Apology
a·pol·o·gy
[əˈpäləjē]
NOUN
a regretful acknowledgment of an offense or failure:
Two weeks ago CYFA board of directors demanded our 12u team meet with them after I sent an email expressing complaints. CYFA President specifically advised in an email, “This is my last response. The 12 year old will have a meeting this Tuesday at 6:30pm. The coaches have no choice about the meeting. There will be a meeting or the 12’s will have new coaches. I don’t care who is at the meeting. It will not change anything.” This email chain included CYFA board members, Mayor Burchett’s constituent coordinator Sarah Fansler, Director and Deputy Director of Knox County Parks and Recreation, as well as me.
I requested Knox County parks and rec is present to witness, with their schedules we ended up meeting on Thursday, July 26th. I live streamed both meetings on Facebook Live. I wanted people to see that this small group of individuals whom have held a monopoly over this organization for years now are not looking out for what is best for CYFA players, coaches and parents. Their decisions are personal.
The meetings began with CYFA board members instructing us parents that there will be no questions & no comments. Sounds like they really want to hear our concerns and talk things out. As I suspected the 12u group meeting got heated. My husband chimed in when he felt like I was being targeted by CYFA president. After the meeting was over my husband verbally apologized for his outburst. I have audio proof of this.
I had a meeting with CYFA board of directors. I streamed this meeting on Facebook Live as well, it is still available on my Facebook page. During this 15 or so minutes I was not listened to, my questions were still not answered. CYFA board of directors had no intention of listening to anything I had to say. The only answer I got…it isn’t required so we don’t have to. Although it is our money that funds this program, it is our volunteer time that helps these teams run efficiently, it is US the community that has and will keep this program afloat. They don’t care.
A few days after the July 26th meetings, two of our coaches were advised that CYFA board of directors are demanding written apology letters from our head coach, an assistant coach, my husband and me. They were advised that if apology letters were not written then coaching staff would be let go. Our head coach and assistant coach wrote simple apology letters to appease these grown men…this way CYFA board of director’s personal bias wouldn’t affect the team. My husband was called into a “meeting” on Saturday prior to our bowl game starting. CYFA president asked him for the written apology letter, my husband advised that CYFA board of directors will not get an apology letter from him. CYFA president told my husband he is no longer allowed to coach at CYFA.
It’s a sad day when grown men try to force apology letters from other grown men using a team of children as the collateral, using a team with the man’s own son as the collateral. These apology letters are simply to stroke their ego and reassure themselves of what little power they have. I sent two emails to Knox County Parks and Recreation and the Mayor’s constituent coordinator about this. I got the following response…”We are continuing to work on the 501c3 requirements. New bylaws need to be in place to address your issues.” Does this sound like concern? At what point is enough, enough? When one of the CYFA board members takes things too far? When one or more of the entities get sued for harassment?
All of the decisions that have been made recently (Adam Brown, athletic director being voted out, playing up rule, team mom decisions, members being voted out, apology or no coach) are outside of the written by-laws of CYFA as well as Knox County. They are targeting those who do not agree with their work with CYFA. Well guess what…I’m not scared.
The same day my husband was advised he can no longer coach at CYFA, the CYFA board of directors sent our assistant coach to come get me for a meeting. My husband had to leave for a work call so I advised I will NOT meet with CYFA board of directors without my husband present. I let them know CYFA president can email me to schedule a meeting. Our head coach has been texted and asked about the meeting by CYFA president, but I have not been directly contacted. I guess I was under the wrong impression of how grown people communicate about business issues.
Like I’ve said before, nobody is trying to take away what these men have previously done for the program. What is being done now is in no way representative of how any business for profit or non-profit should be run. Nobody has to like everyone or anyone, but when dealing with operations within an organization that you are supposedly the leader of, bias has no role.
Some people have asked about the outcome from the 12u group meeting and Mike Bartleson was able to meet with CYFA board of directors and work out their differences and they voted to allow Mike to coach at CYFA.
soapboxknox 