B2-Sunday News, October 12, 1980

Sport

QUITTING PART Ii

side-lines

by Andy Fraser

Things are never quite as simple as they seem.
For example, last week's column on quitting,
unpleasant as it was, appeared rather straight
forward. But as is so often the case, only the tip of

the iceberg was visible.

During this past week I
have been hearing from a
few parents of children who
play, not only for the team in
question, but for other teams
in the league.

And the tales they have
been telling have created, in
me, a high level of concern
for this particular program.

First of all, all the parents
who called were most upset
at my taking “shots” at the
coach, whom they described
as a hard working, long
suffering, kind and patient
man who enjoys working
with the kids. These parents
all said that the coach was
working against umpossible
odds

They went on to describe
the particular game as one
where his team had only 11
players to start the game

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con.

including a 12 year old while
the opposition had more
than twice as many players
with a considerable number
of 16 year olds.

They said this disparity of
players was a regular oc-
currence in the league which
they have been trying,
without success, to rectify,
and that most parents felt
that in the interests of safety
for the kids. the game
had to be halted.

Injuries during the game
had further reduced the 11
man roster, and the score
was considerably worse than
what had been reported to us
by the league.

I was told that scores are
fabricated to this paper to
keep the league from
looking too out of balance
and to keep the kids from

The lesser of evils

feeling bad. A weird and
convoluted logic.

Frustrated and angry
parents expressed concem
over the inflexibility of team
boundaries which means
that some areas do not have
the children to draw on to
make teams competitive.

These same parents spoke
of the kids on some of the
teams who go out week after
week knowing that they are
going to be decimated, yet
they turn up week after week
for their practices along with
some very dedicated
coaches.

They tell of kids trying to
cover up injuries so they will
not leave their teams
shorthanded.

They tell of attempts of
parents to have league
meetings regularly to redress
the imbalance but with no
reply from the executive.

What they have said is a
sad commentary on a sports
program which, if these
Statements are correct, ts

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PART ii

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vastly missing the mark.

Minor sport is for the kids.
Not the parents, not the
coaches, not the league. Just
the kids. It is sad and up-
setting that a coach feels that
in order to protect his
players that he has to pull
them out of a game.

If what these parents have
been saying is fact, then I
can accept the point that the
coach was in a “damned if
you do, damned if you don't”
position. It is aot right that
this type of situation has
developed to place the coach,
and the kids, in this totally
untenable position where the
lesser of two evils must be
used.

Should they stay on the
field totally outnumbered
and play with young kids
who could easily be injured,
or should they pull out and
be accused of quitting?

It is a position where
nobody wins, least of all the
kids who must be totally
frustrated and discouraged
while attempting to play a
game in a league which was
set up for them to have fun.

Where the fun and the
positive learning experience
dies, even if for only one
team, then the program is in
trouble.

What I have heard this
past week has not been
encouraging. It can only be
hoped that the two sides in
this league can get together
before it is too late. Or
perhaps it should all be

turned over to the kids.

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