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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’ve had some bad work situations in my time, and encountered a few a-holes in other contexts along the way, but I can’t say I’ve ever been subject to repeated cursing, screaming, or verbal abuse on the job or elsewhere. The only people who have ever really subjected me to any of that were a couple of boyfriends I never should have dated in the first place who didn’t appreciate being broken up with. For those of you who think this treatment is going to toughen kids up and prepare them for the “real world” I’d be curious to hear specially how you think it’s going to be to their benefit. I feel that if you overcome all the ordinary setbacks most people face in life (not-perfect home-life and/or not making or getting cut from teams or activities, feeling overwhelmed with academics, occasional heartbreak from the dissolution of friendships or romantic relationships, death of family, friends, pets, not getting into the school or getting the job you want, etc) you will have the resilience and wisdom to face more of the same or abuse that might be dealt out by some belligerent yeller.

I have no personal experience with KL, and have no clue if all the claims about him are true.  We were at BSC a few years ago and generally had a good experience. I have been pondering these questions because my kid’s college coach is very much of the yell, curse, stomp type—generally engages in verbal abuse and belittles kids in personal ways when he’s frustrated by the team’s performance. He doesn’t make racist or homophobic comments, and my kid and most of the team players/parents seem to agree that he behaves this way because he genuinely believes it motivates the players—sort of a drill-sergeant approach with an edge of lunacy. Seems mostly detrimental to me, and the lessons I want my kid to take away is that some coaches are stuck in the past when it comes to leadership techniques, and the players should learn from this how not to behave when in a position of responsibility.  I also work with my kid on not internalizing the insults and mockery.  I wish they were all learning more positive lessons from what should be a mostly enjoyable experience.

[/quote]

Let's be clear about something. KL does not repeatedly curse at any of his teams. Nothing wrong with intensity and yelling/directing/letting players know what and when mistakes are being made. Belittling, insulting, etc, is a completely different story. Yes, KL does cross that line, but again, to be clear, it is few and far between and usually directed at a certain player rather than the team.

I agree with you about leadership but I disagree about direction. Many times young adults and children need discipline but there are many ways to get a point across other than insulting or belittling. That is an easy line to see but for some coaches, it can also be an easy line to cross. IMO, KL is not nearly on the same level I have seen from many coaches in our area including other ECNL, GA, EDP, and CCL teams.

I think what this thread shows is a clear and present dislike towards Bethesda as a Club and some families who have had bad experiences with Kevin. As has been said many times before here, nobody is forced to stay and from our experience, players that have left have not had any issues doing so verse other Clubs that will go to extreme lengths to make it miserable to transfer. Also, if you notice, I have not thrown stones at other clubs or coaches once, despite being well informed about MANY issues in our DMV.

That is all. [/quote]

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