| jdw3018 |
Wed Apr 09, 2008 06:52pm |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Padgett
It's not a matter of how they think, it's a matter of the example they set for the kids. I am a firm believer in the value of youth sports so that's why I devote so much time and effort to this organization. The kids are more important than the parents so the point is to make sure the parents don't negatively impact the kids.
Yes - it's hard to get experienced officials to work these games, but we do get a few. That's one reason we train about 5 or 6 new HS kids each season to officiate. I make it a point to make sure the officials take as little crap as possible. We pay pretty decent for a kids rec league ($22-$25 for experienced officials and they usually work 3 games each Sat. - the games are short) and we have a big pizza party at the end of the season.
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What I like about your approach, Mark, is not what it does or doesn't do for the officials (I'm sure your training program already addresses that they shouldn't care what parent thing), but rather what it hopefully does for some of those parents.
My experience with lower-level games is that "yelling parents" come in two types. One is the ex-athlete dad who thinks 11 year old Kathy should be on her way to a college scholarship. There's not much to be done about this guy other than ignore him or have game management deal with him if necessary.
The other type is the one I hope you have some impact on - it's the mother or father who never played him/herself, but starts on the "yelling and screaming" train early because they see the other type of parent when they come to the games. Hopefully you're process helps some of these types realize that it's not the best way to enjoy the game and they'll carry that attitude on as Jimmy or Suzie grows into Jr. High and High School ball.
Whether it works or not, I have no idea, but as a fan of good sportsmanship, I appreciate your efforts. |
