Defending Idiocy

12 year old Kayla Watkins, who left her Pee Wee ''A" team

after being humiliated by the parent of one of her team mates

A blog or two ago I posted about a recent article in The Star about a 12 year old girl playing on a boy's Pee Wee "A"  hockey team.  A parent, yes, a parent, not the coach, convened a meeting to discuss what he perceived as poor skills on Kayla's part and what should be done about it.  This was a 10th place team, and the parent in question, a lawyer named George Atis, seemed to feel that the onus upon Kayla's lack of talent.  He did not discuss the issue with the team's coach (who by the way, chose Kayla to be on the team and wanted her to remain), but instead drafted an agenda that he sent out to the parents entitled "Kayla Watkins — Player Ability Limitations and Suggested Options.”  When Kayla learned of the agenda, she felt humiliated and subsequently left the team.  She's now playing in a girl's league, which is not as competitive; it is, far more supportive.

All in all, it was a classic case of unneeded parental involvement in the world of minor hockey.  Instead of volunteering his time, like Kayla's coach, or her mother (who was the team's manager), he interfered in a totally inappropriate way.  Let’s be real here Mr Atis, this is single "A" hockey, if your kid is playing single "A" hockey in Toronto at the age of 12, he's not going to the NHL.  Yes, some small towns can field a high quality single "A" team, but in Toronto, with the abundance of players to chose from, unless you're playing "AAA" you're not going anywhere with your hockey career.  Therefore the hockey should be about the kids having fun, developing their skills, as well as developing their sense team work.

Atis still believes Kayla’s removal from the low-level competitive team was in the best interests of the other players, including his son.  Since her departure, the team “is having fun again,” Atis wrote on his blog two weeks ago. “I know that people don’t want to hear this but, I am going to say it anyway: the reason the team is having fun now is because the negative elements on the team have left. It’s that simple.”  Amazingly he is still defending his idiocy.  Since Kayla's the departure, the team's record is 5 - 7, so clearly Kayla's presence was not the over riding issue as to the team's performance, unfortunately, George Atis cannot accept that it's a team sport and that success or failure has to be attributed to the group, not one person.

Atis also seems blind to the fact that such politics is not only bad for the team, but also bad for his own son. Ice Dogs general manager Gus Bovoletis said he was “totally against” Atis’ agenda.  “We don’t support that,” he said. “I spoke with him at that the time and told him he had no position doing that.”  Bovoletis says he’s asked for another meeting with Atis to discuss the matter. Some want him removed from the team.  “If I were to cast the father out, the boy would go with him and that isn’t fair,” Bovoletis said.  But think what will happen next season, what team will want to take Atis' son, knowing that such a father comes along with the package?

Perhaps George Atis is so used to working in a world filled with antagonism; he obviously feels no compunction in bringing such antagonism to the world of children. 

I'm sorry that Kayla had to go through such a hurtful process.  I'm happy that she's now on a winning and supportive team.  I'm really sorry for George Atis' son