What a sad day. I say sad when parents decide that they have a beef with volunteers who donate countless hours of their time.

To correct and properly inform the public of how tax laws work: It is not a tax deduction when you give money to a sport club. Let’s get the facts straight here. From the sounds of it you are trying to come up with false accusations to try and complicate the very lives of people who give up their spare time to make sure your kid or kids have a safe environment to play organized sports.

Do you know how much helmets, pads, pants cost? Do you know how much of that stuff has to be thrown out every year? Do you know how much it costs for insurance, field fees, ref fees, paint for the field? Not to mention the food that has to be bought for the season.

Every year it is a constant struggle to figure out how to pay for all of those things, while keeping the cost to play way down, to where it is affordable for all families to play.

The Oak Harbor Youth Football League is not perfect by all means. But it is filled with many caring adults, who only want the best for the kids. That is to play, have fun and become an outstanding member of this fine community. When there are grumblings about people getting restraining orders, people demanding others to be fired, it’s just crazy!

As parents you guys have taken a game away from your kids. Remember, they’re not playing for full rides to college. They’re playing to please you and they are playing to please the coach. During the season those are the most important figures in their life. All the craziness needs to stop! You few parents should be ashamed! This is about kids throwing pigskin, not kids playing to get a full ride to U.W. The OHYFL has done great things for the community. Look at the high school football team. That doesn’t happen over night. It takes a collective group of people and caring adults to get that type of result. Not a group of thieves.

The only thing being stolen here is the fun of the game. As coaches we tell kids to put their ego at the door. Maybe it’s time we do that for parents as well.

Let me say this. I have never agreed with all the things the OHYFL board has done and believe me, I have a right to be frustrated with them. But never and I say never has anybody sat there to say “I’m not going to open up the books to the parents.” If you must know then come to the meetings. They always pass around accounting sheets. If your problem is with your team’s parent money, then please be sure to ask your coach and also ask your team mom how much of their own money they put up for your child to have fun.

Its a sad day for little league football when parents think their kids are superstars and it should be all about them. Well it’s not! It’s about Oak Harbor as a whole community. Not just one! The calls for people to resign need to end. The calls for people to be fired need to end. The calls for a job well done and a thank you need to happen.

I will fight for the league. I played in it as a kid and I also have head coached for the past 7 seasons. But this year I will not. All because a few parents think their kids are above the team. Sad when a newly transferred person to the island can do that and then still have the nerve to ask for other people to resign. Or be voted out for that matter. Let me be the first to say good job to the president of our youth league. You have brought the league a long way!

Maybe we all should sit in silence during all the games and not cheer nor jeer. Just watch the kids play and show you what they learned throughout the week. That’s why they are playing in the first place. To make you proud.

Gerry Oliver lives in Oak Harbor.