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Post by silkyice on Jan 23, 2018 11:13:33 GMT -6
Here's the reality; other sports with poor cultures will eventually correct themselves. I'll expand upon my earlier statement. I coached in an area where the Legion baseball coaches wanted the kids specializing; they set up a "fall baseball league" and told kids that they'd better be playing year round. We had several very good football players quit to play fall baseball as they were fed b.s. about "going pro" and D1 scholarships. One kid was a varsity starter as a sophomore and also a NATIONAL CHAMPION wrestler. He quit both because they Legion coaches had him believing that he was going to be drafted as a pitcher right out of H.S. Unfortunately, his parents fell right into it too. We tried to talk them out of it (without trashing baseball) but they were adamant. Long story short, the kid specialized in baseball for three straight years and ended up with a full ride to an NAIA school. His shoulder and elbow were shredded from playing so much baseball and he lost his scholarship within the first year as he needed surgery. I ran into him a few years later and he told me that quitting football and wrestling was a terrible mistake. The same story came out of other kids and parents, kids stopped participating in fall baseball. Many of them still competed in Legion ball but they quit specializing. Kid was a NATIONAL CHAMPION wrestler and gave that up? Holy Cow! The time and effort and dedication to be that and then the recognition received and most likely a full d1 scholarship, and he gave it up as a sophomore? That is crazy. Ironically, I bet he would have been a BETTER college pitcher if he would have continued to wrestle and pitch. But that is just my opinion.
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Post by coachcb on Jan 23, 2018 11:36:29 GMT -6
Here's the reality; other sports with poor cultures will eventually correct themselves. I'll expand upon my earlier statement. I coached in an area where the Legion baseball coaches wanted the kids specializing; they set up a "fall baseball league" and told kids that they'd better be playing year round. We had several very good football players quit to play fall baseball as they were fed b.s. about "going pro" and D1 scholarships. One kid was a varsity starter as a sophomore and also a NATIONAL CHAMPION wrestler. He quit both because they Legion coaches had him believing that he was going to be drafted as a pitcher right out of H.S. Unfortunately, his parents fell right into it too. We tried to talk them out of it (without trashing baseball) but they were adamant. Long story short, the kid specialized in baseball for three straight years and ended up with a full ride to an NAIA school. His shoulder and elbow were shredded from playing so much baseball and he lost his scholarship within the first year as he needed surgery. I ran into him a few years later and he told me that quitting football and wrestling was a terrible mistake. The same story came out of other kids and parents, kids stopped participating in fall baseball. Many of them still competed in Legion ball but they quit specializing. Kid was a NATIONAL CHAMPION wrestler and gave that up? Holy Cow! The time and effort and dedication to be that and then the recognition received and most likely a full d1 scholarship, and he gave it up as a sophomore? That is crazy. Ironically, I bet he would have been a BETTER college pitcher if he would have continued to wrestle and pitch. But that is just my opinion. Yup... The kid won freestyle, folkstyle, and Greco-Roman national titles through AAU and USAW as a freshman. He took state in his weight bracket as a freshman. He was an exceptional running back for us as well. The kid had a BRIGHT future in three different sports but he chose baseball and paid for it. I have no doubt that he would have been a better pitcher in college as the years of specializing in baseball tore up his elbow and his shoulder. I was in the meeting where we talked to mom and dad about it and they were convinced he was going to be drafted by the MLB right out of high school. Apparently, "scouts" had been looking at him, or at least that's what the Legion coaches told them. He did have a great baseball career and won several state titles but he paid for it in the end. We've rarely had issues with other sports within the schools over the years. Yeah, one winter or spring program may be lacking but at least the kids are playing, competing and the other coaches are reinforcing participating in multiple sports. Legion baseball has been a whole different story in most areas. Even those that don't push specialization have the kids participating in baseball from February until August; the kids spend all spring and summer traveling, playing multiple games, and practicing. The kids get to football camp and they are not only burnt out but they're out of shape because they've spent the majority of the summer sitting in a dog out or standing out on the field.
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Post by Coachbragg on Jan 23, 2018 11:41:11 GMT -6
I would never tell a kid not to participate in other sports. We only have about 20 boys and 15 girls that even participate athletically. This season we have a new basketball coach that while he seems to be a good guy has little control over the kid’s demeanor. I still would never keep the kids from playing. I do try to involve myself in that program best I can, stats, announcing, etc. I take opportunities at our monthly player meeting to remind them of our core values. It’s not only a good opportunity to remind them of this but also a chance to instill those values to new players. My suggestion would be to tell players to stick to your teams values and all things will work out
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Post by coachcb on Jan 23, 2018 11:54:25 GMT -6
Here's the reality; other sports with poor cultures will eventually correct themselves. I'll expand upon my earlier statement. I coached in an area where the Legion baseball coaches wanted the kids specializing; they set up a "fall baseball league" and told kids that they'd better be playing year round. We had several very good football players quit to play fall baseball as they were fed b.s. about "going pro" and D1 scholarships. One kid was a varsity starter as a sophomore and also a NATIONAL CHAMPION wrestler. He quit both because they Legion coaches had him believing that he was going to be drafted as a pitcher right out of H.S. Unfortunately, his parents fell right into it too. We tried to talk them out of it (without trashing baseball) but they were adamant. Long story short, the kid specialized in baseball for three straight years and ended up with a full ride to an NAIA school. His shoulder and elbow were shredded from playing so much baseball and he lost his scholarship within the first year as he needed surgery. I ran into him a few years later and he told me that quitting football and wrestling was a terrible mistake. The same story came out of other kids and parents, kids stopped participating in fall baseball. Many of them still competed in Legion ball but they quit specializing. Legion baseball, aau basketball, spring select soccer, are different. Has no affiliation with your school. If that was the other program with a bad culture then I would absolutely talk to the kid about not playing a specific sport all year round. I am under the impression the OP is talking about other school sports. I agree but I still won't knock the non-school affiliated sports when it comes to the kids. Take the high road, tell the kids to participate in as many sports as possible and go from there. As I have posted, we've had many issues with Legion baseball over the years but we keep our mouths shut. We've had words with Legion coaches about their behavior but that doesn't do much good either as they're not generally in the school.. One coach was a 22 year old college kid who was getting a $20k stipend (I chit you not...) and he did his best to drive kids away from other sports at every turn. It came down to money; he wins games, he keeps his job, he keeps getting paid. He brings numbers up for fall baseball and he gets another stipend.
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