Coaches Evaluation Form
Talking Sports with Stu Jackson
Lice Awareness
Coaches Evaluation Program
Parent and Coaches Behavior
Field Cleanup
Parent Responsibilities

Talking Sports with Stu Jackson

On March 1^st Stu Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President for Basketball Operations and Chappaqua dad of 4, addressed a joint meeting of the Grafflin, Roaring Brook and Westorchard PTAs on competition and sportsmanship. Stu’s talk outlined the six teaching points of competitive sports:

• Teamwork
• Responsibility
• Commitment
• Self esteem
• Selflessness
• Work ethic

Jackson also defined the roles of parents and coaches.

Coaches should

• Be supportive, positive, set standards and follow through consistently.
• Teach skill development to kids 11 and under. Most elementary age kids are more interested in playing than in winning.
• Make a point to teach kids to play with others of lesser and greater ability. All types of players have a function in winning games.

Parents should

• Be role models. Don’t criticize coaches and children (yours or others).
• Encourage skill development and team play.

Competition is a healthy part of athletics, says Jackson, as long as the focus isn’t on winning. Parents should encourage kids to do their best and play to win because competitive experience helps kids grow. Learning to handle defeat is as important as feeling the rewards of victory.

Lice Awareness

It has been brought to our attention that a lice infestation "epidemic" still exists in our community.  For any parents concerned about the fact that players share batting helmets in our program, and the impact this might have on perpetuating or spreading this problem, we would suggest that you purchase a batting helmet for your child prior to the start of our practice season in early April.  These helmets are not expensive, and can be obtained from any well-stocked sporting goods store.

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Coaches Evaluation Program

First of all, we would like to thank all of the parents who took the time to complete the evaluation form. We have obtained a tremendous amount of valuable information through this survey, both in terms of the performance of specific coaches in our program, as well as in terms of identifying issues and concerns that parents have with our program in general. 

From the responses we have received, a few issues appear to be of the most concern to parents:

1. Some coaches tried too hard to win, and did not spread playing time or positioning out evenly among the team members

Your Board of Directors wants to assure you that this kind of coaching philosophy is directly opposed to our league policy, as stated on the Programs Page of this web site. We do our very best to address this when we learn of it, and stress it to our coaches at every opportunity. We would encourage parents who observe this kind coaching to bring it to our attention immediately -- during the season -- so that it can be addressed with the coach immediately. This can be done either through the web site e-mail, or by calling a Board member, or by calling your division coordinator. Of course, you should try to remedy the situation first by bringing it to the coach's attention, but if that does not work in a short period of time, please let us know. We promise, we will investigate, and act if appropriate.

2. Team practices were poorly organized, and there was not sufficient skill enhancement.

Unfortunately, not all of the parents in our community who are willing to volunteer to coach have great knowledge of baseball and softball skills, or training techniques. We do the best we can to train these individuals, by offering lots of clinics conducted by professionals (Frozen Ropes and the Greeley coaching staffs) as well as by qualified members of our community. To our disappointment, many of these clinics are not well attended. We are now keeping track of attendance at all such clinics, and to the extent possible, through our coaches evaluation program, and this attendance record, we will try to weed out those coaches who have neither shown the knowledge to impart skill training to their players, nor the initiative to become trained themselves to be in a position to do so.

3. There were instances of inappropriate parent behavior on the sidelines of games, particularly in relation to coaches and umpires.

This is one of the most distressing aspects of children’s sports generally. It is a phenomenon not limited to our community. But we are committed, as a league, to trying to keep this kind of behavior to an absolute minimum. We will continue to try to educate our parents on the proper kind of behavior for youth sports, as exemplified in the Code of Conduct we require them to execute, and in the materials we post on this web site from time to time. You can rest assured that your Board of Directors will continue to investigate every instance of this kind of behavior that is reported to it, and after full consideration of all facts and circumstances, deal aggressively and decisively with offenders, within the confines of our Constitution and By-laws. Again, we urge parents to bring all instances of inappropriate behavior to our attention immediately.

The media -- TV, magazines and newspapers -- cover from time to time unfortunate incidents involving the inappropriate behavior of adults that occur during youth sports events around the country. We’ve even had a few serious incidents over the years in New Castle. These reports should be a constant reminder to everyone associated with our program -- Board members, Division Coordinators, Coaches and their assistants, and especially parents -- that we all need to be diligent in our pursuit of a higher standard of sportsmanship and just plain common decency in the conduct of our program. Too often we forget that this is not a competitive program (see our Program Description on the Programs Page). It should not matter who wins or who loses. What is infinitely more important is that our kids learn something about the game and have fun, and hopefully learn something about the kind of appropriate behavior we should all be aspiring to.

Although for the most part, our program seems to run well from this perspective, even a few incidents can seriously detract from our efforts to live up to the Codes of Conduct for Players and Parents that everyone has signed and agreed to honor. And what is most disappointing is when these incidents are caused by parents and coaches - adults who, without question, should and must know better.

The following anonymous letter was received by your Board of Directors from a member of our community with permission to share it. We thank the person for that, and have taken them up on their offer by posting it here on our web site. We intend to leave it here as a ongoing reminder that we all must be diligent in our effort to comport ourselves with dignity and with common courtesy. Don’t ever forget, our/your children are watching (and learning from) you.

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May 19, 2000

NCBSA Board of Directors

Box 402

Chappaqua, NY 10514

I am a mother of two school-aged boys and have experienced and endured Little League in this town for the last 10 years. Due to other interests and commitments of my children, this season may be the last time my younger son, who is in the Majors division, will play baseball in the NCBSA.

I was watching my son’s game the other day that was winding down without any controversies until inevitably it came to the last call in the last inning. The field umpire called the batter out at 1st base with the bases loaded and 2 outs for the home team who was behind by 3 or 4 runs. Well, one can only imagine the uproarious protests that came from the home team’s coach and the parents as well. The coach marched towards the field umpire and was angrily protesting the call. He did not cease his deplorable behavior in front of the players and the parents. The parents of the losing team whom I do not know were also in agreement that it was an unfair call. I just sat listening to their displeasure and felt I was in the midst of enemy territory. I heard one mother kept asking "Who is that guy?" - meaning the field umpire, as they huddled together to voice their displeasure to each other. I was so furious and at the same time felt embarrassed to be a part of this supposed outstanding community. I wanted to retort and defend with angry words but decided it would only inflame the situation. Instead I have decided to write this letter to answer this mother’s question and in a sense it is a question that is often asked by others.

My initial response that evening was, "That ‘guy’ is a father to a son very similar to yours who likes to play a game called baseball." This ‘guy’ has been involved with the NCBA for the last 10 years. He was a coach for the Juniors and Majors division and one year won the championship when wins-losses counted towards the seeding at the play-offs. He was asked several times to coach this year’s Majors and for the first time had to decline. This ‘guy’ has attended many coaching and umpiring clinics and understands and has signed the agreement to uphold the Code of Ethics developed by the National Youth Sports Coaches Association which everyone should have reviewed and discussed with their children. He is a member of this community. He is a friend and neighbor. He has helped those whom he did not know personally who needed his expertise (with the care of their elderly parents).

The game of baseball is always filled with controversies. But let’s put it into perspective. This is Little League. Coaches, Umpires, parents whop coordinate the schedules, equipment, etc. are VOLUNTEERS. Every season that has gone by not only in this illustrious town but nationwide - there has always been the ever familiar arguments, display of ill behavior, protests from the ‘unhappy side,’ heckling and even physical aggression. As always, it is usually the parents that are the cause of problems and generators of bad behavior and feelings. Amazingly the kids/players, as usual, behaved more maturely. I commend them. Therefore, to everyone, my questions are: "What kind of an example is that for kids?" and "How is the player whose father made the controversial call supposed to feel?"

The season is halfway over. Let’s end it with good words and feelings of all involved.

Sincerely,

Parent, Friend, Neighbor, Member of this community.

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Field Cleanup 

It is the responsibility of our league to clean up all field facilities that we use at the end of games and practices. Parents can and should take primary responsibility for this. Please police all areas of all fields - sidelines, benches, etc. - to make sure that all trash is picked up and placed into garbage receptacles. If there is a problem with receptacles being full or absent all together, please let coach or division coordinator, or send email to web site. Your cooperation in this effort will be very much appreciated.

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Parent Responsibilities:

A. Parents should shoulder responsibility for making the NCBSA program successful. Little League is not a club offering babysitting or entertainment. It is an adult run, all volunteer program for teaching baseball and softball skills, teamwork, discipline, and good sportsmanship to youngsters. It is supervised and assisted by parents who wish to extend its benefits to their children. Thus, each parent should join in the total effort. There is a place and job to do for everyone, and the long-term success of the program will be a function of the talents and contributions of the entire community.

B. Like coaches and umpires, parents have an obligation to set a good example for the youngsters. This includes; supporting the team, the coaches, and the program; reinforcing skills through practice at home; maintaining open and cordial relationships with coaches; and displaying good sportsmanship during games. Public criticism of players, coaches, or umpires is inappropriate. Moreover, parents should make it a point to read the NCBSA rules and Little League rule book in order to become more knowledgeable about the game. The NCBSA Board firmly believes that there would be a lot less disruptions on the field if all parents understood the rules on a common level.

C. Every parent was required to sign the NYSCA Parents Code of Ethics that follows. Support of this code is imperative for our programs to operate successfully.

Click here to get a copy of:
               Parents Code of Ethics
      or      Players Code of Ethics