Slightly off topic - coach problem in another sport

[Mark Padgett]

Attended my granddaughter's (5th grade) final soccer game of the season yesterday. They played another unbeaten team and the final was 1-1, with my granddaughter scoring the tying goal with about 3 minutes to go. The game was officiated by one person - a girl who looked to be about 15 or 16. She did a very good job, despite what the opposing coach thought. I couldn't believe how much he complained - and very loudly, too.

At halftime, she came over to him and told him to "tone it down" because he was setting a bad example for the girls. I thought this was a very mature thing for a girl of her age to do. He just paid her some lip service and walked away.

With about 10 minutes to go in the game, he yelled at an offside no-call. Of course, he was wrong (I had a much better angle). The ball went OOB and she blew her whistle, came over to him again and told him that if he kept on yelling at her, she would forfeit the game and his team would lose. He told her she "couldn't do that" and she said "I guess that's another league rule you don't understand" and then just stood there and stared at him. I was fully expecting her to puke on his shoes. He stood there for a minute, then turned around and walked away. She got applause from adults on both teams.

He shut up the rest of the game. After the game, she had at least 20 people go over to her and congratulate her on her performance and how she handled that jerk. I was one of the first to shake her hand. She said she was sorry she had to take that position, but she couldn't let him teach the girls that it was OK to behave that way.

I told her if she wanted to work basketball to just let me know.