OT: For once I can agree with a Poutineville columist.

[Fenway]

Todd is the CHB of Montreal anglo print media, but he is 100% dead on with this about parents

Jack Todd: Your kids in minor sports? Here are some rules

It wasn’t a video clip you would want to show on Mother’s Day: I happened to be at the arena, so I lingered to watch a friend’s son play in a lower-level minor hockey game with nine- and 10-year-olds out for a little fun, exercise and team bonding on a weekend morning.

The teams were badly matched. The locals were smaller and slower. The visitors scored early and often — and each time they did, a group of six or eight mothers blasted the deafening air horns they all carried.

The local boys hung their heads after every goal. With those air horns blasting, it looked as though they wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ice and disappear.

I don’t recall the final score. It was something like 12-3, or 10-2, or 8-1. It hardly matters. What matters is that at the end of the game, with the teams heading off, the mothers with the air horns lined up along the glass.

The mothers got up as close to the glass as they could — and blasted the air horns in the faces of the boys on the losing team as they filed off the ice.

It was as egregious an instance of poor sportsmanship as I have ever seen — and I’ve seen plenty. Heck, I’ve even been responsible for a few — I’m not exonerating myself. When you have children playing sometimes violent contact sports, you get emotional.

But mothers lining up to blast the losing team with air horns? That’s a whole new level of appalling behaviour. I’ve mentioned this incident before, but it came back to me last week when I stumbled on a clip of University of South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin talking about sports and parents.

Click to read more...

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Hockey parents embarrass me. It can be an emotional game, and because it's their kid, they generally seem to take everything personally. They'll yell idiotic remarks at opposing players/parents/fans just because their kid got caught with a good solid hit. This particular situation disappoints me, but I can't say I am surprised.

Watching any level of high school game with physicality is unbearable because you have parents shrieking who simply do not understand the rules and the way the game is, and seem either uninterested or incapable of learning. No one is going light on your kid because it's your kid.

It's a general complaint toward society, I suppose. But it irks me.

 

[McGarnagle]

When I was in undergrad I worked as a scorekeeper/clock operator at a local hockey rink as a part time job to make some extra money. Parents were easily the worst part of it.

It's 6 AM on a Saturday, your kid is 7, stop yelling at the f***ing ref and shut up.

No one cares if the ref missed a hook, Karen. Put your air horn away.

 

[Bruinaura]

Todd is the CHB of Montreal anglo print media, but he is 100% dead on with this about parents

Jack Todd: Your kids in minor sports? Here are some rules

It wasn’t a video clip you would want to show on Mother’s Day: I happened to be at the arena, so I lingered to watch a friend’s son play in a lower-level minor hockey game with nine- and 10-year-olds out for a little fun, exercise and team bonding on a weekend morning.

The teams were badly matched. The locals were smaller and slower. The visitors scored early and often — and each time they did, a group of six or eight mothers blasted the deafening air horns they all carried.

The local boys hung their heads after every goal. With those air horns blasting, it looked as though they wanted nothing more than to dig a hole in the ice and disappear.

I don’t recall the final score. It was something like 12-3, or 10-2, or 8-1. It hardly matters. What matters is that at the end of the game, with the teams heading off, the mothers with the air horns lined up along the glass.

The mothers got up as close to the glass as they could — and blasted the air horns in the faces of the boys on the losing team as they filed off the ice.

It was as egregious an instance of poor sportsmanship as I have ever seen — and I’ve seen plenty. Heck, I’ve even been responsible for a few — I’m not exonerating myself. When you have children playing sometimes violent contact sports, you get emotional.

But mothers lining up to blast the losing team with air horns? That’s a whole new level of appalling behaviour. I’ve mentioned this incident before, but it came back to me last week when I stumbled on a clip of University of South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin talking about sports and parents.

There are some seriously psycho people out there.

On the bright side, go to this website and you will feel better.

The Miracle League

I have friends who have a son who is on a miracle league team. His little brother and friends are on their own little league or travel ball clubs, but they also go to Will's games and help him bat and run the bases. I love when his mom posts the videos. There are still plenty of decent people out there too.

 

[GlenFeatherstone]

Parents ruin it for kids.

 

[Bruinaura]

I played field hockey in high school in the late 80s. If there were ever any crazy parents, I never noticed them. Then again... field hockey was not exactly the most popular sport. I don't think half the parents even understood it.

 

[Rumpy]

I’ve typed two different responses and decided to go with the “if you don’t have anything good to say” rule.

 

[Fenway]

I was an umpire in Little League - the parents made me quit.

 

[Ned Bouhalassa]

Fun fact #1: the writer, Jack Todd, is an American.
Fun fact #2: he is featured in Ken Burns’ Vietnam documentary series.
Fun fact #3: has a soft spot for the Bs.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

I was an umpire in Little League - the parents made me quit.

same, umped in high school and quit because i got sick of it being my fault little Johnny struck out when he couldnt hit a beach ball with a tennis racket.

It's pathetic that most little leagues need to hang some variation of this sign at their fields now:

 

[Dr Hook]

Soccer parents- my daughter had a playoff final game in San Antonio a few years ago in which the Sheriff's dept. had to station a deputy between the two sets of parents to prevent further fistfights and screaming matches. This was the worst of pretty regular bad behavior week in and week out. Embarrassing stuff to watch.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

I would coach some pretty good players to the point we would go to Victoriaville during SB weekend. The kids loved it and 60% of the parents loved it. It was that 40% that made coaching unbearable at times.

We would regularly have practices on Sunday mornings at BC ( not bad ). after a scimage vs what was once the metro league one of our parents went into the locker room during the game and threw our files and game sheets all over the room and poured water in a few coaches bags, Why ? her kid was not playing on the first line that day.

Another time a mom threatened to call the police because I grabbed the arm to prevent the player from stepping on the ice when we had a full compliment of player in play.

I quite that day and fielded dozens of calls to return. I missed it but I became a full time hockey dad that loved to see his kid play against and with some very high end players over the years and had the pleasure of seeing my son play in many Canadian cities over the years.

I regret to this day for walking away because I knew the Kids where learning and mostly having fun and I loved doing it but the crazy parents made it to risky. And me being a Dad first was the most important thing to my 4 kids. To have been threatened by a parent like that was eye opening and to much of a risk to volunteer anymore of my time so it ended.

Coaches are needed so be kind.

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Despicable..

 

[Chief Nine]

same, umped in high school and quit because i got sick of it being my fault little Johnny struck out when he couldnt hit a beach ball with a tennis racket.

It's pathetic that most little leagues need to hang some variation of this sign at their fields now:

My son used to play soccer when he was younger and I remember one game where the assistant coach on his team (who's son was as arrogant and jerky as he was) was really laying into the young girl (probably about 15 years old) who was refereeing the game. She came by where I was standing and in tears looked over and said "I'm doing the best I can"

I'll never forget the look on her face

There were some other parents near me from the team my son's team was playing who were just as disgusted as I was. I told her that I was a parent of that team and to ignore the ignoramus coach who was riding her. It was really sickening to watch an adult do that to a young kid.

The only saving grace was the head coach was a really nice guy and was great with the kids but I guess he couldn't keep the loudmouth quiet on the sidelines

 

[NSBruinFan]

I coached high school hockey for a number of years. One year I had three Fathers out to get me (ice time/more PP issues). They would wait for me to enter the rink and scream at me while I walked to the dressing room. One kid would not come to practice until he got more ice time. I said, "come to practice, play hard, and earn it!". He held out. So I suspended him from the team. The kid who wanted more PP time left the bench in the middle of a game. He got suspended from the team as well. The Dads still came to the rink to yell at me, even with their kids not playing. The great thing was the team got hot, and won ten straight. I know the Dads were waiting for a loss so they could really come at me. PP kid asked to get back on the team. I made him explain to his team mates why he left, and why he should come back. Then had players vote on if we should take him back. Team voted to take him back. (Dad was the big issue not the kid). Kid who was holding out for more ice time... well he never came back....His Dad threw his jersey in my face! I love coaching, but that sort of crap is too much. Oh, and the third kid was my first cut the next year....his grade 12 year. Nothing sets the tone in tryouts like cutting a returning grade 12 first cut. Nice kid, but younger guys were better, and I did not want to deal with his Dad for another year.

I also ref hockey. You quickly learn to not pay attention to the nutty parents and coaches. But, I know a lot of younger refs only last a year or two.

 

[BMC]

Parents ruin it for kids.

True and not just in hockey.

 

[easton117]

My son used to play soccer when he was younger and I remember one game where the assistant coach on his team (who's son was as arrogant and jerky as he was) was really laying into the young girl (probably about 15 years old) who was refereeing the game. She came by where I was standing and in tears looked over and said "I'm doing the best I can"

I'll never forget the look on her face

There were some other parents near me from the team my son's team was playing who were just as disgusted as I was. I told her that I was a parent of that team and to ignore the ignoramus coach who was riding her. It was really sickening to watch an adult do that to a young kid.

The only saving grace was the head coach was a really nice guy and was great with the kids but I guess he couldn't keep the loudmouth quiet on the sidelines

If there’s one thing in life I miss most from my sporting career, it is whistling rockets into the opposing teams spectator benches when they got uppity.

Hell I launched one at my own mother once.

Unfortunately kids can’t do that. Keep a list though children. You’ll be bigger someday.

 

[BNHL]

Time to ban ALL parents from attending.

 

[mjhfb]

I remember a visiting college coach telling me that his job was so much easier than a youth coach.
He only saw the parents twice - when the player signed and when they graduated.

 

[Nothingbutglass]

My son used to play soccer when he was younger and I remember one game where the assistant coach on his team (who's son was as arrogant and jerky as he was) was really laying into the young girl (probably about 15 years old) who was refereeing the game. She came by where I was standing and in tears looked over and said "I'm doing the best I can"

I'll never forget the look on her face

There were some other parents near me from the team my son's team was playing who were just as disgusted as I was. I told her that I was a parent of that team and to ignore the ignoramus coach who was riding her. It was really sickening to watch an adult do that to a young kid.

The only saving grace was the head coach was a really nice guy and was great with the kids but I guess he couldn't keep the loudmouth quiet on the sidelines

I have exact same story except it was the coach's wife. 1st playoff game she made the ref cry with her abuse. 2nd game she was banished to the stands and still wouldn't shut up. We basically told him if she was there next game we were taking kids home.

Not sure when parents started turning wacko. I can almost slightly understand the hockey parent stress because of the cost and time commitment, in my area at least, but what are we doing when were flipping out about rec league soccer and baseball.

The other thing was half these kids were playing in multiple leagues in multiple sports in the same season. This kid has to pitch this game, because next game he has hockey tournament or he can only pitch 50 pitches in your playoff game because he has some regional tournament later in the week. Feck that. Either show up and be a part of team or stay home. My coaching career was short as well.

 

[Chief Nine]

I have exact same story except it was the coach's wife. 1st playoff game she made the ref cry with her abuse. 2nd game she was banished to the stands and still wouldn't shut up. We basically told him if she was there next game we were taking kids home.

Not sure when parents started turning wacko. I can almost slightly understand the hockey parent stress because of the cost and time commitment, in my area at least, but what are we doing when were flipping out about rec league soccer and baseball.

The other thing was half these kids were playing in multiple leagues in multiple sports in the same season. This kid has to pitch this game, because next game he has hockey tournament or he can only pitch 50 pitches in your playoff game because he has some regional tournament later in the week. Feck that. Either show up and be a part of team or stay home. My coaching career was short as well.

Yeah I coached my son when he played T ball but after that I could see what was happening so I decided that wasn’t for me. It’s really sad because there are lots of good parents who would gladly give up their free time to coach and mentor these kids but with the crap that they have to deal with these days it’s just not worth it. Sad part is that the kids who would benefit most from a good coach lose out in most cases

 

[Dr Hook]

I umpired in little league for about 6 weeks when I was in high school- I quit because I took too much shit from parents. I was 14 years old, umping 9-10 year olds and you'd have thought it was the World Series. I have looked into coaching soccer- got a couple USSF licences and all, but never went through with it because of all the BS that goes on on the sidelines. It isn't worth it.

 

[Glove Malfunction]

I actually was one of those parents. Always yelling at refs for missed calls, perceived bad calls, etc. Then I decided that I could do a better job and put my money where my mouth was and became a ref. I learned it's much harder when you're on the ice, trying to watch 12 players at once, all while they're continually getting in your sight lines. I like to think I'm a better than average ref, but I still miss a call, or make a soft one. And yes, I hate hearing it from the parents. I'm usually OK with dealing with coaches, though there is the occasional nutjob. But man, parents think they own the damn rink. I've also coached (baseball, soccer and hockey) and was lucky enough to have parents who didn't try to run the show. I've heard plenty of horror stories though.

 

[Fenway]

I know of one rink in suburban Chicago that doesn't allow ANYONE to watch games in person but instead televises them to the coffee shop/bar and it seems to be working.

Remember what happened in Reading almost 20 years ago?

 

[JRull86]

I was an umpire in Little League - the parents made me quit.

I reffed TOWN soccer on weekends my senior year of high school. I got into a screaming match with a parent who had been a complete ass all game, and went home at halftinr. Haven't had any interest in coaching or officiating youth sports since.