Dear North Hunterdon and Voorhees Parents, Athletes and Community,
Please consider taking 15 minutes and watch the following on Sports Parenting. It’s an excellent video put together by the Connecticut Athletic Association, the Connecticut Athletic Directors Association and the Connecticut Coaches Association. As a parent, I believe you’ll benefit and I think your son or daughter will benefit as well. Click on the video below as a guide on proper parent behavior.
If we may, a comment about officiating and sportsmanship. Good and bad officiating is part of all sports and at all levels. If professional officials cannot get it right all of time, it’s difficult to expect high school officials to get it right all of the time. When they don’t, as a parent we know you want to scream, yell and voice your opinion. We are asking that you refrain from doing this. It’s difficult enough to get officials to work our games and when parents lose control, it only makes matters worse. Please understand that referees are going to make mistakes or see things differently than we do with our inherent bias. We have never seen a referee change a call because of parents yelling from the stands or sidelines. We have seen referees stop the game and have parents removed from the school grounds causing embarrassment to the student-athlete. Many times, we have been asked by referees to address parent behavior which is extremely awkward. We have also seen referees make calls against teams because of player, coach, or fan behavior.
Refereeing high school sports is extremely difficult. Just keep these things in mind during games. Be a vocal, but positive supporter for our teams.
We are the adults and for better or worse, it is up to us as parents to set the example of appropriate behavior at athletic events.
There is current legislation regarding fan and student behavior at athletic events including Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying (HIB). Participation in athletics, like other extra-curricular activities, is a privilege, not a right under New Jersey state law. We believe we do a pretty good job at North and Voorhees and we hope the positive behavior we have exhibited in the past continues. Please click HERE to review the Changing the Game website.
A few reminders regarding our philosophy as Athletic Departments. We believe in open communication with each player on our teams. If a player would like to receive feedback from a coach regarding their strengths/weaknesses as a player and what the coach’s expectations are for that player, we are happy to have that conversation. We just ask the athletes to choose an appropriate time and place to ask for that conversation with the coaches. The middle of a game or practice would not be that time. The conversation should not be simply about playing time. It should be about what that player needs to improve upon and what they do well. For all levels of players, playing time is primarily determined at practice. Each player has the opportunity to compete against and with his peers at practice. From that, coaches make determinations for starting lineups and what a game substitution pattern may need to look like. This pattern can vary from game to game depending on several factors. Playing time is NOT a guarantee for all players. A coach’s strategy during a game is not how to get everybody into the game. It is to manage the game in an appropriate fashion to enable us the best chance for success during the game. Players who do not receive regular playing time need to compete at practice to place themselves in a position to receive the playing time they desire. Our rosters typically have more players on them than what most of our competitors have. We don’t like to have cuts, although sometimes we have to. We do like to provide players the opportunity for growth during practice and when and where appropriate within games as well.
Should there be an issue a parent would like to discuss with a coach, we ask first that the issue be discussed between the player and the coach. This is part of the maturation process we as a staff believe is vital for the proper development of our athletes. If, following that conversation, there is a need for a parent/coach discussion please let the coach know, but also allow for that at an appropriate time and place as well. If these avenues have been pursued, then the Head Coach will arrange a meeting with the Athletic Director.
Regarding practice, the parental observation at practice is not encouraged. There are several reasons for this. We have witnessed parents attempt to observe practices in some sports and actually insert themselves into the practice primarily by attempting to communicate in some way to their child. In some cases, the communication has been extremely negative and embarrassing to the child. In other cases, the presence of the parent provides an unnecessary distraction to the child or team. When student-athletes are together at practice, the focus of the team should be between each other and with the coach directing practice. We appreciate and encourage proper parental support and just ask that it be directed in a manner that is appropriate.
While you may not agree with every decision a coach makes, we ask you to respect our philosophy and process. The coaches strive to help develop your student-athletes both on and off the field. A positive and proper partnership between coaches and parents can assist the appropriate development of our student-athletes in multifaceted ways. We ask for your help in this regard and look forward to a successful and enriching experience. Thank you.
CHEER FOR NORTH HUNTERDON AND VOORHEES – NOT AGAINST OUR OPPONENT, FANS, COACHES OR OFFICIALS. LASTLY, WE WANT ALL STUDENT-ATHLETES TO HAVE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE.
