Lauren MacNeill writes:
The other weekend, as I spent many hours watching my son play sports, I thought about all the hours that the coaches put in for practices and games.
The parents who volunteer to coach their kids’ teams time and time again are really unsung heroes.
After a rough loss at flag football, throwing both a touchdown and then an interception, my son left the field in tears. His Coach — Todd Freemon — noticed, and took the time to come over and have a nice one-on0one chat.
He told him all the things you’d want your kid to be told, including not to take it all on himself. Then he made him laugh about his teammate who left his flags in the port-a-potty during the game.
Todd Freemon, coaching 5th-6th grade flag football.
I know a lot of these dads (and moms) work hard during the week. Then they get out there to manage a group of sometimes unruly kids, not to mention the joys and challenges of coaching your own kid (which my husband knows well).
The coaches do it so that the games can be played and kids can have fun, but more importantly so that they can learn many life lessons about how to win, how to lose, how to be a good teammate and how to keep trying.
Thank you to Todd, and all the parents who take one for the team, and manage our kids with enthusiasm and grace.
Thanks, Lauren. If you’re a youth sports coach — or have been one — you are this week’s Unsung Hero. If you’re not: Hopefully you’ve supported your kid’s coaches in the past!
So true! Great submission!
Nice tribute and a welcome “thank you” to the coaches. The hero of my generation was Bill Meyer, whose unlimited dedication to girls’ softball was an inspiration to all of us dads. Bill showed that we didn’t have to be an all-star player to be a coach to the kids who just wanted to play ball. Our daughters learned a lot, much of which helped them become successful women, as a result of their Westport softball experiences
+1 for Bill Meyer.
+2 for Bill Meyer. I can still hear him calling balls and strikes in his unforgettable voice making even the girls who struck out smile!
+3 for Bill Meyer. He would say “Oh, I’m sorry, that’s strike three honey!” My favorite was “deuces are wild”. My daughter thought he was saying “gooses are wild”. Years later she heard the Yankee announcer say deuces are wild with the count 2 balls, 2 strikes and 2 outs. She immediately mentioned Bill Meyer and finally understood what he was saying. Two”s are wild!
Bill was a wonderful man and I miss him on the RTM, the mentor program and girls sports.
Such a great recognition. Usually we only here the complaints. My husband coached for years and would only hear gratitude from his players. To this day when they see him they still call him coach. Nice to finally hear from a parent. Thank you.