Get Ready for a Lightning Rod Debate About Youth Sports

So it’s been over a month since my inaugural column for Patch first met your eyes. I think it’s going fairly well so far. You seem to be a great group of people, and I appreciate that you’ve actually taken time out of your week to read my stories. I’ve made myself laugh a few times (and hopefully you did as well), and unlike my newsletter for a local youth football league, I’ve managed to dodge any hate mail… so far.

I love the idea of constructive banter. I love the word … BANTER. In fact I LOVE that we all have our own views, ideas, concerns, comments, and certain subjects that turn our eyes the color of fire and cause puffs of smoke to billow out of our ears and nostrils — such passion!

 We can argue all day about pro sports and almost always leave as friends. It’s usually not too personal. Youth sports, however, emit a completely different set of emotions whenever there is any form of a variance among the people on either side of the topic.

 Why? I suspect it has to do with egos, grudges, philosophies, personalities, rivalries, jealousy, and about 3,000 other reasons that make one group of mommies and daddies not get along with another group of mommies and daddies.

 To sit here and write about some of the issues pertaining to youth sports is almost like crouching in a mud puddle with two hands on the rope while it’s being pulled by two groups of angry parents on opposite ends of an issue. I can’t win. As long as they are being treated fairly and having fun in a safe environment, we all win.

 So along with sharing silly stories about me and the Boy, there also needs to be room here to discuss some of the important issues. And I’ll volunteer to sit in the mud hole as long as you promise not to step on my head and hold it beneath the surface for too long.

 I’m extremely opinionated and passionate on a number of issues. Some seem like common sense (at least to me) and others are simply a matter of how you portray a set of circumstances. So I’d like us to be able to discuss any of the topics that I kick into your laps without worrying about us not playing nice or being mean to each other. As I’ve learned at the round table of every board meeting I’ve ever attended, constructive dialogue usually leads to positive changes.

 OK, so let’s pick weather as our topic of the week. It’s the time of the year where thunderstorms can crash an event with very little warning. It’s usually in the late afternoon or early evening when practices and games are being held.

You hear thunder. What next? Well, let me tell you, I’ve been at too many games over the years where the coaches, safety directors, officials, and umpires have been way too slow in clearing the fields and getting everyone to safety.

 The bottom line is if you hear thunder, you need to get inside immediately. Lightning can strike up to 10 miles from a thunderstorm, which is about the distance that the sound of thunder can travel and be heard. All thunderstorms produce lightning, and each lightning strike is a potential killer.

The best shelter from lightning is a permanent building. Sheds or small buildings aren't as safe. Dugouts are not safe at all. Vehicles with metal roofs are safe, but be sure not to touch any metal surfaces. It is only safe to continue the activity a half hour after the last sound of thunder is heard.

As a parent you can be helpful by staying at any practice or game when thunderstorms are predicted. You should also alert your coach of thunder or signs of lightning if they are not aware of them.

If you are unsure whether your league has a protocol in place for violent weather, do not hesitate in asking a coach or member of the league’s Board of Directors. And if there is not a plan in place, you should insist and perhaps even assist in coming up with one as soon as possible.

I will share a story from several years ago when I was coaching first base during a Little League game. At that time we had not been given any guidelines regarding violent weather. Everybody in attendance including the two umpires could hear the thunder and see the dark clouds approaching from the west.

We listened for more than fifteen minutes as we continued to play. It was only after seeing a flash of lightning that the game was stopped. Parents and children ran to their cars (many were parked hundreds of yards away) beneath a driving rain and bolts of lightning.

In hindsight I should not have hesitated in pulling my team from the field the moment I heard thunder regardless of the umps' decision to keep playing. It was a scary situation that should have been avoided.

I’m sure I won’t get much flack regarding this issue as most of it is plain old common sense. But be prepared my loyal readers: Because one day very soon I’ll become the lightning rod that begs for your striking retorts.

But until then, get a Doppler app for your Smartphone and keep an eye to the sky, mate!