| The Brittonkill Board of Education, of which I am a member, recently voted
to not renew the coaching contract of Craig Gilbert, the girls' soccer coach
at Tamarac High ("Tamarac coach fighting for job," June 28). Mr. Gilbert
asserts that I am not in favor of competitive athletics. I will use the
attention to provide my personal views on this important topic concerning the
goals of high school athletics.
Board minutes show that I advocate implementing positive coaching methods
(Positive Coaching Alliance, specifically) for our school. This approach
enhances the competitiveness of the teams by improving the skills and
confidence of all its members. Extensive research shows that the so-called "win-at-all-costs" philosophy
has profoundly negative impacts on the sports experiences of and the personal
values learned by our young athletes. A positive coach "strives to win while
also achieving the more important goal of using sports to teach life lessons"
(PCA Web site). Positive coaching neither requires nor precludes equal playing
time.
While the majority of our coaches are truly superb, the necessity of
implementing a formal positive coaching framework was highlighted at a recent
board meeting, during which many people expressed the desire for more uniform
and positive experiences for the student-athletes. In the end, the booster
club president offered to "run a round table discussion to address the issue
of respect with the coaches" as recorded in the minutes of the board meeting
of June 8.
ROB McCAFFREY
Cropseyville
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