Coaches Really Know The Score

Almost every coach has had to deal with unruly parents, from T-ball through high school. And the problem is getting worse. In this era of gender equity, the rogue soccer mom has joined the rogue Little League father in the stands or on the sidelines, second-guessing every move their offspring’s coach makes.

Fortunately, most sports parents aren’t overbearing pains in the, ah … neck. But they can still be nuisances if they don’t understand a coach’s role and philosophy.

Area high school coaches provided insight into their jobs and discussed their rocky relationship with parents Tuesday in a sports feature by Spokesman-Review staff writer Janie McCauley. It ought to be required reading for sports parents.

Above all, parents need to consider the fact that coaching is a profession, like banking, medicine or law - although, at the high school level and below, it pays little or nothing when all the hours on the job are taken into account. Generally, coaches know more about their sport, and the developing skills of their teams, than do 99 percent of the fans. They don’t like being second-guessed any more than a heart specialist would.

Good coaches will stage a preseason forum to discuss their approach to the game, field questions - and spell out what they expect of players and parents. Communication is important on both sides. Once the season begins, coaches should be open to meeting privately with parents who have complaints. The worst thing a parent can do is confront a coach during or immediately after a stirring contest about Johnny or Suzy’s playing time.

“People have become a lot more vocal at inopportune times,” said Jim Bauman, sports psychologist for Washington State University’s athletic teams. “They have their own ideas of the way they think things should be, and they have inappropriate ways of getting their point across.”

Parents shouldn’t try to live their lives through their children. There are lessons to be learned riding a bench, dealing with a demanding coach - and, yes, even losing. Few youngsters get full-ride sports scholarships to go to Notre Dame. Only a handful of college athletes go on to play pro sports. It’s only a game, for goodness’ sake. Parents should encourage their children to try a host of activities and sports, from basketball to chorus, bowling to debate. If a child isn’t tall enough to spike a volleyball, she should be encouraged to try something else. Almost everyone is good at something.