eddiez577 wrote:jonriv wrote:Sam wrote:GIMNEPIWO wrote:Schmick wrote:jonriv wrote:The question I would have to ask is:
Do these kids have homework and studying to do?
She gets out of school at 2, homework is done by 430.
My practices are mandatory ... Miss 1 practice I talk to you, miss 2 you are suspended from the team for a day, miss the 3rd you turn in your jersey ... Excused absences are sick, absent from school or tutoring ... If a student thinks they have an excused absence other than that, I am willing to listen if they approach me ... Homework or studying for a test are NOT excused absences ... In HS ball everyone has homework or a test tomorrow ... If those were valid excuses then no one would be at practice ... I tell the parents and athletes that they need to work on time management ... Put don't the cell phone and stop tweeting. (Advice that would serve many people including The Big Cheeto well). They need to cut back in other areas of less importance, of their own choosing ... Time management is good training for college or life after HS.
I am in touch with all the teachers / parents and my athletes are required to keep up their grades to their teachers and parents satisfaction ... If they do not, they are suspended (with no other penalty from me) until their grades are up and all work is made up.
If they have a job, they should fix the schedule with their boss so it does not interfere. If there are many kids in the family and the parents have difficulty getting them to practice, too bad, get there ... That is NOT my responsibility.
TRUE STORIES : If they have an Aunt who is sick in the hospital 2 hours away and the family is going to visit them on Saturday, I get it ... But, if that Aunt is in 4 different hospitals over the last weeks with 4 different ailments; turn in your jersey ... If you need to attend your Grand Mothers funeral - I get it .... But when your father doesn't know and comes to pick you up after practice ... Then when condolences are offered about his Mom and he is surprised since his Mom died 4 years previously; turn in your jersey. If you are late to practice because you were attacked between the school and the field ... OMG ! I loaded her into the golf cart and went right to the Police Officer who was about 200 yards away at the baseball diamond ... He took over from there ... School video evidence was to the contrary (much longer story than that); turn in your jersey.
The fact that nobody on this board bats an eye when you say that you talk to the kids' teachers says a lot about the state of the game. It's illegal at best and really creepy at it's worst. I would have a teacher fired if they spoke to a travel coach about my kid's grades and I would light that coach up. Her grades are her business and mine. She can put her GPA and SAT score on her resume....that is the extent that you would know about her grades.
How about we talk to your marriage counselor?
All this for worthless Saturday practices during the HS season?
San, I think G is talking as a HS coach-not as a TB coach
Or is he? Wouldn't surprise me here in SoCal
Sorry, my bad, Jonriv is correct ... I was speaking as my HS coach self, not my travel self. I am currently not doing travel, but during HS season we just practiced once a week, on Sunday afternoons (unless someone asked for extra help)... This is in VA . ... Their grades were none of our business.
In the HS's I have coached at, there is a certain grade criteria that athletes must meet to be able to participate ... That being the case, before it becomes a situation where the athlete loses their eligibility I try to assure that they get any tutoring, extra help or extra time that they need. Knock on wood, I have never lost one ... I have however, on several occasions had to suspend a player from participation until they turn themselves around ... I never hold a suspension of participation against them, quite the contrary ... They come right back into the mix as soon as they are able, with out further penalty.
Sam, from earlier post on page one :
"In HS I do 2.5 to 3 hours a weekday and 3 hours Saturday AM, except game days ... Game days we do about 30 minutes in the cage and batting T stations, just enough to loosen up. Pitchers & Catchers still go to any outside instruction or throw a session if they need to, over and above. I do not encourage it, but if they want to go to a travel ball practice or tournament; I leave it up to them as long as it does not interfere with HS practice or game. Conditioning ? If they aren't beat by the time they leave one of my practices; have at it.
I've not had that problem."
But, let me correct a typo ... Weekdays are actually 2 to 2.5 hours ... If we've got a JV I am there for 2.5 to 3 because their start / end times are off set by a half hour.