Letter: Questioning keeping STHS soccer coach
Updated June 18:
To the community,
I am writing you in regards to the article that has surfaced regarding Mark Salmon, Soccer Coach at South Tahoe High School. I am not able to make it to the board meeting June 13, but I would like to be heard regarding this matter. I have worked next to Mark for several years while coaching throughout our kids growing up. I have a daughter at the high school who would love to continue playing soccer throughout her high school years, but did not register last year to play at the high school because Mark was the coach. I do not ever want my daughter to play for Mark again.
Mark coached my daughter for all-stars one season and it discouraged her from playing soccer the following season. We did not have a good experience with him. I have heard this from several parents and players throughout this community. Since Mark has coached many of the children in our community over the years, many of the girls who played under him, have quit playing soccer with him or just quit playing soccer all together because of their experience with him as a coach.
Three years ago, I had about 25 families who were willing to write letters to try and have Mark removed as the high school soccer coach. Unfortunately, most of those families decided not to say anything because they wanted their daughters to have the opportunity to play at the high school even if Mark was the coach. Most of them were afraid of the retaliation it may have had on our children. It was the only option, so they kept quiet. Now that this process has started, several more parents have been willing to step up to have Mark Salmon removed.
As soon as I heard this was going on, I signed my daughter up for the next school year to play high school soccer with the hope that Mark Salmon will be gone. My daughter loves soccer. She has been playing since she was 4-years-old. She is now 15. I have another daughter who plays soccer as well. Our family is very involved in soccer. My daughter has had the same coach for the last 6 years. She plays fall and spring as well as for club.
At the time my daughter started to play club soccer, Mark was the main person in charge of the STFC Team. My daughter’s coach, was another coach under STFC and Mark’s politics got the best of our team and made our coach leave STFC. Mark encouraged the girls to try out for his team, but the girls did not want to. Most of the girls followed the other coach to Nevada and have been playing for him since. Mark and the other coach have very different styles of coaching. Our coach is respectful to his girls and in return they respect him.
I would be willing to do just about anything to have Mark Salmon removed from the high school and having anything to do with soccer at all in this community. Just because he has training as a coach and he wins games, does not mean that he is a good coach or a good person. He should not be the kind of person who our girls look up to as a role model.
Please people, speak up, for our kids as well as our community. Send your comments to. jtarwater@ltusd.org, schan
Jeanna Rangel, South Lake Tahoe