Collins HS tennis player not allowed to participate because...

[All Tell]

...she has Asperger's.

 

After being a 3 year varsity letter winner a new coach was hired and has apparently made this girls' life miserable. Coach sounds like a complete tool. I share this story to prove that I'm not a 100% heartless curmudgeon. Below is a link to a Facebook page dedicated to this.

 

LINK

[se7ens]

Seems like this is just a culmination of a "loose-cannon" coach, which unforunately can happen a lot in the sports that are not part of the big five (soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, baseball/softball). Less participation in some of those smaller sports and a lack of a public/media focus allow for some coaches to get away with actions that wouldn't be tolerated in the larger team sports. Can you imagine the backlash from the community if a football coach cut players that didn't pass his tests of speed and skill against himself or he cut three players from the same family that vocally opposed his actions or he mistreated a person with a medical condition? Ludicrous.

[Auburn]

I know we live in a cold blooded world, but I have a hard time believing that a coach would simply cut anybody with a disability like this. Furthermore, I don't know how they would get away with it without some serious legal action happening in favor of the victims or how they are still employed.

 

It said that the coach also cut two of the siblings who had never played.

 

Something seems to be missing from all of this & until then, it's hard for me to comment.

[Auburn]

Seems like this is just a culmination of a "loose-cannon" coach, which unforunately can happen a lot in the sports that are not part of the big five (soccer, volleyball, football, basketball, baseball/softball). Less participation in some of those smaller sports and a lack of a public/media focus allow for some coaches to get away with actions that wouldn't be tolerated in the larger team sports. Can you imagine the backlash from the community if a football coach cut players that didn't pass his tests of speed and skill against himself or he cut three players from the same family that vocally opposed his actions or he mistreated a person with a medical condition? Ludicrous.

 

It would probably be more likely to happen in basketball or baseball. I don't know of any football coaches who actual 'cut' players, but I understand your point.

[75center]

How about a Reader's Digest version for those of us who can't access Facebook? What was the reason given, if any for cutting the player with Aspergers?

[lawildcat]

From the FB post:

 

 

A little bit of history for those new to the story. My daughter, Tatum, has Asperger's. She has played on her Highschool tennis team since she was in the 6th grade. She earned her varsity letter and her bar for two years following.

 

 

Last year she had a new coach and lots of problems with said coach. As I write in my initial complaint I believe he discriminated, harassed and bullied her. He treated her terribly, so much so that she had to be pulled from school on home hospital leave. I was not going to let his treatment towards her slide. I submitted a 17 page complaint with the superintendent immediately following the school year. His response was dismissive at best.

 

Over the next 6 months we worked extensively on treating the trauma she had endured as a result of this coach's behavior towards Tatum with her therapist. If she were to see someone in public who she believed was her coach she would panic. Last year he was a substitute teacher at her school so she had great anxiety over the possibility he would be her sub again. So much so that her therapist and I discussed that if he were to show up as a sub then she could go straight to the office. He was hired on permanently in a different county, therefore (and thankfully) eliminating that concern.

She had nightmares about him. She suffered greatly.

 

Fast forward to the new tennis season. The same coach was rehired and declared for the first time in the history of the girls tennis team there were going to be tryouts.

 

In the past there have been about 15 girls on the team. Many who didn't play. Last year Tatum won 4 out of 7 singles matches. There were 12 girls at this so called try out which lasted approximately 1 hour and Included my other two daughters who have never played tennis before. During this try out in a school gym (not even a tennis court!) the coach concocted a scoring system in which HE hit balls to the girls and judged them. Some of the scoring was based on balls returned, some was based on his opinion. Tatum did not do well in this situation due to the basketball court being substituted as a tennis court and because of her history with this coach..

 

The coach cut 3 girls from the team. All three were my own, including Tatum.

 

After an internal investigation it was decided that try outs were not adequate and that Tatum could be a part of the team again.

 

Since then Tatum has still not been allowed to practice with her team and has even been told by her coach that she is not even officially on the team.

 

Tatum thrives on positve statements. If you can send her a message letting her know you stand behind her she would love it. The more creative the better! And again, thank you all so much. ‪#‎supportteamtatum‬ ‪#‎teamtatum‬

[75center]

Thanks. Very tough situation for a person with Aspergers. Social interaction, verbal and non verbal communication problems, and a tendency towards clumsiness makes it very tough on them in a team sports environment.

[doomer]

Hmmmm. I would be interested in the other side of the story.

[spindoc]

Hmmmm. I would be interested in the other side of the story.

 

Agree.

[All Tell]

Hmmmm. I would be interested in the other side of the story.

 

See normally I'm right there with you but since the girl had been on the team for 3 years previously I have to wonder why the new coach felt the need to change.

[UKMustangFan]

I want to hear his side as well. I'm interested to hear what abusive and bullying things he did to this girl and no one else on the team.

 

Honestly, if I'm a coach and a parent files a 17 page complaint against me (I'm assuming she was trying to get him removed with the complaint), there is no chance in hell that person's child is on my team the next season.

[plantmanky]

See normally I'm right there with you but since the girl had been on the team for 3 years previously I have to wonder why the new coach felt the need to change.

 

Perhaps, and I'm just throwing this out there, she was in 6th grade when first on the team correct? So that would mean she is a freshman in HS this year correct? Perhaps when she was younger, it was no concern to have her on the team as she many not have been one of the main ones competing on the team. (7 matches isn't that many in a year.)

 

Now that she is in HS shes taking a spot for someone else that might be a better tennis player. New coach, new ideas, new plans for the program. Need to hear the other side, I bet there is more too this.

[stinkyboy II]

This situation makes little sense to me for multiple reasons.

 

In the past the Collins tennis team has had "about 15 members". This season 12 come to the tryout and 3 are cut. The entire Collins tennis team is 9 girls. It takes 7 to play a match. Obviously no JV team. Why were the numbers so low at the tryout? Does that tell us anything?

 

If this young lady was afraid to even have this man as a substitute teacher, why would you want to subject her to being under his supervision for the tennis season. The fight should not be over her being on the team, it should be with him be rehired in the first place. Did mom contact the correct administrator? Seems the AD and the Principal who hire coaches should have been contacted and presented with the 17 page complaint. I am once again amazed that a coach with one year experience that doesn't even work in the district can retain his position with so many uncertainties involved.

 

Maybe there is something more to the story, maybe not. Just don't understand why a school district would put themselves in the position to be second guessed. Public opinion is everything. Now with the involvement of social media this has the possibility of blowing up big time.

[Plato]

With HIPPA and the laws of student confidentiality in place, the public will not hear the school's side of the story, unless the school wants to subject itself to even bigger legal issues.

 

Just having the information presented, this is awful.

[Jumper_Dad]

I want to hear his side as well. I'm interested to hear what abusive and bullying things he did to this girl and no one else on the team.

 

Honestly, if I'm a coach and a parent files a 17 page complaint against me (I'm assuming she was trying to get him removed with the complaint), there is no chance in hell that person's child is on my team the next season.

So would intentionally punish the child for the actions of their parent...really? UKMF we may disagree a lot but you seem to have a big heart and I don't think there is any way you would take it out on the kid.