Being Benched A New Reason to Sue

I just saw on the news that a teenager in Virginia is suing her school because the coach benched her. What is this world coming to?

According to Daily News

The 16-year-old tried out for the Chesapeake Region Volleyball Association’s teams in November. The CHRVA coaches praised her “college level” skills, calling her the best setter at the tryout, court documents said.

She was offered spots on four club teams, but ultimately picked the Chantilly Juniors. She signed a contact with the team, a common practice for club leagues.

But in January, her coach told her she wasn’t ready to be a setter, benched her from two tournaments games and told her she’s likely to sit out the rest of the season, too.

The coach told a devastated Audrey that she could play with the Juniors during practice or swap to another team in the league. But when Audrey found another team ready to take her on, the league blocked the move.

Under league rules, players can only move teams for a “verifiable hardship,” it said. Plus, allowing Audrey to swap teams would set a precedent for other players.

“We would be overwhelmed with requests to change teams,” a CHRVA official wrote to the Dimitrews when the league denied the swap.

Then, Audrey and her family went to court. With the case pending and volleyball season winding down, Audrey’s lawyers asked a judge for a temporary injunction that would allow Audrey to switch teams and play for the rest of the year. A judge declined to act.

My personal opinion is if your coach does not think that you are ready to be a starter on his team then you probably aren't. If you are a great player, an asset to the team, and are going to help bring a win to the team your coach will have you in the starting line up. My suggestion is sit the bench, watch, learn, go to all the practices, improve your skill set, and come back next hopefully as a starter.

Not everyone can be in the starting lineup. Chances are there are going to be people on the team that have been playing longer and are just better. So sit there and warm that bench, be patient, your time will come!