Not wanting to step on any toes, I would like to respond to the
Citizens Voice comments. My husband is the president of Hollister
Pop Warner Football and has been involved in the program for
Hollister and Gilroy for the past 42 years. As a mother of three
boys who went through the program, I must say I agree with some of
the comments made. At least the mother side of me agrees. All of my
boys were non-favored players even though their own father was a
coach and president. I too approached the coach to ask why my sons
only played the required plays. At the time the responses weren’t
appreciated, but as time in the program went on I began to
understand some of the theory behind the scenes.
Not wanting to step on any toes, I would like to respond to the Citizens Voice comments. My husband is the president of Hollister Pop Warner Football and has been involved in the program for Hollister and Gilroy for the past 42 years. As a mother of three boys who went through the program, I must say I agree with some of the comments made. At least the mother side of me agrees. All of my boys were non-favored players even though their own father was a coach and president. I too approached the coach to ask why my sons only played the required plays. At the time the responses weren’t appreciated, but as time in the program went on I began to understand some of the theory behind the scenes.
As stated last week by Sheri Schmidt, when players ask the coaches themselves it shows their own desire to play and not just the parents’ desire to see their player on the field. At practice they have the chance to show the coaches as well as other team players how much they truly want to be in the game. By showing up to all practices, being on time, by participating in the warm-up exercises, making themselves visible to the coach and being ready for the next play, they show their determination. But sometimes even all this is not enough.
(Sheri), you mention you have already talked to the coach unsuccessfully. Have you tried the athletic director, another board member or the president directly? Our phone number is public knowledge – 636-9184. I haven’t heard any messages left for Bob regarding any of these problems. There are some great people involved in Pop Warner and I wish to remind everyone they are all unpaid volunteers. This is a year-long project, not just on game days. They are in the program because they truly want all kids to succeed. And yes, they are human and sometimes make mistakes. I didn’t ask anyone’s permission to write this letter, but as you can see I’m also not hiding my identity.
What is sometimes forgotten is that every sport is a competitive sport and the need to win is somewhat of a natural feeling. What people tend to forget is that every player is someone’s child and to criticize a mistake one makes or to praise only the favorites is not setting a very good example. As parents we sometimes tend to want to fight our kids’ battles for them or shield them from the unpleasantness of the world. If we continue to encourage our players to do their best and praise them for whatever playing time they get on the field, their self confidence will improve as well as their skills. I, for one, feel that every child is a winner regardless of the score.
No organization ever has enough volunteers. Please ask where your help is most needed. Kids love to have their parents involved in the same program as them.
Please don’t think I’m fighting my husband’s battles for him. He is a grown man and can certainly speak for himself. Anyone who knows us knows we don’t always agree and I freely speak my opinion of what goes on in the program even though I’m not on the board. Go to a board meeting and do the same. You may find that some questions can be answered or addressed by the board in general. I am very proud of my husband and the hard work he and the rest of the volunteers do for our community. When a grown man seeks him out in a crowd to shake his hand and say how much he enjoyed playing for him as a kid and they too have a player in the program, you know they must be doing something right.
Our own boys have been out of the organization for many years, but we now have grandchildren following in their footsteps. I am proud to sit in the stands and watch them come up the ranks without special treatment for being related to the president. Please don’t badmouth the organization in general, join in. There’s always room for improvement.
If I can help the communication in any way, please don’t hesitate to call me.
Debbie Sanchez,
Wife of President Bob Sanchez
