So, I was poking around online, looking at stuff about Williston Girls Hockey the other day. You see these programs, and you think, “Wow, dedication, team spirit, all that good stuff.” It’s impressive, really, the effort these kids and their families put in. Early mornings, long drives, the whole nine yards.
And, you know, that whole scene, it just got me thinking. It seriously dragged up this memory of when I tried to get involved with a local youth soccer league a few years back. What a circus that turned out to be. My kid wasn’t even playing; I just had some time on my hands and thought, “Hey, I played a bit in my day, I can help out. Maybe coach an under-8 team, run some drills, something simple.” Seemed like a good idea, right? Give back to the community, get some fresh air.
My Grand Plan to “Help Out”
First off, I tried to find who to even talk to. Sent a few emails. Nothing. Called a number I found on some old flyer. Voicemail. It was like trying to get into Fort Knox. Finally, I cornered someone at a registration day for the next season. “Oh, you want to volunteer?” they said, like I’d asked to borrow a kidney. “Great, we always need people.” Famous last words.
Then the process started. Man, oh man. I figured, okay, a quick chat, maybe a background check, standard stuff. Nope. First, there was the online portal I had to register on. That thing was a beast, clearly designed by someone who’d never actually used a computer. Then came the forms. Forms for this, forms for that. I swear I signed my life away ten times over.
I had to get fingerprinted. Fair enough, I guess, working with kids. But then there was this mandatory online “SafeSport” training, which was hours long and mostly common sense stuff mixed with legalese. Then a concussion protocol course. Then another course on “Positive Coaching.” I’m all for safety and positivity, don’t get me wrong, but it felt like I was applying for a job with the CIA, not offering to show six-year-olds how to not kick the ball into their own goal.
And the meetings! Pre-season meetings, equipment handout meetings, “philosophy” meetings. I just wanted to teach some kids how to pass a ball. Instead, I was drowning in bureaucracy and internal politics. There was this one guy, let’s call him “Big Bob,” who’d been involved for like 20 years and basically thought he owned the league. If you didn’t kiss his ring, you were nobody. He had his favorites, his way of doing things, and if you suggested anything different, even something tiny, you got the stink eye.
I remember one Saturday, I showed up for what I thought was practice, and they’d changed the schedule without telling half the volunteer coaches. Just chaos. Little kids running everywhere, parents looking annoyed. I spent most of my “coaching” time trying to figure out which patch of grass we were even supposed to be on.
- Step 1: Had the bright idea to volunteer.
- Step 2: Spent a week just trying to find the right contact person.
- Step 3: Drowned in online forms and mandatory multi-hour training modules.
- Step 4: Navigated league politics and the wrath of “Big Bob.”
- Step 5: Realized I was spending more time on admin than actually helping kids.
I stuck it out for a season. For the kids, you know? Some of them were great. But the whole experience was just… draining. All that red tape and petty drama. It really makes you wonder how anything gets done. You see these dedicated programs like Williston Girls Hockey, and I just hope for their sake the behind-the-scenes stuff is a bit smoother. Because, let me tell you, wanting to help and actually being able to help can be two very different things. Sometimes, it feels like they make it as hard as possible for genuine folks to just pitch in.
