Volunteer coaches deserve cooperation all year long

You’d be amazed at how much time volunteer sports coaches and instructors spend helping our children. Ten or more hours a week working with a program isn’t uncommon for some of these unselfish men and women.

With several practices a week plus games on the weekends, their sacrifices can be huge.

There’s no question about it: Youth baseball, basketball, softball and football take time and commitment, not to mention patience. A coach who’s in charge of a group of 6-year-olds must be parent, babysitter and teacher all rolled into one.

Unfortunately, the scene at any ball field can turn ugly when a dissatisfied parent complains about the lack of playing time or attention their child is getting.

Sometimes a coach will come home from a long day at work and find a phone call waiting from a parent who’s upset that their child wasn’t treated like a star athlete. Some parents stage protests and have even been known to yank their kids off the field in the middle of a game. What’s next, a lawsuit?

Parents, please get a grip.

Our coaches and their assistants give their time freely because they love their sport and care about the kids. It’s also no secret that coaches also want to win and sometimes play favorites, but in the end, most if not all of our youth leaders play fair.

As a parent, you’re not going to admire every coach, but as long as your child is having a positive learning experience, that’s what really matters.

Youth sports help make our community special. Give credit where credit is due: to the volunteer coaches and assistant coaches who make it all possible.

Most importantly, give them some slack so they can do their jobs. Without them, where would our kids be?