A Lasting Partnership Parents and Friends of the
 Optimist Club of North Miami Beach Sundevils

Team Parents Duties and Responsibilities
   The most important duty of a team parent is being supportive of your coaches and team.

Team parents will be assigned to a particular team in need.  This may or may not be the team your child is playing on.

You are responsible for supplying your team with cold drinks, preferably     
Gatorade and water after the game.  Other items are at your discretion.

Your duty is to collect your team jerseys at the end of their game, wash and return them before the next game.  This is to insure that all our athletes look their best on game day.

Team parents will be responsible to help with the homecoming whether it is cooking or organizing.

You are responsible to keep in touch with the coach of your team.  You are to       consider yourself their support line.  (will explain)

You must attend the meetings, if you are unable to attend a meeting you are required to contact the Team Parent Coordinator.

  PARENT GUIDELINES TO RESPECT THE GAME

A Lasting Partnership Parents and Friends of the
Optimist Club of North Miami Beach Sundevils

Here are some guidelines for how parents can contribute to a Coach-parent partnership that can help the youth athlete have the best possible experience.

Recognize the commitment the coach has made:The coach has made a commitment that involves many, many hours of preparation beyond the hours spent at practices and games.  Recognize his commitment and the fact that he volunteers his time!  Try to remember this whenever something goes awry during the season.

Make early positive contact with the coach:As soon as you know who your children’s coach is going to be, contact the coach and introduce yourself and let him know you want to help your children have the best experience they can have this season.  To the extent that you can, and do so, ask if there is a way you can help.

Encourage the coach:When the coach is doing something you like, let him know about it, coaching is a stressful job, and most coaches only hear from parents when they want to complain about something.  By encouraging the coach, it will contribute to his doing a better job.  Just about every coach does a lot of things well.  Take the time to look for them.

Don’t give instruction during a game or practice:Imagine a child trying to concentrate on the game and do what his coach has asked him to do. He’s doing his best to deal with the unpredictable chaos of a sporting event.  Now add in a parent yelling out instructions.  Is this likely to help the child do better?  In almost every case, it will not help.  It may relieve some of the tension that the parent feels watching his /her child not being able to control the outcome.  But, it is not helpful to the child.  You are NOT one of the coaches, so do NOT give your child instructions about how to play, even if your child is sitting on the bench at the time.  Instead, focus on given encouragement to your child and others on the team.

Don’t put the player in the middle:It is almost the norm for parents to share their disapproval of a coach with their child.  This puts a young athlete in a bind.  Divided loyalties do not make it easy for children to do their best.  Conversely, when parents support a coach, it is that much easier to put their whole hearted effort into learning to play well.

Observe a “cooling off” period:Don’t talk to the coach about something you are upset about for at least 24 hours after the game.  Emotions, both yours and the coach’s, are often so high after a contest that it’s much more productive if you can discipline yourself and wait until a day goes by before contacting the coach.  This will also give you time to think about what your goals are and what you want to say.

Encourage the entire team:Let your children know you support them without reservation regardless of how well they play.  But don’t stop there.  Cheer for all of the players on the team.

Honor the game and encourage other parents to join you:Don’t show disrespect for the other team or the officials.  But, more than that encourage other parents to also respect the game.  If parents of players on your team begin to berate the official, gently say to them, “Hey, that’s not respecting the game.  That’s not the way we do things here.”