This story, published in the national edition of the American Society of Newspaper Editors online edition in June examined the issue of parents overly involved in high school sports to the detriment of their children developing maturity and coping skills when faced with adversity. Parents are dealing with issues that student athletes themselves should learn to cope with, the article finds.

Are parents too involved?

Some parents play bigger role inhigh school sports than student-athletes

By Maiah Hollander-The Californian, California High School

As high school sports become moredemanding for students, many people outside of athletics fail to realize thereis one variable that is growing whether or not coaches and administrators likeit: parental involvement.

This was clear earlier thisspring sports season when the Contra Costa Times ran a large story in the newssection that focused on one parent who was angry about Cal High’s baseballprogram.

The parent was worried about arumor that certain players got special treatment if they played on JV coachScooter Torres’s youth team outside of school.

The coaches denied such actionsand the district didn’t find any evidence to confirm the accusations. But thedistrict is considering a formal review of tryout procedures based on theparent’s complaint.

Torres was asked to resign by thedistrict.

“That family is taking thisoverboard,” Torres told the Contra Costa Times.

Many others agree that there is adifference between being involved and over-doing it to the point where parentsdisrupt the team and undermine the coaches.

Some parents are involved throughdonations, volunteering and providing services, such as driving players to awaygames.

“What (these parents) do doesn’tundermine the coach in anyway,” said senior softball player Stefani Amaral.

“Those parents that take the timeout of their job are very valuable, and are needed to run a quality sportsprogram,” said athletic director Fred Albano. “But unfortunately they are asilent majority.”

Parental involvement starts asearly as tee ball and other youth programs when children are too young to taketheir well-being into account and look after themselves. During these timesthey appropriately look to their parents to take care of their welfare on thefield.

But as athletes progress, manyparents have a hard time letting go. This is evident with some of the moredrastic incidents that have occurred worldwide

In Gallup, New Mexico, a motherof a high school cheerleader went after another girl in the squad based on acomment the girl had made about her daughter.

Granted, her own daughter triedto attack first, but the mother came in after her own daughter was restrainedto continue the fight.

A Massachusetts hockey brawlbetween dads had a fatal outcome with one dad killing the other.

Even in France, the father of atennis player was charged with poisoning his child’s opponents.

As the gap between the playersand the level of mental capability to look after themselves shrink, someparents aren’t ready to let go or don’t know how.

“It’s still hard because I stillwant to take control, but they need to get out there and do their own thing,”said Julie Williams, mother of junior Brent Williams, a varsity volleyballplayer.

Williams is one of many parentswho helps the team drive to each game and supports the players by attendingalmost every game.

But what happens when a playerhas an issue with a coach, another player or even themselves? Is it a parent’sjob to take them on?

Many coaches agree such abilitiesas looking out for oneself and taking charge of a situation are vital lifeskills learned in sports. But student-athletes are robbed of these skills whena parent takes responsibility from them.

“It’s detrimental to their growthas a young adult, not only as an athlete,” said former Cal baseball coach PaulFortayon. “Times have changed since I played as a kid. If I had a problem withthe coach it was up to me to work it out, instead of letting my parents stepin.”

These values are lost whenparents become too involved because student-athletes never get a chance toexperience these things first-hand.

“The number one step is for theplayer to talk to a coach if they have a problem,” said varsity swimmer juniorBrad Perfect. “Athletes need to know how to work with others even if there is aproblem between them.”

In a weekend that saw Atlanta battered by strong winds, rain and lightening and most of the state's elite athletes away at either Nike Indoor or the National Scholastic, Grady's 4x100 team garnered a 2nd place finish at the Stephenson Invitational.

After falling slightly behind at the start of the race, Demarcus Watts flew down the backstretch pulling the team into solid striking distance to set up curveman Aaron Killingsworth, who firmly solidified the team's second-place position as he circled to anchor Kari Kemp, who held off the late surge of Hardaway's Eric Plump. Stephenson won the event in 42.5 while Grady completed the race in 43.4. Marquelle Newton ran the leadoff leg with Watts second, Killingsworth third and Kemp at anchor.

Other highlights include Watts finishing 4th in the 100 and John Moore throwing nearly 40 feet in his first competition in the shot put. Kemp ran a 22.3 hand-time in the 200. However, the race's official results were incorrect.

In the jv portion of the meet, Elliott Erickson placed second in the 200 at 23.50 and seventh in the 100 at 11.97. The jv 4x100 team finished 5th.