What to do with little Hitler Newbie HS Coach?

[softballdad97]

DD high school team has a new HC and there is already rumblings and possible mutiny on the horizon. New HC has taken over for long time head coach that moved on. I had heard from one of the parents of a team member that the HC had coached volleyball for underclass team and that she was a total hard a$$, and there was nearly a mutiny and the kids hated her. I thought that perhaps this may be just underclass whining or an isolated incident until DD came home from preseason conditioning this afternoon and informed me that the holdover assistant coach had been kicked off of varsity training because she talks too much. The AC truly loves the game and interacts well with the girls and is one of a kind that really helps to keep things loose and fun for the team. Now don't get me wrong this AC is not a screw-off, she just enjoys the game and has a passion for it and would be a huge loss for the girls is she were to quit. From the sounds of things this HC is a true tyrant and who in their right mind wants to give forth the effort for a tyrant. HC has already had a run in with the senior All-Area Player of The Year player. DD informs me that AC and all varsity players are not looking forward to the season because of this tyrant. Many are considering quitting or not going out before the season even gets started.

Any recommendations on how to handle this anonymously so my DD does not become a scapegoat if things go bad? My concern is that this is perhaps the last team that will have any success for the school in my daughter's career there. Varsity squad is overwhelmingly seniors and DD is a sophomore with little accompanying talent at her grade and below. Is this a common thing? Julius Cesar was mind mannered compared to this tyrant. We will have to keep all sharp objects out of the hands of the players. LOL

 

[JAD]

No suggestions for you, but I will grab some popcorn and wait for others to respond.

 

[CoogansBluff]

I should've just taken a seat next to JAD, but what the heck.

Not saying your description is wrong. I suspect it is correct.

However, just some food for thought. Maybe you can ease my mind about some of this.

For example:

Julius Cesar was mind mannered compared to this tyrant.

Yet:

I had heard from one of the parents of a team member …

DD came home from preseason conditioning this afternoon and informed me that …

From the sounds of things this HC …

That's hearsay. And I assume that this also is ...

Many are considering quitting or not going out before the season even gets started.

One other observation:

HC has already had a run in with the senior All-Area Player of The Year player.

Having a run-in with a player is not necessarily wrong. And why point out that this player happened to be the all-area player of the year? What difference does it make which player he had a run-in with? Should she be treated differently?

I hope this is not the reason:

My concern is that this is perhaps the last team that will have any success for the school in my daughter's career there.

Again, this coach might be a total jerk. I don’t know. But if you are getting most of your info second-hand, is it fair to be discussing how you can undermine the coach anonymously?

Any recommendations on how to handle this anonymously

Not a fan of undermining a coach anonymously. If concerns are significant enough to be heard, have them heard directly.

 

[softballdad97]

The reason for anonymity is for the sake of my DD. She has two years left at the HS after this upcoming season. My concern is for the program as well as my DD., but I don't need Hitler if she is to be retained sending my kid to the gallows so to speak.

 

[YOCOACH]

I should've just taken a seat next to JAD, but what the heck.

Not saying your description is wrong. I suspect it is correct.

However, just some food for thought. Maybe you can ease my mind about some of this.

For example:



Yet:







That's hearsay. And I assume that this also is ...



One other observation:



Having a run-in with a player is not necessarily wrong. And why point out that this player happened to be the all-area player of the year? What difference does it make which player he had a run-in with? Should she be treated differently?

I hope this is not the reason:




Again, this coach might be a total jerk. I don’t know. But if you are getting most of your info second-hand, is it fair to be discussing how you can undermine the coach anonymously?




Not a fan of undermining a coach anonymously. If concerns are significant enough to be heard, have them heard directly.

Very good post CB! I wish I had thought about these things....LOL. However, I still don't see how they can truly do it anonymously. Someone is going to get the blowback one way or the other. It's just a question of how much and how bad.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Popcorn time - this is a good one. In your shoes, as the parent of a soph on a largely senior team, I would let the upperclass players/parents do battle and watch this one from the sidelines if my DD had interest in playing HS SB for this and the next 2 seasons without being a perpetual whipping post.

 

[softballdad97]

Never said anything about undermining the HC and I take exception to the implication. Just looking for ideas on how to bring light a subject that the AD needs to know about before it becomes a powder keg, which I can see this possibly happening, and thus putting our HS season in jeopardy, and how I as a parent can help the situation before it boils over. That is why I have posed the question so I have input from someone that may have encountered this before.

 

[Sparky Guy]

Had a similar situation at the DD's HS. The long-time HC gave up coaching. She was well respected and liked by the players on a team that was always ranked in the top 5 in the state at the time. The AD brought in this "Great" coach to take over the team. The woman was an absolute tyrant with zero people skills and fair coaching abilities. The result was the team did not make it through the first game in post season for the first time in a very, very long time. There was so much animosity towards the coach everyone in the school who was involved in softball knew it. Fortunately, she saw the writing on the wall and did not return for the next season.

My guess is the AD has heard complaints about her before and chooses not to do anything about it. There is no way the AD will replace the coach based upon some grumblings. Especially with the season only a few weeks away. The team will most likely be stuck with her for the upcoming season. About the only thing that will get the AD's attention is all out mutiny once the season starts. And I highly doubt that will happen.

If the parents or players have a meeting with the AD they better have some VERY specific wrongdoings by the coach outlined. Otherwise, it's nothing but a "B****" session and an AD will rightly not act on anything immediately. If the AD hears enough about how disliked the coach is and how it may effect the future of the softball program the AD may do something, but I wouldn't hold my breath. HS officials usually adopt a circle-the-wagons mentality when problems arise. The other thing that comes into play. Does the AD even care about girls sports? There are some who only do the very minimum required for Title 9 compliance.

One other possible thing is to catch the coach's excessive behavior on video and bring it to the AD. Much like what they did with the tyrant coach at Rutgers a while back.

Good Luck. It sounds like the kids need it.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Never said anything about undermining the HC and I take exception to the implication. Just looking for ideas on how to bring light a subject that the AD needs to know about before it becomes a powder keg.

Point taken.

Just note that the purpose of my post was not to doubt or criticize. I just find that this forum is most valuable when we get uncensored first impressions of what we read. One of those observations was that much of your information (though it might be entirely accurate) is second-hand. If I'm an athletic director hearing what you just said, I might file it away in case I begin to hear more of these stories, but by itself, it wouldn't be enough for me to have a conversation w/ the coach.

I do understand how our kids have a very limited time in their lives to play for their school teams and how disappointing it can be if a bad coach ruins it. I hope it works out.

 

[Rocketech1]

Young adults need to learn how to deal with people in power with different types of personalities, whether its coaches or employers. I think you your Dd should give this new head coach the benefit of the doubt, until proven otherwise. It may not all be dooom and gloom and if some girls quit the team, it creates opportunity for others.