Because of unruly behavior by some parents, the Vista Red Swarmwon’t be playing its Pop Warner football bowl game this Saturday,or the next.
San Diego Pop Warner’s Palomar Conference ruled last week thatthe Junior Pee Wee team (ages 9-11) must forfeit its postseasonbecause of an incident involving several Vista parents verballyabusing officials after the team’s Nov. 11 game in Ramona. Insteadof hosting a team from Phoenix on Saturday and traveling toLaughlin, Nev., for a Dec. 2 game, Vista’s 35 players and itscoaching staff will stay home.
The incident culminated a tumultuous regular season nationallyfor Pop Warner, which repeatedly made headlines for poor conduct.The Red Swarm Junior Pee Wees are the first Palomar Conference teamin six years to have its season cut short because of parentalconduct, Palomar Conference president Debbie Winters said.
“The decision was made because of a zero-tolerance policy,” saidWinters, who’s in her 18th year with the league, third aspresident. “As far as parents reacting on a youth sports field in anegative or threatening manner, there are so many incidents.There’s an adult code of conduct that needs to be observed by theparents. It’s for that reason the team was sanctioned for nopostseason.
“This is to try and prevent the things we read about.”
Readers have had a laundry list of stories to digest in2006.
Earlier this season, former NFL player Bill Romanowski wasbanned from the flag football field after an incident with a12-year-old player from Lafayette, east of Berkeley. On Nov. 4, aMassachusetts coach allegedly punched a 14-year-old player in theback repeatedly. And the same day as the Vista incident, Floridaplayers and parents were reportedly involved in an on-fieldfight.
Though witnesses said no punches were thrown in Ramona, thesituation was far from in control.
Red Swarm coach Justin Lofting said the team received anunsportsmanlike penalty early in the game, and game officials – whowere reportedly being jeered by fans – asked him to calm the crowdor the team would be forced to forfeit.
Lofting said he quieted the crowd. He said he was ejected with30 seconds left in the game for arguing the lack of a call on whathe thought was a penalty. After the game, several parents allegedlyapproached officials while Lofting and his coaching staff tended toan injured player on the field.
“A few people were verbally abusive,” Lofting said. “A few ofour adults were idiots. They didn’t conduct themselves properly. Itwas totally unacceptable and the situation compounded.”
Ramona Pop Warner president Ben Narramore was called in toescort Red Swarm parents Lydia Stewart and Tom Linquist from thestadium.
Laurie Butler, a Vista parent, said most of the crowd wasfocused on the injured player and not involved in the incident.Butler, whose 10-year-old son Bryan plays for the Red Swarm, isconcerned the players are being held accountable for parents’actions.
“I just felt like nobody here is thinking about the children,”Butler said. “There are (33) other families that didn’t do anythingwrong. I’m just heartbroken for the kids. To parents, (the RiverBowl in Laughlin) is just a game, but to the kids that’s the RoseBowl. That’s the Super Bowl.”
On Nov. 14, Vista Pop Warner held a team meeting at whichLofting explained to his players why he was ejected and why theirseason was cut short. He also asked Stewart and Linquist toapologize. Both did.
“I take full blame,” Stewart said. “I told those boys it’s myfault. I apologized to the parents for what I said to the Ramonapresident. I said, ‘I hope you don’t take it out on my son for hismother making a mistake.’ “
Said Linquist: “I just apologized for my behavior and told themthey played a hell of a game. It was too bad that my behavior waspart of the reason that they weren’t going to playing. This day andage, as much as I’ve heard on the news, there’s a lot of that goingon, and (Pop Warner) has to nip it in the bud. They should have86’d me for the next year, but to take it out on the kids is ashame.”
Vista players were asked to return their equipment lastSaturday.
“The parents need to understand the kids are there to play agame and have fun,” Winters said. “When something like thishappens, you have to act upon it so that the parents and coachesunderstand it won’t be tolerated. Those parents need to recognizethat they ended the kids’ season.”
– Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at (760) 739-6643 ordhayes@nctimes.com.
