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Parents on the Field
Volunteering Your Time in Team Sports
By Sharon Waldrop
"In essence, doing everything except coaching," Cook says.
Cook has always played an active role in her son's sport activities. She has always been there for him with her chair in tow and water bottle at her side. When her son's coach was actively seeking a team parent volunteer, she says she thought, "What the heck," and raised her hand.
Teamwork for Team Sports
A team parent counts on teamwork from the parents of all players, as well as communication between all adults involved. Everyone should have a team roster listing the name and phone number of each player. Since most teams have a rotating snack schedule, the roster will come in handy if a parent who is scheduled to provide a snack finds it necessary to trade dates with another parent. As a team parent, Cook recommends the following:
- Give a courtesy call to the snack parent the day before they are scheduled to bring snack.
- Encourage all parents to bring their child to picture day, even if they will not be purchasing a team picture (many teams provide this to each player via team funds).
- Ensure that all parents have a schedule of practice sessions and games.
- Plan a unique season-end party. Most teams end the season with a pizza party. Other ideas are a swim party, a meal at a buffet, a skate party, hayride or hot dog cookout.
- Season-end parties should include siblings as well as parents. Collect additional funds from each family if necessary.