Verbally abusive coach..........?!
Question: My daughter is 18 years old. She has been dealing with a verbally abusuve coach for about a year. I spoke to the coach briefly because my daughter had not wanted me to say anything about it. But it became so bad that my daughter would come home angry and upset after every practice. So I said to the coach in passing, "have you noticed anything wrong with my daughter that may be upsetting to her?" and she said no, but I knew that she was lying and trying to cover up her tracks. Well I've posted this question before but have not given enough details about the situation. My daughter WANTS MY HELP now in order to save the other girls who remain on the squad, she's quitting the squad and FIVE OTHERS already have quit. She says that she stuck it out and dealt with the verbal attacks because she didn't want to let the squad down. She missed a day of school today because of all this stress and has a perfect attendance record. What do you feel is the most positive way to handle this?
Answers: My daughter is 18 years old. She has been dealing with a verbally abusuve coach for about a year. I spoke to the coach briefly because my daughter had not wanted me to say anything about it. But it became so bad that my daughter would come home angry and upset after every practice. So I said to the coach in passing, "have you noticed anything wrong with my daughter that may be upsetting to her?" and she said no, but I knew that she was lying and trying to cover up her tracks. Well I've posted this question before but have not given enough details about the situation. My daughter WANTS MY HELP now in order to save the other girls who remain on the squad, she's quitting the squad and FIVE OTHERS already have quit. She says that she stuck it out and dealt with the verbal attacks because she didn't want to let the squad down. She missed a day of school today because of all this stress and has a perfect attendance record. What do you feel is the most positive way to handle this?
What a horrible situation! If I were in your place, or I felt the need to have my mother step up to the plate for me, I would absolutely find out who her superior is and write up a formal complaint. I would also get in contact with the other kids and ask them what their experience has been with the coach. Then, get in contact with their parents and ask them to write up a complaint. Any parent who has a concern for their child would take 20 minutes out of their time to write a letter to someone that can do something about the situation at hand. That coach needs to be fired-point blank period. These kids are on a team to gain important life skills, yet they are being verbally abused-and by someone with no right, as if anyone has the right! This person needs to learn a lesson that she won't forget, and learn that a little bit of power does not condone her to treat youngsters like that. That coach is supposed to be a role model for crying out loud!
When all is said and done, and there has been some kind of action taken, I would sit my child down and discuss what lesson was learned from this experience. I would also prepair them to be able to defend themselves against people who are abusive in any way and in any form, because God only knows, there are plenty of them out there. Best of luck :)