Iron Horse basketball coach urges parents to get involved

After seven full seasons as head coach of the boys’ varsity basketball team at Philip Simmons High School, something that I have noticed about our school and our program that stands out is our team’s parents. 

 

I’ve been lucky enough to have incredibly involved and passionate parents who share my goal of making a child’s experience the best that it can possibly be. Although parents cannot affect wins and losses on the court, they can hugely impact and shape the culture of the program.

 

When a child makes a team or joins a club, the natural inclination for a parent is to get the schedule of events and make sure they are both in attendance. While that is a good step that leads to a positive experience for the child, I am here to say that parents have the power to do even more to make that experience even better! 

 

Parents can chaperone trips, volunteer in the concession stand, provide snacks for postgame bus trips, or be the “team parent” and orchestrate all the behind-the-scenes necessities. All of these actions positively impact a club or program and show just how much they care.

 

Our players — our children — see which parents are involved in their chosen activities. While a parent might think they are an embarrassment by being present, the opposite is almost always the case. The child sees the act of service their parent is providing and feels the love from their support. The parents’ involvement not only makes the program or club better, but it also sets an example to the child that acts of service are a way of demonstrating love and support in anything they do for those they love and care about.

 

My strong belief that involved parents lead to strong programs and strong bonds within a family comes from my personal experience growing up playing sports with parents who were always involved.

 

Acts of service are a big way that my parents demonstrated their love to me, and they made sure that I felt that love even while playing sports. My dad coached me in most of my youth sports teams, and my mom was always at school and involved in PTSA, and they always passed out snacks for us to eat on the bus during my high school basketball days. (They even show up to pass out snacks to my current players on occasion, and it’s always a hit for the team when my dad has multiple boxes of doughnuts for them.)

 

Of course, not every parent has the time or means to voluntarily serve as I am describing, but even by just showing up to the events the child is participating in, the parent is demonstrating to the child that they are invested in and supportive.

 

As a young parent, I have experienced my child seeing me in the stands and getting excited by my presence, and that feeling is something I will never forget.

 

Whether it is cheering from the stands or being involved in one way or another behind the scenes, parents can make a child’s experience in a club or sport a positive experience and strengthen their bond in the process!