TRYING to cross it off the list, but it just won't die!................

I'm talking about Cross Country season, and my count down to being finished with the public school system. Even though state meets were last weekend, there continue to be reasons to stretch out the season.

As a sport, I think Cross Country is great, it is just the specifics of this particular program that I have a problem with. Okay, I will be truthfull, it is the coach that I have a problem with.

Back when my youngest was a freshman, I decided I would try to be the good mother and get involved with the team by hosting one of the pre-meet dinners. The other moms decided they didn't want me to be involved and shut me out of the whole thing. When I expressed my displeasure of the way this was handled to this coach, she told me she had nothing to do with the dinners and couldn't help me. Mmmmmm...Team function...She is the coach...Why doesn't she have a say in how the dinners are ran?

Fast forward to the following summer... My youngest shares with me that during a run one of the girls "didn't feel like running" so she followed the other runners with her car. While doing so, this young lady was trying to kill birds, drive through puddles at accelerated speeds, etc... as the other girls ran down the road in front of her. It is my opinion that at sixteen this driver was not experienced enough to be on the road with girls on foot. When I shared my opinion with this coach she told me she didn't have anything to do with summer runs and that I should be happy that there were so many girls that wanted to participate. I understand that as a coach there are rules against her coaching kids in the summer, but should she not be concerned about the student's safety? Should there not be some code of conduct to govern these summer runs?

Can't forget this one... The kids start out the season with an over night camping trip and meet. At the meeting for this event, a huge deal was made about having all the correct forms filled out. At the time my youngest was taking a medication. wanting to follow the standard school rules about having the medication in the original container, dispensed by an adult, etc... I tried to talk to her about this. She told me, "It's okay. Just have _____ keep it in her bag." When I insisted that while it might be okay with her it was NOT okay with me and I expected her to follow the standard school policy one might have thought I was asking her to cut off her right leg. After taking my concerns higher up, I thought the matter would be handled appropriately, but in the end she gave the medication to my youngest and told her to take it as directed. I guess rules were invented for everybody except her?

While this coach might be a nice enough person, I feel her actions in the past make her unqualified to look out for my child's best interest. How is it that people like this get into a position of influence with our children? Why is it that when concerns are voiced if there is not a high percentage of parents up in arms the handful gets ignored? Why are more parents not concerned about this coach?

I will file those questions with all of the other un-answered questions about the way public schools in my city are ran, being thankful that I am almost done with it. Right after I attend the final banquet on Novemever sixteenth, sitting in the back of the room booing and hissing the coach (in my head of course), while savoring my victory of being able to check one more thing off my list of "last time I have to."