Sports Parents

Adrianna DinolfoSports EditorEquipped with handcrafted signs and a newly purchased camera, she marches boldly toward the stands. She seats herself precisely in the middle of the first row of stands and narrows her eyes to spot her hero on the team.  Instantly overcome with immense pride, she begins to shout vaguely familiar phrases about a sport she knows nothing about. She is the ultimate fan. She is the parent.Of course parent support is essential to promote a healthy fan basis. Not only does parent attendance at sporting events encourage a strong, familial bond between child and parent, but it also demonstrates Samo’s athletic ability to those who would not otherwise know how successful the program is.“Parent support is vital to an athlete’s success because they are the support system for that athlete,” water polo and swim coach Matthew Flanders said. “Without out that emotional support, the athlete will never reach their potential in a healthy manner.”Without parents, a lot of the extra activities that athletes participate in would not be possible.“We need as many people on board to help up raise funds to allow the student athletes to do what they do,” Athletic director Daniel Escalera said. “A lot of the burden right now is on the coaching staff to fund raise for their needs, so when parents contribute their time, effort or money it goes a long way.”However, parent support can cause problems. Whether it’s parental battles, those who harass the referees, or those that are simply obnoxious all on their own, parents, like any other high school fan, have the potential to be both inappropriate and distracting.“Parent support becomes negative when they try to influence, or in some cases perform, coaching duties,” Flanders said.  “Some parents try to tell coaches how to do their job when they have not a clue on what a coach does.”Football coach Travis Clark has experienced similar problems, particularly when parents attempt to “live through their children.”“I remember during a game a parent screamed at me about playing his kid during an important part of the game, which unfortunately distracted me,” Clark said. “The parent was down on the field and the entire team heard him.”Although parent support is completely necessary in some aspects, there are certain areas that are better off without interference. According to Escalera, each individual must strive to be the best fan in order to promote the best game.“Every game we have to reach that point. We have to put one hundred percent support behind our student athletes.”adinolfo@thesamohi.com