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Post by coachcb on Aug 19, 2010 7:58:18 GMT -6
I just took over an 8 man program on Native American reservation and have run into a tough situation. The school's population consists of two Native American tribes; two tribes that HATE each other. And, by hate, I do mean hate. I have dealt with some bigotry in the past, given where I am at, but this sets a whole new bar for me.
Right now, we only have kids from one tribe for football, but we'll have some from the other trickle in next week. The kids from the other tribe haven't been out yet because their in the middle of their tribal cultural fair right now.
Our numbers aren't what I'd like them to be right now and, on several occasions, the kids and I have been doing some recruiting. Whenever it's brought up, the white kids on my team bring up the kids from the tribe that haven't shown up and I have had to put down some fires and nasty comments quickly.
Now, I am running into three issues here; kids from one tribe have been there all along, the kids from the other haven't (with good reason). The team has really started to jell; I like where things are going. The kids are comfortable with each other and aren't going to be happy when other kids start trickling in, whether they're white or from the other tribe.
The hatred between the tribes runs very, very deep; I'm going to put my foot down on it. But, it's going to be difficult.
The third issue is dealing with the kids from the second tribe that are coming in late. They've been missing practice because of their tribal culture so I am going to have a sh-t show on my hands when I expect them to make up those practices with extra conditioning. People around here are going to be p-ssed because they'll view it as racism against the one tribe on my part. Even if there's a few white kids that come in, it'll still be an issue. It's a program policy, but I will be dealing with a lot of angry, irrational folks.
I've always left it up to the kids in the past; asking them what they think that extra work needs to be. It's not going to fly though because of the disdain between the tribes.
Need advice, ASAP
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Post by John Knight on Aug 22, 2010 6:39:15 GMT -6
Smokem peace pipe? Dude, I would not even think of getting in that situation. Good luck!
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Post by coachcb on Aug 22, 2010 11:13:54 GMT -6
Well, after talking to my AD and principle about it, they don't think it'll much of a problem; the kids from the second tribe don't are for football. Being a reservation school, basketball is king and a lot of kids avoid football (and other sports) for that reason. The coaches don't push for specialization, but, again, it's the reservation and you'll have a hard time competing against basketball.
BUT... I am going to have a different situation on my hands for those that trickle in next week; some of them take a bus home, RIGHT AFTER PRACTICE. So, holding some of them after is going to be very, very tough. I've got an assistant (finally, I've been doing it on my own for the past two weeks, so I imagine I will need him to pull those kids aside (no contact for three days) and have him run them through agility, plyo and speed drills (not 100 yard sprints) while practice is rolling. I still don't think it's fair for the rest of the team, at all, but it's what I have to work with right now. There will only be a couple that have to do this; many of the kids that are bussed in stay in the dorms on campus.
The AD is kind of on the fence with it; he knows where I am coming from, but he also knows that the timing and logistics are going to be a pain. But, it's program policy, I don't care about the situation, those kids will make SOMETHING up, no matter what. I imagine doing an hour of agility, plyo and speed stations will get the message through to them, even if it's during practice.
In all honesty, it's a weird situation, but I am very happy with everything so far. I have never had a unit that works harder or that has jelled as quickly. They're lacking the simple fundamentals of the game but have picked up on them quickly. AND, we're one of two schools in the entire state that's running a spinner offense and they love it. H-ll they're friggin stoked that we're actually going to kick PATs instead of going for two all of the time; it's been a blast.
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drk
Freshmen Member
Posts: 21
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Post by drk on Aug 22, 2010 11:26:18 GMT -6
Stick to your policy! Be firm but fair! Most importantly be consistant!
If the kids want to play they will do what is required. If they are not willing to do what is required.......you don't want them anyway.
I had a situation with Native American and white players when I came in six years ago. Many felt they could come to practice whenever they felt like it but still expected to play. That's how things had been in the past.
I implemented mandatory practice rules; first unexcused you miss a half; second miss a game; third you're done. I kicked a number of kids off the team. I would of course excuse absences in some cases; your kids' situation would be excused. But, even excused absences will cost you playing time. Not as punishment but simply because you are not as prepared as the kids that were at practice; even if you are a better athlete. And, even excused absences may get you make-up work.
The Native kids quite coming out all together. Several parents of white kids tried to get me fired; multiple times.
It's been five years. This fall I have a Native out for the first time in a while. His personal goal for the season: 'Make every practice.' Made my season on day 1! I made sure to heep praise him in front of the team. Don't think I won't share his goal sheet with parents at my meeting with them on Wednesday night either! I now we are doing it right.
You can change a culture.
Good luck.
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Post by coachcb on Aug 22, 2010 17:15:37 GMT -6
Stick to your policy! Be firm but fair! Most importantly be consistant! If the kids want to play they will do what is required. If they are not willing to do what is required.......you don't want them anyway. I had a situation with Native American and white players when I came in six years ago. Many felt they could come to practice whenever they felt like it but still expected to play. That's how things had been in the past. I implemented mandatory practice rules; first unexcused you miss a half; second miss a game; third you're done. I kicked a number of kids off the team. I would of course excuse absences in some cases; your kids' situation would be excused. But, even excused absences will cost you playing time. Not as punishment but simply because you are not as prepared as the kids that were at practice; even if you are a better athlete. And, even excused absences may get you make-up work. The Native kids quite coming out all together. Several parents of white kids tried to get me fired; multiple times. It's been five years. This fall I have a Native out for the first time in a while. His personal goal for the season: 'Make every practice.' Made my season on day 1! I made sure to heep praise him in front of the team. Don't think I won't share his goal sheet with parents at my meeting with them on Wednesday night either! I now we are doing it right. You can change a culture. Good luck. I have set guidelines when it comes to missing practices; much like yours. I was a little more lenient with it the last week or so, just because of the tribal stuff going on made it difficult for kids to get there. The tribal fairs are a HUGE deal down here; you'd better be flexible for that week because it's no contest; it's not just the kids going to the fair, it's their entire extended family (dozens of family members). But, I only had 2 kids miss one practice because of the fair which everyone was amazed at; half of the team is usually gone. I must be doing something right. But, the fair is over and it's down to brass tacks now; unexcused absence equates to losing a full game. Two unexcused equates to three games and a third gets you removed from the team. One excused absence in a week means losing a half of play, you have two or more and you don't play at all. As you have said, it's not a punishment; it's about missing practice time and not being prepared. AND, in the even of a sickness or injury, you're still expected to be at practice unless you miss to go see the doc and you'd better come back with a note. And, if you've missed school, I want a note from a doc telling me when you can return; no note= unexcused absence. They have a free health clinic right on campus; there's no excuse. If not, it's unexcused. Luckily, this is a private school with very strict policies on school attendance, behaviors and grades. If a kid is screwing around; they're gone. And it's the best school within a fifty mile radius, by far, so the parents are very involved with the education process. The school has no issue booting kids; there's actually a public school just down the road from us and five others within the area. And, the closest schools are in very, very rough areas. So, the kids I've got know that they'd better keep everything five by five, or they're SOL. The school is 80% Native, 20% white and Hispanic so I need to make sure that I respect the cultural boundaries when it comes to the tribal activities; I won't have a football team if I don't. But, again, outside of this little circus, everything has been great. Last year's team started out with 20 and had 13 by the end of two a days. I started out with 11, now have 14 and WOULD have 19 but I had several kids that were academically ineligible. We're going to miss those kids, but after a few days with us, they were stoked and were pretty down on themselves for not being able to play. They're sophs and juniors; they have a good incentive to keep their stuff together and come out next year. |
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