Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries. - UPDATED!

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

I would also hope that you A) pressed charged on the dad for coming after you and B) hoped he had been banned for life from watching his kid.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

People who put 3-year-olds and 15-month-olds in gymnastics class, would be my guess.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

True enough.

However, a "gymnastics class" is, to me at least, far different than an organized league for 6-7 year olds. The class could just be getting little ones active, learning basic tumbling. Now if it were a gymnastics TEAM for 3-year olds and 15-month olds, different story all around.

Either or, still no reason for Daddy Toughguy to flex his testosterone.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

My bad, I forgot the extra comma. The kid was crying over the hit. The parents were consoling him. Still, I thought they were about to jump me and my son when I brought him over to apologize.

It was a basic fun gymnastics class, not anything that was going to have judges or anything. The kids would get to jump on a trampoline, jump into a foam pit, run through padded tunnels and walk on low balance beams.

The class was mostly for 2-3 year-olds, but, for some inexplicable reason, the other parents had their 15-month old daughter in there. She was really just learning to walk, and I don't know why they didn't have the kid in the baby class.

The day of the incident, an obstacle course was set up, with tunnels, balance beams ect. The other kids were having a good time going through it, but they kept having to wait behind the 15-month old to toddle her way through. My son, who was (and still is learning to take turns), kept cutting in front of her, and accidentally bumped her once. Stupid parents, rather than asking him to be careful, start snapping at me, and I snapped back.

I still think it's a miracle that the parents and I didn't end up throwing fists in front of a bunch of 3 and under kids.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

It's been my experience that parents who are out of control at games are out of control at home, too. The kids forget about the game as soon as it ends; but the parents often want to replay every detail all night. Often times, the kids are burned out from the parents by the time they get to 12 or 13. Kids still playing competitive sports at 18 & under usually ... usually ... have parents with a little better grasp on reality.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

I know what you mean. I don't get why parents would put up with/allow kids to be on literally 3 or 4 baseball teams in the same season at age 12-13.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

UPDATE -- Mandatory parents meeting before practice next Wednesday. The club's head coach is bringing his checkbook, ready to offer refunds. With a team of only 12 players, I hope not many girls leave.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

Just shank those fuckers with a filed down toothbrush handle.

That'll show 'em.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

Be there, ready with a cold, steely stare for any asshole who dares to take the buyout.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

Or be ready to double the buyout of anyone who should...

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

A part of me wants to say that if more officials/coaches would go Mike Curtis on people who pull that shit, it would stop.

But I know better.

Nice thought, though.

 

Re: Fracas at 10-and-under rec softball game. Princesscreole cries.

To paraphrase an SportsJournalists.com cliche, this meeting will not end well. Clearly there is a big parents vs. coach divide, and having this sort of confrontation is giving these parents a license to unload. A justified one, perhaps.

The first mistake was having a high school junior coaching. Half the battle of coaching kids that young is knowing how to deal with the single-digit ages, and having the knowledge to realize what might be going on in the minds of parents who are (justifiably) protective and are relatively new to youth sports.

Not that I was there, but from your description I would agree: those coaches gave up. Why all of a sudden were 12-year-old girls serving as base coaches instead of the coaches already on the roster? Especially when you already did not have an adult running things? Maybe the parents overreacted, but I get the feeling they feel like they got sold a bill of goods. Not because they expected someone who would get Suzy Sunshine to the Olympics, but because they paid decent money and are spending a lot of time on something the organizers and coaches are not taking seriously -- or at least don't appear to be. A high schooler, not matter how experience in the game, is not qualified to coach youth sports.

From my own experience, I've learned that being contentious with parents NEVER works -- they always have the upper hand because they're footing the bill. I've done the argument over missed practices, and it's one I quickly realized I would never win. Plus, kids that age are supposed to be trying out a lot of different things.

As always, it seems to me the key to heading off these conflicts is communications. I'm sending my softball parents (7-8 yo) multiple emails per week updating them on schedules and any ongoing issues. I sent them emails and printed letters at the start of the year explaining who I am, my coaching experience, my coaching style, my expectations of the girls, my expectations of them, and my expectations of myself and the other coaches. I also made clear that I was always reachable and available if they had any questions. It got to the point I sent out pitching probables.

I operated in a similar manner with the fifth-sixth grade team I coached over the winter. I also told my kids on the respective teams that I would treat them as I would anyone else. My fifth-grade son took it to heart enough to call me "coach" during practices and games.

Going overboard with communication has helped make coaching very smooth for me, and I think has helped parents concentrate on being supportive of their kids instead of worrying about what I'm going to do. As a parent, I have had questions of coaches, but I would agree there's a time and a place. Mainly, not in the middle of a game. And if there's an issue, I always introduce it in terms of my-kid-must-not-be-doing-well: is there something he/she needs to work on? Was there something he/she said or did that kept him/her on the bench for so long (this is for leagues where everyone playing equally is the stated expectation)? I've found that coaches, even the ones who seem like the biggest assholes, are sincere, honest and sometimes sheepish in their responses, and to me that helps everyone.

Believe it or not, youth sports isn't nothing but hellfire and screaming, swearing parents. I love coaching, and I love seeing my kids play.

Good luck with your meeting, creole. I hope it doesn't go as badly as I think it might.