A coach — Nick Checker — resigned his position after 21-years with his club to protest a management decision that opened his gym to spectators, including parents.
Checker had argued that he covered the viewing window “so parents didn’t distract children and to reduce risk of injury”.
Personally, I prefer children’s sports clubs to be open to spectators at all times, even at risk of distraction.
But there is a great compromise, one with which almost every coach can agree. Spectators sit behind one-way mirrored glass.
Parents can see in. But the gymnast sees a mirror.
Altadore Gymnastics has used them for years (originally installed by Dave Holmes, I seem to recall) and they have been very successful.
The Gym Chat Forum has a thread on this topic with links to the Nick Checker situation: A coach that doesn’t want parents to watch?!
Gymnastics Coaching.com 