The owner of the gym, Mary Wright, has ONE concern on her mind.....MONEY!!! Unfortunately, her concern about money is in the nature of how deep she can make her own pockets. At a recent meet, the Crystal Cup, which was scheduled to be held in an arena with stadium seating, not only did she refrain from posting the spectator fees on any of the meet information, but she charged more than any other meet, including regionals up to nationals!!! The most appalling part of the whole situation was: she charged ""per session"" (regardless if they were on the same day)....or $45.00 for a ""day pass""....AND....it wasn't in the arena, rather it was in a small room that was transformed into a makeshift gym!!! Spectators were expected to sit on metal chairs that were positioned on one side of the room which allowed for, at maximum, a 20% UNOBSTRUCTED view of the events. Two beams were set up right in front of the chair's at best, that is what spectators paid to see. It was reported that due to unforeseen conflicts, Mary was notified 4 days prior to the meet that the arena was being utilized as the result of a school championship game. Conflicts are understandable, however, sending an email out to the gyms to notify them of the significant change in venue would have been at minimum what a professional would have done. Additionally, it was reported that the fee she was charged to utilize the alternate room was 25% the cost of the arena. Back to where I started...it's all about money for Mary Wright. To charge the amount she was charging, in combination with the ""per session"", worst viewing and seating accommodations ever experienced at a meet, AND the fact that she received a 75% reduction in venue rental confirms my initial comment.......MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!!!! I'm certain she's still counting it 24 hours later. She should be ashamed of herself and remove the welcome page she included in her $5 program (that didn't even include the name of the gym each gymnast belonged to). Her welcome page couldn't more contradictory than the manner in which she ran her meet. The concern is so great amongst multitudes of spectators, some from her own gym, that a sanction is currently being drawn up and will be submitted to the USAG board for review. Perhaps she can pay the fine she will hopefully be charged with the revenue she reaped from her entry fees due to her shear greediness.
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