by Matt Marquardt –
NORA SPRINGS – Two North Iowa women are furious over the treatment of their daughters by an 8th grade volleyball coach.
The mothers, Melissa Holding-Thomas of Nora Springs and Rachel Ebel of Manly, say their two daughters, Abigail and Elizabeth, who are in 8th grade and attend Central Springs Middle School in Nora Springs, are depressed, hurt and upset by the actions of their coach, Angela Holt.
EDITOR’S NOTE: When reached for comment, Central Springs School Superintendent Steve Ward said he could not comment on this matter. He explained that he is the school district’s spokesperson and all media communications go through him, and that NIT should not expect a return call from a message that was left at Central Springs Middle school for Principal Lynn Baldus and Coach Angela Holt.
The volleyball team at Central Springs Middle School has 27 players and 6 are on the court at any one time during a game. The two parents say that Coach Angela Holt only plays a select group of girls during games, and typically their daughters play only 1 to 3 points per match. Sets are either to 21 or 15 points and the matches are a number of sets, usually up to six.
“The first 2 (sets) are the starters, or the ones the coach considers her best players, Melissa Holding-Thomas said. “The third game is the second players go in, which she considers her “ok” players and the 4th and last game is Abigail and Elizabeth, those she considers the poor players.”
Melissa Holding-Thomas and Rachel Ebel also said that Coach Angela Holt told her players that if they have a concern, not to get their parents involved.
“I was specifically told (by other parents) that if I were to get involved, my child would be black-balled,” Melissa Holding-Thomas said in an interview. “My child (Abigail) and Elizabeth were also told at the beginning of the volleyball season that she (Coach Angela Holt) doesn’t want the parents to (approach her with concerns), she wants the kids to come to her.
“When I told that statement to Principal (Lynn) Baldus about our children or any children getting black-balled, she said that wasn’t true and no coach would do that.”
The perceived lack of playing time and favoritism towards a small group of students shown by Coach Angela Holt towards some players on the team has caused hurt feelings and confusion, the two parents say. “I have had parents say to me they don’t know why the come to the games, as their child doesn’t get to play,” Melissa Holding-Thomas said. “One parent even said to me, my daughter probably won’t go out next year due to the way she was treated this year.”
Eventually, Abigail and Elizabeth say they approached Coach Angela Holt about their concerns.
“When the girls talked to Holt, about playing more, Holt said the same players play because they went to camp, put in more effort and have better abilities then they do,” Melissa Holding-Thomas said.
Then last week, Rachel, Elizabeth, Melissa and Abigail talked to Principal Lynn Baldus about the situation.
“I told her that the coach shows favoritism, discrimination, and is a bully,” Melissa Holding-Thomas said. “The school supposedly has an anti-bullying policy, yet she was allowed to bully the girls in her own way. I also told her that this is middle school volleyball. A time to learn a skill, learn sportsmanship and have fun, and that I guarantee at their ten year reunion, the last thing the kids will say to each other is, ‘remember when you made those 5 points in Rockford at the volley ball game?'”
“She (Principal Baldus) said whether I liked the concept or not, it’s about winning,” Melissa Holding-Thomas said.
Finally, Melissa Holding-Thomas says that Principal Baldus talked to Coach Angela Holt about the meeting and the parents’ concerns.
“Before volleyball practice she (Coach Angela Holt) gathered the girls together and said that the principal had called her into her office because there were some upset girls and parents,” Melissa Holding-Thomas said. “She stated to the girls: ‘I said I’m not going to swear, I’m not going to swear, and I went in my room and swore!’ She handed a piece of paper to one of the girls and said: ‘What does this say? Not all girls will get playing time.'”
The Central Springs 8th grade volleyball team wrapped up the season last week on October 11th.
Watch video interview:
httpv://youtu.be/EvBaUMQ7zxQ
The sadest part about this whole thing is that these attention seeking mothers were obviously out to hurt Angela Holt and in the end it will probably end up hurting their daughters more. Wonder if they thought about that!
@Readers,
Let’s get serious here folks, name calling and pointing of fingers only suggest total miscommunication. If these girls parents felt the need to bring this to the attention of the media, it is clear they’re not getting anywhere by approaching the coach and or principal. It is by far absurd for a person of authority to expect a minor, to approach them before their own parent. Perhaps that is what motivated the mothers in question to bring the issue to the media. However not one of you thought about that before launching an attack on these parents, or calling into question their parenting skills knowing full well these kids will probably read this and use it at some point as a mean to quite possibly disrespect their mothers. None of you thought really, how the negative comments would affect the girls.
I wonder if the principal is running a military academy, with the volleyball coach as a staff sergeant. I mean, it certainly does sound like there’s favoritism there and those two young ladies are being singled out. However in any game its not always about who wins or loses it is about having fun regardless of who went to camp, or what if any effort was put into sportsmanship.
I wish the best for Abigail…she has to live each day in school dealing with ridicule of this situation. I’m sorry she did not get equal play time however, my opinion is such, that this should have been handled by Angela and Abigail. Mrs. Holt is a down to earth individual and if I’m reading this correctly, would have taken the time Melissa to discuss your complaints, not voiceing them to the media….this nonsense could have been avoided. I’m not the best parent so I am not going to judge…but I think your actions kinda backfired in that, your egoism got the best of you and well…you kinda look like a jackass here. If I was in your shoes, I would write an apology letter to Central Springs Faculty, Mrs. Holt as well as a revision to the local newspaper. I also suggest you and Abigail seek professional help…..
What’s the difference between name calling and judging? Just curious!!!
Obviously these two Mom’s are lacking parenting skills! Grow up!
and you would know this, how?
For those two girls have fun in high school because it doesn’t change. DOn’t go out if your going to act like that.
My children have been in several different sports over the years. Sometimes they have sat on the bench and other times they were starters. My husband has coached for over 15 years. The belief he has is that your record doesn’t matter in junior high or high school until the varsity level. All those others levels are to build skills and get everyone playing time. A child may be good at a sport in 7th grade but may no longer excel when they get to the varsity level. This year he coached a team that no one considered to have the best athletes. All of the kids played with equal time. Their season ended with them having the best record and it had NOTHING to do with playing only the best players. It happened because every child was taught the same skills, every child played equal time, and they all played as a team.
Melissa you have always been a pain in the butt. You are the one who is “bullying” Coach Holt. She is a respectable coach. Wow, really she plays the girls who put in the extra effort (camp) and practice hard, and are the better players. What a sin. This is life so put on your big girl panties and grow up!!!!!!!!!!!! You are not teaching your daughter anything by doing this! She needs to grow up and understand that mom wont always be there to bail her out and when the going gets tough she needs to get going!!!
Now let’s put this to rest…..
people keep bringing up the parks and rec as an example of everyone getting equal playing time. not true in the past for kids in manly. little kids up to and maybe thru middle school should .be allowed equal time. jr hi and high school should be competitive
If you belive that equal playing time should be given up until “jr. high”, then equal playing time would be dropped by 7th and 8th grade. At Central Springs, the 7th and 8th grade teams are their “junior high” teams. And by giving them equal playing time, these girls would have been in for a big shock by the time they made it to high school volleyball. So these girls are switching to the concept of losing equal playing time, in JUNIOR HIGH….just as you suggested.
I agree w/ Michelle-right now is the time for a child to find out what they excel in. Abigail is a sweet girl who can bring a smile to a person’s face and does extremely well in drama/choir as she showcased last year in the jr. high production of Willy Wonka, but you, Melissa, are causing your daughter a world of hurt. I didn’t hear any parents or students complaining about or having the audacity to go the media, anyways, when Abigail got one of the leads in that production. Why? Because she was good at playing that part!! My daughter didn’t say one word about not getting a lead role in that because she knew that there were other students that were better but she supported every student that did get one! My children have always participated at this school or at least tried out for certain activities, some they were excellent in and some they weren’t, but NEVER have they been threatened of being “blackballed” as you have called it! You know they may not talk about scoring whatever points in a certain game at their 10 year reunion, but they will certainly remember you, Melissa, causing all this crap and acting like a fool!
This story should have never made the media. It’s really a case of parents not being honest with their kids and to shirk that responsibility they are claiming the coach is a “bully”. Parents need to teach their kids that life is not fair – not everyone on the team gets to play. We all have gifts/talents and not all of us can play volleyball. Kids need to know that if they want to be on a team, they need to THINK like a team – it’s not all about them. Sometimes that means sitting on the bench and cheering FOR the team. If a kid doesn’t like it, then they need to find another gift/talent. A parent shouldn’t “bully” a coach into giving a kid more playing time – it isn’t supportive of the team. If a kid wants to be in volleyball, a kid needs to do the work – mind and body need to be IN all the practices. If a kid wants to excel, a kid needs to do MORE than the practices – additional workouts, park/rec leagues, traveling teams, camps, videos, etc. Parents and kids need to know and understand what they are signing when they sign a contract. A similar contract will be signed at the high school level.
Come to the high school Mrs. Holt – you would make a great addition to the vb coaching staff. I am not a teacher or employed by the school. I’m just a parent who is tired of parents not teaching their kids some of the basics of life. Rather than look at this experience as a negative, look at it as a positive. Your child may not be cut out for the team sport of volleyball – don’t waste any more time with it. Find a gift/talent your child excels at and put time into it instead.
Very well said, Michelle! This article did nothing but harm those girls. Hopefully they won’t suffer more because of it in their future years of school. The two moms should be kicking themselves about now. Sad.
I am a parent of a volleyball player on his team. I child that didn’t get to play quite as much as many others, but enjoy being a part of a team. I have known many of these girls, their parents and the coach of this team for many, many years. I was the daughter of a school staff member when I was in school. I was the co-captain of one sports team, and was told by another coach in a different season that I would never get to play during games. Sometimes being a child of a teacher means that you are expected to work harder, and have to fend off bullies just because of who your parents is. The point is, everyone wants to be an advocate for their child, and watch their child excel. I think things may have gone too far in this case due to the number of girls on this team. How many of these girls had 2-3 years of equal playing time in Park and Rec programs, but, as I told my daughter early on in junior high, this is where things get competitive, and you might not have as much playing time. She chose to go out for the team this year knowing that she might not get to play, but enjoyed cheering for her team and contributing when she could.
This is the definition of the word “bully” ….
A blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badges smaller or weaker people.
~ This is NOT coach holt! :/
This is the definition of a bully; A blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badges smaller or weaker people……..
~ This is NOT coach holt! :/
Taking middle school athletics to the media is going much too far. Playing time is decided at the coach’s discretion. No coach goes into any situation thinking “I’m going to sit these girls just to hurt their feelings”. Not at all! Every girl has the opportunity to practice and to get better. Some girls put in more practice time and more effort, which is why they are starting. It has nothing to do with where their parents work. I have played for Coach Holt in the past, and she was an awesome coach. She has always been willing to help an individual work on something that they are struggling in. As far as worrying about “winning” in middle school, that is the time that they start weeding out the girls who are willing to work for their spot on a team. A starting spot shouldn’t just be given to everyone just so that they can play an even amount of time. The “equal playing time” concept is mostly thrown out the window by the time you enter middle school athletics and leave parks and rec sports. If the girls were that upset about playing time, they could have stayed late after practice, attended an open gym, or even gone to pre-season camps. On top of that, I’m sure the 6 starting girls all attended pre-season camps and work their tails off to start games. Finally, this is not a case of bullying at all. It is simply a case of who is willing to work the hardest for what they want. Coach Holt was not and is not a bully, but now she is being bullied for doing what any coach should do. I think choosing the word “bully” was a dumb decision.
27 girls is too many to keep happy in the current fo rmat of middle school volleyball. Think outside the box a little bit AD’s! Instead of playing for one hour, play for an hour and a half, or play a set number of games (and increase that amount to satisfy the masses.)
Well, it certainly seems comical to me that the ones sticking up for the coach are the same ones whose girls got the most playing time (yes, we all know who you are!)
The parents of these girls are not living their lives through their daughters, and they did what the coach said at the start of the season: IF YOU HAVE A CONCERN OR QUESTION, COME TO ME. I DON’T WANT YOUR PARENTS COMING TO ME. BOTH of the girls talked to Holt on several occasions for more play time, and not once were either child told how to or what to improve. And yes all you nay-sayers, those girls came to every practice and not only that they practice at home and with their parents. When talking to the Coach Holt didn’t work, the principal was brought into the situation. What does Holt do?? Tell the girls she swore and got mad because their were girls and their parents that were upset-very professional!!
You all are quick to judge the parents are their parenting skills and on how they handled this when in truth all they did was bring to light a subject that has been in the schools for years-favoritism. For God’s sake people it’s 8th grade, not college! All girls should have a chance even with 27 girls on the team, they could have all been rotated! The same girls played all the time, their was no “team spirit”
So many of you are quick to judge…why don’t you take a good long look in the mirror or sweep off your own back steps before sweeping off these parents and children’s steps?????
Ah, another person that feels just because I show up I should be able to play. Were these girls at all required practices? Did they have any discipline actions against them? I am talking grades or attendence issues. You are very narrow minded. The coach does an excellent job and should be commended for it, not attacked by some anonymous loser sitting behind a keyboard.
We are talking about 8th graders here. The first logical step would be going to the coach, not the media. Ask other players how they feel about Mrs. Holt, they love her. She is a great coach! Rememer this is one year away from high school. They need to be prepared at this point.
Like every school and sport you have the same problem. Favoritism. It all boils down to how much do the parents make and how much is spent on camps for the child. Maybe bullying was the wrong word choice, but in 8th grade ALL players should have equal time on court and in practice. If practices are so thinned then maybe coaches should have volunteers helping with skills and education of the game. Some children are exceptional at a sport but lack the monetary means to strengthen their skills and that is when the favoritism comes into play. Winning is different than learning and in the 8th grade they should still be learning.
I would also like to point out the fact that the girls look genuinely upset of the playing time and practice time. They do not look forced into playing the sport by their parents.
You got it-all about favoritism! It’s not what you know but who you know, and how far ones nose is up ones you-know-what! Kudos to the moms and their girls!
…and also like at every school and every town in America you have parents who have absolutely NO idea what coaching entails. Nada. They think that this is parks and rec where all the little kiddies get equal playing time and then when they are all done both teams get blue ribbons and trophies and ice cream. They think the coach is out to get their kid because little Johnny or Little Suzie isn’t a starter and THEIR son or daughter is MUCH better than the ones playing in front of them…and you have 20 more parents in the stands thinking the same thing. Doesn’t sound like very good odds for the coach to be well thought of, now does it. I suggest these mothers do something to help their daughters improve if they are this worried about it…even better yet, start their own traveling team and coach a bunch of kids and experience on their own just how “easy” this is. I have news for you people….they have scoreboards to KEEP SCORE!! The object is to win the game!!! If it is not, why have one!! How about all those kids that put in the time that want to excel? Is it fair to THEM to not play more and lose a contest just because all 27 girls should get equal playing time. That is ridiculous, especially when over half of these girls are going to quit anyhow because they are just there to screw around, which also wastes the coaches time! As was said before, if you want equal playing time, have your daughters play parks and rec or Y ball!!! …. but my bet is you will STILL find something to complain about.
They’re over-reacting. If they were upset by the amount of playing time they were getting, then why didn’t they quit, or realize maybe volleyball just is not their thing. Because if they absolutely LOVED volleyball, they would put all the work and effort into it like the people who are good do. There are TWENTY-SEVEN girls on the team!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What do you ladies honestly expect?!!!
Coming at this from a current high school coach I certainly can sympthatize with any parent who wants to see their child have a positive experience and feel part of a team. That being said, it is unfortunate that this had to get to this level, to bring media into this conversation. As most of us already realize, life is a competition and at some point we do have to start to let our children stand up for themselves. I will always be there to support my child in all things she does, but would also ask these parents and kids what have they done outside the season to better themselves? We continue to expect all things to be handed to us on silver platters, and do not expect that working for something should be expected. I do not personally know these children, their parents or Coach Holt, but as reasonable adults I would think this could be discussed professionally. Also using my coaching philosophies, I do also tell kids to approach me if there are questions around playing time, etc…….but also leave an open door for parents as well, but open in that they do not catch me off guard prior to, during or after a game. Schedule time, and I am more than willing to talk. I suspect coach Holt also has this approach, yet words and expectations are taken out of context. Again, too bad for all involved, as it is always easier to complain from the side line, rather than do something about it (i.e. take ownership in your child’s development, work with them).
I’ve had an opinion since Day 1 about having 27 girls on one volleyball team. Only 6 can play at a time so have a team of 15. If you have more than 15 girls sign up, you have try-outs. If they don’t make try-outs, maybe there is an intramural or parks and rec team the others can join, where everyone gets to play. Those who are of a more competitive nature can improve their skills and bond as a team. That saves the coach’s time, parent’s time, and student’s time.
It’s impossible for 1 coach to work with 27 girls. My daughter goes to volleyball camp, practices after practice, and goes to the gym to practice on weekends because she loves it. She does get to play, but could she play more and improve more? Not when Coach has to let everyone play and spread practices thin, that is why she practices on her own. I understand and agree that sports are over-rated, but I don’t know too many people who play anything to loose. Why do we keep score if it’s not about winning? And you know what? Winning is fun!!!! No one said it was win at all costs, along with this story that thinking has been fabricated. These mothers signed a sheet saying they acknowledge their daughters would not get equal playing time. So I’m not sure why we’re all talking about this. These girls did get to play this season, and I think they improved from last year. Unfortunately, I think it’s the parents pushing their girls into this dismal limelight. If the parents were going to be so unhappy with the same amount of playing as they got last year, they should have signed them up for a team that hands out stickers and balloons, and everyone hugs when the game is over with an undecided score. Come on people, it’s a sport. It’s not all unicorns and lollipops in high school, or life; so get ready now. If you’re not up to it, than please find another interest, and I hope your mother doesn’t ruin that for you too. These coaches don’t get paid a lot to sacrifice their family time and their own kids’ activities. Now they have to put with “BULLYING MOTHERS” who smear coaches in the media. Who is going to want to coach now? Maybe these 2 mothers will volunteer!
LIKE!
I love how the word BULLYING is being misused because of little playing time. Maybe you should of looked the definition up before you used it “one that is abused emotionally, physically, and verbally” Who is REALLY being bullied is Angela Holt! You pathetic mothers trying to bully the coach into playing your children. All I have to say is your lucky I’m not the coach!!!
Couldn’t agree more!!
This is rediculous. My daughter was on the same team. There were so many girls on the team and the coach did a great job rotating them. I cannot believe that this woman would call this situation out in this way as to embarass her daughter in this way and attempt to hurt a coach that does a great job. In watching these games it was so obvious that Mrs. Holt cared about the players. Some people just arent happy all the time and never will be. Rediculous. I would imagine that Abigail will have many days at school now that will be hard due to the actions of her mother. Sad Sad SAD!
First off you need to learn to spell…….secondly, Abigail has a wonderful mom, and thirdly, it appears your the mother of one the girls who always got to play, do of course, you will have no concern about this.
All avenues were traveled before bringing a bully teacher out in public, perhaps your a bully mom….just sayin’
I wouldn’t worry about whether or not another poster can spell correctly when you aren’t able to use the word “your” correctly. That is just one of many errors I found in your post. Just saying.
CSmom2 should go back to school.
I am the father of a volleyball player. It is obvious to me that you are either Abigails mother or Elizabeths mother. As for my spelling….I might need work on my spelling, but my parenting is spot on. I set an example for my daughter. I imagine that if your daughter isnt asked to prom, you will go back on here and blame all the guys for bullying. Blame less and support more. Teach your daughter to win and not complain or whine that things are unfair. I will not be responding again, because bickering with you has now become a waste of my time. Oh, and if I forgot a comma, period or spelled something incorrectly, feel free to whine quietly to yourself about it.
Sounds like these mothers are trying to live their lives bicariously through their daughters. Maybe they are whining cause THEY didn’t get to play…Grow up ladies and your daughters will!
This article is just plain stupid. It should never be on here. They say that the kids with parents on the staff get to play more, there is one girl with a parent on the staff and they aren’t even at that building. That girl is also an amazing athlete and should rightfully be starting. Also Elizabeth’s grandpa works at the school if that were true she would be playing now wouldn’t she? Also the “starters” hardly even get play considering there’s 27 girls out for a sport where only 6 get to play at a time. And those starters get to start because they worked their butts off to get there. It’s not kindergarten and not everyone gets a turn. I was in the same situation as them. I talked to the coach and asked her what I could do better, got a list and started working on those things. I later on got to play more often. People nowadays need to think about what they can do first to change their situation, instead of blaming it on everyone else.
For this one time I agree with you.
If you aren’t going to play all 27 people on a team, why have that many?
To me it seems these girls dont get a chance to move upthe pecking order on the team. If u dont practice with the whole team and cant play then how can u prove yourself. This is no way to run a team or improve all the players. All the girls should get roughly equal chance to improve and become better players. Seems like this coach is stuck in the 1950s or something. By the way just winning should be for highs schoolers not this young just saying.
EXCUSE ME but they did get equal playing time…just saying
As one who observed the games, I am here to tell you, there was no equal play time among the girls. You people are missing the point. Holt was not fair in the way she played the girls. I have no vested interest in this one way or the otherbut you would have to be blind not to see that she plays favorites.
You Patty T. are absolutely right!
And you CSmom2 are absolutely wrong!
Middle School/Junior High/High School sports are about winning, nothing else. Sports in school also teach teamwork, compassion, and humility, but ultimately are about winning. Competition is about being the best you can be and proving yourself against others in this competition.
In junior high I played basketball and football, but learn early on I was nowhere near the level of play my classmates were. This caused in teasing, and by what today’s standards would be bullying. However I was smart enough to know that I wasn’t cut out for athletics. My parents accepted this and I funneled my energy into other areas of interest and now am very happy with where I am in life.
I think this is a case of the parents being overly concerned that their kids did not get to play, I know that my father took time off work to come to my games, and I never played. He wasn’t upset and neither was I, I appreciated the support, and he understood that the game was about winning. Not everyone is cut out for sports, and children especially need parental support when making decisions on what to do in school.
I also understand why NIT has published this as they believe it is a special interest story, and to some it is. But in reality it is how school life really is, and if a child is not cut out for sports the parents should be helping them to find other interests and to encourage them to succeed in what the children excel at.
TLDR: Not all kids are great at sports, parents need to help children find what they excel at.
UNBELIEVABLE!! What exactly do these moms think they are teaching their daughter? That crying to the media will get them more playing time? In the article it states that the girls approached the coach about more playing time but in the video when asked if they talked to the coach both girls answered “NO”. Which is it? At the beginning of the season all Middle School volleyball players signed a contract stating that everyone would have equal practice time but not equal game playing time. Everyone was aware of this from day 1! In life we are all faced with challenges….how we choose to deal with those challenges is what sets us apart from the rest!! It’s people like these two moms that make it difficult to find good coaches for our kids. I hope Angela Holt can look past this unfortunate situation because my daughter is looking forward to having her as a coach!!
The video was shot a couple of weeks ago. At that time, the parents/girls had not approached the coach. Later, they went to see the principal about their concerns and the girls did approach the coach as well.
Hey Matt,
Why don’t you get the parents and girls together with Holt, because now she’s crying and whining she didn’t get a fair shake to talk to you-make it fair?? She’s already told plenty of lies, let’s see if she can live up to it!!
Most of the time it’s about who you know and how much money you feed into the booster programs !
in 3rd grade my son wanted so badly to play on a traveling baseball team. He was never asked and quite simply wasn’t good enough. Rather than cry about it I spent the quality time required working with him. I started my own traveling baseball team. By the time he entered high school he started varsity as a sophmore. If you don’t like the system do something about it. Crying foul only makes it worse. Teach your kids to work hard and fight for what they want. I’m disappointed how you as parents handled this. It’s no wonder todays children feel so “entitled”
Athletics have become a joke. Should be two teams varsity and junior varisty in middle school and highschool. Keep the best players on varsity everyone else goes to junior varsity and they all play. Who cares what your record is on junior varsity it is a place to teach kids sportsmanship and teamwork not politics and win at all cost.
I totally agree ..
As a parent of a daughter that went out in Jr. high and choose to quit, I understand some of the frustration. However, you have to remember there are 27 girls on this team and only 6 can play at one time, if they are lucky and time permits they maybe get to play 4 games. As a coach with this many players, its tough to make sure they all get any playing time. My daughter chose to get out knowing that she wasn’t a great player so that others could get the time they deserved. I stood behind my daughter fully on this decision. As students and players in the smaller school, they should feel lucky that everyone that wants the chance to play gets it, and they don’t have to have try-outs that wouldn’t permit them time and opportunity to see if they really enjoy the sport or not.
Good story. Interesting how 8th grade volleyball is all about winning. I wonder what their record was this year.
I believe they were undefeated…
Sorry. 7th grade was undefeated. Not sure on 8th.
8th grade was 3 or 4 wins, 4 or 5 loses somewhere along those lines.
This should have never made the media! Much less a video. I coached many years in middle school. There was always 3 type of participants. Ones who were talented and worked diligently even in the off season to become the competitors they wanted to be. Next was those who were less skilled and desperately wanted to improve and get to a competitive level. Then there were those who just went out only for the social aspects of being on a team and had little to no drive and would not compete in High School.
Every coach I know has gone through this crap. Every parent thinks their progeny should be a starter. This is why the crazy adults come out of the stand and confront and or assault the coaches, referees etc. If a kid dislikes a coach you are no help to the team and breed discontent to others and should quit. These coaches work hard with little pay for the time they put in. Go sit in the stands, keep your mouth shut or pull your kid and take her back to McDonalds instead.
Now thats what i call AMEN!!
WOW!!! First off let me say THAT EVERYTHING YOU DO IN LIFE IS TO WIN OR BE SUCCESSFUL!! LIFE IS NOT FAIR!! When your girls were in 3 4 5 or 6 grade sitting at home watching tv and eating potato chips, the other girls were working their tails off making themselves better volleyball players, and now you want to whine and complain that they aren’t getting equal playing time. Let me ask you, how many times did your daughters stay late after practice to work on their skills? or how many nights did you bump a volleyball back and forth to each other after supper? I bet never. You only get out what you put in. So instead of going to the media and making this out to be a pity party for you and your daughter, maybe you should re-visit your parenting skills and teach her a strong work ethic instead of playing the victim all the time. It’s time to start holding our kids accountable for their actions. Gotta go teach my kids how to be WINNERS!!!! SEE YA~
When your kids are riding the pine on a losing team I hope you keep a good attitude and not blame it all on the coach or make excuses for your kids. I see parents like you every year that think because they work hard they are entitled to play more even though they still aren’t good enough.
HAHAHAHA Don’t worry about me complaining if my child is one that rides the pine! I’ve been coaching long enough to realize when an athlete, my child or not, is not good enough for the starting team, it’s called being aware of your child/players abilities It’s just too bad more parents couldn’t realize this. If anything changes though, I can always call Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Ebel for advise.
And yet whenever funding is discussed. Team sports are touted to “teach teamwork” (but only for a select few).
If you show up for practice and play your best; you should have the same chance to play.
If these parents want to help their children they should practice with them so they are good enough to play. Complaining on here doesn’t teach their children anything other than if you aren’t good enough at something, just complain until you get your way.
well said, thank you.
I have mixed feelings on this. My daughter played 8th grade volleyball and as far as player rotation, it seemed fair. But now she’s in high school and doesn’t play anymore. She wasn’t the best player and she knew it. So she made the decision herself not to play anymore. If she would have continued playing I’m sure she would have had some time on the bench. Instead she has focused on other interests in high school which she excels at. Maybe volleyball just isn’t these girls sport, and maybe they should try something else that they would be better at and enjoy more.
While i understand it can be very frustrating that your child doesnt get the playing time in sports that you think they should it is so wrong to take it to the media and write a big story about it. This has hurt these girls so bad and they will be branded with it forever. I know the one mother and while i know she is trying to protect her child she has caused lots of problems within our town and school with lots of complaining and this doesnt surprise me one bit. Shes a complainer and always will be!!!!!
When is Ward going to move to worth county – 8 grand a year for mileage from Greene to Manly – Oh well our school board members don’t even know what their property taxes are yearly. Sorry for the gals – you think they could improve with a good coach.
I know these kids and their parents. The parents let the children handle this situation, not once, but twice. After the second time, the parents and the children went to the principal. All that did was piss off the coach and cause her to have a bigger attitude. These girls went to every practice and every game. They are both excellent player who weren’t given a chance. The parents did not “meddle” into this. They brought this to the attention of others so that perhaps it will bring about a change in how the “game” which should be a fun and learning experience is ruined by bullying by an adult no less.
It’s sad that any time a kid (or young adult)doesn’t have things go their way it’s considered bullying. Bullying certainly does happen all to often, but a coach not playing the B-team as much as the A-team certainly is not bullying. This nation of whiners has become much too sensitive, and all too often the kids EXPECT things to be handed to them rather than working hard to earn it. But I don’t blame the kids, it’s the parents that expect things to be handed to their children. Make them earn what the get, the kids will feel more fulfilled and proud. I have a daughter in Jr. high and she works her butt off at practice and in the games. The girls that think this is social time SHOULD be sitting on the bench. Get over your pity party and set and example for your kids by teaching them the value of a job well done from hard work.
WELL SAID!!!!
thank you someone who gets it.
In the video, the girls don’t seem very interested at all. It looks to me like the girls could care less, which is probably why they don’t get much playing time. With that being said, I know for a fact that this school is known for playing kids of staff and faculty before ‘outsiders’. I do believe there is some favoritism involved in this, but at the same time the goal of a team is to win and if some of the players are more interested than others then they should get to play more.
If the kids weren’t interested, why did they go to the coach twice to discuss more playing time?? Did you ever think they were nervous when talking??? Don’t judge a book by it’s cover!
You don’t play the game to tie. You play to win. To do that you play your best players. I played multiple sports in school. Some I started others I rode the bench. Its about practice and trying to improve your skills. That is what will help thhese kids in the long run. These parents are not helping these kids improve themselves they are harming them. Real worlds not fair. Kids better get a understanding of that quickly.
Amen!!
Couldnt agree more
While I believe there is way too much emphasis on sports in high school, let alone middle school, I don’t think parents should be meddling in this. Schools obviously no longer think sports at middle school level are for fun or exercise. They are for competition only. If these girls do not have the ability, aren’t having fun just practicing, and can’t handle sitting on the bench at games, then there’s only one choice. It’s a real shame that our nation is full of overweight children that our schools are trying to feed correctly, yet competition is so important in our schools’ athletic programs that children are made to feel unwelcome and quit, even when exercise is so very important to their well being. What kind of message is this sending to students? These priorities are skewed. Sports at this level should still be mainly for fun and exercise with a goal for winning, but not the only goal. When I was a kid, middle school competitions were intramural only and the winning team members each got a trophy. We ALL participated on a team of mixed boys and girls of all athletic abilities. It was great fun. Think of the money saved by the district by not hauling students all over North Iowa.
Where I work, people are constantly asking for time off to run all over to watch their kids participate in organized sports. I’m sorry, but that is ridiculous. We end up paying overtime to other people so these parents can do this. It ends up being a burden to employers if they want to accommodate these parents.
We should turn schools from what they have become into a highly competitive place where kids go to try to become the smartest and the healthiest young people they can be.
I’m pretty sure I’m older then you Katie; but when I was in school we called that gym class.
Sounds like coach & school did everything right!
BULLY is the latest thing to cry when you dont get your way. And the media is feeding it! Everybody is a victim.
So the purpose of a “game” is to win? Who knew?
Ok…at some point athletics need to become competitive. The point of playing a game is to win. The point of practice is to get experience and improve your skills. And the kids who put in more effort, time, etc shoud play more than the ones who just show up to practices. This whole “everyone plays, everyone gets a ribbon” does not teach kids anything other than being mediocre is okay. I’m sure these girls have strengths and talents; maybe its just not on the court. What if a student was out for choir and expected to be in a solo or small group…and the kid couldn’t sing? Is that any different???
This volleyball thing is no surprise, it has always been that way. It is all about winning, the coach doesn’t care how the kids feel, it’s win win win. The same kids get to play, and who cares about the rest. At that age everyone should get a chance to at least try. Who know, it might be the making of a real athlete. At least give them a chance!!
ABSOLUTELY! AMEN! FINALLY! SOMEONE GETS IT!
FINALLY! SOMEONE GETS IT! AMEN!
They do have a chance…its called PRACTICE.