smu92
Junior Member
Posts: 415
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Post by smu92 on Apr 12, 2010 21:08:50 GMT -6
Alright guys, a good friend of mine is the head basketball coach at a 1A school in Texas. We were talking tonight, and this situation came up. I wanted to get your thoughts.
Here's the deal. In this small town (3000 people-ish), he said that there are probably about 50 keys to the high school gym floating around. People have had 24-hour access to the gym for years without supervision as long as you had a key to get in. He said that apparently it's never been a big deal. In fact, he says that is how it is done at every high school in their district.
Interim superintendent changed the locks on the gym recently and said no one is allowed in the gym without a coach being present. My buddy explained this to me, and I thought it was a decent request. Apparently though, kids, coaches, and parents are not happy about that one. I've never coached at a 1A before, so let me ask you guys. Is it common for people in really small towns to be able to just come and go in the gym whenever they want as long as they have a key?
They have also had the same policy with the weight room. During the summers, the coaches will open up the weight room in the morning for their Summer Strength & Conditioning Workout (8-10ish), and then they just leave the weight room open all day for all of the kids that are out haulin' hay or whatever they do in that town for work during the summers. He said kids come and go all day without supervision at all, get their workout done, and leave. Then the AD comes and locks up the weight room every evening at about 8:00. Now the interim superintendent has said that a coach has to be in there any time someone is working out(This is policy that I am most familiar with and most comfortable with).
Am I weird to think this is weird? Or is that just how small schools do it because they "know everyone in town" and "nobody is going to tear anything up"?
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Post by coachbrek on Apr 12, 2010 22:19:59 GMT -6
I am from small town usa, 200 people, so 3000 seems huge to me.
Obviously the new Sup. is from a big town and thinks like you that it is strange to trust people to do the right thing, Given the key to the gym so their son or daughter can shoot hoops or work out when time permits.
It's the way it is in small towns if it did not work they would not do it the way they do.
I used to go in through the janitor door to lift in the summer.
I would haul a load of grain to town drop the truck off at the elevator and ask them to dump it for me and I would run to the school to lift.
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Post by coachplaa on Apr 12, 2010 22:32:44 GMT -6
That is the norm here in CA, land of the lawsuit. Fastest way to lose your job is to not supervise in the weight room.
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Post by coachmoore42 on Apr 13, 2010 0:15:06 GMT -6
That is the norm here in CA, land of the lawsuit. Fastest way to lose your job is to not supervise in the weight room. Same here (Georgia). Supervision at all times, especially in the weight room. |
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Post by coachcb on Apr 13, 2010 6:26:02 GMT -6
IMO, outside of the administration and custodial staff, only a handful of coaches should have access to athletic facilities.
I was the HC for a MS program; I had four coaches underneath me and I was the only one with a key to anything; the locker rooms, equipment shed, etc..
I'm surprised the town hasn't had issues with this situation. Around here, if a kid is doing anything in the athletic facilities and gets hurt (in any way), we'll be looking at a lawsuit.
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Post by olinecoach61 on Apr 13, 2010 6:38:35 GMT -6
All it takes is one person getting hurt without supervision and you'll all be sued. We have to lock up after we leave, no students are allowed to lift without supervision and no one has keys to the entire school except for the principal and vp and head custodian. If one of them doesn't open the building, no one gets in.
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Post by leighty on Apr 13, 2010 6:43:32 GMT -6
The super is covering his ass. I don't have a problem with it.
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Post by airmale on Apr 13, 2010 6:46:08 GMT -6
CYA Baby!!! After some of the law suits I have been involved in I understand and wholeheartedly agree to lock it up or supervise!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2010 8:33:06 GMT -6
It speaks well of the community that they've had this access for a long time without incident, but I can't blame the new super for doing this. I'm from a small town (3,300) and no one outside of school personnel has access to the facilities without supervision and not even all faculty members have access to everything.
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Post by k on Apr 13, 2010 8:49:46 GMT -6
Boys basketball has 1 key (non faculty)
Baseball has two keys (two faculty)
Football has one key (one faculty).
Girls basketball has one key (no faculty)
Volleyball has one key (one faculty)
Other than administration and custodial that is it for keys.
Can't imagine they'd give a key to just some random person who wanted to use the facilities.
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Post by phantom on Apr 13, 2010 8:51:36 GMT -6
A few years ago one of our baseball players dropped dead after a conditioning session. They'd been running in the gym and afterward he'd gone further into the building to get a drink. When he didn't come back they found him on the floor dead. He had a virtually undectable congenital heart defect (his sister, a college athlete, died during a charity 10K run a few weeks later) so there were no liability issues. Imagine how much worse this tragic situation could have been if he'd been working out unsupervised.
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lrader
Sophomore Member
Posts: 143
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Post by lrader on Apr 13, 2010 11:41:42 GMT -6
From a town of 1,000 people. People don't necesarily have keys to the school. But there is usually a pick up game of basketball, or flag football going on at the school on the weekends. Usually if someone is actually inside the school it is with a facult member who has a key.
The weight room is a little different. We got a big grant to buy new equipment, but to do so had to make it open to the public. To start with it was just open 24/7 to anyone in town. Unfortunately people from outside the community started showing up and vandelizing/tearing stuff up. Now people in the town have to buy a one year membership and get a card to get in. That way if something is torn up they can check by the number on the locks who has been in there. Also put up cameras to try to deter it.
Oh, almost forgot, as far as liability stuff, they have to be over 18 and sign a waiver saying they take on the risk of working out and all that. That way the school is not held liable when they do something stupid, or if they give their kid the card and they do something stupid.
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Post by phantom on Apr 13, 2010 11:50:45 GMT -6
Oh, almost forgot, as far as liability stuff, they have to be over 18 and sign a waiver saying they take on the risk of working out and all that. That way the school is not held liable when they do something stupid, or if they give their kid the card and they do something stupid. I don't have much confidence that that waiver will be much help in court if somebody drops a barbell on his neck while bench pressing. |
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Post by Coach Shane on Apr 13, 2010 12:43:36 GMT -6
Oh, almost forgot, as far as liability stuff, they have to be over 18 and sign a waiver saying they take on the risk of working out and all that. That way the school is not held liable when they do something stupid, or if they give their kid the card and they do something stupid. I don't have much confidence that that waiver will be much help in court if somebody drops a barbell on his neck while bench pressing. So right you are Phantom. Waivers are signed everyday and everyday the courts look past them. |
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Post by senatorblutarsky on Apr 13, 2010 12:51:40 GMT -6
Town of under 1000... everything must be supervised at all times.
We do share our wt. room with the community (over 18 may join and be there from 6-10 PM).
They even have a rotational schedule for who opens /supervises it.
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Post by airraider on Apr 13, 2010 14:25:18 GMT -6
We have around a 15 year old school.. which is really nice.. but the track is old cinder and crappy..
Well they said there was a grant opportunity a couple of years back to build an all weather track.. but it would have to be open to the public.. school board said no..
Right now our campus is locked up at night.. would have to open it up 24 hours a day to have it open to the public.. this was a no go.. Im pretty sure they would feel even more strongly about anything else being used.
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Post by coachorr on Apr 14, 2010 8:57:56 GMT -6
I was in a small school and not everyone had a key, but I did and regularly held open gyms and spent a lot of time with the kids in the off season in the gym. Now, I am in a bigger district and they close the gym down for the summer and will not allow me to have any open gyms for anything other than pre-season.
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Post by coachd5085 on Apr 14, 2010 20:51:35 GMT -6
smu--don't think you are weird at all. I would venture to say such public access is definitely not the norm. But...people being stupid is DEFINITELY the norm. Especially parents.
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