Crossing the lines

[rcpatriot]

Remember the days when you played football in the fall, basketball/wrestling in the winter, baseball/track in spring, and the summer was left up to you on for sport camps, summer baseball, vacations, etc? Remember when we had 3-4 sport athletes in MS and HS? What happened to those days?

 

HS/MS football coaches are running mandatory practices (no pads allowed) throughout the whole summer, except during the dead period. Threatening kids with being thrown off the team if they miss 2 or more practices. Telling them that they will have to make a choice between HS football and AAU/Traveling Baseball. Heck, even the basketball coaches are getting in on the action. Telling MS'ers that if they can't make basketball their 1st option during the summer, they can't play on the team.

 

We've talked on this board, and others, about parents that think they have the next "Nolan Ryan", or the next "Andrew Jones", or the next "Peyton Manning", etc, and how those parents push their child to select one sport and to concentrate on being a star at that particular sport. What about HS coaches, because of requirements outside of the season, forcing kids to make a choice? Are they crossing the line?

[cbg]

Remember the days when you played football in the fall, basketball/wrestling in the winter, baseball/track in spring, and the summer was left up to you on for sport camps, summer baseball, vacations, etc? Remember when we had 3-4 sport athletes in MS and HS? What happened to those days?

 

HS/MS football coaches are running mandatory practices (no pads allowed) throughout the whole summer, except during the dead period. Threatening kids with being thrown off the team if they miss 2 or more practices. Telling them that they will have to make a choice between HS football and AAU/Traveling Baseball. Heck, even the basketball coaches are getting in on the action. Telling MS'ers that if they can't make basketball their 1st option during the summer, they can't play on the team.

 

We've talked on this board, and others, about parents that think they have the next "Nolan Ryan", or the next "Andrew Jones", or the next "Peyton Manning", etc, and how those parents push their child to select one sport and to concentrate on being a star at that particular sport. What about HS coaches, because of requirements outside of the season, forcing kids to make a choice? Are they crossing the line?

 

I have heard that this is why the TSSAA is looking into the idea of no Summer Activities at the schools. This would include camps, weight rooms, vollyball camps, basketball team camps. football passing leagues, etc... Everything would have to be done off campus and no high school coaches could be in attendance.

 

Does Texas not have a rule that student/athletes cannot workout at their high school during the offseason?

[fromthetop2]

As the pressure mounts for the coaches jobs, they are doing everything they can do force student athletes to make THEIR sport THE sport for certain athletes. It appears they are taking their cue from numerous sources; other successful coaches, the NFL, the NBA, etc. Fall baseball has now become mandatory if you plan on playing spring baseball. Summer basketball has now become mandatory if you want to play winter basketball. Track and soccer are year round.

 

Smaller schools can't handle the specialization. Larger schools are pushing it even harder. Of course, they are feeding into the ego's of the athlete as well as his/her parents. They preach that the athlete can't acheive the level they are capable of UNTIL they commit year round to the sport. What the coaches don't talk about is burnout. MS and HS athletes are too young emotionally and physically to commit year-round to one one sport successfully. College and professional athletes are a different story.

 

Give me a well-rounded happy athlete who learns from other sports; rather than the one-in-a million Super Stud who is a world class athlete in just one. Heck, even LeBron James played football as well as hoops, and it sure didn't hurt him!

[oskie]

As the pressure mounts for the coaches jobs, they are doing everything they can do force student athletes to make THEIR sport THE sport for certain athletes. It appears they are taking their cue from numerous sources; other successful coaches, the NFL, the NBA, etc. Fall baseball has now become mandatory if you plan on playing spring baseball. Summer basketball has now become mandatory if you want to play winter basketball. Track and soccer are year round.

 

Smaller schools can't handle the specialization. Larger schools are pushing it even harder. Of course, they are feeding into the ego's of the athlete as well as his/her parents. They preach that the athlete can't acheive the level they are capable of UNTIL they commit year round to the sport. What the coaches don't talk about is burnout. MS and HS athletes are too young emotionally and physically to commit year-round to one one sport successfully. College and professional athletes are a different story.

 

Give me a well-rounded happy athlete who learns from other sports; rather than the one-in-a million Super Stud who is a world class athlete in just one. Heck, even LeBron James played football as well as hoops, and it sure didn't hurt him!

Amen

[TDCman]

I'm a football fanatic but I really like to see the kids play multiple sports and gain those other skills. It's perfectly fine to have kids in baseball, track, or soccer rather than participating in spring football practice. There are some exceptions such as QBs need to be at spring practice.

 

Basketball and baseball help football players by helping conditioning, hand-eye coordination, and developing those quick and soft hands. Obviously track and field help develop speed and atleticism. That still leaves plenty of time to hit the weights. run, and do the other drills.

 

The drain of pushing the single sport year round can turn off some of the kids.

[rcpatriot]

Could this be the reason that a lot of kids that do move on to play college ball, are back home before they've even completed a year saying "I'm tired of playing football, baseball, etc."? I understand that alot more goes into quitting at the college level, but for some, I'd say "burn out" is an issue as well as anything.

 

Besides TSSAA stepping in and doing something about it, what about the parents? I know, that's part of the problem with HS sports these days, but if enough parents would step up and let the coach know that their kid is going to participate in other sports, besides his, maybe some of these coaches would back off of this "my sport" or nothing mentality.

 

What the coaches don't see is that it's killing all the MS/HS sports.

[JC4life]

I'm a football fanatic but I really like to see the kids play multiple sports and gain those other skills. It's perfectly fine to have kids in baseball, track, or soccer rather than participating in spring football practice. There are some exceptions such as QBs need to be at spring practice.

A lot of QB's double as pitchers in baseball. Taking an ace away from a baseball team is right so he can PRACTICE football? There is summer baseball, summer basketball and football workouts and not enough time for all 3, players shouldn`t be punished for wanting to do one and not the other. IMO you should be able to fully participate in your sport when it is in season, and in the summer you should be able to choose what sport you want to play, without having to drop one because the coach wants you to only do their sport. Another issue, what if a kid has a job, are they suppose to quit in order to play? Is that fair?

[riverrat]

We need to go back to districts in football. Two districts per region and top team plays the second team in the other district in Week 10. Now you have eliminated one round of the playoffs. You are over before December. Basketball can't play its first game until December 1 and must finish regular season play by end of February. Do the exact same as football play round 1 on Tuesday and round 2 Thursday of the first week of March. Then go Monday and Saturday the week to finish up. The third and fourth weeks of March everyone does spring football. Then Spring sports go and ends by May 31. Legislate maximum number of practices each sport can demand during the summer. Keep the dead period the same.

 

I like how they are considering limiting number of kids from the same school playing on AAU teams together.

 

Riverrat for Executive Director, LOL.

[rufus22]

We need to go back to districts in football. Two districts per region and top team plays the second team in the other district in Week 10. Now you have eliminated one round of the playoffs. You are over before December. Basketball can't play its first game until December 1 and must finish regular season play by end of February. Do the exact same as football play round 1 on Tuesday and round 2 Thursday of the first week of March. Then go Monday and Saturday the week to finish up. The third and fourth weeks of March everyone does spring football. Then Spring sports go and ends by May 31. Legislate maximum number of practices each sport can demand during the summer. Keep the dead period the same.

 

I like how they are considering limiting number of kids from the same school playing on AAU teams together.

 

Riverrat for Executive Director, LOL.

Yeah that is an alright idea i agree with most of it. But i dont agree with the T$$AA limiting the number of players from each team playing aau. I dont really see how they can legally do this. It is really not fair to the players. I mean it should be the players choice of which team he or she wants to play for not the T$$AA. That to me is going a little to far.

[Old Redskin]

We need to go back to districts in football. Two districts per region and top team plays the second team in the other district in Week 10. Now you have eliminated one round of the playoffs. You are over before December. Basketball can't play its first game until December 1 and must finish regular season play by end of February. Do the exact same as football play round 1 on Tuesday and round 2 Thursday of the first week of March. Then go Monday and Saturday the week to finish up. The third and fourth weeks of March everyone does spring football. Then Spring sports go and ends by May 31. Legislate maximum number of practices each sport can demand during the summer. Keep the dead period the same.

 

I like how they are considering limiting number of kids from the same school playing on AAU teams together.

 

Riverrat for Executive Director, LOL.

 

Football's first game the first week in September. State finals Second week of December. Basketball's first game in January, pre-season Christmas Tourneys if they want in Dec.? State finals by the end of March. Baseball's first game in April and play through Mid-June.State finals by end of June. Just like the College World Series! JULY - DEAD PERIOD. Football practice on August 1st, 4 weeks to prepare for first game. Kids would have 4 weeks of nothing but their choice! Could play every sport if they wanted to! Just a thought.

[reddevil1]

Old Redskin,

 

Nice thought. but this idea won't ever float. How would all of the coaches deal with no AAU basketball while they finish baseball, what about all of the passing leagues or college camps that are held in June? No way JOSE.

[rcpatriot]

The way some MS/HS coaches have summer practices set-up, vacations aren't an option, camps aren't an option, visiting relatives out of state isn't and option. Of course you have that 2wk dead period that allows time for all this, right?

I'm not in favor of "shortening" any of the current seasons. I am in favor of telling the coaches that you have from August 1 to the end of Spring Fling to practice, drill, instruct, etc. After Spring Fling no practice, drilling, instruction, etc allowed until August 1 rolls around again.

Understand that I'm not a big fan of TSSAA, but, at this time they are the only governing body that can mandate what coaches can and can't do, and when they do or don't do it. Right now it's a mess.