By ROY CLANCY, Calgary SunThe sounds of laughter, cheers and parents yelling encouragement used to signal the beginning of spring soccer in Calgary.
Alas, the game is apparently no longer the idyllic, if competitive, romp it once was.
Now the din of youthful enthusiasm is in danger of being drowned out by the voices of a few whacked-out parents who shamelessly crank up the decibels in an effort to insult and intimidate the young refs who oversee the game.
Keep in mind that these are 'adults' who yell profanities at kids as young as 12 and on occasion even try to make physical contact.
The situation has gotten so bad that two-thirds of the teenage game officials quit in their first year.
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My kids have been in soccer for years now and we haven't seen any incidents like these though I have heard of a few. Its pretty sad and the lack of refs has really started to show in soccer - parents have scared them off and I don't blame them, they don't get paid much, certainly not enough to put up with 'adults' yelling at them all the time. Maybe the CMSA imposed monitors will work out.
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