High School Sports Thread

This isn't mean to be critical. I've been a head and assistant coach of multiple sports from Class A to 5A. It's always about skills and fundamentals. You can be a play calling genius, but if the kids don't have the fundamentals to execute the scheme (no matter the sport) , the play is dead in the water. Make the time. Find a way.
Of course you are training skills and fundamentals all the way through high school. It’s the basis of any winning program. The best programs (and players) are already strong in those skill sets and build on them. My point is that a child that doesn’t have that core skill set by 9th grade with have a difficult time getting up to speed with those that already possess them.
 
Of course you are training skills and fundamentals all the way through high school. It’s the basis of any winning program. The best programs (and players) are already strong in those skill sets and build on them. My point is that a child that doesn’t have that core skill set by 9th grade with have a difficult time getting up to speed with those that already possess them.
The last sentence of your post is a disappointing statement if you are a coach. If a kid isn't good by 9th grade, he/she won't ever be good? The point of development isn't to be good. It's to get better. Everybody can get better. The program I am currently a part of doesn't win because of our superstars. We win because our "other" kids are better than yours. We develop them by focusing on fundamentals.
 
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The last sentence of your post is a disappointing statement if you are a coach. If a kid isn't good by 9th grade, he/she won't ever be good? The point of development isn't to be good. It's to get better. Everybody can get better. The program I am currently a part of doesn't win because of our superstars. We win because our "other" kids are better than yours. We develop them by focusing on fundamentals.
There’s a huge difference between “good” and “learning the skills required to become good” which I assume is more what that poster is talking about.

As a small school, four sporter “other” kid back in the day, I can’t think of a single teammate I ever had, in any sport, that contributed that didn’t play growing up and had the fundamentals at least established.
 
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The last sentence of your post is a disappointing statement if you are a coach. If a kid isn't good by 9th grade, he/she won't ever be good? The point of development isn't to be good. It's to get better. Everybody can get better. The program I am currently a part of doesn't win because of our superstars. We win because our "other" kids are better than yours. We develop them by focusing on fundamentals.
I would equate it to the equivalent of playing little league versus USSSA baseball. Sure, you could get a little league kid thst is exceptional, but odds are, you need to play advanced baseball if you want to play at the higher high school level. It’s just a fact. The little league kid woujd certainly “develop “ but they have a lot longer ways to go than the U trip kid. Not saying I like it or not, but just how it is.
 
Good job parents and coaches …. keep being ******** to the officials.

My buddy tells parents/coaches all the time. I dont need to be here but you need me here so settle down.
Maybe they ought to make a rule that if you as a parent gets tossed from a baseball game then you can't come back until you're a licensed umpire.
 
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Average age of high school umps in Iowa is like 60. It’s going to be happening more.
Reffing is a thankless job, but it does pay well. Most places are paying $150 to $175 to ump a double header, one game behind the plate another on the bases. Younger people are just not going into it, and the crowds have gotten worse through the years. If a person wanted to work you could easily ump 4 or 5 nights a week, and the do a tournament on Saturday. In most cases you would not have to travel much more than an hour from your home. Now you might have to wait a month or two to get paid, but you can make some decent money,
 
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Reffing is a thankless job, but it does pay well. Most places are paying $150 to $175 to ump a double header, one game behind the plate another on the bases. Younger people are just not going into it, and the crowds have gotten worse through the years. If a person wanted to work you could easily ump 4 or 5 nights a week, and the do a tournament on Saturday. In most cases you would not have to travel much more than an hour from your home. Now you might have to wait a month or two to get paid, but you can make some decent money,
I hope that isn't varsity pay. Most schools are paying $240+ for two Friday night football games.
 
Or volunteer the rest of the season in the concession stand.

Or just not be allowed back for the remainder of the season
I'm only half serious but if there's a threat of having actually be an official out there and you tossed a few parents every year maybe a few of them would stick it out and start umping some. You really need to do something to get the parents under control and you need new blood umpiring games.
 
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Reffing is a thankless job, but it does pay well. Most places are paying $150 to $175 to ump a double header, one game behind the plate another on the bases. Younger people are just not going into it, and the crowds have gotten worse through the years. If a person wanted to work you could easily ump 4 or 5 nights a week, and the do a tournament on Saturday. In most cases you would not have to travel much more than an hour from your home. Now you might have to wait a month or two to get paid, but you can make some decent money,

I'm not sure how long a HS double header is, but I would not consider that paid "well". For HS football, we'd get between $100-140 for a single varsity game. We'd arrive to the school by 5:30 & would be lucky to leave by 10. $20-28/hour isn't great, even worse if you have to travel or if it's on a weekend.

ETA - And that's not counting any time spent on film review, camps/clinics, studying rules/taking tests, etc. Any official worth a damn does all of those things, usually on a weekly basis during the season.
 
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Fair. Also the guys I know that do both say they are never itching for more when baseball is done but they are when football is.
Baseball softball can burn you out, you are going every night if you want, and can also do morning JR. high games. So instead of working a couple nights a week like football, you can work 4 to 5 nights or weekends.
You also have the crew concept, so you are hanging out with the same group of people every Friday night, and look forward to doing that. With baseball/softball lots of times you do not even know who you are working with until you show up. There are a few two person teams, but most are not.
 
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Accept my apologies if this has been discussed here but I’m very disappointed in our State Legislature and the IaHSAA for allowing 8th graders to be eligible to play High School football. There will be small 8 man schools that should combine with other programs that will now have small kids on the field against far bigger and faster upper class men. Hopefully I’m misinformed on this subject. If it is true, there should be a weight minimum included.
 

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