Supporting the Families Behind Our Student-Athletes
"Parents are an essential part of the student-athlete experience. Our goal is to partner with families by providing trusted resources while encouraging student-athletes to develop independence, resilience, and strong relationships with their coaches and support staff."
At Curry College Athletics, we believe student-athlete success is built through a strong partnership between our coaches, athletic staff, campus community, and families. Parents play an important role in supporting their student's growth while allowing them to develop the independence, resilience, and confidence that define the collegiate experience. The resources below are designed to help families navigate the journey of college athletics together.
Athletics – Parent Expectations
1. Team Unity:
Parents are rooting for the team as a whole and all players vs. rooting for individual success. Positive words and actions on the sidelines and in text chains make a major difference for your athlete and all teammates.
2. Support Role:
College Athletics (the kids are older; the coaches are chosen, trained, and overseen) are different from HS sports. Your best role is as a great supporter for your student and the team as a whole. Coaches coach (and even constructively criticize and hold accountable); parents support enthusiastically in wins and losses.
3. Positive, Respectful Communication:
This is big across Curry as a whole. No matter what you see at other schools or other teams, at Curry if you have a question or feedback for a coach or staffer or a difference of opinion, respect, kindness, and professionalism is a minimum expectation always. We don't yell out critical feedback from the stands or confront a coach after a game.
4. One Voice:
Parents play a crucial role in supporting the training methods and programs established by our coaches. Your encouragement and backing help our athletes embrace that coaching and direction and really thrive. Questioning tactics leads to confusion and does not help the athletes.
5. Appropriate Requests:
Parents are asked to trust the judgment of our coaching staff regarding playing time and team management. If you are a Curry sports parent, you will almost positively disagree with a cut, playing time, or strategic coaching decision during your time on the sidelines. This is not an area open for feedback. Our coaches—in conjunction with the athletic director—have to have clear leadership in these spaces.
6. Respect for Authority/Chain of Command:
Similar to #5 above, the school does have professional systems for communications and coach reviews and even—at times—for making coaching changes. Constructive feedback is welcome, but you also need to trust that these systems are in place, and you likely will not be in the know about personnel matters or coach development.
7. Fair Play & Integrity:
We adults need to model this for our student-athletes. We would rather do the right thing and lose than the wrong thing and win. This should be consistent across our entire program.
8. Class & Respect:
Our whole Curry community should be a model for this. If you're wondering if you've gone too far, you probably have. Worst ref ever? Our coaches and administrators will address (or not). Other fans obnoxious? We rise above. Terrific sports parents are positive or quiet, or they appropriately let a school administrator know about a perceived problem. Those are the choices.
9. Be a Great "Team" Parent:
Embrace the culture and make it even stronger. Team dinners, thanking coaches, spreading the good word about the program, social media highlights and reposts—these are all great ways for you to make a positive impact on the team and your own athlete.
10. Have a Blast!
Make this positive for you, your family, other families, and all of our student-athletes. We love to have great, fun crowds. We love to celebrate the athletes. We love to win. We even love to have fun when the scoreboard goes the other way. Help us make this a mantra of all our programs.