Oak Ridge streak in trouble

[simocleo]

nonads...nonews you must be a real winner calling "catwatch" and "catpack" sad and pathetic [not spelled "pathethic"] brainiac.

 

What have "OTHERS BUILT"? nonews? Don't say the first two seasons after Coach Gaddis left because he left a group players that were still inspired by Gaddis...Once they were gone we get the 6-4, no playoff, only win for a 1-9 team season. If you want to know what pathetic is look in the mirror.

 

What have you done for the program nonews?

I'm waiting.....................................

 

7-14-02 12:31A | 3 Good Marks | | Biggest problem...

nonews

Member

Bad Post? ... is "people" like "catwatch" and "catpack" who live out their sad, pathethic lives by tearing down what others have built, while trying to justify their whining by listing their (alledged) "contributions" to the program...

[rabidwildcatfan]

Unfortunately, I do not think that Oak Ridge will return to the glory days until there are some changes at the top.

 

Other than the negative things that have already been written, consider this: Oak Ridge's top runner last year averaged eight yards a carry and the quarterback completed over sixty percent of his passes.

 

If I gave you those two stats at the start of the year, you would assume Oak Ridge would have had a good year. Obviously, this was not the case. To have a back average eight yards a carry but not get a thousand yards is insane.

 

A look at the success of the middle schools, freshman, and junior varsity squads indicates that there is talent in the system, but it is not equating to wins at the varsity level.

 

I found it hard to believe at the time (and still do) that Gary Rankin was not considered for the Oak Ridge position. Other than Carlton Flatt, there is no coach that comes close to the success Rankin has had with a major program. Also, Rankin has shown the willingness to mold his system around the players (especially the quarterback).

 

Rather than change systems, Oak Ridge seems to believe that the players should be forced into the coaches' system with no regards for individual talent. This could be why Booker is not lining up in the I-formation and getting twenty carries a game.

 

I don't fault the coaches for all the players that are not playing, because most are discipline problems in and/or out of school (theft, cursing coaches and teammates, failing grades, etc.). However, it does seem to be a bigger problem at Oak Ridge.

 

Not to continue to harp on this, but Rankin (and Gaddis to a lesser extent) got a lot out of problem athletes. Look at Locke and Peebles for examples at Riverdale.

 

While I hope for the best for the players, I don't see much being different than last year.

[ohreally]

simocleo,

 

Here are my opinions (per your request):

 

1. Do you see any changes being made in Oak Ridge if they have the same kind of season they had last year? NO

 

2. What players are missing from the upcoming OR squad that could make definite contributions? NO IDEA, THAT IS WHY I ASKED CATWATCH THE QUESTION.

 

3. Who will win the Anderson County/Oak Ridge game this year? Oak Ridge, I HOPE!

 

4. What do you think Oak Ridge's record will be this year? I HAVE NO IDEA, THAT IS WHY I ASKED CATWATCH THE QUESTION. I HAVE NOT SEEN THE SCHEDULE OF OAK RIDGE OPPONENTS, YET.

 

5. Do you currently have a son on the OR football team? NO

 

6. Who would you like to see take the leadership role in Oak Ridge? Andy Shattuck (if they have to hire a head coach from existing staff); or Coach Stevens, Graham, or Tillman of AE (if they go outside current staff to look for head coach candidates)

 

7. Do you support the OR Football Boosters in any way? NO. I used to, but I don't have the time or the money to help out right now. I hope to become involved in Football Boosters again in the future.

 

Sorry, I can't be more specific with my answers. I have been away from the program too long to form any intelligent opinions or make any predictions.

 

GO CATS!

[Edited by ohreally on 7/24/02 10:35A]

[boorelly]

Are any of Coach (Kwayu) Graham kids he coached in Midget ball still playing. He always talks about the kids he coached to the kids at AE. I know Adrian Porter was one of them. Matter of fact they were together the other day. Does any one else knows any other players he may have coached.

[simocleo]

A little update on the kids not playing this year.

I do blame the coach for most of the troubled players that will not play this year and I will tell you why:

 

Most great coaches are accessible to the players, parents, fans etc.

 

Most great coaches EARN the respect of the aforementioned and the players try much harder to walk a straight line and keep their grades up because they REALLY want to play for their coach....They also get encouraged and motivated to do better. INSPIRATION is an unknown commodity in Oak Ridge today. The case at Oak Ridge is where the coach and or coaches blame the players for not being successful.

 

The list will continue to grow: Sure you can say it's not the coaches fault but I bet if a good or great coach were in place THEY WOULD BE IN SCHOOL AND PLAYING...

 

Just the first dozen that comes to mind:

 

Demitrius Strickland, Geoffery Lee, Doran Lee, Jason Rowan, Jason Hedrick, Devon Brown, Thomas Curan, Nick Salpas, Troy Whitson, Zack Paynter, Sherrod Scott, Josh Booker ....MORE LATER!...Elery Harvest? to Rockwood?

[Edited by simocleo on 7/24/02 7:25P]

[Edited by simocleo on 7/27/02 1:22A]

[nonews]

... quick response, it only took you 10 days to come up with that...

 

... I'm sure you're right about OR, and I KNOW that all the whining you are doing on this message board is really helping...

[simocleo]

WOW nonews...what exactly are you doing to really help?

I don't hear anybody whining over here!

 

Oh by the way nonews.... BELOW ME and OWE me.

...........................:]...........................

[ohreally]

We are traveling down a slippery slope in the Oak Ridge community. Many people in Oak Ridge are not allowed to express their opinion, ask questions, or take an unpopular position on a controversial subject. The powers-that-be in Oak Ridge will threaten lawsuits or run you out of town on a rail if you make waves or refuse to share their beliefs.

 

I am deeply concerned to learn that the Managing Editor of The Oak Ridger newspaper (the only local newspaper in Oak Ridge) was fired. He was fired because he refused to write an editorial endorsing the Referendum coming up for vote in the August election. I thought this kind of thing only happened in Mexico and some South American countries.

 

I am thankful that we can all get on this message board to express our opinions, exchange our thoughts, share ideas, and ask questions. However, it would be more constructive if we could attack each other's arguments rather than attacking each other.

 

Smart people may know all the right answers, but intelligent people know all the right questions!

[Edited by ohreally on 7/24/02 11:20P]

[Edited by ohreally on 7/25/02 7:03P]

[Guest fbwiz]

ohreally,your last post proves that you are gifted--best post i've seen this yr.

[rabidwildcatfan]

To simocleo:

 

You can blame the coaches, but the problems with the majority of those kids starts at home. I do not believe in naming kids directly, but I know of legal and/or social problems with the majority of kids you mentioned.

 

Some of them have been caught selling or using drugs. Others have attitudes that are so detrimental to the team that they are not productive. Various other legal incidents have plagued some of them (theft, assault, etc.). Also, some may not qualify academically.

 

I am all for winning, but I don't believe you can do so at any cost. While there could be more done by the coaches, the person sitting at the head of that child's dinner table bears the brunt of the responsibility for molding that child. To place this duty on anyone else is unfair, especially when almost all of these "head cases" were already off track before they got to the high school.

[ohreally]

rabidwildcatfan,

 

You have an interesting point of view. I strongly agree with you that many of the problems with the kids starts at home.

 

What happens to the kids who have one parent or no parents? Who is going to step up and try to get those kids back on the right track? For example: I knew one kid who did not know who his father was, his mother was a crackhead, and the kid had zero supervision. The kid could have been a top athlete at the high school, but he gave up on himself when everyone gave up on him. The last time I saw him he had just gotten out of jail, he was stoned out of his mind, and he had no hope for the future being anything different than what he had experienced since the age of 11. What a waste!

 

Yes, many of the kids simocleo mentioned have problems. Is it time to give up on them? Where do you want to draw the line? Give up on them at 14, 15, 16, 17, or 18 years old? Give up on them now so society can pick up the tab for the rest of their miserable, wasted lives.

 

I don't blame the coaches for the kids' behavior. But, I do hold coaches responsible for at least trying to get a kid pointed in the right direction. Sometimes, the ONLY structure these kids have in their lives is through involvement in athletic programs at school. What a waste to give up on these kids when they are so young. If the coaches have made a real effort in helping these kids, I commend them. If the coaches gave it their best effort and failed to make and impression, that is all we can ask.

 

Alas, then there is another problem that arises! If the coaches spend all their time on the trouble-makers, how does that make those student athletes feel that do everything the way they are supposed to. They make their grades, stay out of trouble, and always give 110% on and off the field. How do they feel when the trouble-makers get all the breaks and all the "special attention"?

 

Glad I'm not a high school coach!

[Edited by ohreally on 7/25/02 11:18A]

[rabidwildcatfan]

ohreally,

 

I agree that it is sad to try to decide when to give up on a child. However with many of the children mentioned, you don't just have a child with no guidance, but you actually have the parent(s) working against anything positive happening for the kids. Also, some of these kids have fine homes, but act contrary to parents guidance.

 

I see kids that are ready to fight and overcome adversity, and those kids should be commended. However, many kids today choose to take the easy way out. Mark my words, many of the athletes that were mentioned will be standing around at the football games (and basketball, too) talking about how good Oak Ridge would be if they played. These same kids won't put forth the effort to play.

 

If you look at a previous post, you can see that I feel some of the blame belongs on the coaching staff. Coach Gaddis did a better job of turning out numbers, but at times sacrificed discipline to do so. It is a hard line to draw, and I'm glad I'm not a high school coach, too.

 

While I hate to single out any of the kids mentioned, if you are familar with the kids and their families, I'm sure you know that most of these kids are not from homes with no influence. Rather, the influence (or lack thereof) has been negative.

 

All this rambling aside, I do believe a change in the program would be a good thing and could significantly increase the numbers for Oak Ridge.