Another Installment of Fierce Conversation by Coach Bodnar
I read an article yesterday in the WCF Courier,from the State Of Iowa. The main topic in the article was about the hats that coaches have to wear in our modern culture. I read statements that are not uncommon to those of us in the coaching ranks. For most of us that have been around a while I don't think there was anything that shocked us in the article.
Personally I think I was always a coach, even from a young age. I coached myself, my brothers , the kids in the neighborhood, worked as a youth coach to pay for my YMCA membership, and so on.
My belief is that; good coaches. the ones that stick around a long time , and are continually successful with kids are the ones that are interested in the whole kid. Seeing them grow up to be a solid citizen, be a good member of the community, and do something significant with their lives.
It is these coaches that will have the hardest job, because they are truly looking after the kids.They have the kid's back and will mentor them, tutor them, pick them up for practice , drive them home, pay for their practice gear, encourage them when they need it, discipline them when they need that, call them at home to see how they are doing after a sickness or surgery. This list goes on and on and on.
You can expect that if you are a good teacher, coach,mentor,have a good heart and care really a lot about the kids you have a good foundation. But do not kid yourself... It is about winning, whether we like to admit it or not. I know I will get a lot of fierce replies from this statement. But you show me a High School Coach That Isn't Winning and I will Show You One That Isn't Coaching. So...... If we want to do all of the other things for the kids we better know how to get the job done.
You can know the technique, you may have participated in the sport yourself at high levels and the majority have,but that may not be a success indicator. That may not add up to success in the High School Coaching Arena. High School Coaches Are A Different Breed- They walk it , talk it, live it, promote it, export it, import it. Let’s face it they are passionate people. They love the sport, they love to compete and they love the relationships they build around the sport. That may not be enough!
Make no bones about it coaching isn’t the easiest profession to be involved with and it is not the most lucrative. Now ……obviously I am talking about those of us who have chosen to work with youngsters in the Public High Schools.
The role a coach plays is as diverse as the kids and the community your work in. Pretty much across the board coaches are dealing with the same problems… some areas of the country will have more challenges than others.
High School Coaches can expect that when we deal with student athletes , we will be dealing with parents, and the expectations of parents. The influence and expectations of parents may and may not be why the kid chooses to participate. But if you are going to coach you will be dealing with the issues related to parent expectations.
We can expect to deal with young people who may or may not have had good guidance related to their sports involvement. I have been shocked many times however; not a lot recently, by statements about making this youngster a professional. I mean the kid really thinks he is leaving the country, someone out there really wants them and will pay for their room, board, training, education etc. It is so much magical thinking.
Some have plans to take them out of the country to become professionals. Even though they haven’t been professionals themselves , and don’t know how to get a person to that level. The worst part of this scenario is that there is no groundwork in place to move the kid through the process to get them to the next level. I have some that are actually going to quit school to get this project done. Of all the sports I see this mentality more in Soccer than any other sport.
I will just be honest, on top of freakazoid genetics, a tremendous amount of work, persistence, sacrifice, academic ability and just a smithering of luck it isn’t going to happen. 90 % of those kids are not going to play on Sunday or Saturday or whatever day the pros compete on in the sport they are in. … no matter how hard they try. Am I saying they shouldn't try...heck no, that is the point. It is the journey,that is where they grow, and that is where they appreciate how hard it is to do good things, it is where they get to experiment with competition. No I don't mean not do it. I just mean use your head, and be real!
If you are a High School Coach you are going to come in contact with people who are willing to invest large sums of money to put a youngsters name out there by paying for involvement with club sports, private lessons, personal training. They are going to just know way more than you do about how good the athlete is and on what college or professional team they will be on in a few short years.
You can expect people to play politics for the advancement of their child opposed to the child actually earning that spot for themselves. These are generally the ones that have some ability and really do have a chance of doing something with their sports involvement. Most likely though they will be the ones that are not committed to hard work, Summer Camps....they will probably be on numerous vacations or working to buy their Game Boys, Cars, and other gadgets that have nothing to do with their goals. They will probably be wrestlers who are working for minimum wage at fast food restaurants and junk food establishments which definitely won't contribute to their goals but they will get their car.
You can expect when they get their car they will be working for insurance money , gas money and paying for accidents that they have had. They will not use it to get to the practice room more often. They will probably tell you that they can't afford the camps, practice gear, trip expense money etc. They might even tell you that they can't be there for the team fund raiser because they "have" to work. Now if it is truly the case that a kid has to work to help the family I am going to do everything in the world to help him out. In many cases however; it is the pipe dream that they can get everything and do everything. Then it boils down to what is really more important. Not five years from now.. but RIGHT now. It leads to poor decisions. You can expect to have those conversations also.
You are really going off on me now about this fierce conversation and wondering if this guy sees all of this negativity why does he coach.
Let me answer that for you. It is my call, my destiny, it is why I am on this earth. I love sports, I love the kids, I love the coaching and the competition. I choose to do this, no one makes me, and that is the way it should be for you if you really care about the kids.
I have seen a few gurus be successful in my last 34 years, and they stick around a while. Mostly I have seen the gurus who are program breakers not program makers. If you want to test your mettle, stick around and do this coaching thing for a while. You might even make a difference in a kid's life. Wouldn't that be a novel Idea?
This is Coach Bodnar signing off from another fierce conversation.
What can you espect from a guy like me>
I just told you! Coach Bodnar
Contact Coach Bodnar
coachbodnar@charter.net
Interested in a great high school dual style wrestling tournament?
The Best Of The West Duals
December 21 and 22, 2005
32 Teams at the TRAC Arena
Give your kids a great experience!
coachbodnar@charter.net
I read an article yesterday in the WCF Courier,from the State Of Iowa. The main topic in the article was about the hats that coaches have to wear in our modern culture. I read statements that are not uncommon to those of us in the coaching ranks. For most of us that have been around a while I don't think there was anything that shocked us in the article.
Personally I think I was always a coach, even from a young age. I coached myself, my brothers , the kids in the neighborhood, worked as a youth coach to pay for my YMCA membership, and so on.
My belief is that; good coaches. the ones that stick around a long time , and are continually successful with kids are the ones that are interested in the whole kid. Seeing them grow up to be a solid citizen, be a good member of the community, and do something significant with their lives.
It is these coaches that will have the hardest job, because they are truly looking after the kids.They have the kid's back and will mentor them, tutor them, pick them up for practice , drive them home, pay for their practice gear, encourage them when they need it, discipline them when they need that, call them at home to see how they are doing after a sickness or surgery. This list goes on and on and on.
You can expect that if you are a good teacher, coach,mentor,have a good heart and care really a lot about the kids you have a good foundation. But do not kid yourself... It is about winning, whether we like to admit it or not. I know I will get a lot of fierce replies from this statement. But you show me a High School Coach That Isn't Winning and I will Show You One That Isn't Coaching. So...... If we want to do all of the other things for the kids we better know how to get the job done.
You can know the technique, you may have participated in the sport yourself at high levels and the majority have,but that may not be a success indicator. That may not add up to success in the High School Coaching Arena. High School Coaches Are A Different Breed- They walk it , talk it, live it, promote it, export it, import it. Let’s face it they are passionate people. They love the sport, they love to compete and they love the relationships they build around the sport. That may not be enough!
Make no bones about it coaching isn’t the easiest profession to be involved with and it is not the most lucrative. Now ……obviously I am talking about those of us who have chosen to work with youngsters in the Public High Schools.
The role a coach plays is as diverse as the kids and the community your work in. Pretty much across the board coaches are dealing with the same problems… some areas of the country will have more challenges than others.
High School Coaches can expect that when we deal with student athletes , we will be dealing with parents, and the expectations of parents. The influence and expectations of parents may and may not be why the kid chooses to participate. But if you are going to coach you will be dealing with the issues related to parent expectations.
We can expect to deal with young people who may or may not have had good guidance related to their sports involvement. I have been shocked many times however; not a lot recently, by statements about making this youngster a professional. I mean the kid really thinks he is leaving the country, someone out there really wants them and will pay for their room, board, training, education etc. It is so much magical thinking.
Some have plans to take them out of the country to become professionals. Even though they haven’t been professionals themselves , and don’t know how to get a person to that level. The worst part of this scenario is that there is no groundwork in place to move the kid through the process to get them to the next level. I have some that are actually going to quit school to get this project done. Of all the sports I see this mentality more in Soccer than any other sport.
I will just be honest, on top of freakazoid genetics, a tremendous amount of work, persistence, sacrifice, academic ability and just a smithering of luck it isn’t going to happen. 90 % of those kids are not going to play on Sunday or Saturday or whatever day the pros compete on in the sport they are in. … no matter how hard they try. Am I saying they shouldn't try...heck no, that is the point. It is the journey,that is where they grow, and that is where they appreciate how hard it is to do good things, it is where they get to experiment with competition. No I don't mean not do it. I just mean use your head, and be real!
If you are a High School Coach you are going to come in contact with people who are willing to invest large sums of money to put a youngsters name out there by paying for involvement with club sports, private lessons, personal training. They are going to just know way more than you do about how good the athlete is and on what college or professional team they will be on in a few short years.
You can expect people to play politics for the advancement of their child opposed to the child actually earning that spot for themselves. These are generally the ones that have some ability and really do have a chance of doing something with their sports involvement. Most likely though they will be the ones that are not committed to hard work, Summer Camps....they will probably be on numerous vacations or working to buy their Game Boys, Cars, and other gadgets that have nothing to do with their goals. They will probably be wrestlers who are working for minimum wage at fast food restaurants and junk food establishments which definitely won't contribute to their goals but they will get their car.
You can expect when they get their car they will be working for insurance money , gas money and paying for accidents that they have had. They will not use it to get to the practice room more often. They will probably tell you that they can't afford the camps, practice gear, trip expense money etc. They might even tell you that they can't be there for the team fund raiser because they "have" to work. Now if it is truly the case that a kid has to work to help the family I am going to do everything in the world to help him out. In many cases however; it is the pipe dream that they can get everything and do everything. Then it boils down to what is really more important. Not five years from now.. but RIGHT now. It leads to poor decisions. You can expect to have those conversations also.
You are really going off on me now about this fierce conversation and wondering if this guy sees all of this negativity why does he coach.
Let me answer that for you. It is my call, my destiny, it is why I am on this earth. I love sports, I love the kids, I love the coaching and the competition. I choose to do this, no one makes me, and that is the way it should be for you if you really care about the kids.
I have seen a few gurus be successful in my last 34 years, and they stick around a while. Mostly I have seen the gurus who are program breakers not program makers. If you want to test your mettle, stick around and do this coaching thing for a while. You might even make a difference in a kid's life. Wouldn't that be a novel Idea?
This is Coach Bodnar signing off from another fierce conversation.
What can you espect from a guy like me>
I just told you! Coach Bodnar
Contact Coach Bodnar
coachbodnar@charter.net
Interested in a great high school dual style wrestling tournament?
The Best Of The West Duals
December 21 and 22, 2005
32 Teams at the TRAC Arena
Give your kids a great experience!
coachbodnar@charter.net
posted by rockobod at 5:36 PM
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