Track and Football: Help or Hurt?

[CoachG]

Now, that football is about to begin... I was wondering how those coaches felt about their football players who also ran track this past season. Did help improve your players or has it hurt in anyway??

Those track coaches who only coach track/xc, did it help your program to have the football players on your team?

 

I ask all this because when I came to TN, I was shocked not to see football players, not involved in another spring sport, to be doing nothing. In growing up out west and coaching out west, it was just the normal thing to do. All football players not involved with another spring sport made up the majority of the track and field team. I guess I assumed that is how it was everywhere else. I was wondering why most coaches in TN do not make it mandatory for their football players. I found it very interesting that this happens. Is there any particular reason??

I feel that it only helps the athletes and the programs, track and football, overall.

Comments?? :confused:

[peacemaker]

BCHS had an upcoming freshman that plays football and did AAU track this summer- he qualified for nationals in 3 events.Had a good chance at placing very high at nationals too- but the football coach wouldnt let him attend -even for one day of competition because it would have conflicted wth a camp the football team was going to.I think that is so sad-I mean one day, and to have to miss the JR. OLYMPICS????

He surely is a great athlete though,and it kept him in tip top shape for the fall season!

 

:confused:

[Edited by peacemaker on 8-22-02 11:34A]

 

[Guest kenwoodrun]

I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but here I go any way. The point you bring up completely mystifies me. There is a track program in middle Tennessee that used to be proud. It's a large school, they could be a player in middle Tennessee track. The boys track team has COMPLETELY FOLDED there over the course of the past several years. It's in Sumner County, and the name of the school starts with Gal- and ends with -latin. Why? Because football is god. Spring is football season there. As is the summer, and fall, and winter. "There's no money in track and field" I've been told. So what? Have people forgotten about folks like Willie Gault? Michael Bates? These guys were studs in track before they got to the NFL. There's room for both. Bates has an Olympic medal to show for it. We have a very cooperative football coach at Kenwood that has donated several good athletes to us in the spring. It's no secret that we're one of the top boys track programs in middle TN, because we get HELP from our football team. The fault HAS to lie at the head football coaches in TN, because what track coach is going to turn away a guy who runs a 4.4 40? The word is "specialization". And it stinks. That's enough out of me, but I just get mad thinking about it.

[Guest springer33lchscat]

I agree 110% with kenwoodrun with his post.Not only with track but with cross-country about you have to chose one or the other.I mean I know that x-country is during the season as football but still you can let the runners run on anyone days except for fridays.Thats one of the reasons why I quit football before school started.Why won't the football coachs let the runners run in these two sports?I mean from what I know it won't hurt at all if anything it will help them.If a football coach reads this please let me hear what you have to say...............

[wrsmith]

There is no question that running track will help a football player. My son was in the Junior Olympics a few days ago and his football coach was very supportive of his missing a day of football practice to go win his medal. I can tell you that with my family, track is #1 is football is just something to do in between track seasons. If our football coach had not been supportive of my son going to the JO's, he would have lost a good football player. Football coaches who don't require that their players run track are missing the boat.

[CoachG]

I guess I have my question answered. It can only help, as long as football coaches come to realize this.

I coach both Track and Football. It has helped our athletes stay in shape year round. Plus, they get the opportunity to represent their athletic skills for their particular school and themselves. I see all the time at different websites of athletes who are top in the nation play two sports. Usually it involves Football and Track. On occassion, its Basketball and Track.

As for not allowing an athlete to go to Junior Olympics because he would miss a day of football camp...No, I don't get that either. A young athelte has special talents, he should be treated special. I guess its the conflict of attitudes of the two sports, football and track. One is a major team sport with "Team" menatality. The other is about the self performance. Those two mentalities collide. Many football coaches only see the athlete as "I" instead of team. That does rattle the cages of football coaches. It does me, when I have to deal with it on our football team. However, I have not had the priviledge of coaching a young athlete that has had the athletic ability to attend the Junior Olympics. I threw with a two top throwers of Junior Olympics when I was in high school. I know what type of dedication it takes to make it to that level. To go beyond that is total dedication to one sport.

If the situation arouse,this football/track coach would allow the athlete to attend Junior Olympics. As long as it would not dominate all his time to that particular sport. If it would involved him spending all his time with track and not particpating in football practice and games...then I would have to let him go from the football team. Why? Because he has obiviously chosen Track over football. I would ask him for all the time he could give. If he could not make the time needed for football during football time, then he would have to stick with track. I feel that is more than fair.

:confused:

[cbg]

Does Carlton Flatt at Brentwood Academy not require his football players to run track if they are not participating in another Spring sport? The only way for a football player to improve their speed is to run, so why not run track in the spring?

[4AFAN]

I coach both track and football at a school in East Tn. We have had great success getting our kids to run track, as well as recruiting kids that are fast to play football. Although I think these two could work hand in hand, the problem I see is that AAU Track last to long. Football is the only sport that does not have AAU. If you think about it Basketball has Three Seasons in High School. Summer league, regular time, and spring league. Track has summer spring, and indoor. Baseball has spring, summer, and fall. Talk about specializing in a sport. I had 5 athletes in the JU this year, and 3 were football that had to miss practice for the first three weeks. These 3 players had to learn everything in 1 week. What if you had a player that had not been around the sport in 7 mo. and they had to miss right before your season started. There is 1 season a year for football players and three for every other sport.

[wrsmith]

If you're a good athlete in track or field and that is your primary love, that's what you should focus on. If you enjoy football and want to play it, you should try to do that. If the football coach doesn't feel like you can contribute to his team because you have to participate in the Junior Olympics or some other major meet, he can tell you not to play football. That's his choice. If he wants to miss out on having a good athlete on his team, let him do that.

 

My son is a national champion in track and field and this is clearly his sport of choice (even though he really enjoys football). If his football coach ever tells him he must decide between the two, he'll take track and the football team will lose one of its best athletes. Would you give up a sport in which you can go D-I just to participate in another sport? Most people wouldn't and coaches shouldn't force kids to make such a choice.

[4AFAN]

How old is you son? I understand where you are coming from, and don't believe anyone should give up any sport they love playing. I share several track athletes with baseball and Soccer in the spring. I am just saying how diffucult it is to depend on players when they have chosen there sport. I have Two Division I runners That run better times than most college DI runners. Even though they chose to run in the JU they have Chosen to go through summer workouts with football, and practice at night with AAU. I enjoy both sports, and love to see kids develop that sport. One real problem I have is that During Track Season (spring) I have several students that are made to participate in spring basketball, but when It comes time to Go through workouts or summer football the coaches think their sport comes first. My big problem is with AAU, although I do believe in it is the amount of seasons that they have. I have kids that start track in Jan. and go through Aug 18th. That is two seperate season for track. High school track then AAU. Maybe we ought to cut out HIgh school track and field and have strictly AAU track. The same with basketball, golf, baseball, soccer, etc. I don't want any kid to have to choose, but I see so many parents and coaches making that choice for them, by making them play or participate in that sport for every season, It just so happens to be TRACK, Basketball, Baseball, And Soccer. Good luck with your son on track and football. Make sure what ever the son does he has fun at it.

[wrsmith]

I appreciate your concerns as a coach and understand where you're coming from. You obviously have things in perspective since you concluded the last post by emphasizing that whatever sport a kid plays, it should be fun. I agree that track, basketball, soccer, etc. can have overly long seasons. My son will jump in his first meet in January and will likely conclude the year in T&F in late July/early August, just as you stated. He doesn't work "full bore" on T&F during all of those seven months but he does work a lot. He will take the time to participate in spring football and will commit to be at every football practice except those that are on the days he is actually jumping at national meets in late July/early August. However, when you think about football, many coaches want it to be 12 months per year, just like the coaches do in other sports. I believe every parent needs to draw the line somewhere and my line is drawn when a coach tries to require my son to give up T&F for their sport, whatever it might be.

 

My son is 14 (a young freshman) and high jumped 6' last year as an 8th grader. He also pole vaulted 11' last year. I believe if he stays healthy and motivated he will do 6'4" and 12'6" this year. He also plans to participate in the decathlon this year since he's now in high school.

 

Good luck with getting your athletes to appropriately balance their time between the various sports, their academics, and their personal lives. I appreciate the commitment that all coaches make to the development of these young people as both athletes and people.

[4AFAN]

I have used both sports to help recruit athletes to play one or the other. I can usually talk one in to playing the other once they get to know me. I am really lucky to get to spend so much time with the majority of my players. We become more of a family. We learn to help each other. The one great thing about it is that those kids help recruit other kids to either run track or play football. I could also work for basketball.