This article hits home a bit. I am still sitting on a letter written to our school board, athletic director and superintendent after our last football season debating whether to submit it or not. As a Dad of three boys two of whom have graduated and one now a senior that were involved in our small communities athletic programs (cooped schools to get enough kids) I have never contacted a coach or school board member about my sons involvement in athletics concerning playing issues outside of letting each coach know if there was a problem with discipline, attitude, effort or any thing else they could contact me and we would deal with those issues as needed. My kids knew that if they wasted their coaches time, their team mates time and their time they would not be allowed to play.
As is normal with the differences in personalities of each son, there were differences in levels of committment to sports. It varied from a passion and hard work to natural talent and physical stature combined with hard work to playing because it was fun and their buddies were out. As a parent I allowed each kid to determine the degree of commitment they were going to put into each sport they chose to play and gave them every opportunity to attend summer lifting programs three days a week, open gyms in the off season, individual camps, team camps, videos of techniques ect.... if the kids showed a desire.
Two of my sons made that kind of commitment to certain sports. They worked hard and put in the extra effort. One it was to become a good athlete with a great attitude that coaches and team mates loved coaching and playing with that was in the middle of things, the other it was to become a stand out athlete because of the bonus of some physical pluses (size and strength) and a stubborn drive that coaches love coaching and his team mates have fun playing with.
As a parent I take a great deal of enjoyment from watching my three sons levels of enjoyment they have taken from sports. I have supported their levels of commitment and the expectations of their coaches to put the extra effort in that is in reality required if there is an expectation of playing time at the varsity level.
This support we as parents have chosen to make to our schools athletics programs is a significant one both in time and monies. Living 20 miles from the town the kids play and practice in, by the time we have 4 kids (one young daughter coming up) thru the athletics programs our one family will have invested well over $60,000 in supporting the athletic programs in our schools. So as some one that does not like pissing monies away, I appreciate it when the extra effort is put forth by athletes and teams to rise above this culture of "mediocrity" that I believe does exist as the author writes.
But as I read the article written by a coach that pushes for the extra time in the gym, the extra commitment by individual athletes, (all at the expense and commitments of parents as well) I missed where he said he expected the same level of commitment from his fellow coaches and athletic directors and school boards and sports boosters (funding) .
All the focas is placed on varsity level sports, yet it is the first coaches these athletes come across that instill the values of hard work, teach the fundamentals that always will remain the core to successful players and team programs. Yet how many school boards or athletic programs require these important coaches to attend clinics on how to develop beginning players? How many require young coaches that may not have the benefit of years of experience to attend coaching clinic for the varsity level sports to better themselves as coaches just as they expect athletes to better themselves as players by making these commitments and attending opportunities to learn?
A few years back, after our school hired a young coaching staff inour football progra, knowing there was the athletic abilities and talent in our football program to be successful, a few parents made the extra commitment to pony up some extra dollars to send coaches to a top coaching clinic. Every thing was paid for including spending monies. There were no time conflicts and yet these young coaches declined the opportunity.
We have watched as players attending clinics and weight lifting have became better players over the last 4 years yet we watch as the same coaching decisions have not improved in the same manner and promising seasons have ended before they maybe should have.
We have good young coaches that if they take advantage of the same opportunities they expect their players to in bettering and learning, have the potential to be that coach that at some point celebrates their milestone win mark. These coaches put in time to share their experiences as players and teach my kids and for that I am very grateful. But there are things that go beyond the teaching mechanics of a defense or the diagram of a play to create good players and teams. Things that go beyond commitments to lifting and running that go into making a great player.
And that is the development of players as persons and the ability to individually identify and build on the inner strengths of a kid. Great coaches know how to do that. Great coaches with consistent winning programs can take an average kid and develop something inside them that drives that extra effort and heart that sometimes wins over simple talent. These coaches learn how to pull more than just athletic ability out of their players.
There are examples we all know of those coaches over the years. Many times they are willing to teach these intangibles to other coaches in clinics becasue they know the importance of this part of sports and have a passion to share. Just as coaches expect players to put more time and commitment into their sport than what happens at practice and games to become better players , it is my opinion that the players and parents can also expect those coaches to take advantage of the opportunities to become better coaches as well. Even if one is recognized as Region Coach of the Year, even if a player is recognized as first team All State as a junior, there are things they can learn and improve at if they wish to.
I missed that part of looking in the mirror in the coaches letter at the beginning of this thread.
