This letter was edited due to potentially defamitory statements. — Ed.
As a parent of a child who has played with the Vance County Recreation Department, I am concerned over the selection of coaches for our rec teams who do not represent the kind of individuals who should lead or guide our very impressionable children.
While Vance County statistics speak for themselves and display very poor results, I believe that our children could be influenced in many different situations.
One that I have found recently is the selection of coaches for the Recreation Department in Vance County. I have sat through numerous recreational baseball games this season and have been appalled by the conduct of certain coaches and ultimately our kids. I have heard one coach tell a parent in a dispute that she would go to jail if the dispute escalated that far. All of that took place in front of our very impressionable kids.
Numerous parents, including myself, have expressed concerns to the coaches, only to be treated with extreme hostility. The Aycock field supervisor on June 19 confirmed to me that the Recreation Department was aware of problems with particular coaches but said the department doesn’t have enough volunteers to be picky about coaches. For some reason, that just seems like the wrong answer.
I am asking why our tax dollars are going to support such behavior. If numerous parents have complained about particular coaches, I must ask why they are they allowed to continue coaching our children. Are there any screening mechanism to select our coaches, and who evaluates these individuals? And why would the team sponsor allow its company to be represented in such a negative way in public?
Lisa Horton, Henderson
daigh@yahoo.com