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Post by teach4u on Jul 17, 2018 15:42:07 GMT
My 11 year old son plays rec baseball. His coach emails practice locations and times for the week Sunday morning. I normally drive him to and pick up from practice, but a teammate offered him a ride yesterday. Practice field is about 8 minutes away by car.
I'll add at this time that ds was recently given an old cell phone (going to middle school) but two weeks ago he didn't have a phone.
10 minutes after practice was to start, ds calls and says no one's at the park. I check my email again and coach definitely listed the park he was at. I told him to wait 5 more minutes. Coach and team don't show. I go get him and out of curiosity drive past a different park 1 minute from my home (park is located off a court in my neighborhood). Sure enough, the team is there.
We drop son and friend off at practice 40 minutes late (coach made it clear tournament playing time was dependent on practice).
Coach told my husband : "Oh, I requested that park (original )and didn't get field time so I had a woman waiting to tell kids where we moved practice to. Your son must not have seen her."
Ok, why would an 11 year old be expected to find a random woman (he doesn't know from Adam) to ask where practice was? Why wouldn't the coach email parents stating there was a change in location?
If this happened two weeks earlier (prior to phone), my son would have been there for 1 1/2 hours before I came to get him or had to walk 15 minutes home. It's not a dangerous area but there are busy roads and I could tell ds was upset his coach wasn't where he said he'd be. Have you had this happen? i' m irritated and think the coach was quite irresponsible.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 17, 2018 15:50:41 GMT
I'm shocked the coach didn't communicate better. Ours all seem to be using different platforms for practice/game reminders. I am surprised though that your son didn't see any of the other teammates arriving and then going to the other park? Was he late?
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Post by mygigiscraps on Jul 17, 2018 15:52:57 GMT
So we teach our kids not to just go where a stranger tells them, but the coach decided just this once, it would be okay? Yeah. Kids get taken from "not dangerous" areas all the time. I'd be super pissed.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 17, 2018 15:54:38 GMT
I'll also add that I find it odd that the teammate's parent (or whoever drived) dropped them off with no one there. I would have made sure there the coach showed up before driving off.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 17, 2018 15:56:43 GMT
So we teach our kids not to just go where a stranger tells them, but the coach decided just this once, it would be okay? Yeah. Kids get taken from "not dangerous" areas all the time. I'd be super pissed. In fairness, it sounds like an 8 minute drive. I imagine the expectation would be that woman would communicate the new location and the parents DRIVE to the new location. It doesn't sound like it was walking distance or that the woman actually took them anywhere. |
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Post by teach4u on Jul 17, 2018 16:02:04 GMT
The parent dropped the kids off 10 minutes early. As I said, I normally drive but with a lot going on, I let him get a ride. I have never had this happen and never thought location would change with no notice. Not even an email or text from coach saying "field taken, please go to xyz park instead."
And as far as no one there, they weren't wearing uniforms to practice. So there were kids there but not from his team. Unless you know the entire team in street clothing, I could see a parent thinking the team was there.
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Post by myboysnme on Jul 17, 2018 16:26:26 GMT
Coach messed up and so did parent of friend who left 2 kids at a field with no one there.
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Post by Fidget on Jul 17, 2018 16:31:29 GMT
I'm curious as to how all of the other kids were re-directed to the new practice location but not yours and the teammate he was dropped off with. Is it an issue with the parent who drove them? I do agree, coach should have emailed / called / texted all the parents with the new field location...
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Post by fuji on Jul 17, 2018 16:34:12 GMT
I would request that the schedule for the week be sent via email, if that's his normal routine. Any changes need to come to parents and any kids with phones via text message. I would be adamant about that. Our coaches at our school use the Remind app to contact everyone. It allows them to contact everyone without revealing contact info.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Jul 17, 2018 16:36:19 GMT
I'm curious as to how all of the other kids were re-directed to the new practice location but not yours and the teammate he was dropped off with. Is it an issue with the parent who drove them? I do agree, coach should have emailed / called / texted all the parents with the new field location... I'm wondering this as well. I just can't fathom that the entire rest of the team managed to be redirected by not these two kids. It's why I thought they were late. If they were early, they didn't notice the rest of the team showing up and then leaving? I fully validate you that the coach should have a better communication policy. Ours have always used remind or other apps which will send out text messages if for no other reason than a thunderstorm ending practice early. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 17, 2018 16:48:39 GMT
I'm not in the least bit surprised. When DS played soccer in elementary school, the coach regularly changed practice times/fields/canceled with little to no notice. And this was in the days before texting was common and the expectation that young kids would have phones wasn't there. Most communication is up to the coaches, who fill a volunteer spot. Some are awesome at communication, others not so much.
I'm guessing the woman left to get her own son to practice on time. And I'm guessing that in typical 11 year old fashion, your DS just assumed that he was dropped off and that was the place to be. I know at 11, my kids were just starting to get dropped places and were still used to having an adult deal with the details. But I won't be encouraging my 11 year old to go up to random strangers asking if they knew about practice.
I was a volunteer with a HS theatre group. I used the Remind app to communicate all details with the students. They had to sign up for it themselves, so it wasn't me just texting a student on my own initiative. It worked well and anyone could sign up--student, mom, dad, step parents, aunt who did the driving... The coach needs to find a better form of communication.
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Post by teach4u on Jul 17, 2018 17:02:59 GMT
II think some kids knew her and my son didn’t. As in a neighbor lady, etc. when I drop off I know teams there . Practice was at 530 and they were there at 515. I picked up at 550 or so
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Post by wimom on Jul 17, 2018 18:12:09 GMT
I'll also add that I find it odd that the teammate's parent (or whoever drived) dropped them off with no one there. I would have made sure there the coach showed up before driving off. Yes, this. I'm sure the coach does not want any kids left alone as your son and friend were. This was not a good situation and some simple steps should prevent its recurrence. Maybe coach should include in his next email that parents should not leave kids at a site unsupervised but should wait until he or another responsible adult shows up to supervise? I used to coach youth soccer and it was a thankless job. The league coordinator had to beg to get enough parents to coach. So I say cut the coach some slack this time (assuming this is not a regular thing) and nicely volunteer to help him with last-minute notices in the future. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 17, 2018 18:37:24 GMT
I'll also add that I find it odd that the teammate's parent (or whoever drived) dropped them off with no one there. I would have made sure there the coach showed up before driving off. Yes, this. I'm sure the coach does not want any kids left alone as your son and friend were. This was not a good situation and some simple steps should prevent its recurrence. Maybe coach should include in his next email that parents should not leave kids at a site unsupervised but should wait until he or another responsible adult shows up to supervise? I used to coach youth soccer and it was a thankless job. The league coordinator had to beg to get enough parents to coach. So I say cut the coach some slack this time (assuming this is not a regular thing) and nicely volunteer to help him with last-minute notices in the future. If you have access to texting and are available during the normal practice/game times, this actually could be a very valuable help to the coach. If he's not the sort to communicate well, or just busy with coaching, you could be his go-between. He could call you with the info and you could send it out to the team. An added benefit to this is that you will know what is going on in the future. I've done this for a few things over the years--I like to be in the know with my kids and feel like it's a service I can offer to our groups without a huge time commitment. |
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Post by teach4u on Jul 17, 2018 18:47:57 GMT
He normally texts or emails and did neither in this case.
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PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,328
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jul 17, 2018 19:10:41 GMT
Sadly, it happens often with sports at all levels due to the demand for field/court time. In my experience, communication with parents decreases as the athletes get older.
As an aside: I hope you notified the parent of your son's teammate who you transported to the neighborhood park. Otherwise, his parent was probably frantic at pick up time when he was not where she'd dropped off him & your son.
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sweetpeasmom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,592 
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Post by sweetpeasmom on Jul 17, 2018 19:23:38 GMT
In this day and age of technology, there is no excuse for the coach to not have sent a text or email. Have the parent helper directing people in case someone hasn't checked their email or received the text. Also, I like that more and more of my kids' teams are using apps like Band or Group Me. One message sent one time. Everyone on the team gets it.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jul 17, 2018 20:30:29 GMT
Yes, this. I'm sure the coach does not want any kids left alone as your son and friend were. This was not a good situation and some simple steps should prevent its recurrence. Maybe coach should include in his next email that parents should not leave kids at a site unsupervised but should wait until he or another responsible adult shows up to supervise? I used to coach youth soccer and it was a thankless job. The league coordinator had to beg to get enough parents to coach. So I say cut the coach some slack this time (assuming this is not a regular thing) and nicely volunteer to help him with last-minute notices in the future. If you have access to texting and are available during the normal practice/game times, this actually could be a very valuable help to the coach. If he's not the sort to communicate well, or just busy with coaching, you could be his go-between. He could call you with the info and you could send it out to the team. An added benefit to this is that you will know what is going on in the future. I've done this for a few things over the years--I like to be in the know with my kids and feel like it's a service I can offer to our groups without a huge time commitment. This is a big reason why I volunteered with 4-H  |
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 17, 2018 21:56:09 GMT
If you have access to texting and are available during the normal practice/game times, this actually could be a very valuable help to the coach. If he's not the sort to communicate well, or just busy with coaching, you could be his go-between. He could call you with the info and you could send it out to the team. An added benefit to this is that you will know what is going on in the future. I've done this for a few things over the years--I like to be in the know with my kids and feel like it's a service I can offer to our groups without a huge time commitment. This is a big reason why I volunteered with 4-H  And Girl Scouts. And Boy Scouts. And football. And theatre. And CCD... I'm a new empty nester and am exploring where I want to volunteer my time, vs what my kids' interests are! |
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jul 17, 2018 22:03:10 GMT
This is a big reason why I volunteered with 4-H And Girl Scouts. And Boy Scouts. And football. And theatre. And CCD... I'm a new empty nester and am exploring where I want to volunteer my time, vs what my kids' interests are! Dd's 4-H was dogs and I have continued with the dog training, showing, competing as my new hobbies Have fun selecting hobbies and interests for yourself |
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Post by LisaDV on Jul 17, 2018 22:16:51 GMT
Coach messed up and so did parent of friend who left 2 kids at a field with no one there. This. I'd be pissed at the other parent for leaving the kids without the coach there. As for the coach's mess up, I'd make sure I talk to him/her about my concerns, with the following information in mind. I would request that the schedule for the week be sent via email, if that's his normal routine. Any changes need to come to parents and any kids with phones via text message. I would be adamant about that. Our coaches at our school use the Remind app to contact everyone. It allows them to contact everyone without revealing contact info. If it happened again, I'd be raising it to however is in charge of the league. |
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Post by Basket1lady on Jul 17, 2018 23:41:55 GMT
And Girl Scouts. And Boy Scouts. And football. And theatre. And CCD... I'm a new empty nester and am exploring where I want to volunteer my time, vs what my kids' interests are! Dd's 4-H was dogs and I have continued with the dog training, showing, competing as my new hobbies Have fun selecting hobbies and interests for yourself How interesting! My parents were just getting into agility training when Mom died. I'm currently waiting to test for our Lab to be a therapy dog. And I think I'm going to teach CCD again. I miss teaching, but not enough to go back into a school environment. |
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Post by melanell on Jul 18, 2018 0:38:38 GMT
In this day and age I would have thought the coach would have sent out a group text to the parents when he realized there was to be a change.
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River
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,511
Location: Alabama
Jun 26, 2014 15:26:04 GMT
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Post by River on Jul 18, 2018 0:47:40 GMT
Unfortunately changes in practice time or field location at the last minute are common around here.
I would recommend to the coach to use the Remind app or similar. It's so quick to write one text and it goes to all parents signed up to receive it. It works so much better than email and I rarely encountered anyone that couldn't receive text.
I have managed more baseball teams than I can count, t-ball up to age 17. My DH was a coach for 15 years and I was in charge of managing all information and communication to parents. I found the Remind app to be the best suited and parents loved it. Also, grandparents or guardians could be on it as well and I encouraged everyone to sign up including the players that had a phone. It was most popular with blended or split families and foster parents.
When we had a last minute field change which happened several times, I sent the text immediately and avoided kids showing up to the wrong field. It's quick, simple and easy for players and whatever family needs the info.
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Country Ham
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,313
Jun 25, 2014 19:32:08 GMT
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Post by Country Ham on Jul 18, 2018 1:30:27 GMT
Honestly if everyone but your son and friend managed to make it to the different field the person redirecting them had to of been someone the players knew or their parents knew. Word of mouth doesn't phase me though. We have a small town, if my kids got there and someone said "oh they went to xyz field" and they didn't see any sign of their team my kids would of moved to the next field. With true last minute changes you might need both texting and word of mouth so I think having a lady their to redirect is OK. Hopefully they will still get to play even though they were 40 mins late.
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peaname
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,389
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Post by peaname on Jul 18, 2018 11:01:08 GMT
Are you irate at the coach or the other parent?
My DH has done some coaching for Little League and it’s amazing how high the expectations are from the parents who never help out and expect full service from the volunteers. Maybe he was working and didn’t have time to communicate properly.
If another parent is going to drive and you don’t leave your child alone at the field I hope you would have made it clear. Who drops kids off to an empty field?
At 11 it’s time to start learning what to do when things go wrong sonit sounds like your son is on the right track!
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