Reflection Paper

The second practice we went straight to work. Coach Andy made us run as well as tackling drills. It was during one of these tackling drills that Mike had gotten injured. One of the team members had accidentally hit Mike’s elbow with his helmet. Mike was in severe pain and the coach insisted he keep doing push ups. I went over to Mike and tried to talk to him but he was in too much pain to even hold a conversation. Eventually, the coach realized he was injured and sent him to the bench. The next day, Mike was in an arm sling and was forced to quit the season.

As Christmas break approached, the team faced what was going to be our biggest challenge of all. Due to his new job, our coach now took the title of “assistant” and we were given a new head coach. The coaches were, and are, good friends, but have totally different coaching styles. The first was laid back and carefree with a great sense of humor, which made him well liked by everyone he coached. The new coach had a reputation for being arrogant, strict, and having a no-tolerance policy when it comes to joking around. Because of this perspective some girls held of our new coach, many were upset with the change. After we attended a tournament over the break, however, the girls realized that they had been wrong about the coach and he was just what we needed to help us achieve our goal.

I currently play on the U13 Girls Black soccer team for Fredericksburg Football Club. Recently, our team experienced a difficult time. Our previous coach, Jens, was getting very irritated towards our behavior. It seemed as if our team did not care what he was saying, as well as what our teammates were saying to us. We were consistently receiving discipline and were getting defeated during our games due to our lack of concentration.

Sadly, dealing with unreasonable, loud, obnoxious parents can be the most challenging part of coaching. Many coaches just want to make a difference in young lives instead of having to deal with the extra baggage of a high-strung parent. “If a parent does not like what you are doing as a coach, then there is no reason that parent can’t become a coach. One of the most difficult problems in coaching youth sports is dealing with an irate parent, but this problem can be diminished by holding parent meetings before and during the season.” (Put ‘Em In Coach, 33)

Is the premium placed on winning, driving coaches to cross the line? Sadly, hundreds of athletes are physically and verbally abused by their coach. In the case of the “player versus Midwest University, the cause of action against the head coach, athletic director and the university can be severely damage the coach’s career and the university. The player has several options and should seek legal counsel.

On September 6, 2017, I were documented for an incident that involved a University Housing policy violation. I was charged with violating the University Housing Alcohol 1.2 policy. With my violation, came consequences. I met with The Residence Conduct Coordinator to discuss my actions and came to the conclusion that I would have to schedule a meeting with The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) and with that, a reflection paper.

The athlete’s parental interference is causing athletic directors and coaches to be bogged down by complaints via email and phone calls (Athletic business, 2015). The parental

I didn’t think it was fair for a fifth grader to make varsity when she didn’t put in the effort, simply because her older sister was also on the team . I didn’t find it fair that we were placed on the lowest team and we tried as hard as them if not harder, we were as good as them, if not better, and we came to every single conditioning, practice, and meeting. Yes, I know I was given the option to leave if I felt this way, but I was determined to show them that I deserved to be right along with everyone else. Through tears, practices, games, extra workout sessions, additional batting cage time , and many arguments with my mom over the stress softball was causing me I was moved to freshman. I felt so accomplished, yet still unamused by the fact there were fifth graders dressing varsity. I don’t care to admit if someone is better than me but, they weren’t. Simply because they had siblings on the team or knew a coach personally they were placed on varsity. Fifth graders who came to about one week of conditioning moved up because of unfair circumstances, and in the end it created an unpleasant environment and negative energy over the

The problem appears to be a trend across the United States and should be a growing concern to the athletes, parents, and the coaching communities. The impact on the athletes and their families are the greatest because they suffer personally on the emotional, physiological, spiritual, and psychological levels (Kerr & Stirling, 2012). The effects on the athletes are problematic as the coaches manipulate the swimmers’ athletic aspirations to impress a rationale, which leads the swimmers to believe the coaches’ actions are justifiable (Sturtz, 2014). The athletes are also affected by their parents’ trust in the coaches’ authority, having the tendency to reinforce some of the coaches’ verbal and minor physical abuses, rather than offering their child parental support (Sturtz, 2014). Therefore, when a major violation occurs, the parents’ trust is broken and they “feel betrayed by the coaches because of all they have invested in the coaching program on behalf of their swimmer” (K. Burwick, personal communication, December 3, 2014). The sense of betrayal is amplified by all of the money, time, and trust parents invest into the offending organization, such as a club program. Not only do the coaches’ actions affect the athletes and parents, but it affects the reputation of the coaching profession as a whole. In the United

I had four different swim coaches growing up and two of them were significantly influential in demonstrating how I wanted to be as a person and leader. From the age of five and until sixth grade, I did not have much of a connection or relationship with my coaches. It was more of a swim program that was held after school with some year round competitions. Once I entered Junior High School, swimming became more serious. I ended up trying out and making the year round national competition team. I swam for Mission San Jose Aquatics until the end of summer in 2006. My coach’s name was Debbie Potts. Debbie Potts was someone that everyone respected. She earned her respect by how she treated others with respect and with being a very supportive person. My relationship with her was good and I spent a lot of time with her since I was one of her top swimmers. During the summers I would work for her, helping her managed aspects of the team’s paper work, in addition to helping her with her business in vending swimming apparel and gear. Not only did I get

Parents often have concerns for how coaches treat their young athletes, but most coaches are the best character role models that a child will have. As David Brooks, author of the article “Organized Sports Can Benefit Children”, says “Coaches have become the leading moral instructors in America today.” (Brooks). Groups like The Positive Coaching Alliance exist solely to keep coaches doing their job of creating mature and respectful athletes (Positive). Children need these positive role models in their lives. Even if a child has great role models as parents, it is even better to have one outside of the family. A coach can serve as someone that kids should admire, love, and respect even though they are outside of their family; this will prepare children for their future of dealing with

I have been a swimmer for almost my whole entire life,and have had many challenges to overcome within this sport. Having two a day practices each two to three hours long, waking up in complete darkness to get ready for swim meets and jumping into the freezing cold water are all part of the swimming experience. I have had some very good coaches, and not so good coaches throughout my 12 years of swimming. Coaches are an imperative part of any athlete’s career, and having a coach that is hard to get along with can cause a lot of conflict.

An increase in the number of reported instances of parents engaging in abusive, violent, and controlling behavior toward coaches,

My topic is similar to yours. I have always been intrigued to examine the relationship between coach and athlete. In my experience, I have found coaches who provide positive support and are constructive with their criticism are more enjoyable to play for and give the athlete a more positive experience. Coaches that come across as condescending seem to push kids away from the game. It is important that the student-athlete has a positive experience, especially student-athletes at a young age. I feel if a student-athlete has a negative experience at the interscholastic level he or she will be less likely to stick with the sport.

Since the beginning of the semester, my writing has changed and evolved to accommodate and sustain longer essays. With longer essays, there is more room for in-depth analysis. Further analyzing a topic has led me to findings that I did not know existed. As I continue to write, I uncover addition and superior methods to approach my writing to the benefit of me and therefore, my audience. Throughout the semester, I have incorporated techniques to further my narrative throughout my writing.