SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Junior Varsity Soccer Middle School

Gotcha...thanks. So, it is ok to humiliate 12-13 year boys who you go to church with and see around the community. I guess I am in the minority here. Live and learn I guess. BTW, big kid stayed in whole game and coach was screaming for them to get double digits. Big kid wanted to move out or to the back but was told to stay up top.

Ok...I totally agree with Sandman and CHT...but the frustration from the winning end of a mismatch is usually how to get a good game that is beneficial for your players WITHOUT making it a total blowout. Sometimes it happens despite efforts to put in restrictions.

On the other hand, intentionally running up the score and screaming at players to keep running it up is just wrong and makes a coach difficult to respect. I would say that to anyone at the middle school, JV, or varsity level.

Most times, coaches with that mentality grow out of it with experience and wisdom...sometimes they don't.

I'm not saying that actually happened at the game in question, because I wasn't there, but I have seen it before, so I'm just making a general statement.

Sandman...

100% agree with you

Sorry, I thought it was the girls game you were talking about. Heard they had a very uncompetitive game and thought that was the 14-0 score, my bad. Not sure why the coach for the boys would be trying to run it up, not the welcome you would expect I guess.

I personally think everybody should get a trophy after every match, win, lose, or draw. I don't care if you're a starter, 5-goal scorer, bench-warmer, manager, coach, assistant coach, parent, bus driver, canteen worker(s) (if you have one), teacher that teaches any player, person that their parents dated prior to marriage, current mistress/lover (I don't know the male form of mistress...hmm), school athletic director, pet, imaginary friend, cousin, uncle, aunt, maid/servant, YOU NAME IT!

THIS IS AMERICA! EVERYONE SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO BE A WINNER!

And then afterwards they should all get together and share in the joyous fellowship that is an oatmeal cookie and a Capri-Sun. I'll bring my guitar. We can sing songs.

It's not about winning or losing; it's about competition and respect. Everyone who takes the field should be playing to win; everyone who takes the field should be prepared to accept a loss and even a blistering as part of the natural order of competition.

When it comes to goals, though--and I'm not talking about the ones with the nets--there's a big difference between having the goal of playing hard, winning decisively, and improving the confidence and overall ability of your team vs. having the goal of seeing just how high you can drive the score.

Sometimes it happens regardless...after all, it's the defenders' job to figure out how to keep the ball out of the net, not the attackers', and if your second and third string are still scoring, well, they've probably waited patiently for the opportunity so it's not fair to them to tell them they can't. But if you've got kids sitting on the bench and starters still on the field just because you're not satisfied with how high the score is, you might want to re-visit your overall goals for your team.

Coaching is like every other profession. It has its share of great people, its share of absolute schnooks, and a bunch of people in between who aspire to one, but occasionally lapse to the other.
When my (basketball) team got raked, I told our kids it was OUR job to stop keep the game competitive. Then, when the shoe was on the other foot (as it inevitably is), I made a point of being gracious, and let the other guy see how it was done.

When I have a JV squad I don't even consider a 60 minute match, that is just an artificial limit that exists. I tend to look at smaller amounts of time and encourage my players to do the same. If a team scores a few on me early that is just a segment of time that is in the past. My focus is the players and the remaining time we have left. If the other team quits then there really is no more game to be played and the clock watching begins.

For many years Stratford has been a mountain that was tough for us to cross. The JV girls in '07-'10 had been keeping the game close but I had allowed many subs to get playing time. I had quite a few parents and players question me about me "intentionally throwing the match". All because the focus was the score and if the best players got all the time.

This same team at Varsity '12 eclipsed Stratford 1-0 a few nights ago. I was extremely proud of the girls and had no desire to seek out the naysayers from years past. I only post this experience as insight to what may be seen in other places. This is also not a taunt at Stratford in any way they have always been a role model team with class that my teams have respected.

Let these kids play and please stop manipulating every activity that they get into. The 20 to nil result will become 10 to nil and following this idea any victory over another will be deemed humiliating and unsportsmanlike.

Thanks guys. Great perspectives. I don't agree with everyone getting medals, and that was not my point. To intentionally do it sends a bad message. It is not about winning and warm fuzzies, but about sportsmanship. Even pros know that and will back off unless there is a record to be broken or jockeying for position. Tugjobber, if it was your child being defeated so bad, how would you handle it? Just curious. I am new to the area and the sport and am trying to grasp concepts coming from a different sport background.

Soccernewbie I will give a small insight as to my slant on this. My daughter is part of a SC record for most individual goals scored in a single match. She still considers that the biggest gut check she faced going to school the next day and then to practice. Of course her name does not appear on the record as she was the goalkeeper that night.

She is a productive adult now and facing many more challenges in life, but when issues of high concern pop up someone in the house always screams her rally cry " SOOOO PAHHHH LOOOOOO!" that being the name of the very talented Wando striker that was announced ten times on the PA system.