|
|
Post by baldeagle on Aug 20, 2010 21:32:22 GMT -6
I'm a assistant coach of a 4th grade team that just lost our top 11 players out of 31 to the 5th grade team. This is our first year in a AYF league and one of the reasons we switched were the assurances given that grade would be the first factor when filling rosters then age. Our age group was going to be 8,9,and 10. Now 1 week before the opening game all of our kids that turn 10 before Dec 31 are forced to move up by the league. All of our RB's, CB's, and LB's are gone! With just one week to prepare the kids for new positions we are thinking of forfeiting our opening game to give us two weeks to get our stuff together. Am I out of line thinking that way or should we do the best we can this week and play with just three practices and see what happens?
|
|
|
|
Post by coachdoug on Aug 21, 2010 0:25:53 GMT -6
It's a tough situation, but I think you need to check your ego and let the kids play. The kids care more about playing and having fun than about the score. Yeah, I know it's no fun to lose and it's really no fun to get your a$$ kicked, but forfeiting the game and not letting them play at all would be worse. JMHO.
I'm sure there will be others here that disagree with me, and they'll make valid points about not putting the kids in a positon to fail. You'll have to decide on your own what is going to be in your kids best interest - just make sure that is the criteria you use rather than what's in your best interest personally.
You need to have a serious conversation with your Board, though, about how this went down. Pulling 11 kids off a team a week before the opening game is simply inexcusable. You better get some assurances that they actually have their stuff together before you consider coming back to this group next year - even then you may be better off moving on to a different organization. Seriously, what were they thinking?
|
|
|
|
Post by davecisar on Aug 21, 2010 5:07:56 GMT -6
3 practices is plenty to do a reshuffle
My guess is you will be playing against teams of same ages etc
For us, most of our 10 year olds are 5th graders- by 12/31 etc
Either your team had the rules wrong or everyone had em wrong and are dealing with the same problem
Bad deal losing 11, but 20 kids is more than enough to cobble a team out of
It's all blocking and tackling anyways and many of the kids will be playing their same positions so it's not like you are starting 100% from scratch
Play the game, do your best
|
|
|
|
Post by utchuckd on Aug 21, 2010 6:43:18 GMT -6
...and they'll make valid points about not putting the kids in a positon to fail. What's the saying? The only failure is failing to try? Something like that. I'm with Doug, I say play the game. How much do we preach that football teaches about life in that things don't always go your way but you've gotta suck it up and keep pushing. You can't control what happens but you can control how you react to it, etc... Seems like a wonderful teaching opportunity to me. |
|
|
|
Post by mhcoach on Aug 21, 2010 6:44:19 GMT -6
Bald Eagle
Doug & DC as usual echo many of my thoughts. One thing does stand out, this isn't an AYF issue. AYF only sets the rules & does it at the beginning of the year. Your Board is the one that made this decision(as Doug pointed out). It's one thing to take a few players up to help secure a roster for an older team, it's another to take 11 players (especially the top age). This smells of poor planning, & politics. Your organization is the one who needs to be accountable for this.
That being said you & the rest of your coaches need only focus on going forward. Simplify what you do & prepare the players you have. This is a challenge but that's why we coach. We challenge our players & ourselves to strive to be better.
Joe
|
|
|
|
Post by baldeagle on Aug 22, 2010 13:24:03 GMT -6
Sorry I've taken so long to respond but I thank all of you for your opinions and encouragement. All of the players are legitimate 4th graders being moved to a 5th grade team. Here in Massachusetts if a child is 4 years of age but turns 5 after school starts or before Dec 31 that child can enter kindergerten. All my kids going up were in this situation. The new league which is based in Rhode Island doesnt allow 4 yr olds into kindergarten at all giving our kids a head start but gets confusing when we are supposed to be a "GRADE BASED" league. Of the 11 kids only one has been kept back and is in third grade but being moved to a 5th grade team.
The fifth grade team already has 24 kids and doesnt need my 11. It just happens to be all of my skill players and best lineman which are moving up.
I'm actually getting a little pumped with the challenge ahead of us but we really had our stuff together with the 11 players we are loosing.
We plan on playing next week and I figure 3yds and a cloud of dust with hopefully good special teams and decent defense and try to keep the game close. What makes this so hard is the lofty expectations we had and now having to keep the kids we have excited to play while not letting them lose confidence if things dont go too well. I will keep you guys posted as we go through this.
|
|
|
|
Post by coachd5085 on Aug 22, 2010 13:27:09 GMT -6
Coach...sounds to me like the 11 kids are now getting screwed though. Now the "5th grade" team has 35 players..... thats a LOT of sit time.
|
|
|
|
Post by baldeagle on Aug 22, 2010 13:37:21 GMT -6
All 11 played both ways, I'm guessing 30+ plays and now they will get a minimum of 4 until the 5th grade coach can figure out where they fit. He is in a tough spot also, getting 11 kids ready in a week with different terminology won't be easy.
|
|
|
|
Post by baldeagle on Aug 25, 2010 9:50:39 GMT -6
We had our first practice since being purged and we I think we can get something together for sunday and be competitive (hopefully). I'm shooting for four offensive plays, a base defense and decent special teams for sunday. We are going for the "us against the world" theme and the kids loved it. We will see.
|
|
