Moms Coaching Youth Sports This Fall

New Generation

More and more moms are coaching youth sports than ever before, according to a three yearlong MomsTeam? survey.

Many of today's moms grew up playing competitive sports, something very few girls did a generation ago before Title IX leveled the playing field and opened the door for girls to play sports. Now, instead of watching from the bleachers, moms are coaching their kids' teams, encouraging their children to play, and helping their kids practice at home.

Refreshing Perspective

While the dual role of mother and coach is more and more common in the increasingly competitive world of youth sports, many moms bring to coaching a refreshing perspective.

"Winning is nice," said Deb Randel, a veteran softball player, single mom and coach of a 10 and under softball team in Wichita, in a recent Wichita Eagle article. But it's not the most important thing. [M]ost important... is that the girls learn the game and try their best. Win or lose, they make friends, stay fit, and encourage one another and have fun

Not Making Same Mistakes

The new generation of moms coaching today also seems intent on not repeating the same mistakes so many past coaches have made: forcing kids on sports, pushing them too hard or wanting to win at any cost.

Best of all, moms seem to know when it is time to back off lest their own competitiveness and high expectations for their daughters take the fun out of sports. Moms are also more in tune with safety issues and emphasize both physical and emotional safety.

Keeping The Fun In Sports

Crissy Peppard is a case in point: Athletic and extremely competitive, Peppard signed her daughter, Britton, up for T-ball as soon as she turned 5 and later coached her softball team. But when little things - like a dropped fly ball, taking a third strike or not charging the ball - began to annoy Peppard, she saw Britton lose confidence and her enjoyment of the sport.

"I backed off," she told The Eagle. I let other people coach her, and I just became the mom. She's become a much stronger player, and she's having fun again. It's been better for both of us."

Winning Isn't Everything

Randel, the softball coach, says that some girls have left her team because she doesn't put winning above all else. "At the end of the season," she asks rhetorically, "will they remember that we were 21-10, or winning that one game that was so important to me or their parents? Probably not," she told The Eagle.

"They'll remember getting a chance to play, and having fun, and getting a pat on the back because they finally got a hit... These girls are 10 years old, and I think you need to see it through their eyes."