I spent this weekend in Seattle with my friends Chris and Allison Russell and their two children, Kiley and Logan. I love them so much. I think what I love the most is the way they pay attention to their most important project—being a family.

I have had the honor and pleasure of having Chris as a client off and on over the past 10 years. We first met when Chris was the Head Coach of Men’s Tennis at the University of Oregon.

Chris left that position for the assistant’s job at the University of Washington (or UDUB if you are a Seattle native) when it was clear that the University of Oregon was not committed to tennis at the highest level. His decision was supported by the fact that Allison’s family were long-time residents of Seattle.

My purpose in being in Seattle was an opportunity to present a view of what Todd Team Coaching’s programs could provide the coaches at UDUB. That’s a story for another time and I was excited about the opportunity as I did my graduate work there.

Logan Russell is 12 years old and is a “perpetual motion” guy when it comes to sports. He is always engaged in a sport and usually, two or three at once. He also knows all the current sports figures and even the older guys, which I love.

Great story, huh? My problem is that a lot of what I was hearing at Logan’s game and other venues we visited was the unacceptable behavior of parent’s and coaches. There was in one instance even fighting happening on the sideline as well as uncalled comments coming from the stands. Who are the children here?

This kind of behavior sends entirely the wrong messages to the kids. It pollutes the values available in the athletic experience. This is not news to anyone, however it doesn’t seem to be getting better. I wrote a book that is a guide to coaches and parents as to how they can best support the kids in having a great experience. We need to take the insanity out of youth sports.

You can find my book titled “Hey Mom, Where’s My Glove?” on www.lulu.com. The kids deserve the best. Not chaos and insanity that is prevalent everywhere.