Thursday, June 05, 2008

Let There Be Justice

I'll be damned if there isn't justice in this world after all.

I really don't have a lot of time, so here it is in a nutshell. Last night only four more parents showed at the Soccer Board meeting (besides us), so our numbers weren't strong. But I think it intimidated the competition because he shook hands with the board president and said, "I think it's for the best." So it was no contest. My man got the job. Now Coachzilla will be a coach like any other, not only lacking control over player placement, but now she has an enemy in the captain's chair. We'll see what kind of coach she is with a normal team of kids—which may just work out in her favor, she being an excellent skills coach.

Towards the end of the meeting, and right before the elections, the president asked if anyone had any observations about the past season, things they would like to see changed. When nobody offered anything up, I said, "Ok, I think there needs to be more parity in the league. There's clearly a handful of teams that have all the talented players—"

Coachzilla interrupted. "Oh, like there hasn't been any effort to balance teams!"

I felt my face turning red. It's a flaw of mine. But I pressed on. "I realize that there has been some effort," I partially lied here to keep it clean, "but—"

"You have no idea how I have busted my ass to make this league right," she screamed.

Another parent, "Coachzilla, you need to let him finish a sentence."

"But he's accusing me of—"

"Nobody is accusing you of anything, Coachzilla," another voice chimed in.

"There are a couple teams that are really struggling," I continued, "such as Coach D and Coach…" I drew a blank.

"DON'T NAME NAMES, SCOTT!" She was getting shrill.

"Coachzilla," another parent chimes in, "you need to calm down."

I continue. "I'm not here make accusations, my only interest is making a set of teams that are roughly equal so that on any given Saturday they might win. Nobody is getting steamrolled, and no one is mowing."

"Oh, and I suppose we should just ignore parent requests then," Coachzilla supplied. "What do you do when a parent doesn't want to play on someone's team? Huh?"

"You tell them," I said, "that you will take that request into account when you make your final roster decisions, that although you respect their wishes, your first priority is to the kids, that creating equal teams fosters a better and more friendly environment for all."

More guffawing and jawing and huffing and puffing etc.

"Listen," I said, "by the time the kids are 8, we as coaches have spent three years with them. After peewee, we sorta know who the players are, U6 even more so, but by U8, there is absolutely no excuse to have overloaded teams."

This went on for some time, and I rarely got to finish a sentence, and what you see above is my reconstruction of a lot of bickering, so it wasn't all so smooth. But a few voices from the board, voices I have known and didn't think supported my way of thinking, spoke up that night. From now on, before a new season begins, all the returning coaches will get together and talk about rosters and what can be done to equal things out.

And no more parent requests.

Ahhhhh.

So a major victory was scored by the good guys last night. No more nepotism in this league. I have to give a special thanks to my wife who made all the phone calls, who organized our strike, who got me going on the path. Last night I discovered that if I keep my head and speak my mind, that others actually do listen and respond. Who'da thunk?

17 comments:

Kim said...

Good for you!!

Me said...

Aw, that's my Scott!!!!!

Coachzilla showed her ass in that meeting. She totally and utterly played herself. HURRAHHH!!!!

And a special "Hells Yes" to the Mrs.!! Behind every great man is the loving Queen who holds it down in his heart.

Now THAT is a team!

Minnesotablue said...

BYE BYE Coach Godzilla! And Yahoo to your wife!

Hoodie said...

This whole scenario has been fascinating for me to read about. It's a good thing you didn't use real names or Coachzilla might end up with a few flaming poos on her doorstep, no?

I'm happy to hear that justice has been served.

Dixie Belle said...

I am so glad for your league. She needed to be replaced. I hope next season will be a great one for you and all the kids!

Scott said...

Thanks everybody for the well wishes. I would never use her real name. There's enough trouble already.

Sarah Hina said...

I'm so glad you stood your ground, Scott! It sounds like everyone had your back, and realized who had the truth on his side.

Way to fight for those kids! :)

Scott said...

It feels pretty darn good, Sarah!

Toni Anderson said...

Well done, Scott. You got everything you wanted. Maybe all the anx will have been worth it for the kids' futures as brilliant soccer players :) and sportsmen(and women)

Tera said...

Way to go Scott!!! I hate when that happens...it's starting to be a trend in the basketball league my kids plays for. One coach knows all the good players, picks them all each year, and wins the tournaments, and I don't think that's fair. You have inspired me to speak up :)

Scott said...

Toni, I definitely think it was all worth it.

Tera - Well just be very careful. This has been going on for a couple years, and a lot of people have complained. It wasn't until I brought it to the attention of the board that it made any difference. Make sure you go to the right people. You might also get a coach or two on your side as well. I really feel for you if the fight is just beginning. But as you can see, there really can be a happy ending.

The Zombieslayer said...

Ha ha!

BAM!

I was smiling the whole time reading this one. It's funny how one voice speaks, and the others that have traditionally been silent have the courage to agree.

That's what it's all about, my friend. You'll be surprised how many people agree with you when you speak your mind.

So, it's totally apparent now that there was a silent majority that was unhappy with Coachzilla. Funny thing is, I was getting an image in my head as I was reading this blog post that horns will start appearing on Coachzilla's head.

Anonymous said...

Good job, keeping your head!

Beth said...

Your wife is a good woman. I pray your children never play high school sports, Scott. I don't think you'll be able to handle it emotionally. lol

Beth said...

Oh, and Coachzilla, that was karma. Hopefully she learns from this instead of being more negative. It's not like she wants to be a bad person. She just needs to learn from these lessons.

Scott said...

Zombie - I have to remember to keep my head, and it pays to have the right motivations or they are quickly exposed. I'm surprised Coachzilla didn't attack my motivations in the meeting. I suppose not attacking hers might have had something to do with it, but I wasn't going to be goaded into doing so.

Kathie - That's a big ten-four!

Beth - You might be right, but I think I won't be a passive observer. I will get as involved as I can to make sure people like Coachzilla don't take advantage of the apathy most people have. Nobody likes rocking the boat, and there are people very skilled at swooping in on them.

And I agree. I don't think Coachzilla is a bad person, or intends to be. Or is that the Pollyanna in me? I'm not sure. She defintitely needs to learn to step back and not be so defensive. Her support collapsed around her ears, and she was totally out of control. Lose your head and it's over. I've got to remember that!

Me said...

Wait now, Beth...Scott doesn't have to actually coach his kids in high school sports. Let the old man revel in his kids' athletic prowess on the high school fields! :-) If either Jackson or Emmett don a highschool uniform--it won't be the sports opponents that Scott will have to be concerned about--it'll be the dozens of cheerleaders chasing them all over the field! It's them good 6'4" genes, dontcha know! lol!