To the editor:

It is past time someone else let your readers know that there are other parents of current and former student athletes that have an entirely different opinion about the sports program at Clarkton School of Discovery.

I am a parent of a former CSD athlete and I will tell you in no uncertain terms that our experience with all the coaches at CSD was nothing but positive and rewarding. Each of the coaches at CSD displayed genuine dedication and enthusiasm for all of their players and the sports in which they coached. During my son's time at CSD, he and his team members were always treated with dignity and respect.

The CSD coaches have worked hard year after year to ensure that their athletes have the best facilities, equipment, and uniforms possible. They put in long hours for very little monetary compensation. At the middle school level, these coaches are not putting in all this extra work for the money. They do it because they love the sport and they love teaching and watching young athletes grow and improve in their chosen sport.

Yes, middle school athletics should provide a foundation for high school athletics and they do. One of the hardest of those lessons is that young athletes must learn patience. Once an athlete reaches middle school, they need to be prepared that they may not make the team or if they do, they may not get much playing time. This is especially true if it is the athlete's first year on the team.

This situation will follow them to high school as well. The coach has to do what works best for the team. This generally means that he will play the players in which he has confidence that will make the team successful. Coaches, athletes and parents do not put in the long hours of practice and hard work with the anticipation of having a losing season. We as parents have to trust the decisions that our children's coaches make. Sometimes that is a hard thing to do, but if we want our children to respect the coaches they are playing for, we must respect them as well. This means we (parents) need to be careful in both what we say and what we do in the presence of our children. Let’s also not forget that our negative actions may be embarrassing to our children.

In closing, I would like to let the administration, faculty and staff of Clarkton School of Discovery know what a privilege it was for my son to be a student at this school. He has been successful academically as well as in athletics at the high school level. This is in part due to the dedication of the educators and coaches at CSD. I am sure that I am not alone in holding this institution in the highest esteem.

The citizens of Bladen County are extremely fortunate to have a school like this. If your readers will ask around, I know they will find that there are many more CSD parents and students who have positive comments rather than negative ones.

Mitch Collins

Elizabethtown