Youth "Coaches" or the Guy That Watches My Kid While I Go Shopping

[Ed Hickland]

Several of you said I waited too long to toss the first flag and in one way I have to agree.

However, this coach's team was losing by a big margin and the last thing I wanted to do was to penalize these kids for the antics of their "coach." The game is not coach vs. official. Without the kids there would not be coaches and officials. It is a sad commentary that too many of these "coaches" take the game so seriously that the kids never really learn about the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" in the proper context. The real truth is there are no losers on the field. To take time to practice, learn plays and apply the proper discipline defines a winner. I don't want to be the official who takes the spirit away.

[Mike L]

Throwing the deserved flag is not penalizing the kids at all. The coach, by acting like a horse's ***, is the one penalizing the kids. You are simply enforcing the consequences of his being an idiot. And if you fail to do so, the coach will never learn and he will continue to penalize the kids all season which will hurt them much worse than 15 yds in some game they will most likely forget about in a week.

[mcrowder]

Ed - your comments here at the end struck a note. I think that is a BIG part of the difference. At Varsity, JV, 9th, and even 8th and 7th to almost the same degree, the coaches have a direct responsibility to their schools, and if they are continually getting flagged or tossed at their games, their schools would eventually fix the problem one way or another. Knowing this, MOST of those coaches are relatively sane. And knowing this, officials (self included) will flag a coach when he goes too far.

At youth ball, this is not true. They do not really answer to much of a higher power, and even where they do, their livelihood is not at stake should they be removed. And most won't be removed - NO ONE has enough volunteers as it is. Knowing this, many of them are horses asses. And knowing this, most officials will NOT flag a coach that has gone the same "too far" as a high school coach. Most will take MUCH more abuse before stopping the situation, as there is more of a reluctance to penalize "the kids" at that level (self included). I believe many of us feel guilty punishing 8 year old kids for the antics of a jaggass coach, whereas we would not feel guilty throwing that very same flag in a JV game.

[Mike L]

the true problem is you have a governing board for the leagues and an assoc of officials that allows the situation to continue. In our area, we are highly encouraged by both the youth football board and our assoc to flag out of control coaches. A coach that gets tossed from a game is required to appear before the board, not to explain his actions, but to explain why he should be allowed to continue coaching at all. If the people in charge refuse to take a stand, then you are indeed stuck with the inmates running the assylum.

[WhistlesAndStripes]

It ain't about "don't penalize the kids". That's a bunch of bunk. You throw enough flags on the coaches antics, and eventually the parents are gonna call for his head.

[Mike L]

this is also what's going on to curb problems in the high school arena.

"11. “ETHICS IN SPORTS” POLICY
Coaches are reminded of the new “ETHICS IN SPORTS” Policy approved by the Board of Managers on June 7, 2005

Any coach, player, team attendant, or spectator ejected by a contest official from any contest for any reason, at any
level, is suspended indefinitely from participation, practice, or attending (site and sound) any sports contest, until a meeting is scheduled between the school administration, coach, player, and custodial parent(s)/guardian(s) with CIFSDS staff member(s). Meetings will be scheduled at a time to be announced. There is no appeal of the Commissioner’s decision. Telephonic and electronic meetings are not permitted. Additionally, any person ejected (coach, player, spectator) is required to attend a CIFSDS Ethics In Sports Sportsmanship Meeting, which will be held at a time to be announced. Failure to attend the sportsmanship meeting will result in immediate suspension of athletic eligibility or attendance (site and sound) at contests or practices until such time as the ejected person attends a Sportsmanship Meeting. (Effective July 1, 2005.)"

in otherwords, take the hard stance & enforce it or quit complaining about it.

[AJ Kent]

I started my career volunteering my officiating skills 5 years ago and continue to do so today. Every Sat. morning I show up at the field dressed in official uniform and assume control over the games being played. I have mentored high school football players to assume the various officiating positions. It does take effort on my part to do this, but it begins to build officiating interest in these young folks and they are good at what they do.

I try to practice preventive officiating with every game. I have an individual pregame meeting with each coach and outline my officiating platform.
Points stressed:

All of us are volunteers.
This is youth level football and not the Super Bowl!
Player Safety is first and foremost.
It must be a positive experience for players, coaches, fans, and officials.
We are here to teach these kids the fundamentals of football and not to be punative.
We as officials will call a fair and conscientious game and
our decisions are the final word.
They (the coaches) must agree to this contractualy and affirm this verbally. If for some reason they have a problem with doing this, I walk off the field and leave them to their own devices. (This has never happened.)

I also do JV, HS games during the season.

[wisref2]

I work as many youth games as I can, and enjoy every minute of it. Around here, our youth games are usually three game sets (6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade) and you end up working from 4:30 until about 9 - it's exhausting! Add to my varsity, JV and freshman schedule and that makes 11 games in a recent 12 day period. We do a lot of talking to the kids - good block, nice run, keep your hands in, try to stay still in your 3-point stance, etc. After a while, they start talking to us and they get to trust us and like us!

You do the same with the coaches because most of them don't know a lot about the game. They're giving of their free time because nobody else would coach the team. When they say something stupid, you just tell 'em "That's on Sunday coach." It doesn't take them long to figure out that they don't know the rules, and then they come to you and ask about them - that's your chance to educate and enlighten. They get to know you and when they see you on the street - they say hi and they say thanks! Also - it helps if you offer to come in and work with the coaches so they understand the rules.

These games are also great for working on mechanics, a weakness or trying something new. And after 22 years, it's our duty to help out the young refs who are working these games so that when we finally have to hang it up, there's someone there to blow the whistle for that first kickoff every Friday night.

[Rich]

Originally posted by Whistles & Stripes

Ya know, I get so sick and tired of guys that think they're "too good" to work these lower level games. You wonder why kids in HS are getting more and more out of line all the time. It's because these youth games are left to the 1st-3rd year officials who really don't know how to handle them, and, like the original poster, they give too much leeway. Throw the damn flags for cryin out loud, and give some deserving coaches/players an early shower a time or two. That alone will go a long way in cleaning up some of this $hit!!

I'm not too good to work these games, rather I choose not to work them. We don't have assigning associations where I live, so it's not a matter of me turning those games down, but rather not seeking them in the first place.

My first season here I worked youth games. About 6 weeks in, the program decided they didn't want an official flagging coaches who came onto the field to get in official's faces. Well, that means I quit.

Last season I had an eighth grader direct an f-bomb right at me. Ejected him on the spot. Coach came onto the field and threatened me. Kid said he'd put a cap in my a$$. Went to the house.

Haven't worked any of that nonsense since. I can do HS fall baseball on Saturdays, make $90, and not have my blood pressure challenged.

[waltjp]

Originally posted by wisref2
When they say something stupid, you just tell 'em "That's on Sunday coach."

I once said something like this to a youth coach. His reply - Why would you only call that on Sunday?

[AJ Kent]

Everyone has to make their own decisions regarding life. Some people have special skills which allow them to overcome adversity and turn these situations into positive experiences for all involved. This is the essential meaning of life. 5 years ago I was diagnosed with a life threatening cancer and given a 6 month life expectancy. I chose not to accept those parameters and assumed the attitude that I would survive at whatever the cost was in terms of treatment and mental fortitude. I gave up the mental burden of being judgemental and vowed to assume a positive mental attitude in all of the aspects of my life. I am thankful to be alive to enjoy the great things that life has to offer, including officiating those Sat. morning Youth football games!

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said:
"What lies behind us? And what lies before us,
are tiny matters,
Compared to what lies within us."

Peace,

[MIcoach]

as a youth coach and an official i can add a little to this. not all youth coaches are uneducated in the rules. granted most are, but not all.

in our youth program we have to apply to be a coach and only after our advisory board has ok'd us can we coach in any capacity. unlike high school coaches who get to hand pick their staffs, i am stuck with whatever parents feel like voluntering their time. granted i am lucky to have a good group of coaches who will listen to me and know most of the rules, but i do have one who knows nothing but how he played and only knows the fans rules. he has made it very hard for me this year with communicating with the officials because he is constantly arguing calls and no calls. i have told him many times if he has a problem to talk to me so i can talk to the ref's (since they are only supposed to talk to the HC anyways). but he refuses to do this because i have told him many times that he has no legitimate argument or beef with the officials and their calls and to just let it go. it has gotten so bad that i have warned him that the first flag he gets thrown on him i will personally escort him to the bleachers and sit him there for the rest of the season, and have told the officials that if they have to throw the flag then please do, even though i am the one that will get in trouble for it.

in our league also, we have a pre season meeting that at least the head official is at and we discuss new rules and interpretations. it has helped some, but you still get some coaches that get caught up in the moment and get over excited about calls. i myself have gotten that way on more than one occasion this year, and have been flagged for it.

but i will also say that some of the refs out there are only there to make the extra buck and could care less about communicating with any coach or player. case in point happened a couple of games ago. at the end of the game we finally found a pass play that was gaining good yardage for us and we were moving the ball quite well. after an incomplete pass with 3 seconds still left on the clock, the head official refused to spot the ball and let the clock run down, again after an incomplete pass. i was very upset at this and considered it very unprofessional of him to do and let him know my feelings about it after the game. he just looked at me, smirked and said "your kids played such a great game why does it matter?" well to me it mattered alot because we hadnt had a sustained drive all game, and finally when we got one he took it out of our hands. granted we were losing 28-0 at the time, but the score shouldnt matter in a game, especially when kids are involved. it is officials like this that make some of the coaches act the way they do.

being both a youth coach and an official has taught me when i can open my mouth and how far i can take a discussion before i cross the line. and there are times when i get real close to that line, but i always have the respect for the officials that i would expect to be given by a coach if i were the one with the whistle. granted not all of them deserve it, but i still show them the respect.

one of the first things i tell the officials who actually have a pregame conference with me is that i just want my kids to have a fair shot at playing, and most after hearing that show me, as a coach, a little more respect. we are all (both coaches and officials) out there to teach the game to the players, and should think of that first and foremost.

[NothernVA_Ump]

I agree that most coaches at the youth level have no clue what they are doing. I had a couch in a 75lb National (lowest skillset level) game earlier in the year yell at me for a false start. His Tackle jumped out of his stance early and the coach is yelling at me that the ball didn't move. Later in that game the coach was ejected for league code of conduct violations that the Linesman heard.

In a second round playoff game this past sunday night I had the losing coach tell the white hat for that game we thru to many flags. The majority of the flags were agianst the winning team (Illiegal shifts and holding).

It is just funny to me that these youth clubs will let anyone be a coach.

[OverAndBack]

Someday, I want to coach.

And having been an official will be very, very helpful, I think.

[Jim S]

Originally posted by NothernVA_Ump
It is just funny to me that these youth clubs will let anyone be a coach.

They pretty much have the same problem that official's associations have. Getting people to do the job. This is not an excuse for them not knowing the rules, just an answer to your question.
The problem is also that "I played ***** and I know what's what."
"UH HUH!!!"