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Parental Conduct
"We teach more by our actions than
our words!"
At one point during a game, the coach said
to one of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is?
What a team is?" The little girl nodded in the affirmative.
"Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a
team?" The little girl nodded yes.
"So," the coach continued,
"when a strike is called, or you're out at first, you don't argue or
curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all that?" Again
the little girl nodded that she understood.
"Good," said the coach.
"Now go over there and explain it to your parents."
Zero Tolerance
We all enjoy and encourage the parents and
players' friends to come out to watch our kids play ball. Our
association has a policy of Zero Tolerance when it comes to verbal abuse
of our coaches and umpires. During a season, it is understandable
that parents may not always agree with a coaches decision or a call by an
umpire. Every parent has the best player on the team, be it because
of skill, attitude or plain old try. Every player deserves a chance
to play, but not always their favorite position for every inning or for
every game.
If you have a problem with one of the
coach's decisions we urge you to quietly speak to them privately after or
before a game. Should you feel it necessary, after speaking to the
coach, you can escalate your concern and speak to the League
Director for your league. If the League Director does not
satisfy your complaint, please put your position in writing and give it to
the Commissioner.
If you feel an umpire has made an error,
please question your coach for clarification after the game. You
will probably find the reason for the call is correct once you understand
some of the less obvious rules of the game. If you still feel you
have a complaint, you can put your complaint in writing and give it to
your League Director. The director can then forward the complaint to
the Head Umpire. The Head Umpire can correct the umpire for future
games if he feels there was an incorrect interpretation of a rule.
Please remember there are strict rules for protests, and unless the rules
are followed, there may be no recourse except to get an understanding for
future games.
We are all here to have fun. No
matter how easy it looks from the bleachers, many times it is never that
simple on the field. |
