MORE YOUTH SPORTS STRUGGLE

Saturday afternoon 5/13. We just returned from my son's soccer game. Earlier this week I posted some of my thoughts on Youth sports and commitment. I had been somewhat angered by the fact that last week's soccer practice was attended by 2 kids, mine and the Asst. coach's. When I got home I fired off an email to the Head coach, who had stated that he didn't intend on holding any practices for these 3rd graders because it was only a REC (recreation) league. Since no wins and losses were kept, there was no need to hold any practices. I expressed my frustration at the low turnout for practice, and I asked him to please ask the other parents about bringing their kids to practice, which the Asst. coach and I agreed to run. I apologized in the letter for putting him on the defensive, but that after years of coaching baseball, I was really tired of seeing parental apathy when it came to this type of thing. My thinking....if you sign your kid up for the sport, bring the kid to practices and the games.

So we get to the game today and I see the Head Coach showing my email to the Asst. coach, and I overhear him saying that this is REC soccer and I'm being unreasonable to think that these kids need to practice, since it's just for fun, and that he's not going to put up with this sort of thing.

So, I walk over to him and say, "Hi, my name is Len Tollerton and that's my email." I go on to tell him that I understand it's ONLY REC soccer, but ask how are the kids supposed to get better to see if they want to go further with this sport. I tell him I've coached baseball for years and I wrote the letter because I'm tired of apathy. He proceeds to tell me that REC soccer is completely different from baseball or football, where you have to practice often. This is just for fun and many of these kids are just here to run around. He then tells me that if I'm so adamant about my kid practicing, that he'll contact the travel team coach and I can have my kid go and practice with the travel team.

Now, my kid is not that talented that he needs to be working with the travel team. But I don't think it's alot to ask that a coach takes an interest in helping develop talent and helping to get his players to improve, no matter if it's for recreation or in a league. His flippant answer made me want to smack the guy...which of course is not a good idea in front of children. So I just told him that the Asst. coach and I would hold a practice every Tuesday evening, regardless of whether he wanted to take part and show an interest, or not.

So, my question to you is.....Am I being too intense for my own good? I mean, am I wrong to expect a coach to show more interest than this guy is? I would think that as a coach of youth sports you would want a parent who shows up for everything and is willing to help out. Instead, I'm being told to take my kid to another team if I don't like it. I have typed this blog WITHOUT any expletives, though I would have used plenty if I had been speaking to you in person. After the conversation with the coach, I went over to my wife and said I thought the guy was a (expletive) a**ho**. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me, the coach's parents were sitting in close enough proximity to hear that and spent the whole game talking about me (badmouthing me). Perhaps I deserved some of that, but c'mon. I've had enough cutesie crap bringing up my kids to last a lifetime. Dude, how about acting like a coach? The kids don't understand what you're saying on the field if you don't reinforce it with practice. I await your responses America.

Ah...forget it!! Never mind.....I'm obviously the bad guy here.
But make no mistake people.
LEN IS RIGHT!!

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I am,
Len Tollerton