Parents’ Role in the Life of Your Son’s Athletics
By: The RENEGADES BASEBALL Coaching Staff
Being a parent of a young teen-age athlete can be an extremely exciting experience. Participating in this adventure with your son could be, and should be, a cherished activity. Your support is very important to these athletes, to the RENEGADES, and to the community.
To try and make this cooperative effort the most rewarding it can be for you and the athlete, we have tried to outline some thoughts collected over the years on being a supportive athletic parent.
Be Positive – Being in the RENEGADES BASEBALL program is quite an accomplishment. Do not let playing time dictate a player’s happiness. Celebrate the fact that they were good enough to make the team.
Be Supportive of the Coaching Staff in front of your son – Nothing can erode the intricate fabric of teamwork faster than athletes doubting the capabilities of their coaches. It can be a cancer that affects performance, confidence, and the edge needed to compete. Most of the teams are so evenly matched; many times it is the little extra that can spell victory or defeat. Believe us, the coaches are trying to do their best at every moment. Our staff receives extensive evaluations, including develops all the technical, psychological, and social skills necessary in their profession. You may not realize that the administration of all duties a coach must perform can easily be more time consuming than the actual on the field coaching. If you have concerns, see the coach at non-baseball functions. They will listen, appreciate your confidentiality, and give you a timely response. The coaches will not penalize your son for you bringing a non-playing time concern to them. Management of as many people as they deal with needs communication.
Be part of the Parent Network – Very special relationships can be fostered over the careers of our athletes by socializing with our parents. This socialization can take place at games, after games, at team dinners, etc. Parents need support too! Be positive with each other, and don’t hesitate to remind each other about remaining positive. If you hear a rumor that concerns you, talk to your general manager (who will clarify it with the head coach). Don’t perpetuate a rumor by passing it on or remaining silent about an issue that could affect the program. We all need to communicate realities, not gossip.
Winning and Losing – To say winning and losing is not important is not true. If it weren’t, we would not keep score. The higher level of play each athlete achieves, the greater the emphasis will be on being competitive. We take a great deal of pride in the traditions of our accomplishments, preparing properly for that competition is the athlete’s ultimate goal. We want our teams to play hard, play fair, play clean, and with class. Doing this every time makes a winner every time we compete. We need your encouragement to support these values with your son. When things are not going well for your son, or for the program, is the precise moment we all need you to be most positive and supportive.
Good luck and we sincerely hope you enjoy the athletic experience your son will go through. The years go by extremely fast. Be a partner in the adventure with your son and team. We need your support and thank you for your active participation.
