It is unfortunate that there is a need for me to address this type of issue, but the adult behavior throughout our entire zone is rapidly growing out of control and is unacceptable. Over the last 14 days, I have dealt with 12 verbal and written complaints of unacceptable behavior. Zone 7 is a small competitive zone which I personally take much pride in our hard work and dedication. Yes we are competitive amongst each other during the season, but we are also very supportive of each others associations during tournaments and provincials. The adult behavior is ripping our Associations and Zone apart at the seams and needs to stop IMMEDIATELY.
We need to ALL stay focused on why we are here, the KIDS, the enjoyment of playing Canada's National sport and most of all FUN! I ask you to all read the below and realize that we are all guilty in some ways.
I ask that you all review the attached Zone 7 Zero Tolerance Policy, and that we all work together to stop this behavior that NO minor player should be witness to. The referee group will be directed to enforce removal of any bad behaving adult during a game, and ALL Association Executive are asked to uphold the attached Zero Tolerance Policy.
What is it about a kid’s lacrosse game that flicks the switch for so many parents and coaches, turning devoted mothers and fathers into rampaging maniacs, infecting them with category-five rink-rage even while watching six-year-olds learning the game? These same parents would never scream at someone else’s child – or any stranger – outside the rink. They wouldn’t tell their daughter on the playground to “take out” a peer. And you can bet that if a teacher tried to teach math by hovering at a student’s desk, flailing him verbally with criticism, there’d be a reprimand in the principal’s office.
For many young athletes, the end result of all this bad behaviour is that they lose their love for the game – the dropout rate peaks in early adolescence in all competitive sports. “Imagine if 70 per cent of the customers who went to Tim Hortons walked out one day and said: ‘I am never going back.” In youth sports, we seem perfectly satisfied with this result.”
“You cannot coach someone into being LeBron James or nag them all the way home into becoming the next Sidney Crosby.”John O’Sullivan, founder of the U.S.-based Changing the Game initiative
Jenn Matheson
Zone 7 Lacrosse Director
Zone_7_Zero_Tolerance_Policy.docx