Giving Value to Victory
January 13, 2013
The older I get, the longer I pause over sunsets; and I’ve learned that the sunset with the brightest colors, the greatest variety of colors, the most texture, the most uniqueness – the most character – is the sunset on a partly cloudy evening.
As clouds add character to an early evening sky, so do disappointments add character to a life. And also to that slice of life we call sports.
Without losses in sports, victories are less sweet.
As a player, coach, parent of players and administrator, I’ve come to know with certainty that the experience of defeat is a large part of what gives value to victory.
Parent Problem
October 29, 2013
For years when I have paused in presentations to ask coaches and school administrators to identify the biggest problems we have in school sports, two problems are far most frequently mentioned:
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Too little money; and
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Too many misdirected parents.
Other problems are cited; but far and away, the most frequently mentioned problems are under-funding of programs and over-involvement of parents.
In many aspects of the lives of youth, there is too little parent involvement and direction; but such is not the case in most places when it comes to sports. “Helicopter parents” not only hover, they also seek to rescue their children from the very situations – adversity – that sports uses to teach life lessons.
Parents have no role in decisions regarding playing time and game plans. Should parents ever believe that their child has been put at risk in a sports program, there are prompt and appropriate ways to address those situations, directly and with discretion, not gossip and guile.
And the job description of school administrators today must include the staunch defense of the jobs our committed coaches are doing.