Everyone lost in the dismissal of Coach Webster

Letter to the Editor:

Have you had the pleasure of seeing youngsters running after a soccer ball while driving through Libby? Do you recall pride in our town and high school for winning a state soccer championship? 

The game itself is one of morals and ethics and by not supporting and allowing someone like Charlie Webster, who impressively practiced those values, to coach the Libby High boys soccer team, we should question what the real motive was to remove him.

Our experience with soccer started when Charlie and his wife Deb Bond coached our then young son and daughter in the Libby Youth Soccer programs, and though we knew nothing of the game we felt our children were in great company. The sportsmanship and values they taught spoke volumes to us, and we give most of the credit to the Libby Youth Soccer program, the British Youth Soccer program and the Kootenai Rapids for their constant efforts.

The National Soccer Coaches of America states clearly in their code of ethics what exactly a soccer coach shall do and we felt Charlie Webster epitomized the qualities expected of him.

Charlie showed qualities such as dignity. He would address the boys as “gentlemen” when he needed their attention. 

He showed composure, sitting calmly on the bench during any game we watched. He refrained from yelling or pacing up and down the sidelines. 

Most importantly, he demonstrated fairness and sportsmanship. He wouldn’t rack up goals if the Loggers were ahead and made sure everyone who earned playing time saw playing time.

Here are the facts. He’s a winning coach. He’s poured countless hours of his time, talent and education into this program. Most importantly, he loved and cared about this sport, our children and our community. No one’s won here, we’ve all lost.

— Daryl and Naomi Nash,

Libby