Question for ALL of you

[fanofsc]

Just curious of what you have seen and your opinions on the following:

Over the past 5 years I have traveled around the HS circuit and have observed many different things. As this final year comes to an end, I wanted to get your thoughts on these.

1. Currently, does your district or HS have a policy in place that requires your HS coaches be an employee of the school? If so, Is this requirement across all sports or just those certain sports?

2. Is your coach a school employee or outside travel coach?

3. If you could chose, which one would you prefer of the two above?

4. If you chose TB coach and could hire who you wanted how many more wins would you currently have this year?

Thanks and i can't wait to see the feedback.

 

[bucketdad]

Interesting topic. Ok here goes...

1. Yes and no. Unless a change in policy has been made that I'm not aware of, only one on our staff needs to be an employee and it doesn't necessarily have to be the head coach. Although I think a recent policy adopted says you must be an employee to be a paid coach. Not sure if that's a school or a district policy now.

2. Our head coach is a school employee. Well respected by some... hated by others. I don't think he'd have it any other way. Typically very well liked among the players.

3. (a) This might go against the grain, but personally, I would prefer coaches be employees. IMO the number one reason to play HS sports is "school pride". I would rather see "school" kept to it's purest form. That goes for all HS sports no matter how hard it may be to watch. A second choice, such as for asst coaches if no one else at school is qualified, should be alumni.
(b) TB is a different animal and I would simply prefer no overlap.

4. Coaching is not our issue this year. Rebuilding is. Actually, we might be doing better than expected at this point in time. So no, I don't believe we would have any more wins with a TB coach than we already have.

 

[softballdad6]

1)Our head coach is an employee of the school ( Daniel ). Which is a great guy . But unfortunately is doesn't know the game that well . Kids lime him . Know he assistant (JV head coach ) is like only by his mom . Its a shame that this man know nothing about the game but due to him being a control freak player a made to do things the wrong way . He belives that pitchers shouldnt throw an off speed pitch . He would rather give up a lo g ball than walk a player . The players has ask for him to be removed from dug out . Parents are asking for him to leaves . If you have had a chance to see one of our games you understand .


2) So yes I believe in coaches that know how to teach the game , its important for young players to learn the game . So travel coaches would be great . The best nine should be on the field not members of Jv coaches church . So it sad to watch a kid ( not mine never met her before) sit on jv when she should be a starter on varsity.



3) would have won more games .

 

[lakeworld]

I am surprised about the comments above about Daniel HS. You guys won the State Championship last year. Yes, it was with the Gatorade player of the year pitcher, but softball is a pitcher dominated game.

1. Currently, does your district or HS have a policy in place that requires your HS coaches be an employee of the school? If so, Is this requirement across all sports or just those certain sports?
I don't know what the policy is, but they must not care. Head varsity coach is not an employee of the school, unless it is for softball only. Other major sports (football, basketball, baseball and track) the coaches are employees and also a teacher of some sort.

2. Is your coach a school employee or outside travel coach?
He also coaches TB during the summer.

3. If you could chose, which one would you prefer of the two above?
Employee of school without a doubt. At least an teacher somewhere within the district. If he/she were a PE teacher at middle school, I would be cool with that.

4. If you chose TB coach and could hire who you wanted how many more wins would you currently have this year?
I am not going to sugarcoat this - as I know there are some who visit and post on here from the same school as my step-daughter. Emerald HS softball program is in some real trouble. They have a very good pitcher - who is a senior this year. There is only one more senior on the team. There is no pitching behind her. There are a few that can pitch, but not at a high level. If there are local rec teams, i don't know where they are. The only way a girl can improve is to get on a travel team. Playing against teams like Daniel, Wren, Palmetto and Seneca, I can tell the girls are light years behind on fundamentals. There is an exception here or there but I am talking overall talent. The talent is just not there. The talent is not being produced at JV or at earlier ages. So, the coach really has his work cut out for him. The best coach in the world wouldn't make a big difference unless he/she was able to create a feeder program where the girls were ready to play varsity ball when they get to high school. There are 4 starting freshman on the varsity. Only one of them is ready for varsity - the catcher - who is an all-region type player. There is an 8th grader at 2nd base. She is not ready for varsity at all, but there is no one behind her. Those girls didn't earn their positions, they got them by default - which is sad. It creates a drama filled team, drama that my step-daughter no longer wants to be a part of and I can't blame her.

Argue with me all you want, I am right... Reality is hard to swallow sometimes.

 

[softballdad6]

About Daniel , yes won state last year , lost 6 starters .We have the talent but it still has to be manage during games . That we don't have

 

[cockydavis]

Team needs a school employee on the coaching staff. That person has to be the head coach and the only one that is able to talk to the umpires unless the volunteer goes to Columbia and jumps through all the hoops and some how another gets a certificate or something to be able to be an associate head coach so they can run the games and be in charge. Not sure if this is new rule or not. I know the rule was changed on what happens when you get throwed out of games as a coach or volunteer.

 

[Scalp Hunter]

Yes Gaffney High would be a better team and program with different coaches. No doubt about it.

I don't know or really care about the other things but I think all coaches should be required to pass a certification test proving that they know the rules and also be required to submit some sort of practice plan to a commitee to prove they know how to run a practice. Its not fair for kids who bust their ass on the summer and fall, take hitting lessons or other lessons to be told how to do stuff completely wrong by some math teacher or attendance clerk who is coaching for the stipend.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[softballdad6]

I agree . You got it really bad when the umpires tells you that your coaches isn't smart . I ask if some of those that read this just come an watch Daniel play an see if it is as bad as I say. One of the pitchers has a sick off speed , but can't use because the coach doesn't know what its for . But I seen her go roge an throw it for missed strikes . Ask Kevin at blue ridge his batters seen it until the fourth when they just up an stopped calling it " saying the. Attends can't catch up to her fast ball . Giving that any batter can catch up to any fast Giving the time to time it .

 

[roosterrizk1]

I would take a GOOD Travel Ball Coach all day long over a HS Coach. More times than not - not always - HS Coaches do not understand the game of Softball merely take it for a little extra money or something to do.

 

[Scalp Hunter]

Depends on the TB coach. Some of those people know less than the worst HS coaches. Theres very few Bryan Packs and Vicki Corns out there.

 

[cockydavis]

Scalp, part of your last post is intelligent. The other half whew.

 

[Scalp Hunter]

Sorry man. I've had my differences with a lot of people....Vicki included but she's still one of the best coaches in this state hands down. She's forgot more about this game than a lot of people know and as far as high school coaching is concerned there is not a single high school coach that is rather my kid play for.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[redand black]

There are good and bad travel ball coaches, just like there are good and bad high school coaches. Everyone's situation is different. If I started a thread like this one, my question would be: How many of your kids play on a team where one or more of the parents of a player(s) on the team are coaching(high school or travel) and how is that dynamic working for you?

 

[cockydavis]

Scalp how did you know which part of the post I meant to be the intelligent one.LOL

 

[Scalp Hunter]

Lol....I know the history.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[95dad]

It is SCHSL policy that the head coach has to be an employee of the school district(so a secretary at the district office can be the coach of the high school team for example) . You can ask for and there are waivers for this rule. Two years ago the rule was put into place that only the head coach (again who is a school employee) could talk to the umpire. Both of these are because the schools are more interested in the simple fact they have more at stake with their name on someone's jersey than if they got on base or not. Travel ball is about having a winning team and getting better to be recruited for college. High school ball is about being on a team with random girls you go to school with and sometimes being lucky enough to have a great set of team-mates. The world is filled with dads who can coach from the side-line but yet they can't keep their tempers in check enough to not get thrown out of games or simply embarrass the school they are 'supporting'. While they may or may not 'WIN' more games than a random teacher selected to be the coach, what school wants their name associated with the behavior of these people? The single control point is that the head coach is an employee - they have more at risk and at stake if they go outside the lines of good behavior than just losing their little part-time job. I personally want to thank all the school employee's who step up and give little Sue a chance to play ball with their school's name on it. I am almost positive that they do not get paid enough to put up with the parents (and that's the winning coaches). Play travel ball to be recruited - play high school ball to have fun and again hopefully be lucky enough to be on a winning team. And please if you are a screamer and get thrown out of games I am sure your school's athletic director (plus your own child, and some of the parents on your team) would love for you to wear someone else's shirt.

I am sure that a lot of dads and a lot of travel ball coaches can do a better job if they coached their schools teams. But these same dads might not could handle the BS that also comes with high school sports (ie. parents). Travel ball is easy - kick them off the team. Little suzy's mom goes to the AD because she's not playing - you might have to put her in because little Suzy's next door neighbor is on the school board. I am just trying to point out that high school ball is not as easy as it looks from the outside. So put on your school colors, pat your daughter on the back and encourage her to go out their and give it her best - because all you're doing otherwise is making it harder for her to win. She will one day work for a stupid boss - this is training for that day.

 

[LeftyTosser]

Well said 95dad. Being a high school coach is far more difficult than being a travel coach. Having done both, the politics of high school ball is what kills coaches and their drive. If it was just a matter of putting the right player in the right position and winning games, everyone could do it.

 

[cockydavis]

good post Dad, but you didn't even mention about how high school coach has to make sure their players are in school what their grades are and what they're doing at school