Common courtesy

[ohio6554]

We've been around the tournament circuit for years (soccer and softball) and there are a few unwritten rules that demonstrate common courtesy that I'm amazed that some folks just don't get. Example...if your kids team isn't playing move yourself and your stuff out of the front row so that those parents can watch their team play. There's also the parking issue - if you move... you lose. That's just the way it goes. We were at a tournament over the weekend where I will admit the parking situation was not ideal. Space was limited, but some folks took upon themselves to reserve their parking spot while they left to go get lunch. I think we should all understand that I'm pretty sure there's no unwritten rule that says this ok. You can't leave a chair, cooler, wagon, etc in a spot to reserve it until you get back from Wendy's. That my friends is the direct opposite of demonstrating "common courtesy" for others.

 

[MD 20/20]

I could not agree more with the above post. The parents setting tents "on the fences" and setting up camp is something I usually see from the upstart teams/orgs who just don't know better. I have been seeing Parking spot "saving" this year and have no idea where it started. Does this even work???

 

[GeneralsDad]

Just want to add if you are in a tournament/"showcase" where college coaches are attending, please stay clear of the backstop all together. As to saving parking spots, I have been guilty of this twice in my 8 years with the game. Both times were saving a spot for my disabled mother when handicap parking isn't available, or some idiot thinks of their self before others.

 

[Centerville_FP]

We will put our canopy up and leave it there for whomever to use in between games...I have been surprised that people coming in to sit are surprised we would leave it for them to sit under while we walk around or go get food...?!

 

[ohio6554]

I think saving a spot for a disabled person is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. As with a lot of situations there are always exceptions. You are a good son/daughter for doing so.
In my experience this weekend I counted 10 spots being saved and when I asked a gentleman to move his cooler so I could park because there were no available spots he said no, his wife would be right back. She was getting lunch. When I said that he shouldn't be reserving spots he said, "Well I've been here since 8:00 am and we drove an hour to get here." REALLY??? You and everyone else Buddy. Lol! I parked my car in one of their reserved spots anyway.

 

[ech92]

Other curteous things include teams should not enter the dug out until the previous team is completely out .( ran into this at Rittman high school yesterday during the Orrville Tourney ) . The next team was in our dug out before half our girls were even done packing up . Another one would be not crowding another team for warm ups , if you have an entire football field to warm up 2 teams and one team is clearly on one half then go to the other half .

 

[crm9911]

My pet peeve is the parents of a team who take up the ENTIRE backstop area. Take your half and leave the other half for the other team. Had a team do that to us a couple of weeks ago - they were almost in our girls' dugout. Another one is when your girls and their gear is behind a dugout, out of the way, waiting to enter when the current game ends and the opposing team walks in and goes right up to the entrance to the dugout so they can take (or try to) it. Both of these cases are times when the coach of the team should be educating his/her parents on common softball courtesy.

 

[First2Third]

• Parents who think they have to sit on the same side of the field as their child's dugout.
• Parents who sit behind the backstop.
• Parents who put their chairs in front of the bleachers.

 

[Bell-n-Rose]

• Parents who think they have to sit on the same side of the field as their child's dugout.
• Parents who sit behind the backstop.
• Parents who put their chairs in front of the bleachers.

YES!!! Saw this over the weekend with the chairs IN FRONT of the bleachers!

 

[Louuuuu]

Here's one for you. And it occurs on the business side of the fence.

When teams arrive at a freshly-lined field, the coach shouldn't stand in the batter's box to give infield practice. Stand five feet in front of the plate so you don't wreck the lines before the game even starts.

 

[Louuuuu]

Other curteous things include teams should not enter the dug out until the previous team is completely out .

You're absolutely right.

However, because games are usually on a tight schedule, when your game is over, exit the dugout quickly for the next team. Grab your stuff and go 20 feet out of the way. There you can take all the time you want to talk, change out of your cleats, pack your bat bag, etc...