Politics is always something that seems to come into play where sports are concerned. I just never imagined that it would be at the Pee Wee House Level for Abbotsford Minor Hockey.
Our son JJ plays house hockey for AMHA and over the past few days our email box has been flooded with outrageous emails of anger, frustration and basic injustice over the removal of a volunteer coach because he rubbed a few executives the wrong way when he questioned why some kids (during balancing games) were being moved to jack up a team so they had better players than the other teams.
The floods of emails and outpouring of emotion and raw anger that both my husband and I read was insane. Parents are deeply concerned because this beloved Coach has been removed from his team that not only needs him but loves him. This coach has been coaching for a few years now and was even asked to coach and lend a hand during the balancing games. Then ousted when he apparently questioned what the league was doing in switching kids, after an email was sent to all of us stating no kids would be switched until after the balancing games were completed.
I’m so torn about this. My son eats, lives and breathes hockey. JJ is sponsored each year by AMHA, giving him a chance as a child that is low income a chance to reach his goals and dreams.
Yet at the same time, the fact this is happening. The fact our coaches for our teams already faced a shortage and one team had be dis-banned because they couldn’t find a coach. And now they have removed another teams coach for no reasonable reason, at least not one that doesn’t make it look like pissing contest.
It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
So what do I do? What do I tell my son? You play a sport that is unfair. You play for a league that won’t listen to the parents who are crying out for this coaches re-reinstatement but nothing is being done. You play for excutives who don’t care how you feel about any of these decisions.
NO answers were given by those who removed this coach, except to say that he was free to divulge and share that information with parents. How lame! Why didn’t they just come out and tell the parents… “We understand your concerns, we understand your wishes and we are working hard to replace the coach and ensure the kids will have a great season.”
No instead, they allowed emails after emails to go out with everyone chatting, voicing their concerns and anger and putting a bad name and taste on hockey here in Abbotsford. Not cool!
The only reason a good coach should be removed is if there was something detrimental discovered about him or her that would cause our kids harm. And that is obviously not the case with this coach.
I’m sick inside right now. Politics and minor hockey don’t mix. Not when you stare into the eyes of a child, dressed in his gear, game face on, skates ready to fly, gearing up to chase their dreams.
Isn’t that what really matters?
The kids?
I really hope the league can recover from this. I really hope parents find a way to ban together and not let this ruin what is supposed to be a great time in our kids lives. I also hope this coach (and all that) he and his family are going through understand one person cannot change who you are or how others feel about you – as he is obviously loved and cared for by many many parents and kids in our hockey association.
I also hope this doesn’t happen again.
I hope.
About Jodi Shaw
