Should coaches prevent or discourage athletes

[GradfromtheNest]

BaldCoach, I like your name!

 

And ELA, would that principal happen to be around this city somewhere?

[ELA]

BaldCoach, I like your name!

 

And ELA, would that principal happen to be around this city somewhere?

No... he retired from a Middle Tennessee HS in 1998

[ballhawk]

Great points from everyone. A kid will benefit greatly from participating in as many sports as possible. We all have known coaches that have dissuaded athletes from playing more than one sport and I think it is a disservice to that young athlete.

[mctigersportsfan]

Not to change the subjet of the thread, but I think the Administration should look at these students who are playing 2-3 sports and evaluate their grades and then someone should make a decision as to who can/will play in multiple sports.

 

I know of quite a few students who play multiple sports that are barely making the grades to be able to play. How does playing multiple sports make these kids better athletes. If you can't make it in the classroom, why should you be awarded with extra cirricular activities ??

 

But back to the subject of the thread, NO a Coach should never discourage a kid from playing whatever sport he/she wants to play !!!

Edited January 21, 2004 by mctigerfan

[chill]

I don't think a coach should ever encourage or tell a kid that he/she should just play one sport. I wonder how many of the coaches that do this only played one sport in high school. I gurantee none of them, but of course it happens and it will continue to happen. The main thing with football coaches is that they think that kids have to be in the weight room year round. With baseball coaches, the kids have to play summer and fall ball. With basketball coaches, the kids have to play AAU. Whatever happened to letting a kid make up his own mind along with their parents. I don't know, but coaches, me included, need to keep their noses out of kids' business, let the kids be kids and coach with what you got. I know that playing many sports allowed me to compete at a high level year round, and there has to be some benefit in that. If you look at most NFL/NBA/MLB players, most of them played multiple sports and they still fulfilled their dreams and brought many wins to their high school coaches. It would be wonderful if all the coaches at high schools would work together, but of course that would take a little compromise.......

[noonesfool]

The biggest lie in HS sports. You stick with me and I'll have you a Division I Scholarship. Number 2 You won't start for me if you play..... Very very few are recruited and even less sign. I'm glad that over 30 years ago I played as a 5'9

200lb athlete 4 different sports. My football coach didn't want it. I gave him everything in season prospered and moved on to a lot of great memories in wrestling Baseball and track. Bottom line, I was pretty decent and not really recruited just like 95% of the young men and women today. Satisfied and wouldn't do it different if I could go back. As a coach for 17 years and a principal for 11 the second biggest complaint I hear after "I wish I had studied harder in school is why did I quit or not play 2 or 3 other sports."

[krichunaka]

The biggest lie in HS sports. You stick with me and I'll have you a Division I Scholarship. Number 2 You won't start for me if you play..... Very very few are recruited and even less sign. I'm glad that over 30 :justwrestle: years ago I played as a 5'9

200lb athlete 4 different sports. My football coach didn't want it. I gave him everything in season prospered and moved on to a lot of great memories in wrestling Baseball and track. Bottom line, I was pretty decent and not really recruited just like 95% of the young men and women today. Satisfied and wouldn't do it different if I could go back. As a coach for 17 years and a principal for 11 the second biggest complaint I hear after "I wish I had studied harder in school is why did I quit or not play 2 or 3 other sports."

noonesfool,

 

I was going to add a reply, but you've put it more eloquently and succintly than my vernacular would ever allow. Thanks.

 

ELA,

Again, another home run. Great topic, great interchanges.

 

Baldcoach, Great reply as well...now, if you and I could just get our hair back.

[PiGeOnS4LiFe]

At Fulton the football players are encouraged to play other sports...which quite a few of them do....basketball, track, baseball, wrestling.....mostly. Like somebody else said/.....the coaches use the players participation in other sports to thei advantage b/c it keeps them in shape and gets them into better shape as the year goes by. All players who aren't involved in another sport are expected to be hittin the weight room!

[addictedtosports.com]

I heard the "greed" word pop up. Is it wrong for a coach that thinks a kids future is in a certain sport to be concerned about an injury in a different sport? I don't have a dog in this race, I was just wondering.

[trnbrant]

I played Basketball for 2 years and ran track for all four years in high school.

 

Even though I was a distance runner (2-milers unite!), when I was playing hoops I was expected, no, required, to lift weights on the basketball program (more for raw strength) instead of a program for running (lots of reps at low weights).

 

While doing cleans (hopefully these aren't done anymore in weight rooms), I pulled a muscle in my lower back... but instead of getting treatment immediately I then went out in 48 degree weather and had to run 4 miles for track practice. That night the spasms started, ruined the rest of my track season, and to this day I have problems from time to time with that area.

 

Why did this happen? The basketball program ruled my school, and those who played were expected to put it (even in the offseason) ahead of EVERY other extracurricular activity, even other sports. We weren't explicitly discouraged from participating sports, so long as they didn't interfere with offseason basketball.

 

I don't regret playing basketball, but I also don't regret hanging up my high tops after a summer of 35 games in 28 days in various summer hoops leagues. Quitting the year-round basketball program allowed me to start the career that now supplies my income plus gave me time to pursue even more activities (academic team, show choir, etc.) from which I have the other fond memories of my high school.

 

That said, I think that multiple sports seasons are GREAT so long as the in-season sport gets the priority. I had a friend who skipped a football season to concentrate on basketball... and to this day he regrets that move.

[heydaddy]

NO. The player has to make the choice on their own based on their ability. I think that each sport in HS has elevated to the level where 3 sport stars are going to be rare. Football has become a 11 month a year deal, basketball has expanded to AAU along with the many summer camps which are becoming more neccessary. Baseball is nearly year around considering spring, summer and fall schedules not to mention the travel teams. I think a kid needs to be a kid but when? I went to school with a great 3 sport star. He started both ways in football, high post in BB and center field on a Dist. Champ team. Haven't seen many since.

[noonesfool]

Heydaddy, You actually made my point, 3 sport STARS. There are only a couple per school and if they choose one sport to focus on and sign with a div 1 school thats fine. But the rub is the coach has to mislead other the young men and women to give up there other sports so they can have year round teams and practice to support the star. I am not talking about younsters who only want to play 1 sport. They have that right. Its about the above average athlete who is not a prospect and wants to play 2 or 3 sports. Thats my concern.