By Char O'Neil
Contributing Writer
It takes a community to enhance the athletic programs at a high school, and this starts with the parents.
Paradise Valley parent Marc Dembowski has been volunteering in the district since his daughters were in elementary school. Dembowski has two daughters, one who plays badminton and the other plays volleyball and soccer.
Dembowski has hosted team dinners, assisted in service projects and team bonding activities, and volunteered at the snack bar during home games.
Dembowski believes parents play a crucial role in the development of a program. Additionally, Dembowski chose to get involved in order to convey his interest in his daughters’ activities.
“Sports’ programs take a community to sponsor and support,” Dembowski said. “It is more than just the coaches who run the program. It’s the parents that volunteer that can take the sports program to the next level.”
As an involved parent, Dembowski avoids crossing any boundaries by focusing on how he can best support a program as a volunteer. He is a volunteer in order to help the overall program and to encourage his daughters to do their best.
“For me personally, I do not talk to the coaches about the games or playing time,” Dembowski said. “I only talk to the coaches about my role as a volunteer and helping as needed. It is important to keep that distance between doing what is right for the program and doing what you think might be best for your own kid.”
Dembowski believes teams enjoy parental support because it conveys an interest in them and their program.
Dembowski has supplied teams with meals on game days, which he has seen provide not only nourishment but also give the players an opportunity to bond as a team.
“I also think it [parental involvement] shows that people care and want to do something special for them as a team,” Dembowski said.
Dembowski feels his involvement in Paradise Valley athletics has been a positive for his daughters rather than a negative.
“I do not feel like either daughter feels like our presence volunteering and supporting the program has been a deterrent for them,” Dembowski said. “I think both really enjoy us being involved, sharing this interest together, and being at all their games to cheer them on.”
Paradise Valley’s varsity volleyball senior outside hitter Eboni Thomas feels her family’s involvement benefits her.
Thomas’ parents attend every game, and she relies on their presence to calm her nerves.
“My parents come to every single game,” Thomas said. “My parents are very supportive of me. They are definitely what calms me down. I can look at them in a stressful situation, and they can ease how I am feeling.”
Similarly to Thomas, varsity volleyball senior libero and defensive specialist Zoe Bustamante values her family's presence in her athletics.
Bustamante’s father is the announcer during the team’s home games, so she loves seeing him when she is on the court.
“I think they do support me a lot,” Bustamante said. “I love to see them in the stands cheering for me. My dad is the announcer, so I love to see him out of the corner of my eye.”
As seen with Thomas and Bustamante, Dembowski’s daughters also know the value of their parents’ contributions.
Dembowski has shown his daughters there are many ways for parents to get involved and support high school athletes.
“It [volunteering] has been great for us as it has strengthened our relationship with our own kids,” Dembowski said. “And we have built relationships with their friends, which makes it really nice when they ask to hang out outside of their sport.”
At Paradise Valley, Dembrowski has seen the teams with parental volunteers and support thrive the best; these are the teams that athletes want to play on. Since the parental influence is so positive, Dembowski encourages other parents to get involved.
“From what I have seen here at Paradise Valley High School, the sports programs that have strong parental involvement have strong team chemistry,” Dembowski said. “They also have strong communication between coaches and parents or coaches and players, as well as programs that players want to play for.”
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