Since I started working full time, getting my internship hours as well as my work hours took some maneuvering. Instead of coming in to the park in the morning, I now come in late afternoons. Not only is everyone a bit lethargic towards the end of the day, but there isn't a lot to do. Soccer has started, I made all 5,000 copies of the flag football flyers for the schools (and who knows how many thousand for cheerleading and golf), and everything is set for youth cross country to start on Tuesday. To make up the hours, I'm working with the high schoolers--the part time staff. The city is losing lots of them to college this year, and Trish needed help reffing soccer.
So I'm a ref for Murray's Real Salt Lake rec soccer league (grades 1-2, specifically). It's not that bad. I was afraid that the parents would be rude, but they're actually really supportive. I was really nervous when I had to ref alone on my second game, but they were very encouraging. I guess it's because it's a rec league (if they were really serious, they would have signed their kid up for a competitive league where the coaches aren't volunteer parents) and the kids are all under the age of like seven. I always ref the girls' field, too, where literally all they do is clump around the ball and try not to kick each other. The boys are surprisingly much more advanced. But they still haven't mastered the drop-kick quite yet.
I had to learn some basic soccer rules for this gig, obviously. Only the basics, though, because the only calls are for out-of-bounds, hands, and fighting. I already knew the gist of the game alright, but when it comes to the different types of kicks, I had no idea when to do which. The best thing was a diagram that is in the coaching packet. If the ball is kicked out by either team on the sidelines, it's a throw-in from where it went out--and the last team that touched the ball is the one that it's counted against, not necessarily the one that kicked the ball. If the offensive team kicks it out the back, it's a goal kick (usually by the goalie). If the defensive team kicks it out, it's a corner kick by the offensive. It feels really simple now that I have it down.
One thing that sort of annoys me is that the coaches can be on the field. I see how it is really helpful to the young'uns, the girls in particular, but they get in the way! It's hard enough to see who touched it last within a clump of little kids, but when you have to keep maneuvering around the coach (who isn't paying any attention to you).... I think that they should push the parents back a foot or two from the sideline and let the coach walk back and forth there. It also helps when one of the parents/assistant coaches is coaching the goalie separately. And, of course, the head coach is so busy getting in my way that another parent has to be sitting with the team and regulating subs (each player must play for half of the game).
Working with teenagers is also not as bad as I though it would be. The one thing is that they talk a lot. And about everything. TMI, children. I just honestly don't care to be talking for every second of every minute. Sometimes you walk with another person and you just don't say anything and it's okay. Also, the first thing they ask is, "Which school do you go to?" I don't go to high school, young ones. I graduated from your school 2.5 years ago. The moment they discover I'm a big-time college kid from Hawaii, it's like the talking never stops. I've settled for half-listening. Sunglasses and a lot of nodding. And they love it when you let them take the reigns and be what I call the "head ref," or the one who starts the game and blows the whistle for goals. Then share your Gatorade with them and they are your loyal friends.
It's been fun seeing some of the kids from track and field playing soccer. It's been alright run-walking up and down a field (I forgot how bad the grass is at elementary schools. They just leave the dead stuff in big stanky piles everywhere. Yes, stanky.). It's also nice to get the Saturday hours in--and have the rest of the day to get things done. I've been feeling very accomplished lately. Accomplished, and very tired. I'll be glad to be done with the internship so that I can have a little more free time at home to do things like do my laundry and wash my car. Maybe watch TV (if I remember how) or hang out with friends (I have those, right?).
The internship doesn't end tomorrow, though. Even though I set all of the rec coordinators as administrators on the Facebook page, they still just expect me to do it. I'm not sure they understood what I meant when I told them I made them admin. I don't think any of them have realized that I probably won't be coming into the office a lot now. I keep getting, "hey, I need some help with this and that for this program in two weeks" and the like. And honestly, I really like it here. I like being in the office, I like working with rec programs. I could definitely do this in the future.
There were quite a few things that I did not expect. Namely, the amount of paperwork. You have to update your records of addresses and phone numbers, take registration forms, concussion forms, print thousands and thousands of flyers! And even though it feels like we aren't reaching as many people as we could, the job has a lot of rewards. I've gained a lot of pride for my hometown and the people that live here through interacting with them, seeing them bring their families to the park for the 4th of July, renting pavilions for birthday parties and reunions, and cheering from the sidelines. The family is one of the most important things we have, and parks and recreation is something that really encourages family time. I think that's what I love most about it and about Murray City in general.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
The Trouble with Youth Rec Soccer
As a first sport for young kids of both genders, soccer is very popular. All the kids love it--from the pre-k to the 7/9th. As a Jr. Real Salt Lake league, they get vouchers for tickets to see a game as a team and if they wear their jerseys, they get to go onto the field before the game or during halftime for a little parade. We have a couple really great parents that are returning coaches every year, and their teams are full of kids who requested them.
The trouble is the rest of the parents.
Our biggest age groups are the pre-k, kindergarten, and (especially) 1st/2nd grade. Almost all of the parents are really young, and a heavy majority know absolutely nothing about soccer. That doesn't really bother me, because they're usually young parents and this is their first sports experience with their kids. I think that being involved in sports and community programs is incredibly beneficial for them--at this crucial stage of young development, they are learning new motor skills that will help them throughout their life, they're meeting new kids from other elementary schools that they will remember when they join up in junior high and high school, and most importantly they're learning skills like teamwork and dedication. Being on the field teaches you in a way that is unique in its own right--you can always tell whether or not a person has been involved in sports or other community programs (for example, drama).
Something that I find frustrating is the large group doesn't sign up until after the deadline. The registration period runs for about a month, but we have disgruntled and/or chagrined parents signing their kid up until the first game starts. It feels almost like the late-registrations are in the majority. And then comes the biggest problem: coaches. All the coaches are volunteers from the participant's family (mom or dad, almost always). But when we start putting teams together, we have as few as four parents that have checked yes to helping on their kid's form. And that's in one age group!
My job was to call every parent on the teams without a coach until we found someone to coach. It's August, lots of families are on vacation, and a lot of parents are at work. I left more messages than I can count. I have called more people for this soccer program than I have ever called in my entire life. If they did answer, the excuses would pour out and I would sit patiently until they decided it was time to stop rambling. Remember where I said our biggest age groups were the youngest ones? They are also the age groups with the fewest parents volunteering initially. The excuse used most often was "I don't know anything about soccer." I wanted to slap myself in the forehead every time I heard it. At this age, all you have to do is tell them not to use their hands and stay in bounds. The young kids are the easiest kids in the world to coach. On top of that, practices can't last more than 45 minutes because they just don't have the attention span. Come on, parents. Really? He's four. Pre-k teams don't even have goalies. They put colored bandannas on the goal so he'll know which one he's aiming toward--otherwise, it's just a free-for-all (but at that age, isn't it anyway?).
I think I've learned the most about rec programs through helping with soccer these past two weeks. I've been able to see how to register a child using the Class Registration program that Murray City uses. I've used Class a bit to update records with changed addresses, cell phone numbers, and new emails based on all of the 5k paper forms (the online registrations change/add automatically). Now I know how to enroll someone in a program, how to print off rosters or program lists, and how to update accounts so we know who has turned in a concussion form. (They're really cracking down on concussions now! I'm surprised that I'm surprised with the change.)
Calling parents aside, I've done a lot of other things with soccer. I've watched teams become organized, shirts ordered, and learned about Murray's partnership with Real Salt Lake. Scheduling is tough, with no main location but many different fields across the city in use, but I've seen that come together. With our coaches meeting, I learned about how to do background checks and what to put in the coaches packets. Something that I thought was really neat was that Sports Authority (who was a sponsor on the Fourth of July) gave all of the participants a 25% off coupon for any purchase at their stores, taking a little pressure off parents who needed to buy things like new shoes or the mandatory shin guards. Another thing that is included is a packet with the rules for each age group, tips for practices, and a labeled diagram of the field that also includes positions and explanations. I know from a coaching class I took that there are tons of references for coaching soccer alone online, but most of the parents don't.
Something else that I picked up on while working with Trish on her soccer program was Trish herself. She really goes out of her way to make sure the kids can participate and that the parents are comfortable. Instead of turning away late registrations, she fills up all the teams and then makes a wait list that will become a team as soon as there are enough signed up. In the coach's packets, she included her business card so that everyone would have her phone number. In the coach's meeting, I really felt that she put the new parents' minds at ease, assuring them that they were in charge and to make things like practices convenient for themselves, and making sure they know how important they are to the program and to her job. I was really impressed. If Trish were a doctor, her bedside manner would be excellent. I hope I can learn from her example and be half as efficient and likable someday.
The trouble is the rest of the parents.
Our biggest age groups are the pre-k, kindergarten, and (especially) 1st/2nd grade. Almost all of the parents are really young, and a heavy majority know absolutely nothing about soccer. That doesn't really bother me, because they're usually young parents and this is their first sports experience with their kids. I think that being involved in sports and community programs is incredibly beneficial for them--at this crucial stage of young development, they are learning new motor skills that will help them throughout their life, they're meeting new kids from other elementary schools that they will remember when they join up in junior high and high school, and most importantly they're learning skills like teamwork and dedication. Being on the field teaches you in a way that is unique in its own right--you can always tell whether or not a person has been involved in sports or other community programs (for example, drama).
Something that I find frustrating is the large group doesn't sign up until after the deadline. The registration period runs for about a month, but we have disgruntled and/or chagrined parents signing their kid up until the first game starts. It feels almost like the late-registrations are in the majority. And then comes the biggest problem: coaches. All the coaches are volunteers from the participant's family (mom or dad, almost always). But when we start putting teams together, we have as few as four parents that have checked yes to helping on their kid's form. And that's in one age group!
My job was to call every parent on the teams without a coach until we found someone to coach. It's August, lots of families are on vacation, and a lot of parents are at work. I left more messages than I can count. I have called more people for this soccer program than I have ever called in my entire life. If they did answer, the excuses would pour out and I would sit patiently until they decided it was time to stop rambling. Remember where I said our biggest age groups were the youngest ones? They are also the age groups with the fewest parents volunteering initially. The excuse used most often was "I don't know anything about soccer." I wanted to slap myself in the forehead every time I heard it. At this age, all you have to do is tell them not to use their hands and stay in bounds. The young kids are the easiest kids in the world to coach. On top of that, practices can't last more than 45 minutes because they just don't have the attention span. Come on, parents. Really? He's four. Pre-k teams don't even have goalies. They put colored bandannas on the goal so he'll know which one he's aiming toward--otherwise, it's just a free-for-all (but at that age, isn't it anyway?).
I think I've learned the most about rec programs through helping with soccer these past two weeks. I've been able to see how to register a child using the Class Registration program that Murray City uses. I've used Class a bit to update records with changed addresses, cell phone numbers, and new emails based on all of the 5k paper forms (the online registrations change/add automatically). Now I know how to enroll someone in a program, how to print off rosters or program lists, and how to update accounts so we know who has turned in a concussion form. (They're really cracking down on concussions now! I'm surprised that I'm surprised with the change.)
Calling parents aside, I've done a lot of other things with soccer. I've watched teams become organized, shirts ordered, and learned about Murray's partnership with Real Salt Lake. Scheduling is tough, with no main location but many different fields across the city in use, but I've seen that come together. With our coaches meeting, I learned about how to do background checks and what to put in the coaches packets. Something that I thought was really neat was that Sports Authority (who was a sponsor on the Fourth of July) gave all of the participants a 25% off coupon for any purchase at their stores, taking a little pressure off parents who needed to buy things like new shoes or the mandatory shin guards. Another thing that is included is a packet with the rules for each age group, tips for practices, and a labeled diagram of the field that also includes positions and explanations. I know from a coaching class I took that there are tons of references for coaching soccer alone online, but most of the parents don't.
Something else that I picked up on while working with Trish on her soccer program was Trish herself. She really goes out of her way to make sure the kids can participate and that the parents are comfortable. Instead of turning away late registrations, she fills up all the teams and then makes a wait list that will become a team as soon as there are enough signed up. In the coach's packets, she included her business card so that everyone would have her phone number. In the coach's meeting, I really felt that she put the new parents' minds at ease, assuring them that they were in charge and to make things like practices convenient for themselves, and making sure they know how important they are to the program and to her job. I was really impressed. If Trish were a doctor, her bedside manner would be excellent. I hope I can learn from her example and be half as efficient and likable someday.
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