A conversation in the office this afternoon sparked an idea for this week's blog. While I should be writing a paper for my class I decided to instead grab an ice cold beer and write about how youth sports would play out if I were in charge of things. I will look at it from a variety of different perspectives.
The Kid
First of all the kid is the most important part of this process because it is all about them. I don't think any parent should force their kid to do something they don't want to do. I am OK with them trying to get them to try something out to see if they like it but if they say they don't then don't force it. I also hate money being involved with kids. If it were up to me I would get rid of all the AAU organizations, eliminate fees to play and ban paying coaches for anyone under the age of 13. Once they get to high school you can get your greedy hands on them but before that let them have some fun.
The Coach
The coach should be a volunteer. It should be a parent or a person who loves the sport and has a little free time to help out in afternoons and on the weekend. As a coach the rules would be:
1: During the season every kid gets a chance to start
2: Equal playing time for all kids
3: Each kid gets to play in every game
4: You teach the fundamentals and don't drill them into the ground
5: Never yell at a child on the team
6: Make sure the kids have fun by playing games at practice and joking around
I took this approach when I was a coach back in the day. I am proud to say I retired with a perfect record in my career as a head coach. I was 12-0 and knew that it was the right time to call it quits. I led the Lopez Elementary 4th and 5th grade girl's basketball teams to 6-0 records each. I would like to point out that one of my star 4th graders, Paige Applegate, went on to average 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals per game in 2009-10 at Rocky Mountain H.S. On the other hand I am depressed that she has now graduated from high school.
Here is a picture of my two unbeatable squads in the Fort Collins recreation league
The Dad
My version of the dad would be really laid back. In fact all of the dads would not care about the outcome of the game. They would all hang out together and cheer on their kid but wouldn't put any pressure on them at all. I remember in high school when the dads all parked their trucks along the fence on each side of the field and some would sit on the tailgate and watch the baseball game. I think if they should all bring a six pack and just chill in the stands, drinking beer and talking about women and sports. There would never be any fighting or yelling at players, coaches and officials.
The Mom
Don't hate me ladies for writing this but I would make sure the moms take turns each week bringing snacks and juice boxes for the kids. Every game becomes like a little kids birthday party. The moms all did this for my teams and it was amazing. They even chipped in to buy me a gift card after the season for volunteering. During the games the moms could sit around and talk about American Idol or Dancing With the Stars and decide who the Bachelor or Bachelorette is going to give the boot.
The Venue
People should chip in to take care of fields and gyms so kids would have a free place to go and play but when I was growing up we didn't need any of this. My buddies and I would get 10 guys together and head to the park with a nerf football. We spent hours playing out there and having fun. During recess at school we either played football or kickball for the most part. Most of the kids joined in be it girls or boys and we all had a blast. We weren't seven years old, paying $500 for a personal quarterback coach and several thousands more going around the country to play in basketball tournaments all summer long. Instead our parents were buying us snack packs with that money and teaching us good values and about hard work while letting us be kids and have fun.
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