parents from certain teams, take 2

[lancer]

I enjoyed reading the other thread but I had a different kind of parent encounter...

Last night was the final of the Crown City Tournament under the Coronado Bridge. My DD's team was playing a local San Diego Club. Being a local tournament, their sideline was overflowing, vocal and supportive. It was a good match, fairly equal. My DDs team went up 2- 0 in the first half, and maintained their lead to win.

After the match, a father from the other team walks over to our parents to compliment our kids on the level and style of play and congratulate our parents on their DD's win.

That's the kind of sportsmanship that would make club soccer better for our kids.

 

[ItsCalledSoccer]

Great stuff! However this post will get less attention and comments because it's a positive post and that's hard for some people! Ha!

 

[watfly]

I enjoyed reading the other thread but I had a different kind of parent encounter...

Last night was the final of the Crown City Tournament under the Coronado Bridge. My DD's team was playing a local San Diego Club. Being a local tournament, their sideline was overflowing, vocal and supportive. It was a good match, fairly equal. My DDs team went up 2- 0 in the first half, and maintained their lead to win.

After the match, a father from the other team walks over to our parents to compliment our kids on the level and style of play and congratulate our parents on their DD's win.

That's the kind of sportsmanship that would make club soccer better for our kids.

In the last five years of my son's games I can think of only one team where the parents were out of control (well actually two if you count the one and only Mexican League game that my son guested in). On the flip side, I can think of dozens of times the other team complimented our boys or we have complimented their boys. Sure, it's not uncommon to hear some short-lived chirping at ref's calls but that's about the extent of it. We're either lucky or I'm oblivious to the epidemic of out-of-control sidelines that gets mentioned here so often. Quite frankly I'm too focused on the game to pay attention to what the opposing parents are doing, and I couldn't care less. If parents want to act like idiots that's on them and it doesn't phase my son one bit when its directed at him. Now in the spirit of full disclosure I've "shooshed" some parents on our team and I been "shooshed" a few times myself. The managers' on our teams have always been good about settling our parents down if there has ever been an issue.

My experience has been that the vast majority of parents appreciate a well played game whether it was by their team or the other team.

 

[jpeter]

Parents are competitive and sometimes that goes down to the "us vs them" mentality and they forget the games are about the players.

When my kids have played on one off or limited duration travel or tournament teams with kids mixed in from different clubs or areas they all seem to get along very well and the former rival parents all of sudden make piece and find a new found respect for one & other.

We have seen more negative stuff vs postive over the years and it's almost a instinctive territorial thing for some but it is really nice when the kids get compliments for anybody in a positive manner.

We had a Ussda game one season where the opposing team forfeited before half because the coach couldn't control himself and the center ref ended the game. We felt really bad for the players & parents, some of them traveling long distance. We found another ref who happen to be attending and they play another scrimmage game, all of sudden both teams lossen up and the game was fun for both sides and very postive even from the sidelines.

Youth sports is taken too serious IMO and we tend to focus on the results vs the journey or process more and forget to relax, take a deepth breath and enjoy the moments, we're all the same it's not "us vs them"

 

[futboldad1]

We had a Ussda game one season where the opposing team forfeited before half because the coach couldn't control himself and the center ref ended the game.

That is crazy. Boys USSDA I'm assuming as it sounded like a few years ago?

For the record, I've had much more positive experiences than negative. My kids have received compliments and I've handed plenty out. Only a couple of times have I needed to talk to one of my fellow parents and that was polite and always about coaching kids other than their own (not that parents should be coaching their own either).

 

[younothat]

What kids think of their how parents watch their sporting events.

Soccer parents say...

The recording and videos kind of speak for themselves, normally listen to music if I watching one of my kids games either live or online.

A Day in the Life of a Youth Soccer Player

 

[Definitelynotanotherref]

Great stuff! However this post will get less attention and comments because it's a positive post and that's hard for some people! Ha!

We can only pat each other on the back for so long until it gets boring. It becomes a monologue. Throw some verbal punches and controversy and then we get a dialogue. But good on those parents. Doesn't neutralize the bad moments though, just makes us long for them that much more.