in the original contract. I declined his offer. HC sent me an email and asked if I would be willing to volunteer my time from August 31st until today....to which I declined. In between several email discussions of what I thought the last several days were worth I received an email from a swimmer's parent. This parent offered to make up the difference between HC's offer and my summer contract! Every team has some really awesome parents! I explained to the parent that what she was offering was very generous but that I would not be able to agree. So here I am now...sort of jobless. It's great though as just last week I was offered the Medical Chief position for the 4 Mile ES Corp. I had been juggling in my head trying to figure out a way to make both jobs that I love to do, work. And now...well I don't have that worry anymore! I have also been attending Yoga in the park with my friend Evrim, two days per week. My Masters practice was starting to bleed over into yoga with my friend...don't have to worry about that. Since starting swimming in May I have not had time to bake bread nearly as often, to fix regular evening meals for my family, and spend time with my over-population of animals....don't have to worry about that! So back to my questioning title, "Is Change GOOD?" Well at this very moment I'm going to have to answer--->Yes it is...at least at this very moment.

Thanks for reading my vent...I know it has little to do with being Tough and Buff but I feel so much better now...so much Tougher and Buffer!