Fun Sucker

Fun suckers is a phrase my son says all the time about those that ruin things for everyone else, some individuals and organizations are imposing their opinion and wills on the others because they believe their option is more important than your. This is happening in almost all facets of life. The local High School has changed most of their Homecoming activities over the years because of a few kids were doing stupid thing. Of course they do a stupid thing that's what kids do. Sports have become less fun and more competitive at a very young age. Many of these fun suckers are parents trying to get an advantage or to relive their childhood dreams through their children. During my early years our pony league baseball games were played only in the summer and then there were eight teams all from the same school, we played each other and almost every kid played. Now there is only one team and they travel all over the state and even the country - many players are chosen for super league teams in the fourth grade. A Sport Illustrated story on www.sportillustrated.com (07/17/07) talked about college coaches recruiting athletes in the eighth grade. One high school's successful football team told its players that if they wanted to be part of their program - basically they had to give up all other sports. We would play every sport at the schoolyard and would beg all kids to show up. A few soccer players in developmental leagues are choosing to not even play high school sports, believing it will hinder their chances to be seen or receive scholarships. Just the super athletes play multiple sports. National media have run many stories about the problem of steroids even in high school athletic programs. Even the game of golf is being tainted with rumors of enhancement drugs, joining cycling, baseball, football, basketball and the greatest of all real sports - professional wrestling. The mentality often is anything to succeed. Then when they don't the fun sucker blame anyone they can. (Parents suing coach and league - because her child hurt himself sliding). It uses to be that sport didn't last all year and were just for fun. For more than twenty years I have coached youth sports teams. This has been from football, basketball and soccer. Some of these fun suckers are so concerned with winning that they will do anything possible to give their kids the advantage. In a few of these coaching years we have been part of a draft to make the teams as fair as possible. Of course a coach should be able to have his own child on their team. I went to one such football draft that the other coach gave his assistants coaches' names so their kids could be part of his team as well All these names were the best player's fathers - but that wasn't the problem I had with the names. Three of the Dad's were helping our team and had been with me when we were deciding whom to pick. The other names were approved and put on his roster, but the fathers never helped coach. But most of this is isn't that important; in our city there is a recreations soccer league. The teams are divided according to the elementary school they attend. Our school has a larger amount of kids that participate. The person in charge of dividing the teams has a daughter the same ago as my daughter and her husband also coaches, for some reason he always has the best players, luck of the draw I'm sure. One year I had the opportunity to coach the 2nd grade girl's soccer team. This was the worse group of soccer players I had ever seen. Only two of the girls had played the first few years and most likely won't play many more. But what happened was one of my greatest coaching experiences. I have a couple of daughters that are good soccer players and help me when they can. We always start with a number of drills to teach the basics and to show the girls where they are supposed to be on the field at any given time. We were having a very difficult time and I was worried that it wouldn't be a good experience for the girls involved. I have said for years that the best way to pick a youth soccer coach is to line all the parents on the side and see who yells the loudest. The yelling should only be directed and letting the girls know where they should be and give encouragement. After the first game lose, by the score of 5-0 with no shots on goal, it became obvious we needed to do something different. Our practices were changed so we could make them fun, because the games weren't going to be. We played dodge ball by kicking the ball and a number of other games. Practices and games always ended in a grass fight and many times a water fight. It took us four games before we scored our first goal, you would have thought we had won the World Series. One little girl ran down the field and started doing back flips. The next few games not only did we score but we started to win. The second to last game we played and beat the first team that we had lost to by five goals. The final score was 2-1 and as we went to give them high fives the coach told us that was the first game they had lost all year. Our beginning five game losing streak we a distant memory. All the training I have received in coaching was contrary to what we had been doing. As we made it fun for the kids they wanted to play harder. The next year we weren't much better, but a couple of our players were put on the director's daughter's team. I guess someone had noticed. It's not only in sports but politics as well. My son ran for student body officer in high school one year and there were multiple kids that spent hundred's if not a thousand dollars on posters, banners with full length color photo's - about half of them hired professional video production companies to do their video's to be shown to the student body. The cost had convinces many great kids that they can't participate in many school activities. My son proudly announced that he had spent $60.00(still more than some kids could afford). He lost the lowest spending title to a young man that spent only $50, I'm glad to report they both young men won their individual election. We had a national presidential candidate come to our small town; it cost a thousand dollars to go to the meeting and more than twice that much to have your picture taken with him. Decisions are made with an attorney and to avoid a lawsuit more that with tradition and what's best for the whole. Many of these things are changed forever as the cost of possible lawsuits or running a campaign makes it impossible for the normal person to participate. Many of the activities we did as children have been replaced by Wii, Play station and many other activities. We spent time on practical jokes that would put my kids in jail. Even toilet papering is considered a crime; well I guess it was then too. In a small town it seems all everyone know each other. One night we were out with a group of our friend's toilet papering someone's house. The reason we got caught is there was about twenty of us. As the police arrived he put four of us in his car - maybe we looked more like criminals than the others. You proceeded to ask us our names. When I gave him mine he had to ask if I was related to the City Judge, whom happened to be my father. He proceeded to ask me what my father would do if he knew what I was doing. He then proceeded to question one of my friends whom father was on the City Council, his reaction was similar and then he went on to the Majors son. He laughed and asked the fourth boy if his dad was a Governor. He then said no one will believe this and sent us on our way. Are we so concerned with the few or the pursuit of making sure our needs are met that we forgot what its like to be a kid and what build the memories and experiences that make us who or what we are.