My coach wants more students. She mostly teaches group lessons
at one rink. I think she is a great coach. She is very good at
ice dance, but also teaches low level freestyle well enough for most of us.
The coaches where she teaches don't advertise. No signs on the wall. The rinks and figure
skating clubs don't publish coach bios. People at her group lesson rink recommend more experienced coaches. At another rinks, people who inquiring at the desk are typically recruited by the figure skating director.
I think any coach could recruit students by skating at public sessions while wearing something
conservative enough to resemble a uniform. I'm not any good, but like any adult who can do basic strokes, I am frequently asked at public sessions whether
I'm a coach. Perhaps because I'm older than most competitive athletes, and I often wear
solid colors. They'll even ask me
instead of people there who are much better, including coaches, but who are younger, or wear contrasting clothing, or something with words or decorations.
My coach is petite enough, fit enough, and
and looks young enough, to resemble a competitive athlete more than
a coach. She should wear something that screams "Coach". Her group lesson rink gives coaches cheap rain-coat-yellow jackets to
teach in, which would do. But she won't because the jackets are large enough
for her to swim in. She considers wearing a skating club jacket, but surely a club jacket implies "competitive skater" more than "coach".
I offered to give her a solid colored jacket or sweat suit, that says "Coach" or "Skating
Coach" on the back, in her size. Maybe white lettering on bright red (she has
dark hair). The Lady In Red would surely be noticed.
When people asked, she could hand out business cards, if they
say they have no coach now.
She thinks my idea is too close to "solicitation", and that she would become one of the
coaches that other coaches hate.
What do you think?