In an attempt to educate area parents on how to support their student-athletes in sports, area superintendents decided at the beginning of the school year to have a professional talk about it with first-hand knowledge.
So, tonight at Pittsburg’s Memorial Auditorium, 16-year Major League Baseball veteran Jim Sundberg will speak at 7 p.m. on a parent’s role in athletic development.
“It is more a matter of sports having such an important place in the schools in southeast Kansas,” said St. Mary’s-Colgan schools president John Kraus. “Even though we have parent meetings to talk about things, rarely do we have the opportunity to bring a professional athlete to talk about how to be supportive of student-athletes.
“It is reminding parents that their job is to be behind the coach and not second-guess them. That goes for playing in the YMCA league or playing in the high school playoffs.”
Sundberg will be speaking after the Pritchett Trust provided the $7,500 necessary to bring him in to speak.
During his 16 years in baseball, Sundberg played with the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers and was a six-time Gold Glove catcher, a three-time American League All-Star and was the starting catcher for the 1985 World Champion Royals.
He also authored a book on sports parenting that focuses on the proper way of supporting kids, instilling character through sports and teaching sports-to-life lessons.
Kraus said that even with the education schools provide parents on dealing with injuries and the games themselves, things can often get out of hand.
“Certainly, when things like that happen that is so negative, it really calls into question just how involved parents are emotionally,” Kraus said. “Are parents trying to live their old sports lives through their kids, and just where does it fit in the picture.
“When something negative happens like that, it can make people question the validity of sports,” Kraus said. “That is something that is bad for all of us ... when people choose not to play sports because of being afraid of reactions from parents.”
But fortunately, Kraus said, that has not been a big issue in southeast Kansas.
“I think we do a pretty good job in southeast Kansas considering that we have so many high-stakes games,” Kraus said. “Those types of games can really bring out those negative emotions and there is a right way and a wrong way to express those emotions.
“To have our kids on the field and even the smaller kids in the stands hear parents speak to the authority of the game in a negative fashion is not good.”
He said the idea of bringing in Sundberg was not a difficult sell.
“This was an idea that we had to bring someone in at the beginning of the year to remind our parents and fans,” Kraus said. “We pitched it to the superintendents and it was not really much of a pitch and they all were in favor of it.”
Not to the members of the Pritchett Trust either.
“I think, once the members of the Pritchett Trust heard that all of the superintendents were in favor of it, they wanted to get on board and help fund it,” Kraus said.
Admission to the event is free, and it will begin at 7 p.m. Kraus said the event will last approximately 1 1/2 hours, and those attending will have an opportunity to talk to Sundberg after the event.
Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 140.
PITTSBURG —
