Perhaps you’ve seen one of those parents. Perhaps you’ve been one. But new research shows the sideline presence of and off-field pressure from toxic parents are increasingly spoiling youth sports — and not just for kids. Coaches, referees, even other parents report growing frustration and burnout as the intensity, cost and career potential of youth athletics expands. We talk to a statewide champion coach (and parent) and an experienced ref about the problem. We also get a professional’s perspective on the psychological dynamics behind, and potential remedies for, this problematic conduct.

Guests:

• Mike Pickett, champion girls soccer coach, St. Johns Country Day School
• Nicole Davidson-Harshaw, licensed mental health counselor, Dupont Counseling Group
• Zachary Roth, member, North Florida Officials Association

Fever pitch

For anyone who's been rocked by recognition of global inequity and the simultaneity of disaster and peace, Wallace Shawn’s The Fever offers a searing portrait of individual reckoning. Shawn, an acclaimed playwright best known for his roles in My Dinner with Andre and The Princess Bride (“inconceivable!”), began performing the one-person play in 1990, but his exploration of how a sensitive person copes amid vast economic inequality and suffering remains highly relevant today. The current production at The Lumen, featuring actor Jessica Racaniello as the play’s central figure, runs Feb. 20-March 7, with a special “pay what you can” preview on Feb. 19. And, as always, the theater offers free admission for theater students. The Feb. 28 performance features a post-show talkback specifically for those pursuing careers in the field.

Guests:  

• Jessica Racaniello, actor, The Fever
• Noah Bennett, director, The Fever
• Brian Niece, artistic director, Lumen Repertory Theatre

Lawn order

If competing in a wheelbarrow obstacle course or playing soccer with a backpack blower meets your needs as a weekend warrior, an upcoming “landscape rodeo” might just be your ideal outlet. Sponsored by the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscapers Frontrunners Chapter, the inaugural Landscape Rodeo at Ancient City Farmstead in St. Augustine promises more than 20 challenges and races, testing landscaper skills ranging from a zero-turn mower course to a three-person lawn mower relay race. The event Friday is designed to reward competence as well as lure new people to the trade, including through training scholarships.

Guest: Erin Alvarez, business development manager at Skyfrog Landscape and member of the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association