Re: Letter to the Coach
Bruce E. Cobern (bec@PIPELINE.COM)
Mon, 30 Aug 1999 16:32:30 -0400
From: Cheryl Singhal <csinghal@CAPACCESS.ORG>
Date: Monday, August 30, 1999 3:57 PM
>I've got a couple questions. I don't intend to argue with anyone, I
know
>this is how Coaches seem to operate, but since I haven't had direct
>experience, inquiring minds want to know.
>
>Timmy Star-Scout goes out for American style football. He makes "the
>team" and is required to show up for EVERY practice or he doesn't play.
>
>Question one: How BIG is this Team Timmy made? Is it just enough to
>field a team plus a couple extras in case of injury, or is it four-deep
>on every position?
>
>Question two: "or he doesn't play" means (1) he doesn't play in the
game
>after he missed practice, or (2) he'll never play again this year, or
(3)
>he's not allowed to dress out for the game?
>
>Question three derives from the answers to the above two. What are the
>odds that, even if he doesn't miss a practice, he'll actually be on the
>field for more than one play a season?
And, in keeping with Cheryl's questions above, IF Timmy Star-Scout is
actually the starting quarterback and far better than any of the other
QB's on the team, how likely is it REALLY that the coach is going to NOT
play his best player because he is standing on some sort of principle?
We know it SHOULD happen (if he says that anyone who misses practice
doesn't play that week then it should apply to everyone equally,
regardless of reason), but WILL it happen? Too often I've seen multiple
staff members caught committing the same offense (usually drinking in
camp) and the ones who are NOT in the camp director's "clique" get
fired, while his pets somehow manage to keep their jobs. There is
generally the same type of caste system in athletics. The stars can get
away with more than the rest of the team.
Of course, what we really need is for Timmy Star-Scout, star
quarterback, to have enough self confidence to say to the coach that if
the team wants him to play that there are certain conditions, like being
able to miss certain practices that happen when he has conflicts, etc.
Unfortunately, most of our youth are not that self-confident.
I also see a large difference between participation in school athletics
and activities and participation in outside athletics and activities. I
would certainly cut more slack for the varsity QB than for the Pop
Warner QB, since the Pop Warner football league is, essentially, just
another optional activity for the boy to do outside of school.
--
Bruce E. Cobern
mailto:bec@pipeline.com
