Originally posted by Zurg
I can not possibly disagree more.
The life lesson you have taught is that you are that parent and the coach isn't more important in your childs life than the parent.
You have taught a child to quit when things go against you. Do we quit our jobs on jobs on a bad day?
Short of competitive, make the team by a cut travel leagues kids' sports are about fun, learning skills, working with all players. Assuming this is youth sports where the goal is recreation and education not MLS, this coach is teaching that his authority is absolute, that winning is everything.
As was stated this is travel/competitive soccer. What we don't know is whether there was an issue at practice or missed practices. As far as coach's authority. If it's not absolute for the time he has your/my child then we don't need coaches and youth sport organizations.
Ban news. Bad message. Run away dont walk.
By rejecting this coach you teach your DS that you are the parent and a higher authority. By rejecting this coach you teach that responsibility is mutual and by failing to live up to his responsibility to coach, he has failed his team. The child has NOT failed a commitment, the adult has failed children.
And when your child gets a job and quits when he is given a task he thinkds below him you will need to look in the mirror. I think this is the parent failing the child not the coach. At a U12 level it is as much about parent commitment as it is about the childs commitment
I have played, coached, refereed, won and lost all kinds sports. Looking back on all those years the most significant 'victory' was winning a sportsmanship award every year the officials of the my High School Lacrosse league made it.
Our coach said two sentences about it. There is a sportsmanship award in the league. We will win the award not because we are trying but because that is the kind of people we are.
He was a US Marine Officer. He understood leadership. He went out and roll-modeled the behavior. Never once raised his voice to a ref and pulled any player who even came close. Never yelled or swore. Won and lost with honor, shook hands and gave the same cheer to the opponent regardless.
Sportsmanship starts with the coach making how you play more important than the score.
Staying with a youth sports coach that fails to live up to this standard shows you, as a parent, condone the behavior. IMHO that is a failure of parenting.
Zurg, I agree with sportsmanship. I have been in the middle of some very high level games and sportsmanship makes them better. I have been on the recieving end of the rath of know nothing fans and parents. This has nothing to do with sportsmanship, it has to do with what is right and wrong, IMO. I hope we can agree to disagree.
