Politicing for kid to be selected on a certain team...

[qtlaw]

My boy is starting 5th grade and starting his second flag football year. He's not the fastest, the biggest, does not have the passion for the game, just chose it and seems to enjoy it. Unlike LL or soccer, there is very little regulation of playing time, so he played WR and CB and rarely got a pass thrown his way. Nevertheless, he wanted to play again this year, now with 5th and 6th graders.

I saw my buddy was going to be an assistant coach for a team; then met his friend who would be head coach. Both are great guys who are not in it to solely win. My buddy is one of the warmest people around and always makes sure to make my boy feel included.

Well I asked him to try to pick my boy when the bottom picks started just to make sure my boy would have coaches who at least recognized him as a human being, not just another body who had no potential and would not be a star.

Was this wrong?

 

[Rockbottom]

Nah. Being a good dad is never a bad thing.

RB

 

[CentralIllinoisan]

Your intentions are noble, so no. You're politicking is alright in my book.

 

[broadway joe]

Agreed. You're just looking out for your son. It's not like you're trying to get some sort of competitive advantage. Nothing wrong with it at all, although someone will probably be along shortly to tell you that there is.

 

[21]

qt--I'm sure you'll get lots of comments about how kids have to learn that everyone doesn't play, everyone doesn't get the ball, etc, and to some extent that's true. But he has plenty of years ahead to learn about that.

Agree with all above...you sound like a caring dad, and it's 5th grade flag football. Maybe a good coach can show him how to improve so you won't have to worry about him in the future.

 

[Dirk Legume]

Hell, how's he gonna get a scholarship if you don't get him on the right team?


(Kidding...Just kidding...you done good dude.)

 

[OnTheRiver]

QT-

You might consider doing some coaching yourself. My sons, frankly, are mediocre baseball players. I coach the younger one's team, and help coach the older one's team. It's the most fun we have all week, and it takes my mind off work for hours at a time.

 

[zagoshe]

As a league coordinator of our local baseball leagues let me tell you this - OntheRiver has the best suggestion of all.

We have to, every single year, BEG parents to get involved with coaching, even to the point where we have started to threaten to not have teams because we have no volunteers and it is getting worse, not better.

I know coaching requires time, commitment and it also requires you to put up with some **** from parents from time to time (though it is not as bad as some people make it out to be) but damn, why is it so hard these days to fill all the volunteer coaching spots.

And I know this is not unique to our organization because I talk to people all over who have the same issues.

 

[OnTheRiver]

I coordinate the younger one's league, so I know about the desperate search for coaches.

But here's the thing: A lot of times, the parents are simply intimidated by the *thought* of being the head coach, but once they get going, they actually enjoy it.

Then they get intimidated by the move to an older league, etc.

It's a tough cycle to break.

Still, I have a ton of fun with the kiddos.

 

[Ace]

A lot of parents can't commit the time to coaching, either.

 

[zagoshe]

A lot of parents can't commit the time to coaching, either.

That is probablty the saddest commentary on our society today -- parents must spend so much time trying to make ends meet that they aren't as involved in things they should be.

And I'm guilty of that some, too, so I am not pointing the fingers but it is so hard to find people who are willing to commit what little free time they might have.

 

[Huggy]

When my son was six he started playing t-ball. He loved his coaches and I wanted him to play for the guys (and with their kids) again. But the baseball people weren't taking requests from parents so we were trying to figure out how this could happen. As the adults were going around in circles, my son piped up and said, "Dad why don't you coach with them?" Problem solved.

My job precludes me from having the time to be the head guy but I have been an assistant on his team's for the last three years. I like it, it's fun to get out with the kids at practice and I have had no problems with parents (again this isn't minor hockey or soccer which produce big problems up here). My kid will be moving to the rep level next year so that'll be the end of my coaching days.

Our local baseball orgainzation is always looking for parents to coach too but some of them have little or no background in the game, and while that doesn't mean you can't coach, some of them make up for their lack of knowledge by yelling at the kids and the umps. Those were the coaches you hoped your kid didn't get (which is another good reason to get involved).

 

[Ace]

A lot of parents can't commit the time to coaching, either.

That is probablty the saddest commentary on our society today -- parents must spend so much time trying to make ends meet that they aren't as involved in things they should be.

And I'm guilty of that some, too, so I am not pointing the fingers but it is so hard to find people who are willing to commit what little free time they might have.

I've done it for several years but it's always tough and you feel the pressure at work. I always envied guys who seemed to be able to be at games or practices no matter when.

 

[RickStain]

"our society today"

We have more time for stuff like that than ever, ever before. When was this idyllic time where parents had more time to coach little league?

 

[zagoshe]

When my son was six he started playing t-ball. He loved his coaches and I wanted him to play for the guys (and with their kids) again. But the baseball people weren't taking requests from parents so we were trying to figure out how this could happen. As the adults were going around in circles, my son piped up and said, "Dad why don't you coach with them?" Problem solved.

My job precludes me from having the time to be the head guy but I have been an assistant on his team's for the last three years. I like it, it's fun to get out with the kids at practice and I have had no problems with parents (again this isn't minor hockey or soccer which produce big problems up here). My kid will be moving to the rep level next year so that'll be the end of my coaching days.

Our local baseball orgainzation is always looking for parents to coach too but some of them have little or no background in the game, and while that doesn't mean you can't coach, some of them make up for their lack of knowledge by yelling at the kids and the umps. Those were the coaches you hoped your kid didn't get (which is another good reason to get involved).

One thing we did do was have a veteran coach, a guy who played in the minor leagues, and really knew baseball and had coached at various levels over the years, come out and have sort of a "coaching" clinic for any volunteer interested in learning some pointers. We - the organization -- paid the guy like $200 or something like that and he spent like three hours talking, demonstrating, teaching -- it was very well received and actually helpful to some of the parents who wanted to coach but didn't have a background in baseball so we're probably going to do it every year.

 

[zagoshe]

"our society today"

We have more time for stuff like that than ever, ever before. When was this idyllic time where parents had more time to coach little league?

Oh I don't know, my dad was home at 4:30 every day and my mom stayed at home and while we weren't rich, we had a very nice life.

People don't do that any more and really it is hard. You are expected to work longer hours, you need a second income and that is just a way of life for us now.

 

[RickStain]

Well, I'll weigh your personal anecdote against the piles of evidence that show average leisure time increasing.

Hmm, it's not quite measuring up.

 

[zagoshe]

Well, I'll weigh your personal anecdote against the piles of evidence that show average leisure time increasing.

Hmm, it's not quite measuring up.

I know, I know, I am making this up to, people don't work longer hours than they used to and two-income families are not more common than they used to be..... :

http://ohioline.osu.edu/flm01/FS20.html

"The National Study of the Changing Workforce, conducted by the Families and Work Institute in 1997 found that jobs have changed over the past twenty years. They consume more energy, are more unpredictable, and require longer hours. In fact, compared to the 1960s, the average worker now spends about six extra 40-hour weeks per year on the job. These increased demands have made managing work and family more difficult for all, including working parents. Work and family balance used to be considered primarily a woman's issue, but men are just as likely to have difficulty managing work and family demands. "

 

[Huggy]

When my son was six he started playing t-ball. He loved his coaches and I wanted him to play for the guys (and with their kids) again. But the baseball people weren't taking requests from parents so we were trying to figure out how this could happen. As the adults were going around in circles, my son piped up and said, "Dad why don't you coach with them?" Problem solved.

My job precludes me from having the time to be the head guy but I have been an assistant on his team's for the last three years. I like it, it's fun to get out with the kids at practice and I have had no problems with parents (again this isn't minor hockey or soccer which produce big problems up here). My kid will be moving to the rep level next year so that'll be the end of my coaching days.

Our local baseball orgainzation is always looking for parents to coach too but some of them have little or no background in the game, and while that doesn't mean you can't coach, some of them make up for their lack of knowledge by yelling at the kids and the umps. Those were the coaches you hoped your kid didn't get (which is another good reason to get involved).

One thing we did do was have a veteran coach, a guy who played in the minor leagues, and really knew baseball and had coached at various levels over the years, come out and have sort of a "coaching" clinic for any volunteer interested in learning some pointers. We - the organization -- paid the guy like $200 or something like that and he spent like three hours talking, demonstrating, teaching -- it was very well received and actually helpful to some of the parents who wanted to coach but didn't have a background in baseball so we're probably going to do it every year.

That's a great idea. I know our organization has a clinic every year but it's geared more towards kids than coaches. There are loads of new Canadians in my neck of the woods and their kids have no idea about baseball.

 

[RickStain]

Your site does a very poor job of proving its point. It makes the assertions, but I'm not seeing a whole lot of evidence.

Try this one on for size:

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Labor/wm1596.cfm