Childrens Sports

[crop/hail]

I'm not really into sports that much, it doesn't interest me hardly at all. I didn't even know who was in the super bowl until on the way to the party at my friends house my wife told me the two teams. Not that I didn't have a good time cooking steaks and having a few cool ones!! That being said, my kids are grade school age and involved in t-ball and girls junior softball. That's fine with me all of their buddies are doing it so they want to and I think that it is good for kids to experience different things and learn teamwork and how to win and lose. My gripe with the whole thing is the PARENTS. We haven't even had the first game yet, the teams were just picked and already I hear moms and dads bithcing about how "little Timmy didn't get on the good team and little Tammy got that dumb azz as a coach". It pizzes me off to no end. its not about them its about the KIDS. In my experience ( which is not much) the kids don't really care they just have a good time which to me is what its all about but then you have dads in the stands yelling at the 4 yr old because he didn't slide into the base and yelling at the coach for not putting his kid as the pitcher. Just a rant :2cents: of mine. What do yall think?

 

[talltimber]

It's a game, until parents get involved. Then it aint nothing but a pia, drama-filled cluster. Hated it.

Luckily for the kids, my wife was very good about getting them to things like that, and eventually 4H and high school rodeos. Kids had a lot of fun.

 

[crop/hail]

I'm ready for 4-H and Rodeo stuff. That's more my thing unfortunately they aren't quite old enough for that.

 

[M-5]

I coached and umpired (youth to highschool) for about 15yrs. I can count on 1 hand how many times I had kid problems on the field. It got to one point at one school in particular that before the game started I would explain to the parents that if they didn't like the way the game was being called they could dislike it from the parking lot. I cant even count how many coaches and parents I ejected over the yrs.

 

[shaneb]

I know exactly what you are saying. I have coached recreation sports for 8 plus years now and I cannot stand parents. I want to win more than anything as a person but if I as a coach do not teach those kids something about life and sports, I have lost already. When I sit down and look at the list of players during the draft, I pick parents not players. It helps from not having to deal with the drama and then you can have a good season of teaching and learning. Winning will come but teaching comes first.

 

[Bigfoot]

We passed on sports. No team activity appeals to me. I like individual sports. Much less crap to deal with. We chose rodeo. Mine started rodeo at age 5. Check in to it.

 

[crop/hail]

we have what's called "play days" here. Its kids rodeo and they have goat tying ribbon racing etc. Im gonna try to get them involved in that this summer. They'll have to ride my cow horse though. Other that being a prick to catch, he's pretty even tempered!!

 

[Dave]

My "kids" (the youngest is now 30) played every sport except ice hockey. And I coached most of them. I agree with the earlier statement about drafting parents. I also had parent meetings very early on with no kids present and laid things out to the parents on how they were to behave. I did that in no uncertain terms. We are here to teach the kids and for them to have fun. I will always put each individual in the best position for them to succeed. It is Ok to groan a little if a close call goes the other way. But that groan should and will be followed by positive, encouraging words to the kid who got thrown out not cussing at the ump. If you think you can avoid the parent thing by going with 4-H or Jr rodeo I have some sad news for you. Parents were just as bad at those activities. Maybe worse. As a coach I had some control over the parents. I guess a 4-H leader could exercise some control over parents but I never witnessed it and rodeo their is nobody who has control over parents. In 4-H and rodeo it is generally the parents who can afford to spend the most who have kids who win.

 

[TexasBred]

I'm not really into sports that much, it doesn't interest me hardly at all. I didn't even know who was in the super bowl until on the way to the party at my friends house my wife told me the two teams. Not that I didn't have a good time cooking steaks and having a few cool ones!! That being said, my kids are grade school age and involved in t-ball and girls junior softball. That's fine with me all of their buddies are doing it so they want to and I think that it is good for kids to experience different things and learn teamwork and how to win and lose. My gripe with the whole thing is the PARENTS. We haven't even had the first game yet, the teams were just picked and already I hear moms and dads bithcing about how "little Timmy didn't get on the good team and little Tammy got that dumb azz as a coach". It pizzes me off to no end. its not about them its about the KIDS. In my experience ( which is not much) the kids don't really care they just have a good time which to me is what its all about but then you have dads in the stands yelling at the 4 yr old because he didn't slide into the base and yelling at the coach for not putting his kid as the pitcher. Just a rant :2cents: of mine. What do yall think?

Been this way since long before I was a child in sports. Sometimes I think parents should be banned and allow the kids to be taught. Apparently it's too late for most parents.

 

[greybeard]

And, too many parents trying to live their youth over again, vicariously, thru their kids' sports activities.
I don't give 2 hoots about soccer, but I can watch local kids play Little League baseball all day long............... and sometimes do.

 

[bmoore87]

I used to volunteer referee when in school for young kids and grade school games and it was bad (have even seen people escorted out by the police). Finally had a game for fifth graders where one of the teams, theirs parents and coachs were swearing and yelling the whole game. I was a highschooler and had to keep telling the parents to shut up and stay off the court. Thats when I decided it wasn't worth it and quit refereeing.

Hasn't held to just sports have seen quite a bit of stock shows where one parent or another turns into a idiot when their kid doesn't place where they thought they should have.

Its sad because the only way the kids will probably even remeber something from these games when they get older is if their parent was acting like a big enough a$$ to get ejected from it.

 

[bse]

My 2 girls played from 4yrs old through there 2nd yr of college. Softball and basketball until high school then just basketball. I enjoyed every minute of it. Wouldn't trade the good times and folks I met for anything.
I coached some, but always had an understanding with parents, they could leave, only 1 time I ever had any issues that resulted in getting thrown out, umpire made a horrible call, I told him my thoughts and moved on warming the team up between innings, the umpire came into the outfield told me I needed to ask a parent to leave or he would throw me out, simply told him it wasn't my place to remove someone I was busy with the team, after that me and the parent had to go, but in the end it was his last game as a umpire.

 

[Bigfoot]

I must have needed money like the world needs love when I was in college. I used to umpire softball games (I hate sports btw). It was industrial league for men, and teenage girls. I think it paid $20 a game. I seen, and heard stuff I'll never forget. I had people lay and wait for me in the parking lot.

I'll judge several rodeos in a years time. I can only remember a cross word on two occasions. The judges decision is considered final at a rodeo. For some reason, at a softball game, everybody thinks the umpires decision is open for debate.

They usually get me to umpire a tournament once a year. I always donate my time, and I dread it all year.