Forming a *NEW* and Improved Executive Board

What are we talking about? No, it's not a mutiny. It is, however, a viable solution to help the current leadership. What we mean to do:

Formulate new policy that allows for two boards, one for Recreational sports and the other for Travel. The separation of responsibility will allow each leadership team to focus on the management of the sports based on their fundamental objectives.
Defining the objectives of each isn't difficult because the reality is that all of the leagues in Jupiter are alive and kicking because there are a handful of volunteers who keep it alive for the purpose of their kid or all kids getting the opportunity to participate.
Whether recreational or travel, parents want their kids to get something out of it.

What we should see in each sports is a code of conduct for coaches, a code of conduct for parents and leadership, physical fitness and sportsmanship from the kids.

Why do we feel it's necessary to separate the two if everyone is striving for the same thing?

Let's look at the environment in recreational sports. No one is turned away, not even a less than ideal coach. Coaching in recreational sports is a loosely applied term. Not an issue when most of the players don't know much about the dynamics of the game, but critical when you start competing against professionally trained clubs. Arguing that travel sports is too competitive is pointless. To take competition out of sports for the sake of argument, what would be the point. Sports is about testing your mettle, striving to achieve a goal or achieving your personal best. Within those phrases also resides winning graciously and losing with dignity, honoring the other players and having fun.

Let's face it, we have all heard the expression, if it's not fun why do it. We all want the kids to have fun. The difference then is not whether not the our children are enjoying themselves but rather the factors involved that determine whether they have fun. Coaches with out proper training and experience can make the environment very unfun.

Which brings us to the next point: the coaching element.

What makes for a good coach? What makes for a great coach? And what can be said of bad coaching?
Each sport can be broken down into the fundamentals of that particular game. Learning the game isn't necessarily the challenge. But what if your coach never learned the fundamentals? Not a crisis in recreational sports but a major issue in the travel sports.

Managing the coaching element in Travel then becomes a critical aspect of the organization. We have many coaches with plenty of experience and knowledge and great leadership qualities but we also have inexperienced and poorly managed coaches. Bringing in professionals to help coaches is a reasonable solution but not all of them cooperate with the program.

Mandatory requirements to determine eligibility are also good practices but when you have a sport that has a shortage volunteers and many hesitant to take on the career of coaching with all that is involved, the situation can lead to either no team for that group or more leniant qualifications. Supplementing the leadership with professional trainers was introduced several years ago but the restrictions on their involvement and the volunteer coach time limitations make for a very inconsistent training and coaching environment.

There are some that would argue this but they probably don't have a shortage of coaches or they just plain disagree. What we have seen though is that all the travel sports use trainers, all the sports have issues with bad coaching and all the sports have kids that will never play that sport again because they didn't have fun.

Again, if it's not going to be fun then why do it. The travel sports need representation that understands that just putting a parent on the sidelines with a whistle and a nice shirt does not promote the fundamental element of having fun. Travel sports need a board that is educated and openminded about athletics, training, physical fitness, nutrition, conditioning, sportsmanship, stretching, travelling and coahing.

We need your help. We want your opinion. We expect you to get involved. We don't have all the answers but we do understand the challenges.

The membership must speak. The parents must get involved. We can't expect greatness from nothing. Please help the youth sports program in Jupiter by getting actively involved.

JTAAA : Jupiter Tequesta Athletic Association Accountability