House And Travel Teams to Continue Under PAL
ADAMS, Mass. — After some disagreements and discussion, Police Athletic League organizers decided to come together as a house and travel league.
During a tense hourlong meeting Monday night between coaches, parents, police officers and league organizers that started with contention but ended with handshakes, organizers agreed to have Hoosac Valley High School basketball coach Mike Larabee lead the travel league and Police Officer Gregory Charon run the house.
"Me and Greg will work together with the chief, and we will get it done," Larabee said. "I want to see every kid play because every kid matters."
Charon said he could not refuse and asked that after tryouts Wednesday night, all the organizers sit down and clear the air so they can start playing basketball.
Last week, the Selectmen stopped their meeting and broke quorum to help mediate a breakdown between the PAL house league and travel league. Concerned residents and league organizers poured in throughout the night taking to the podium to air their grievances.
Police Chief Richard Tarsa originally wanted to change the organization of the league and create a board to oversee it rather than having a single person. Soon after Tarsa began putting things together, rumors started to fly about how the board was being created and who was to sit on it, which caused a disagreement between the league.
Initially Monday night, Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian suggested that the leagues just split and the travel league end its PAL affiliation.
"Although not optimal, this is the best solution because we are at D-Day here and something needs to happen," Snoonian said. "There are gyms, referees, and everything else that needs to be put together ... at the end of the day, we just want to run a basketball league."
He said Charon, who initially refused to run the house league, agreed to take over PAL.
Larabee, who had concerns that no one reached out to him in the first place, asked why Tarsa's original plan was just thrown away.
Travel coach Bill Robinson agreed and said he had hoped they could stick to the original plan, honor Tarsa's decision and both play under PAL.
"Your chief of police in town made an executive decision about a program ... and the next thing we know his ideas are booted out and now you are taking over the league," Robinson said. "The chief basically was run out of town and we are going back to one director."
Robinson said a board could help save the deteriorating league and added that he had concerns about money the travel league raised that has disappeared.
"There is a large discrepancy right now and we would like to know where the money went," he said. "There is no invoice, there is no balance sheet ... it is a mess and we want our money."
Robinson said he feared to rejoin the PAL under these circumstances because he was afraid whoever was in charge would hold all the power and was concerned "vendettas" would lead to good coaches leaving.
Larabee agreed, saying a lot of bad, untrue and hurtful things were said about those involved in the travel league.
"I am worried about animosity, and ... I know we need to do this for the kids but there has been some stuff that's been said that is just not right," he said. "There were a lot of lies and it hurts. We have been doing this forever and we don't want to be slapped around."
Snoonian said everyone must try to move on from all the bickering.
"Can we get past some of the stuff that has been said or rumored to be said?" he said. "I have had stuff relayed to me about how I am doing as a selectman, and I have heard awful things but you have to put it behind you."
Snoonian said he saw the director as more of a point person to assist the coaches and added that they can still form a board in the future.
About halfway through the meeting, Charon said he had enough.
"I am going to bow out for the betterment of the kids as long as you guys take the house league," he said. "You guys have valid points and I don't want to ruin it for the kids. If I am the guy that you are pointing at ... You guys go with it ... I have had enough."
This, once again, left the house league without leadership only a few days before tryouts.
Snoonian asked everyone to take a step back and re-evaluate what they were doing.
"I have to believe we can figure this out and resolve it ... at the end of the day we are just guys and gals who want to help kids," he said. "I think after you actually get out there and start coaching you will see how ridicules this is ... you may be 75 percent happy, you may be 60 percent happy but if the kids are 100 percent happy that's all that counts."
Larabee then said he would take on the travel league and work alongside Charon if he would take on the house league. They both agreed to work under Tarsa and help each other out.
Tryouts are Wednesday at Hoosac Valley from 6 to 7 p.m. for Grades 3 through 4. Tryouts for other grade levels are from 7 to 8 p.m.
Tags: youth basketball, youth sports,
