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Post by hsrose on Aug 11, 2017 15:45:00 GMT -6
Just talked with a HC that I coached with a few years ago. He's in one of the more competitive leagues in the NorCal area (EBAL) and we talked about numbers.
His school has 2,300 students. They just cut their JV 2 days ago and have gone Fr/So and varsity. They had 22 Frosh, 20 JV, and 47 varsity. This years Junior class had 55 frosh, says there are 24 left from that class.
Another team in their league has 22 frosh, 20 JV, 44 varsity, but they have no intention of cutting anything.
Another team in the league has 54 varsity, but usually carries 65+.
One of the upper tier smaller schools just dropped their JV and has frosh and varsity.
Another team at a large, 2k+ school, has 27 varsity.
LBP had 4464 per recent assessment by US New and World Report, 5090 in 2010 per Wikipedia.
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Post by hsrose on Aug 10, 2017 13:02:17 GMT -6
We're at 50 right now, 21 on JV (Freshmen & Sophomores), 29 (if 2 kids come out who are out of the area until school starts next week. We had 68 at this time last year. When I started here 5 seasons ago there was a Frosh, JV, and varsity levels. Frosh team went away the next season One issue was that it got to be too hard to schedule the games because teams were dropping all the time.
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Post by hsrose on Aug 3, 2017 9:03:39 GMT -6
brophy - Rugby. Played it 1 year intramural in college. 2nd game I tackle a guy, get my head behind, and catch a cleat on the orbit bone over my left eye. Nice big cut right on the bone. Blood all over my face and head and jersey, got the bandage at an angle over the head, looked very cool. Ended with 6 stitches in it later that night. Another guy I went to school with broke his neck in a scrum. Got bent over and the scrum just crushed him. He was in a chair for 2-3 years after that I remember, eventually walking with canes. Lost track after that. We've had couple big time football player recruits, not many, elect to play college team/club rugby rather than go football scholarship. Some participation numbers from CIF (CA). Lacrosse is up 7.4%, football is down 3.12% Article on the participation - www.prep2prep.com/feature.aspx?ArticleID=19054News release from CIF - www.cifstate.org/coaches-admin/census/2017_CIF_Participation_Census.pdf
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Post by hsrose on Aug 1, 2017 14:45:31 GMT -6
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Post by hsrose on Aug 1, 2017 13:20:48 GMT -6
tothehouse - In another thread I stated we've dropped from 65 or so last year to 45 this year. -20 and I don't know why. We were successful last year, I expected to remain steady or increase. But we dropped ~25-30% of the team. Concussions is one of the issues.
I was talking with a news photo lady yesterday, her son plays for our rivals. Her son got one last year so she knows the fear of it. I was able to talk with her about the injury/concussion fear and she was unaware of the materials that are out there.
That's why I think it's so critical for everyone in this profession to prepare ourselves for the conversations that will come with scared parents. If we can't at least offer a reasonable, well researched, position on the concussion situation then we will continue to lose parents and kids.
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Post by hsrose on Aug 1, 2017 9:20:17 GMT -6
Another article questioning the process. www.torontosun.com/2017/07/27/conclusion-drawn-in-boston-university-cte-study-troubling-toronto-neuropathologistCouple of comments from the article: Bottom line, Hazrati said, is this: “None of these post-mortem brain autopsies are going to solve the CTE (mystery), at all. You cannot solve the cause of CTE by looking at brains of deceased people.” As yet, there is no way to detect CTE in the living. “That first step is not solved yet — whether there’s a definitive link to concussions,” Hazrati said. “So how can you even think about who’s the most susceptible? Who’s not? What age is the worst? Just looking at these brains (posthumously), you cannot say any of that. It’s just impossible at this point.” --------------------- Researchers compared the cognitive function of 52 living, retired former male Scottish international rugby players — who’d suffered an average of a whopping 14 concussions apiece — against 29 non-rugby players of similar age. “There were no significant associations between number of concussions and performance on cognitive tests,” the study found. What’s more, although “persisting symptoms attributed to concussion” were more common in rugby players who’d suffered more than nine concussions apiece, “these symptoms were not perceived to affect social or work functioning.”
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Post by hsrose on Jul 31, 2017 20:53:56 GMT -6
We had our 1st day of practice today and the numbers are way down. We had 21 on varsity and 20 on JV. I've got 3 kids out of the area, likely not back until close to school starting, but the total number of 41-45 players is down from the 63-70 of last year. That's a big, big drop. Hopefully the kids will get back and we'll get some additional freshmen showing up, but otherwise we're going to be Iron Man football at all levels.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 27, 2017 16:46:03 GMT -6
The thread on this topic from last March. coachhuey.com/thread/76540/uzma-samadani-reward-youth-schoolI've also tried to gather some YouTube videos on this topic. www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmlWmhCMSpjoFVMgoLixnkv-13bFQyeaEOne of the statements that Dr. Samadani has made is that CTE is in people who never show symptoms/dementia and who never had concussions/played football, it's part of how we humans are made. My grandmother, I don't think ever played in the NFL, had dementia for quite some time before she passed. And no, I'm not trying to trivialize a very serious issue. This is my recap of the video from the above thread. Ok, I went back and watched it again and have some times where things are said that are possibly of interest. Now, don't do the sound-bite thing here, you have to listen to this and really get into it. 01:55 - Insurance, liability coverage for football, will be demise of football, not football itself. 03:20 - Being on a playground, as a youth, is as dangerous as playing football. 04:34 - Biggest causes for brain injuries - accidents (cars, snowmobiles, ATV's, vehicles), homicide, suicide. Says that 11 teenagers die every day from texting and driving. 05:30 - Starts talking about concussion and types of damage and such. 12:20 - There is a higher probability of suicide within 9 years once you have a brain injury. As kids stop playing sports the suicide rate is increasing. Would expect that football players would have a higher rate of suicide but they don't, they are fitter, have better social networks, more friends... 14:58 - Increased sports participation decreases suicide risk. 16:37 - The media are reporting/implying that a connection has been directly linked from concussions (football) to dementia (alzheimer's disease). Biggest factor for dementia is sedentary life style which leads to high blood pressure. 17:33 - Football has not been proven to be a risk factor for dementia. 18:30 - Starts the CTE discussion. 20:50 - No clinical description for CTE, it is something that is found under the microscope, you can have CTE and never show any symptoms at all. You cannot be diagnosed with CTE based on your symptoms. 23:48 - CTE is present in normal folks and in dementia patients. Changes in the brain (CTE) does not mean symptoms (dementia) 26:37 - Does football cause dementia? No, it does not by itself. Football is not a causal factor for developing dementia. There is no compelling evidence that football is related to dementia. 28:15 - Why the media obsession with football/concussion/dementia? Scientists have to justify their research (grants) and companies are looking for profit. 40:30 - Starts a discussion on her workplace and the number of football players in high positions, doctors that let their kids play, that kind of thing. Overall - Brain injuries are bad, regardless of how they occur. Football does not have a direct link to causing dementia. Treat the injuries - change tackling, reduce hitting, get the kids out of the game. Read more: coachhuey.com/thread/76540/uzma-samadani-reward-youth-school#ixzz4o4gVPSwU
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Post by hsrose on Jul 27, 2017 9:33:56 GMT -6
As part of my marketing a couple of years ago I got a teacher here, radio guy in a former life, to do a reading/recording. I then used that audio in a video that I got put up in the local theater. bullfrogfootball.com/Bullfrog_Football/Bullfrog_Football_files/01%20BH%20Reese%2001%20Why%20Play.m4aI think what I'm seeing here is indeed a weeding out of players. Those with stronger character are showing up and working. Those that are weaker, weaker players, weaker character, are not showing up. And when I really look at the list of who is not here I'm not hurt by their absence, they weren't likely to be starters. Do we need numbers, most certainly, but the numbers I do have are the 'better' kids, not just the cash flow kids ("Well, Johnny can't play worth a lick, but he can always be cash flow."). The lower numbers affect our practice structure, and we're razor thin on backups, but the players that are left are the better kids. And our youth program is seeing the same thing, lower numbers for both coaches and players. They just had their registration a couple of days ago but I haven't seen the numbers.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 26, 2017 17:20:50 GMT -6
We had 8 7v7 events this summer, only 1 was a competition type thing. The others were going against teams to run our stuff. Actually did play action passes. So from that aspect I like it.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 25, 2017 14:36:31 GMT -6
I'm used to variances in player numbers from year to year. But this is getting to me.
Last year, my 2nd as HC, we go 6-4, get a playoff game (lost it on a slant for TD with :04 left in the game). 4-6 the year before, my first year, and 2-8, 1-9, 1-9 the previous years. Doesn't sound like much but it's the 1st playoffs since 2007 and 1st winning season since '99.
And the reward for doing well? Player numbers are down, coaches numbers are down.
We typically have 33+ varsity players and right now I'm scrapping to get 26. I think I've got 11 seniors and 3 of those are transfers. I can't seem to build interest in playing football, it's almost like the better we do, the fewer players come out. When they were 1-9 4 years ago they had 37 on the roster. At a small school numbers like that are big.
And the coaches. I lost my DC (lost his son), my OC (left for a better job, didn't get it, and now coaching at another school), my QB, and my DL coaches since the start of the year. I've got 2 coaches that haven't taken the time to get their district certs done so they aren't likely to be with us when we start next week. So it looks like my staff of 9 on-field coaches will be 5, maybe 6.
Don't get me wrong, the players that are left are good players, kind of a weeding out of the pretenders, but this is something new to me.
And the strange part - When it was early summer and we were doing football and weights and 7v7 we'd be lucky to get 15 kids to come out. Now that we're in the dead time, no football stuff, just agilities and running and weights, we're getting 26 each day.
I have no idea what this season holds for us.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 22, 2017 14:18:48 GMT -6
I send them texts and emails using the 8to18 system that the school to record player registrations, insurance, emergency contacts, and insurance. Problem is that I have a crippled account since I am not a teacher/admin so I can send to everyone (parents and players) or nobody, no groups or lists or anything. I send them emails from my computer with addresses I've harvested from their player registrations, including Hudl. That lets me slice/dice who I send what better than the 8to18 system. I sent them texts (mostly) and emails (much less, I use my computer for that) using DialMyCalls.com with addresses I've harvested from their player registrations. This costs $$ but is not that expensive ($25 buys 300 credits, a text message is 1 credit). It gives me a number of message formats (text, phone recordings, text-to-voice) and tells me who got what so I know which phones are not text and who read it. I manage a Twitter account (bhhs_football) that I use for sayings, motivations, good mentions, players doing well, that kind of thing. I manage a team website - www.bullfrogfootball.com - that has our full schedule (Google calendar), info on all fundraisers, team events, links, all that kind of thing. I will also hand out flyers after practices. I was once told by a youth parent that I was the first coach that over communicated.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 18, 2017 13:33:32 GMT -6
Warranty - I don't think that it technically voids the warranty. As explained to me by a rep it's that the manufacturer won't accept liability for equipment that is knowingly improperly modified/used ('alter the integrity of the...") . Adding a cap, a liner, a 5 lb face mask, drilling air vents, would alter the integrity of the original design (and associated testing and certifications) which effectively de-certifies the helmet. Something happens they will ask the coach in court 'Was the helmet modified in any way?" and if 'yes' then they are out of the liability issue. Probably not anywhere near that clean, but that's the gist of it.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 12, 2017 15:02:27 GMT -6
We are doing the following this year: Sanitation Station - Pooper scoopers for a local parade last March. Takes 4 players and 2 coaches. EteamSponsor email campaign - Players have option to solicit $175 in donations rather than submitting the emails. 18 players did this, netted $4.5k Parking - We did the parking for a local July 4th fireworks celebration. $1.8k Home-grown discount cards - 13 local vendors, $10 per card, I did all the work, 1,200 cards for $780 cost. Expect to net $6k SF 49er game - They are selling tickets to a pre-season game at a $20 discount. We/the team gets the word out, people buy seats, 49ers kick back $20 per ticket. This popped up unexpectedly, expect to net $1k on 100 or so tickets. Grape Stomp - Players will work the local festival, filling, then emptying, cleaning, and refilling barrels for the stompers to stomp the grapes. $900
What I find is best is working with local outfits like the parking and Grape Stomp, work with the community on something.
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Post by hsrose on Jul 10, 2017 22:11:24 GMT -6
I use the heavy sheet protectors that come in a pack of 10. These are 10 of the sheets sealed together so you get 20 pages (front & back) in 8.5x11 format. Has a reinforced spine that is punched so you can do the lanyard thing. These are about $5 at Staples. This is a compact format that I use during the week, building up as the week goes on. The 20 pages is enough for the (offense) play calls, game plan, depth charts, if-then-else info, pretty much everything. And it rolls up for the back pocket.
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Post by hsrose on Jun 28, 2017 22:26:06 GMT -6
I changed the color of our facemasks this year from purple to white. I had talked with Green Gridiron to do the change but ended up doing it as part of the reconditioning. The district here pays up to $5k each year for safety gear (helmet & shoulder pad reconditioning) so if I did the masks separately I would have had to pay for it. But by making it part of the reconditioning the district paid for it. The color of money is very important.
Green Gridiron gave me a quote of something like $17 per facemask with our quantity of 85 or so. I think it was a bit more than that with Schutt but I didn't have to pay for it.
I've got boxes of chin straps from every generation you can think of so I'm going to try and enforce the white chinstrap as well.
Schutt tells us that painting helmets, flat, normal color, is about $15 1st time and then $10 per helmet after that.
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Post by hsrose on Jun 5, 2017 17:45:34 GMT -6
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Post by hsrose on Jun 2, 2017 10:51:13 GMT -6
Just before the previous HC resigned - Her: You love football more than me...
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Post by hsrose on Jun 1, 2017 17:23:08 GMT -6
In CA - They just changed the start date to 07/31. M-T are helmets only, W-TH-F are helmets & shoulder pads only, no lower body pads, no contact for the full week. Following week starts full contact.
Our scrimmage is 08/19 with a 5-team jamboree. The season start the following Friday, 08/25.
In 2018 everything moves to the left again, practice starts 07/23, 1st game is 08/17. School here starts on 08/15. This is so the state bowl games are played a week earlier in December so basketball is not so impacted.
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Post by hsrose on May 22, 2017 20:05:08 GMT -6
19delta - My reading of the CIF/section rules is that kids can do the club/AAU thing, but HS basketball is in the dead period. Meaning while the kids can play club sports, that organization can't be using the school equipment (basketballs) and it's questionable if the basketball staff can be coaching them on school grounds. So, my take is that what is going on right now is likely pretty questionable.
As far as the big guys, the older one was before my watch, I didn't have much to do with him other than lose a pretty good TE. The younger guy, we've asked, talked with, etc., and it's obvious that we are the poor step sister to basketball. I've told the coaches and players to leave him alone, let him be, he'd made his decision. No hard feelings on his decision, but I'm peeved at the coach because I don't think he did this for the kid, I think he did it to help his own record. The kid is looking at the local JC, that's as far as he can see. If that's as far as you can see, anyone can play there so you may as well play football and track and tiddlywinks. The older kid tried to get in a darn good state-level program and got bounced. At least he saw farther than the younger kid can see.
My first summer as HC we were doing our summer program. I had no idea who was working out when, didn't matter to me. Apparently I overlapped AAU basketball practice which torqued him off. I emailed the coach and said I'm running the kids and they are in the weight room. How about "we" use that time to our mutual benefit, I'll condition and weights and you can work on skills and drills. No go, so he did his own running program, taking time out of his practice when I was running those 5-8 kids again an hour later. And perish the thought of them ever seeing a weight room, never, ever see them in there. So I offered to do the conditioning and weights and got blown off.
All I can do is watch out for my program. If I can help yours, without hurting mine, I'll work that. But I've got a season to prepare for as well so I'm watching out for mine as my #1 priority.
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Post by hsrose on May 22, 2017 14:33:10 GMT -6
silkyice - My eldest daughter was burned out on soccer by the time she graduated HS. She played from 8th grade on, also played volleyball and ran track. But by Sr year she was just soccer. We're in CA and she was going to Texas and Florida and Nebraska(?!) for soccer tournaments. She was getting contacted during her Sr year but decided that she'd had enough and did not want to play any more. Walked away cold, no regrets. She saw what it would take and didn't want to do that, she wanted the college experience. Went to U. Colorado, had fun, graduated, and is getting married next month.
Youngest daughter is the volleyball player. Played hi-comp since 7th grade. Got her 2 full ride offers at smaller DI's but decided to go to the AF Academy to play there. She played a year at the Prep School and then during basic training to go into the Academy she was cut. She's now playing college club volleyball, which I did not know existed, and has gone to the national tournament the past 2 years. She was one of the initial set of players to make club volleyball at the AFA a reality. I don't get on the court with her. She is now a rising senior and will be graduating this time next year.
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Post by hsrose on May 22, 2017 8:05:07 GMT -6
Off-season? What is this 'off-season' thing of which you speak?
My eldest daughter played hi-comp soccer, my youngest played volleyball, both club and HS. It was well known that if you wanted to be recruited you had to play club soccer (and volleyball) rather than HS, HS was considered a way to stay in shape for the club team. The competition was much higher in the club teams than in the HS areas. The HS season would end on a Saturday, 1st club practice was normally on Sunday. And the clubs were in action, in some form, until the day before the HS season opened.
There was an article a couple of years back about one of the boys club soccer teams, how good they were. Came out that they had 18 players on the team, 12 were 1st team HS all league and the others were 2nd team. Every player on the team was the best that their HS had.
I think that before too long some organization will sponsor travel team football and it will be all year. If I had a sponsoring organization I could do the AAU thing and practice all year long. Like Arizona just passed. Like the AAU basketball does here now.
We're able to have spring practices all May. We went the 1st two weeks because the school gets out for 2 days in mid-May for the local fair, the kids have to setup animals the week before and then take the animals to the new owners the week following. Don't fight City Hall so we don't do much after the 1st 2 weeks of May. But, we're having 3 practices this week (week after the fair). One of my coaches just informed me that he will not be here for 2 of the practices this week because he is coaching travel baseball.
I think that marketing is one of the issues that football faces now. There are so many other options, that are easier and more fun/less work than football, that kids would rather do that than run and lift and get hit.
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Post by hsrose on May 21, 2017 15:43:30 GMT -6
<sour-grapes-mode_on> We have a 6'3" DE/WR that has given up playing football his Sr. year to play AAU. Last season (Jr.) on the HS team he averaged 4 pts. a game. He's given up lifting, and it seems he's trying to lose weight, at least every time I see him on campus he's looking thinner and thinner.
Last season he was academically ineligible at the start of the year. Stayed with practices, did the weights, got eligible, and played the last 3 games and the playoff game. Very good contributor. We have a gunslinger QB returning this year and he would have been one of the primary targets.
Why is he not playing football? Because the HS basketball coach (9-16 last year), who also coaches AAU, told him that he could do more for him if he stuck with basketball than I could if he played football. So, he's a basketball player now. <sour-grapes-mode-off>
We had another kid, 6'4", 215 or so, graduated last year, did the same thing. Football, basketball, baseball each year from grade school until his junior year. Then dropped football, and then baseball his senior year so he could focus on basketball. Made it to the 2nd cut at a JC.
I see the AAU guys in the gym all the time now, practicing. The HS Frosh coach is in there as is the JV coach, who is usually playing. From what I see it is scrimmage time from start to finish. My take is that it's a great way to really learn some very bad habits.
If the kid loves to play the sport, more power to him. If he's a legit player, chance to be recruited, sure, play the sport. But you'd better be working at it all the time, not screwing around all the time. If you are a good HS player, but aren't elite then play every sport you can, try them all, you won't get another chance to do that.
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Post by hsrose on May 21, 2017 15:19:52 GMT -6
NorCal - We lost a kid a few years ago when one player knocked another player into the 3rd player. Took a forehead to his cheekbone. Broke it, damaged his sinus, knocked out, concussion. An inch or so lower/different angle and he would have lost teeth, an inch higher and it might have been his eye. Going into his Jr. year, ended up with surgery, titanium plate in his cheek, never played sports again. Maybe track. Nobody being over aggressive, just going for a jump ball and it was billiards time.
We can't wear any gear over the summer here in our section so 7x7s's are without helmets. Makes me nervous every time we take the field. I prefer that if we're on the field we're in a helmet. I as my OC not to call meshes/anything crossing so we don't get defenders and receivers going after the ball from opposite directions.
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Post by hsrose on May 10, 2017 8:07:00 GMT -6
Grew up on a ranch in CA. Ran about 100 head of black angus. Brandings would start about 7 in the morning. One guy would rope the back feet, another would get the front. Back the horses up to stretch the calf. One guy notches the ear (two notches on the left ear), one guy would brand the left hip, another would give the shot(s) of antibiotics. The last guy would cut the calf. Reach in, grab the sack like holding a pear in the palm of the hand. Take the sharp pocket knife, usually a Case or Buck, and make a vertical slit about 3-4" long. Reach in, lift 'em out, cut the cords. One of the youngsters would be on can detail so he'd be there with the Folgers coffee can. Guy would drop in the oysters, kid would run back. Take pine tar and seal the wound. Undo the ropes, calf is back on his way. Repeat until all the calves are branded. Start a 7, usually done by 9 or 10. Then it's time to eat.
Coffee can goes to the ladies in the house that are making breakfast for 30+. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, maybe some fruit chunks, and the oysters. Cut into strips, dipped in flour sometimes, and fried in bacon grease, served with the scrambled eggs.
If it was an afternoon/lunch branding then it was Santa Maria BBQ which was tri-tip, green salad, buttered french bread, and ranch beans. Again the oysters were fried and put out on a platter. Cold case of sodas for the children and women folk, beer in another, and usually somebody had a bottle or two of Calverts or Smirnoff. Sometimes some other foods were there, macaroni or potato salads, fruit salad, jello salads, whatever the ladies brought. The tri-tip was cut into chunks of meat about the size of a fist and cooked over the oak-fired BBQ that my dad had built out of angle iron and fire bricks. You weren't moving that thing. Salt and pepper were about the only spices. Beans were on the same fire.
But, no, a Bull and Oyster roast does not include the Mountain Oysters. It probably could given where I'm currently located, might be an interesting addition.
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Post by hsrose on May 8, 2017 11:17:30 GMT -6
How are fundraisers handled at your place? Any approvals required?
The first school I was at all organizations had to get specific approval to conduct any type of fundraising activity. The activities had to be written up using their standard planning form and submitted to the ASB for approval. You also had to do the follow-up to show how things had done vs. the plan. And the coaches were not allowed to work with cash/checks, had to have someone approved by the ASB to handle the cash. The ASB leadership, school administration, and AD all knew about all the fundraisers that were being done, amounts, good/bad, all that.
School now I just talked with the AD (his response is quoted below) and he has no idea what the teams are doing. So no controls of any type are in place. He got a call this weekend from a parent of an incoming freshmen that was participating in our email beg-a-thon. He had no idea what we were doing, the specifics, etc., so he came by and asked me what we were doing.
My take is that somebody, somewhere should be aware of what is going on. Maybe not to the extent of the 1st school but shouldn't somebody somewhere should be aware of this? I don't mind being able to setup what I want, but there is no oversight here at all.
What are the steps you have to take to get a fundraiser ok'd?
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Post by hsrose on May 6, 2017 18:23:30 GMT -6
Here is my history of coaching in CA.
2005-2006 - HC is English teacher on campus. Knows everyone, been in place for 10+ years, got the job at 27. Knows the system and works it to the utmost. 1 other coach on campus, 6 other coaches (me) are off-campus. School of 2,100 and got maybe 35 kids per (3) levels per year. Badminton was getting 80+.
2007-2008 - HC leaves to be HC at new school close to his home, new HC hired. I applied but did not get the job. Hire the Frosh HC who is off-campus. Now there are 2 guys on-campus, 1 is school security.
2009 - HC leaves, I get hired as the HC. Find out in the 1st meeting with the AD after the hire that the previous HC left me with a $9k debt, apparently the AD was asleep at the switch. Possible fraud was mentioned but I reviewed all of the $$ transactions and it was the AD. I'm off-campus. I have 2 coaches on-campus, other 7 are off-campus. I get hired in April, let go 2 weeks after the season in early November. They wanted an on-campus coach, who turned out to be my running back coach. Won 4 games which was 2 more than the previous coach won in each of his season. So I know full well how much school administrations want the HC to be on-campus.
2010-2011 - At new school back with the original HC, got the band back together. New school has 10 on staff, 6 are on-campus. I've got a 75 mile round trip everyday to get to work, practice, back home.
2012 - On to another school, can't handle the commute every day. 0 coaches on-campus. 0. Things run really well because the wife of the HC is one of the admins, that's how he got the previous coach fired after going 7-4, 8-3, and 7-4. They couldn't get past the 1st round of the playoffs, he got wifey to work her magic, he gets hired. But nobody on-campus.
2013-2014 - Family changes mean a move to a new school. Smaller school, 680 or so, and still 30-35 on each level, same as the 2000+ schools. 8 coaches, 4 are on-campus. HC did not want the job but the school pressured him into taking it. He liked being a position coach. At end of year 2 his GF says he loves football more than him. Guess what, he quits.
2015-Now - I apply and get the HC position. I've got 1 coach on-campus, 9 others on staff. I'm the first off-campus football HC in school history. For 2017 I've got 1 more coach on-campus now, he got a position as a special ed assistant. My situation is unique because I work from home doing software support. So they really wanted an on-campus, I needed a place to work, they gave me the coaches office and my own internet line. So I'm an off-campus coach that is physically on-campus. This works really well for both of us, but it's a very special situation.
There are 3 other football HC's on the school grounds, guys who did it in the past and have no intention of helping in any manner. One is the last coach to be successful at the school which makes things interesting. He has very little interest in helping the players or team because it might overshadow what he did.
What I've learned: Schools really, really want the HC and as much of the staff to be on-campus. They want the HC to be part of the system so he is under control/influence. Systems do not like outlying data points, they want things to be part of the system, they want the parts of the system to be obligated to the system. HC's that are not part of the system owe no allegiance to the system, all they have is the stipend in exchange for the privilege of coaching.
In CA teachers are no longer asked/expected to do anything but teach. Coaching is a burden now, why deal with the parents and all that goes with being a HC for an additional $3.9k. Football HC is a full year job, it doesn't end like the other sports do. Why do that when it's not part of their job description.
Keeping older/senior/experienced employees around is good for productivity, but it really limits bringing in new employees. There are no teaching positions here, I think there are 35 teachers here, and there are maybe 2 openings each year. With coaching not being a part of the job description, and only 2 openings, how do you get a coach into the school? You can't. I can think of 3 HC's and 4 former assistants here but none of them want any part of helping out. So you have to go outside.
I know that all it would take is the AD to walk into my office and say 'we're going in a different direction' and I'm out. But the problem they have is they don't have anyone else on campus that would be willing to work it. The AD didn't want the job, he's counting the days until he retires in 18 months 27 days and 15 hours... My DC is the same way, he's my DC until he retires with the AD. Nobody want's these jobs.
I've been told a number of times that football is the biggest sport on campus. It usually is in terms of people involved and a financial position. My experience is along the lines of 60-80 players, 10 coaches, cheer team, chain gang, boosters, game attendance, practices, vendors, fundraisers, there's a lot to it and the teachers don't want it anymore. I've talked with the admins and teachers here and they say that 10 years ago 90% of all staff and 100% of all HC's were on-campus. Now, very few are on-campus. That has a big affect on everything.
Academics - I can't get into the school admin system to check grades, I'm not part of the staff. So I have to rely on doing regular academic progress reports. Only issue there is that the teachers don't enter their grades in a timely fashion so they don't know the kids grades. So I get teachers signing the form but telling me the grade is UNK. I've also got the AD telling me that he doesn't believe in the progress reports, before he was the AD he was one of several teachers that refused to sign the form.
Discipline - I ask the teachers to ensure the football players are in the front rows. You would have thought I had asked them for their left thumb. But there is no end to the teachers asking me to make Johnny run for being a jerk in the class. I can sure be the discipline guy, but no academic help which I attribute to not knowing the secret teacher hand-shake.
I'm not sure where this leads but its a hard situation all the way around. Schools don't like off-campus coaches but got no choice because the teachers don't/can't/won't do it. Off-campus coaches don't really like it because we're never going to know the secret handshake and we're always outsiders.
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Post by hsrose on May 5, 2017 21:52:31 GMT -6
I spent 3 years in Maryland a few years back and went to a couple of Bull & Oyster roasts. I'm thinking that I want to look into starting one as a yearly fundraiser out here in CA, something different as this is pretty much a Right Coast thing. There's a couple of other yearly fundraisers done by other organizations here at the school so I know the dinner thing can be done.
Has anyone put one of these on/know someone that has that can help fill in some details? I know the general structure/organization, that kind of thing, but I need to get into the details to see if this would really be viable.
Thanks
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Post by hsrose on Apr 27, 2017 17:57:50 GMT -6
We host a 5-team scrimmage. Each team does 10 minutes offense, 5 minute break, 5 minutes of defense, 5 minute break, O/D vs. next team. Each team gets to see 4 other teams and gets a break. One set of teams are on one end of the field, another set on the other side. JV are on the same schedule on 2 other fields. Starts at 10, done by 1230. JV are on another field. No special teams. We seldom get referees that want to make the trek up to our school to work the competitions, so we generally get 1, maybe two referees.
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Post by hsrose on Apr 20, 2017 20:53:10 GMT -6
Culture eats strategy for lunch.
Dr. Peter Drucker
Sorry, I'm working in my quote file tonight putting together images for our Twitter account and keep finding these.
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