JUNE 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015, 12:13 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Civility talks in Ridgewood have made their way to the athletic fields, as a group of residents and officials discussed how the village can be better represented by teams that play in town.
The discussion on June 1 was led by the Rev. Jan Phillips and focused on both the behavior of players, coaches and parents as well as the treatment of athletes during practices and games. Ridgewood has both town recreational programs and travel club teams that participate in various levels of competition utilizing village fields.
One portion of the evening explored the way children learn sportsmanship from the adults in charge. In light of the occasional story that surfaces in New Jersey and elsewhere about the subpar behavior of coaches and parents, it was argued that an alteration in attitude has to start with children when they are young since the adults could not change themselves.
But the Rev. Thomas Johnson suggested that those adults must model those proper behaviors, because that is where the players pick up their cues.
“I’d rather make the effort to change,” Johnson said. “I can’t expect my children to change when I am stubborn about changing my lifestyle, my behavior. So where is the model for change? You’re asking our kids to do something and they learn from us.”
Parks and Recreation Department Director Tim Cronin noted that many organizations have a code of ethics for all involved with teams – players, coaches and parents – and leagues have strict rules about behavior, such as a policy to stop a game until an unruly spectator has left the premises.
Resident Paul Vagianos suggested that the coaches of each team gather all players and parents for a meeting before the first practice of the season in order to get all involved on the same page.
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/panel-addresses-sports-1.1352021