by Lisa Oates

Created on: July 30, 2009

Volunteers, in general, deserve a round of applause because of the work they do. By definition, a volunteer is someone who willingly takes on a task and gets paid nothing in return. Volunteers of youth sports deserve a standing ovation, though, because unlike many other volunteer opportunities, working with youth is a challenge and every task, word, and action makes an impact on those youth.

When one works with youth, he or she inevitably will also be dealing with parents. Parents are a tough breed! In youth sports, parents want the most for their kids. It is important during the younger years that kids get a lot of activity and team building and skill development, so parents want their kids to play all the time, or at least get the most playing time possible. Every parent has an opinion about how much playing time each kid should have, and most parents will let the coach know said opinion. These coaches don't get paid. Why deal with it? They love teaching the kids! It is such an honor to work with kids in developing their skills in any particular sport. It molds them into who they will become, because a lot of what each kid learns on the court or the field will transfer somehow into real life, whether it is days from now or years from now. Volunteers really make a big impact.

Youth sports volunteers also put in a lot of time. It takes time to plan practice, it takes time to be at practice, and it takes time to play games. But all the while, those volunteers are teaching the kids valuable lessons, and also learning a bit of patience along the way.

Kids, at times, can be giddy, giggly, unresponsive, intolerable, apathetic, and unwilling to learn. These times are trying for coaches. Dealing with kids who don't care about the sport or are so hyper that they can't pay attention is quite the challenge, especially when the big game is a few days away! Volunteers deserve appreciation, especially during these trying times.

Lastly, many kids these days have a lot on their plates. They are being run from school to soccer practice to dance recitals to piano lessons to sleepovers and everywhere else in between. Volunteers of youth sports have to deal with absences, too. It is difficult to plan and run a practice when the whole team isn't present, especially when many of the kids play specific positions. Parents should be more involved in managing their kids' time in extra curricular activities because when they work hard and do a couple of things very well, it will impact the lives of their teammates and coaches.

Volunteers of youth sports are a rare breed. They love what they do, they shape the kids' futures, and they deserve every bit of appreciation they get and more!

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