Lack of Participation in High School Sports

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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby scoobyx2 » Thu Mar 18, 2010 12:23 pm

I agree. I also think that it is sad that there are kids who don't go out for anything, and they (and their parents) won't even go and cheer on their school mates who do. There are opportunities for cheerleading, statisticians, student managers, pep bands, and just fans, and all of those categories are lacking participation too.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby oldcoach2 » Mon Mar 22, 2010 11:19 pm

Kids just have too many options the couch, the gamebox, and activites if someone decides that they dont like football they quit and go play soccer, then decide they dont like that and do something else. They dont WORK AT IT and get better. In some of the larger schools wrestling programs are pulling 7th and 8th graders to wrestle varsity NOT because of numbers but to put the top competitors on the mat and push a freshman or sophmore to JV so that the TEAM can win. In basketball way too many underclass kids on varsity rosters The chosen ones are placed on the varsity due to poltics and names. Kids see the writing on the wall early on and decide its not worth the effort to try because they cannt out shoot or out defend poltics and "chosen one" sydrome.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Hinsa » Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:30 pm

I agree that there is a rush to get junior high kids to play varsity. Look at the Girls State B - it seemed like every team had at least one 8th grader playing a major role on the team. That might be good for the short term, but in the long run it will kill your program. The freshmen, sophmores, and juniors that the 8th grader by-passed are going to give it up and you end up with 10 kids on the varsity.

Coaches need to take a good look at their overall program before moving junior high kids up. Will that 8th grader start? Will they be the difference in getting to state or getting a state title? Is there a 9-11 grader who can do the job instead?

To have a solid PROGRAM, you need numbers. Moving up 8th graders kills numbers. Short term gain for long term pain.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby shelly k » Tue Mar 23, 2010 5:21 pm

oldcoach2 wrote:Kids just have too many options the couch, the gamebox, and activites if someone decides that they dont like football they quit and go play soccer, then decide they dont like that and do something else. They dont WORK AT IT and get better. In some of the larger schools wrestling programs are pulling 7th and 8th graders to wrestle varsity NOT because of numbers but to put the top competitors on the mat and push a freshman or sophmore to JV so that the TEAM can win. In basketball way too many underclass kids on varsity rosters The chosen ones are placed on the varsity due to poltics and names. Kids see the writing on the wall early on and decide its not worth the effort to try because they cannt out shoot or out defend poltics and "chosen one" sydrome.


Amen. In my opinion the case study is Century HS girls B ball and the family connections.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Bisonguy06 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:51 am

Hinsa wrote:I agree that there is a rush to get junior high kids to play varsity. Look at the Girls State B - it seemed like every team had at least one 8th grader playing a major role on the team. That might be good for the short term, but in the long run it will kill your program. The freshmen, sophmores, and juniors that the 8th grader by-passed are going to give it up and you end up with 10 kids on the varsity.

Coaches need to take a good look at their overall program before moving junior high kids up. Will that 8th grader start? Will they be the difference in getting to state or getting a state title? Is there a 9-11 grader who can do the job instead?

To have a solid PROGRAM, you need numbers. Moving up 8th graders kills numbers. Short term gain for long term pain.


I couldn't disagree more. Beach won a state girls title this year by moving up a group of talented girls to the varsity in 2007 when they were freshmen and 8th graders. The core of that team has played 3-4 years of varsity basketball and it paid off big time.

They will be favorites in their region next year and will have an excellent PG running the show for four more years.

You need 5-6 studs to have success. If you have success, the numbers will take care of themselves. Beach had 5 seniors this year, 3 of whom were basically just hard-working kids who were along for the ride and wanted to be part of the team even though they knew they wouldn't play much.

If a talented young player can handle being moved up without getting a big head, you bump them up. If a senior and an 8th grader are equals on the basketball court, I'd play the 8th grader every day and twice on Sunday.

Want to be good? Trot out an all senior starting lineup every year. Want to be great? Move your best young players up to the highest level that they can compete.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby old#63 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 7:15 am

Bisonguy06 wrote:
Hinsa wrote:I agree that there is a rush to get junior high kids to play varsity. Look at the Girls State B - it seemed like every team had at least one 8th grader playing a major role on the team. That might be good for the short term, but in the long run it will kill your program. The freshmen, sophmores, and juniors that the 8th grader by-passed are going to give it up and you end up with 10 kids on the varsity.

Coaches need to take a good look at their overall program before moving junior high kids up. Will that 8th grader start? Will they be the difference in getting to state or getting a state title? Is there a 9-11 grader who can do the job instead?

To have a solid PROGRAM, you need numbers. Moving up 8th graders kills numbers. Short term gain for long term pain.


I couldn't disagree more. Beach won a state girls title this year by moving up a group of talented girls to the varsity in 2007 when they were freshmen and 8th graders. The core of that team has played 3-4 years of varsity basketball and it paid off big time.

They will be favorites in their region next year and will have an excellent PG running the show for four more years.

You need 5-6 studs to have success. If you have success, the numbers will take care of themselves. Beach had 5 seniors this year, 3 of whom were basically just hard-working kids who were along for the ride and wanted to be part of the team even though they knew they wouldn't play much.

If a talented young player can handle being moved up without getting a big head, you bump them up. If a senior and an 8th grader are equals on the basketball court, I'd play the 8th grader every day and twice on Sunday.

Want to be good? Trot out an all senior starting lineup every year. Want to be great? Move your best young players up to the highest level that they can compete.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The reason for lack of participation in high school sports. All that matters is winning. To heck with teaching values. Don't consider the fact that the senior has put in years of practice, done everything you asked them to do, SIT 'EM. Go ahead and play the eighth grader so that in 4 years we can have a great team. Or co-op with a nearby district to get some more talent. We're never gonna win with these kids anyway, right? What message does that send to the marginal kid who is a sophomore? "I may as well quit right now", that's what it says. Ever occur to anybody that maybe the reason most kids want to play sports is they just want to be with their friends? It's when you take that away and make it all about winning that most kids just don't care. And I don't blame them.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Hinsa » Wed Mar 24, 2010 10:37 am

Bisonguy, I think Old63 put the topic back into the discussion. The topic is lack of participation, not how to build a winner. (Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not a bleeding heart that says winning is not important. But to me, building a healthy program with good numbers of players leads to winning)

I believe it is a rare case where older kids will continue to sweat out practices if they know they aren't going to play because someone younger has passed them by. Bisonguy mentions Beach, and I believe that is one of those rare cases. But, I'd be interested to know how many kids have quit at Beach because the youngers ones got PT.

Would Beach have won the title if those kids hadn't played varsity as 8th graders a few years back? Maybe.

Did Beach win a title a few years back because those 8th graders were playing? No.

So my point is unless the young ones are going to help you win NOW, why move them up if you have upperclass girls that can do just as well as the 8th grader. If you move them up, kids quit, and pretty soon you are down to 10-12 kids total out for basketball and you can't even field a JV team. I've seen it happen many times in recent years.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Bisonguy06 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:00 am

Beach is a medium-sized school that fielded an A, B, and C with plenty of kids to spare. Success produces numbers. Many girls in that school wanted to be a part of this year's run. They had talented sophomores and juniors who played almost exclusively on the JV and were content with it because they were a part of a winner.

If my freshmen are as talented as my seniors, I play the freshmen. I'll get equal results this year and better results in the next three years.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Bisonguy06 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:03 am

Coach Waldal in Beach also took some criticism for moving up the Hardy/Dietz/Rising/Weinreis/Dolynuk group as freshmen and eighth graders. Moving them up is not the easy thing to do, nor is it the politically correct thing to do. If you move them up, you better be sure that they can play.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Indy5 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:06 am

I like moving the 8th graders up to C squad and JV if they are ready. It depends on the kid of course. They have to be mature enough to handle it. Most 8th graders can't handle varsity but if they can, and they are good enough, I say give them the time. I don't mean move every decent 8th grader up; I'm speaking of very rare studs that don't come along very often. The reason I like moving them up to C squad and JV is

1. Give them 6 quarters of play, 3 times a week (in the busy parts if the season)
2. Junior High basketball is half ways a joke. You have really good teams and really bad teams. Some decent teams but if you have a good team, you roll most people. Lots of teams just don't have the athleticism in the junior high levels to be good.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Bisonguy06 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:10 am

old#63 wrote:
Bisonguy06 wrote:
Hinsa wrote:I agree that there is a rush to get junior high kids to play varsity. Look at the Girls State B - it seemed like every team had at least one 8th grader playing a major role on the team. That might be good for the short term, but in the long run it will kill your program. The freshmen, sophmores, and juniors that the 8th grader by-passed are going to give it up and you end up with 10 kids on the varsity.

Coaches need to take a good look at their overall program before moving junior high kids up. Will that 8th grader start? Will they be the difference in getting to state or getting a state title? Is there a 9-11 grader who can do the job instead?

To have a solid PROGRAM, you need numbers. Moving up 8th graders kills numbers. Short term gain for long term pain.


I couldn't disagree more. Beach won a state girls title this year by moving up a group of talented girls to the varsity in 2007 when they were freshmen and 8th graders. The core of that team has played 3-4 years of varsity basketball and it paid off big time.

They will be favorites in their region next year and will have an excellent PG running the show for four more years.

You need 5-6 studs to have success. If you have success, the numbers will take care of themselves. Beach had 5 seniors this year, 3 of whom were basically just hard-working kids who were along for the ride and wanted to be part of the team even though they knew they wouldn't play much.

If a talented young player can handle being moved up without getting a big head, you bump them up. If a senior and an 8th grader are equals on the basketball court, I'd play the 8th grader every day and twice on Sunday.

Want to be good? Trot out an all senior starting lineup every year. Want to be great? Move your best young players up to the highest level that they can compete.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The reason for lack of participation in high school sports. All that matters is winning. To heck with teaching values. Don't consider the fact that the senior has put in years of practice, done everything you asked them to do, SIT 'EM. Go ahead and play the eighth grader so that in 4 years we can have a great team. Or co-op with a nearby district to get some more talent. We're never gonna win with these kids anyway, right? What message does that send to the marginal kid who is a sophomore? "I may as well quit right now", that's what it says. Ever occur to anybody that maybe the reason most kids want to play sports is they just want to be with their friends? It's when you take that away and make it all about winning that most kids just don't care. And I don't blame them.


I guess we're back to handing out participation ribbons to everyone instead of teaching kids to compete to become their very best. What message are you sending if your freshman beats your senior up and down the court every day in practice and you continue to play the senior?
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby old#63 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:28 am

Bisonguy06 wrote:
old#63 wrote:
Bisonguy06 wrote:
Hinsa wrote:I agree that there is a rush to get junior high kids to play varsity. Look at the Girls State B - it seemed like every team had at least one 8th grader playing a major role on the team. That might be good for the short term, but in the long run it will kill your program. The freshmen, sophmores, and juniors that the 8th grader by-passed are going to give it up and you end up with 10 kids on the varsity.

Coaches need to take a good look at their overall program before moving junior high kids up. Will that 8th grader start? Will they be the difference in getting to state or getting a state title? Is there a 9-11 grader who can do the job instead?

To have a solid PROGRAM, you need numbers. Moving up 8th graders kills numbers. Short term gain for long term pain.


I couldn't disagree more. Beach won a state girls title this year by moving up a group of talented girls to the varsity in 2007 when they were freshmen and 8th graders. The core of that team has played 3-4 years of varsity basketball and it paid off big time.

They will be favorites in their region next year and will have an excellent PG running the show for four more years.

You need 5-6 studs to have success. If you have success, the numbers will take care of themselves. Beach had 5 seniors this year, 3 of whom were basically just hard-working kids who were along for the ride and wanted to be part of the team even though they knew they wouldn't play much.

If a talented young player can handle being moved up without getting a big head, you bump them up. If a senior and an 8th grader are equals on the basketball court, I'd play the 8th grader every day and twice on Sunday.

Want to be good? Trot out an all senior starting lineup every year. Want to be great? Move your best young players up to the highest level that they can compete.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The reason for lack of participation in high school sports. All that matters is winning. To heck with teaching values. Don't consider the fact that the senior has put in years of practice, done everything you asked them to do, SIT 'EM. Go ahead and play the eighth grader so that in 4 years we can have a great team. Or co-op with a nearby district to get some more talent. We're never gonna win with these kids anyway, right? What message does that send to the marginal kid who is a sophomore? "I may as well quit right now", that's what it says. Ever occur to anybody that maybe the reason most kids want to play sports is they just want to be with their friends? It's when you take that away and make it all about winning that most kids just don't care. And I don't blame them.


I guess we're back to handing out participations to everyone instead of teaching kids to compete to become their very best. What message are you sending if your freshman beats your senior up and down the court every day in practice and you continue to play the senior?

Your words were, "If a senior and an 8th grader are equals on the basketball court, I'd play the 8th grader every day and twice on Sunday." Go with that, and in 5 years your program will be dead. Where is the incentive to work hard? Senior says, I worked for 4 years and get a spot on the bench, I quit. Sophmores say, 8th grader got my spot, I quit. 8th grader says, I've already got a spot on varsity, why do I need to improve. Program killer. Why not leave those kids to play with the kids their age (their friends)? Ask them. That's what they want to do. You might be able to run a class A program that way. There's always some new young talent coming. Run a B program like that and you will kill it.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Bisonguy06 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:06 pm

Seems to be working quite well in Beach, both in wins and in participation numbers.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby old#63 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:44 pm

Don't get me wrong. I'm not for just playing upperclassmen no matter what. Anybody who wants playing time better work hard in practice or they will sit no matter how good or bad they are. I'm just saying that when kids are Jr. High and Freshmen, the message they should get from the program is, "When it's our turn in 3 yrs, we want to be just as good or better than the kids playing now. We need to work hard for that to happen." Classmates encouraging their classmates. Get the kids to want it more than the parents, the school, or the town. That is the mentality that carrys on traditions, builds participation, and bonds friendships among the kids. Do that, and you won't have to rebuild, you just reload. Do that, and the banners will come.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Bisonguy06 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:03 pm

And don't get me wrong, I do not advocate "win at all costs with no regard for who you hurt along the way."

If you move a kid up, you better be sure. Otherwise, you'll hurt kids and you'll hurt your program bigtime.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby old#63 » Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:48 pm

I just think pier pressure is such a huge thing in getting kids to go out for sports. Most kids don't play the game because they love the game, they play because they want to be with their friends. I think you need to play on that theme to keep your participation number up.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby GRIDIRON GURU » Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:55 am

This has turned into a girls basketball topic. You will never keep girls or moms happy no matter what in high school girls basketball, if a stud freshman who is heads and tails better than any senior on the team sits on the bench or plays JV it's a crying shame. It's varstiy sports for crying out loud, play your best players, it is all about winning, anyone who says it's not is living a lie.

You will always have a little miss whiny pants who comes home crying to mommy when a younger girl starts over her, it happens in every girls program everywhere in the nation. It's nothing new.

In basketball you don't need numbers you need talent all you need is 4 kids per class committed to the team.

Now football is all about numbers and you need partcipation, but unfortunatly you have whimps who, would rather quit because they refuse to lift weights or do anything extra to help themselves or the team so they use the cop out of saving themselves for basketball then never pick up a basketball until November.
Last edited by GRIDIRON GURU on Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Bisonguy06 » Thu Mar 25, 2010 10:50 am

GRIDIRON GURU wrote:This has turned into a girls basketball topic. You will never keep girls or moms happy no matter what in high school girls basketball, if a stud freshman who is heads and tails better than any senior on the team sits on the bench or plays JV it's a crying shame. It's varstiy sports for crying out loud, play your best players, it is all about winning, anyone whos says it's not is living a lie.

You will always have a little miss stuff pants who comes home crying to mommy when a younger girl starts over her, it happens in every girls program everywhere in the nation. It's nothing new.

In basketball you don't need numbers you need talent all you need is 4 kids per class committed to the team.

Now football is all about numbers and you need partcipation, but unfortunatly you have whimps who, would rather quit because they refuse to lift weights or do anything extra to help themselves or the team so they use the cop out of saving themselves for basketball then never pick up a basketball until November.


Amen!
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby Wildcat » Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:36 pm

old#63 wrote:
Bisonguy06 wrote:
Hinsa wrote:I agree that there is a rush to get junior high kids to play varsity. Look at the Girls State B - it seemed like every team had at least one 8th grader playing a major role on the team. That might be good for the short term, but in the long run it will kill your program. The freshmen, sophmores, and juniors that the 8th grader by-passed are going to give it up and you end up with 10 kids on the varsity.

Coaches need to take a good look at their overall program before moving junior high kids up. Will that 8th grader start? Will they be the difference in getting to state or getting a state title? Is there a 9-11 grader who can do the job instead?

To have a solid PROGRAM, you need numbers. Moving up 8th graders kills numbers. Short term gain for long term pain.


I couldn't disagree more. Beach won a state girls title this year by moving up a group of talented girls to the varsity in 2007 when they were freshmen and 8th graders. The core of that team has played 3-4 years of varsity basketball and it paid off big time.

They will be favorites in their region next year and will have an excellent PG running the show for four more years.

You need 5-6 studs to have success. If you have success, the numbers will take care of themselves. Beach had 5 seniors this year, 3 of whom were basically just hard-working kids who were along for the ride and wanted to be part of the team even though they knew they wouldn't play much.

If a talented young player can handle being moved up without getting a big head, you bump them up. If a senior and an 8th grader are equals on the basketball court, I'd play the 8th grader every day and twice on Sunday.

Want to be good? Trot out an all senior starting lineup every year. Want to be great? Move your best young players up to the highest level that they can compete.

And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The reason for lack of participation in high school sports. All that matters is winning. To heck with teaching values. Don't consider the fact that the senior has put in years of practice, done everything you asked them to do, SIT 'EM. Go ahead and play the eighth grader so that in 4 years we can have a great team. Or co-op with a nearby district to get some more talent. We're never gonna win with these kids anyway, right? What message does that send to the marginal kid who is a sophomore? "I may as well quit right now", that's what it says. Ever occur to anybody that maybe the reason most kids want to play sports is they just want to be with their friends? It's when you take that away and make it all about winning that most kids just don't care. And I don't blame them.



NO, there YOU have it. The senior has put in his four years and now its his senior year, and we're going to let him coast through the season because of all the hard work he put in LAST YEAR.
If an underclassmen is beating an upperclassmen up and down the court and it's clear, than either the underclassmen is a prodigy who needs to go up against a higher level of competition or the upperclassmen isn't working hard enough. I'm not talking about a better basketball player either. I'm talking about hustle and actually beating them up and down the court.

Great point, Bisonguy. Those younger players are also there to push those seniors into making sure they don't coast in their senior year. Most of them will not because they know it's their last chance, but underclassmen are a great motivation tool in pushing seniors.

Believe what you want about winning not being everything, but it sure helps a team overcome many problems. If a team starts 1-6. Eighth-grade prodigy comes up and plays, eventually starting and helps team finish 10-2 in regular season...trust me, any problems that will have occurred will be solved by winning, at least in the locker room.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby scoobyx2 » Thu Mar 25, 2010 2:30 pm

Why would you ever not play the best players in your program? If an 8th grader and a senior have the same basketball ability and dedication, the senior should be able to bring more experience, maturity, and leadership to the court which will get them more playing time. If not, then the senior isn't owed anything, and will have to beat out whoever challenges them. Also, you have to look at positions. If you have a 6-foot 8th grader, and a bunch of juniors and seniors who are guards, then it might help your program to move the 8th grader up, and give her some more experience.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby old#63 » Thu Mar 25, 2010 5:56 pm

The topic is lack of participation, and I stand by my statements. I maintain that you will have stronger teams year after year if you don't pull those younger kids up. It sends the wrong message to the kids.

Gridiron, you make the comment that all you need is 4 kids per class come out to have a basketball team. The point is, lots of schools aren't getting 4 kids per grade to come out. That's why we have 15 teams per region when we used to have 30 or 40.

Wildcat, I have never known a kid who has played for years and when they get to their senior year decide to coast. That's when they want to win, and they become your leaders.

Most people who commented on this topic have said that the reason kids don't play nowdays is they have other things to do, or they're lazy, or they don't have enough commitment. I don't agree. I think that the reason a lot of kids lose interest in sports is that we don't let them play the game with their friends. We bring up underclassmen, or we coop with other towns. You can win more games in the short term by doing that, but in the long run participation will crash. Just look around your area. It's happening.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby GRIDIRON GURU » Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:19 pm

I agree 100% that there is no reason to coop in basketball as long as the school is open. Teams coop, thinking they will get better numbers and be more competetive, yet the opposite is true, kids don't go out because of longer travel to games and practice, lack of playing time, local politics, team chemistry, coaching, etc. so I agree that some kids don't go out because of other reasons not just because their lazy.

I also do not like bringing up a freshman or 8th grader to be a sub, if you bring them up they must start or be an impact player, otherwise you are breaking up team chemistry of that players class, kids quit, get frustrated and it's no fun for them to lose without their star player on the JV or JR high team.

Now with that said, there are many cases where the Varsity absolutly needs that freshman or 8th grader on varsity and their season would not be the same without that young player.

I can name several examples every year where varstiy teams need the talented young player or should have moved a talented young player up.

I can also name some instances where moving a young player up ruined a season and other players quit because of it.

This issue is not black and white in all cases there are some obvious bennefits and some obvious debachles, each and every year. And most cases it is in Girls basketball.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby ndlionsfan » Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:59 pm

I agree with a lot of what your'e saying GURU. When I was coaching my belief was not to play a freshmen on the varsity unless he could make an impact and absolutely, without a doubt help the team. I'd rather have him/her play with the other kids in the class to develop skills and build team chemistry for the future. I was very cautious about ever giving a freshmen a varsity jersey as well. I wanted to see each kid earn it in another year or two, knowing they had to work for that reward and keep working to stay on the varsity. the coach after I left put 5 freshmen on the varsity the next year ahead of some sophomores and juniors. What has happened since? Numbers have dropped off as those soph/juniors that got looked over quit and the freshmen that got moved up haven't improved because they didn't work on their game....they already had the jersery. When I quit 4 years ago I had 20 kids out and it has dropped to where they were only projected to have 8-9 players this year (ended up with 12 out) and are co-oping next year. There are still the same number in high school now as there was 5 years ago.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby old#63 » Fri Mar 26, 2010 1:49 pm

ndlionsfan wrote:I agree with a lot of what your'e saying GURU. When I was coaching my belief was not to play a freshmen on the varsity unless he could make an impact and absolutely, without a doubt help the team. I'd rather have him/her play with the other kids in the class to develop skills and build team chemistry for the future. I was very cautious about ever giving a freshmen a varsity jersey as well. I wanted to see each kid earn it in another year or two, knowing they had to work for that reward and keep working to stay on the varsity. the coach after I left put 5 freshmen on the varsity the next year ahead of some sophomores and juniors. What has happened since? Numbers have dropped off as those soph/juniors that got looked over quit and the freshmen that got moved up haven't improved because they didn't work on their game....they already had the jersery. When I quit 4 years ago I had 20 kids out and it has dropped to where they were only projected to have 8-9 players this year (ended up with 12 out) and are co-oping next year. There are still the same number in high school now as there was 5 years ago.

Totally agree. Bringing up those younger kids can kill a smaller Class B program's participation. Then you need to coop, and once you coop you never go back.
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Re: Lack of Participation in High School Sports

Postby BB11 » Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:59 pm

Let me know when playing younger kids ruined Cavalier's b-ball program - Oh wait - they took third in state and had 15 dressed on varsity - even though their juniors had been on varsity and starting on varsity since 8th and 9th grade. Didn't look like it hurt participation when kids know who the better players are.
Maybe that's a bad example.
MPCG - their program really went downhill after they brought up and started Tom Jacobsen, Andrew Leclair, Matt Swift, and Jeremy Macecovic as freshman, and then have the audacity to have a 6th man that was an 8th grader named Travis Kraft. Their numbers have been horrible since then because of that - and it obviously was not a smart thing to do at the time - what's that - oh right - they went to state 4 years in a row with that crew - and then won back to back titles again in 02-03 with a different crew - and then went back again a couple years later with a different crew. Repercussions of that folly have been felt for years.
C'mon people - let's get real. You play your best players, period. It doesn't matter if they are 13 or 18. I'm sure Dan Carr is kicking himself for starting Kyle as a freshman - man, that was stupid - that didn't help them any did it?
I will agree with one point. If a freshman and a senior are same ability level - you play the senior. For same reasons as bisonguy gave for a different reasoning. You will Have the freshman for 3 more years. The senior has earned it by rights of being their longer. BUT if the Freshman is better - by all means - he/she needs to play over the senior.
Just my thoughts
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