Bon_Mot

One decision that stinks from this past legislative session is the reduction in total games for all team sports (except, of course, football). Soccer's game limit is 15 games & 3 tournaments, 17 games & 2 tournaments, 19 games and & 1 tournament, or 21 total games. The UIL has reduced all of that by 1 tournament or 2 games, so it will soon be 15 & 2, 17 & 1, or 19 total. This really stinks for us since our ISD is about to get a tenth school in 5A, which means 18 district games... which means NO tournament!  >:( I understand the reason behind the decision, though. It's to appease people like smitty (from the football and politics boards) who are shouting for schools to cut spending for athletics.

Settle down! It's just a joke - not trying to get personal. And I can almost gurantee you that most people probably chuckled a bit at that line, and honestly, it IS the truth. A post about UIL soccer is against form. Bullets, I'm doing well. Ready to crank the season up. We only lost 3 seniors from last year's team that went three rounds deep, and one of our returners was the leading scorer in 5A in San Antonio last year.

I know this goes against form since it's not a thread about the SFA women's soccer program, but I just wanted to say YAY UIL. They have finally approved a separate classification for 3A soccer. (It will be called 4A since all of the classifications are bumping up 1 number in their title, but that's too confusing to discuss now...) Anyway, I know all of the 3A's will enjoy this, and hopefully it will encourage other 3A schools (and maybe a few 2A's) to start up programs. Also, SETX should have an extremely competetive district with the addition of Lumberton and probably Livingston to the Beaumont schools, Vidor, LCM, Nederland, and PNG.

[quote name="eknights88" post="1034733" timestamp="1313245694"] Mosley states only band and football wanted double block, but bon mot stated he also wanted double block. So if Bon mot wanted double block, why wasn't he given double block for his sport also???[/quote] I wanted to be double blocked as long as my sport could meet last period. Meeting last period allows you to work all the way until the final bell - you don't have to worry about getting the kids inside in time to get showered and dressed, which is about 10 or 15 extra minutes a day, and I wouldn't have to get showered and dressed to get back in the classroom. Also, players in an athletic class last period don't have to miss any academic class if the team leaves a little early to beat the after school traffic. Another point, if a class is double blocked, the 2nd half of that class period must either be a study hall or another class. Where are you going to put all of those kids or what class are you going to create that is split to accomodate the double blocking? Anyway, I believe a study was done and the option I was given was to have my athletic period meet during one of the middle blocks. For the points provided above, I thought it best to remain as it was. I've worked for half a dozen AD's in my almost 20 years of coaching, and Coach Neumann has been my favorite by far. Did I always get what I wanted? No. Coach Neumann's philosophy often is "fair but not equal" and he was always fair with me. Truthfully, I would have loved to have had half the number of coaches that football got. I would have loved to have had a middle school program for my sport. I would have loved to have had more money in my budget. I didn't get any of that, but somehow the program I was a part of won a bunch of games in spite of these injustices. I'm not sure what the formula for success is, but a formula for failure is to try and please everyone. And the bottom line is, if you think your child is being mistreated, get off the message board and set up an appointment to speak with someone who is paid to listen to you. Just make sure your tin foil hat is on straight.

For what it's worth, when I was a head coach at NHS and this stuff was being discussed, Coach Neumann asked me if I would like my athletic period to be double blocked. I said, "Yes, definitely." He responded by saying, "I'm glad you said that because any coach who doesn't want to see his kids every day probably isn't a very good coach." Any time I had a conversation with Coach Neumann about a change in policy or a break in a precident, he would always say, "If we do it for one, then we have to do it for all." I'm not saying that he is/was for or against the double blocking of basketball (or whatever other sport), but if he is/was not fully on board with it, ask yourself, "Why not?" If you think he actually wants to see another sport fail, then you just might have a tin foil hat or something. I certainly would not want to be the AD who had to deal with the logistics of having essentially all sports meeting 1st or last period. That's all sports sharing the showers, locker room, weight room, gym, and fields. Rainy days would not be fun. You wanna see a fight?! Ask a cheerleader sponsor to get out of the gym because you have a game tomorrow! She's like a honey badger. She doesn't give a flip. They have a competition that weekend and that's all that matters! Another point to consider: If you are taking these coaches and their assistants out of the classroom for an additional athletic period, then you are burdening the rest of the teachers who do not coach on that campus. Who will take on that extra academic course load? Again, I'm just offering what (little) I know of this subject in my nine years at NHS. Also, just for fun, replace "Nederland High School" with just about any school in Texas, and replace "basketball" with any sport other than football, and nothing will change. Every sport other than football in every town in Texas gets no respect. If you don't like it, move to Kentucky. They [i]SUCK[/i] at football, and no one cares. I gotta go. The aliens have hidden my tin foil hat again.

As someone with a direct interest in this situation, it really makes me sad ot think about the future of Nederland.  I am a proud Nederland graduate, and when I began teaching, Nederland ISD was always my destination.  It took five years to get there, but when I did I thought I'd be a life-long NISD employee.  When I started having kids, though, I had reprioritize my life. Which was more important: to be considered a good coach or a good dad?  I chose my family, and when the initial bond didn't pass, after working at NHS for 9 years, I chose to leave the town I grew up in and a successful program before the start of the next school year.  It wasn't easy, but I couldn't put my sons in an elementary shcool with window units.  I couldn't (with a sound conscience) put my sons in a district where the "newest" building was built during the Nixon Administration. The district my boys will now attend has passed [b]SIX[/b] bonds in the past 20 years and opened up four high schools in the past 15. ( [Hidden Content] ).  I don't like to lose, but after that bond failed, smitty, I knew that I had.  I thought I was a part of a community of people who put the future first, but now I realize that I was wrong.  It has been taken over by a bunch of stubborn mules who would rather spout demagoguery than sit down and find a solution.  Why don't you find a SINGLE EXAMPLE of a successful school with no extra-curricular activites.  But you won't.  You just won't.  You'll just ask an irrelevant question.  Or say "we need to try something different." Or change the subject.  Typical avoidance.  I only wish you had family attending Nederland schools so we could truly see what your priority is.  But you don't, and your selfishness is obvious. 

[quote name="A Bear's Bear" post="999007" timestamp="1303136925"] To the earlier arguement about how many coaches a school should have: it totally depends on the size of the football program.  Deweyville doesn't need as many coaches as Bridge City, who doesn't need as many coaches as PNG or West Brook.  A school with 200+ kids in the program is gonna need more coaches.  [/quote] I think we need to differentiate the idea of "need" and "would like".  The band at many campuses has a [i]large[/i] number of kids in their program, yet get by (and prosper) with much less than 10 to 15 'coaches'.  Would they "like" a specific coach for each instrument? Sure. Do they "need" it to be successful? Results prove otherwise. As a soccer coach, I would love to have HALF the resources that football does, i.e. coaches, equipment, travel budget. But to think that football versus any other sport are treated equal is ludicrous. What's the difference? Popularity? Is this how we decide any other part of the budget in education? Should the math department get less money because fewer kids are interested in arithmetic? Don't say money, because football spends just as much as they bring in at most schools. I'm not saying anyone should be fired, but when looking to save money, one should look at where the surpluses are. And please don't think that I'm taking sides with smitty.  That guy is just insane. But please ask yourself about the difference between "need" and "would like" concerning your athletic department.

[quote name="slick5" post="985948" timestamp="1300638019"] At least we are not known for[color=red][b] [i]just[/i][/b][/color] long balls!! [/quote] If you look at Coach L's signature, you'll see that they're known for something more than [color=red][i][b]just[/b][/i][/color] long balls...

It's going down to the last match.  We're 7-3-5 in district and currently tied for 3rd with the 5th place team only a point behind us.  If we secure a point on Tuesday against the 1st place team, then we're in.  It's been a crazy district campaign.  Just two weeks ago we were in 6th place. It's been a bit of a rebuilding process.  I took over a program that finished in 7th place last year and hadn't been to play-offs in five years.  We only start 4 seniors, so we battle inconsistency from time to time, but hopefully the future is bright. Good to see you guys continue to churn out the victories.  Good luck in the play-offs.

It's all soccer.  Like a wise man once said, "Never make an excuse for a loss, and never apologize for a victory."  The same can be said for scoring a goal.   I remember scrimmaging Lumberton a few years ago; we DOMINATED possesion and strung a dozen passes together a couple of times but couldn't score. Towards the end of the first half, Lumberton got a break-away counter attack and scored on their first shot of the game.  Final score of the scrimmage: Lumberton 1 Nederland 0. Until they put judges out there, the bottom line is the bottom line: score more goals than the other team.  Besides, if scoring a goal was easy, they'd call the sport baskeball.

[quote name="bigdog" post="985362" timestamp="1300499467"] I would say for the [b][color=red]triangle area[/color][/b], and probably most of SE Texas Ned is head and shoulders ahead. [/quote] this  Good luck versus the rest of Texas and the world...

[quote name="smitty" post="984968" timestamp="1300473693"] AGAIN -- the building does not make the student.  It's ALL about good teachers.  [quote author=Bon_Mot link=topic=81687.msg984889#msg984889 date=1300464106] smitty, I hope you live in an old house with window units and drive a car from the 70's.  If it's good enough for the children of Nederland, then it should be good enough for you. [/quote] [/quote] AGAIN -- you didn't offer a relevant retort to the statement.  You merely deflected attention elsewhere.  Why don't you drive a car from the 70's or live in a house with window units?  And if you didn't notice my original statement was about the SCHOOLS.  Why do you insist on bringing up the stadium (which is less than 10% of the proposed bond)?  Also, if you left your compound and drove around the state of Texas, you'd notice how far behind Nederland schools are in technology.  I know with all of this talk about futuristic things such as central air and heat along with a contraption called "the computer" I'm talking over your head right now so go hide behind your flag and curse progress.  Let me know when your calendar hits the 21sy Century.

smitty, I hope you live in an old house with window units and drive a car from the 70's.  If it's good enough for the children of Nederland, then it should be good enough for you.

[quote name="rip2506" post="952090" timestamp="1295616430"] let me clarify the imagine comment... it should have read... imagine if no one had ever played soccer before coming to high school. That was the point I was trying to make... [/quote] If this is what you meant, then all of this is much ado about nothing.  And I agree, it would be some ugly soccer, and it would make my job a lot more difficult.

[quote name="DoctorDave" post="952130" timestamp="1295622087"] Almost all high school soccer teams play at a Div 2 (and mostly below) level.[/quote] Where, exactly, are you getting this information from?  ??? Kinda painting with a broad brush, aren't you?  Do you mean all high schools in SouthEast Texas?  Or are you excluding the all of the programs in Katy, Cy Fair, Klein, McKinney, Frisco, San Antonio NorthEast and Northside - all loaded with Div I talent.  Listen, I understand that the club system is my life-blood.  I agree, the club system makes my players better.  But why can't someone throw a little love toward some of the high school programs that help craft young players into better soccer players, as well?  Sometimes, club parents have the attitude that their kids improve as soccer players [i]in spite[/i] of their high school programs. Please explain to me how I am not discussing with a "level perspective".  What do you mean by level perspective? And here's a question for you:  Does the club make the player, or the player make the club?  If you can't answer "It's 50/50.", what would your percentage be?

[quote name="rip2506" post="952022" timestamp="1295580429"] [quote author=Bon_Mot link=topic=78991.msg951545#msg951545 date=1295497131] If you're wondering why, consider where you are.  Just about everywhere else in America (and the world) soccer is played during the spring, summer and fall, but when it became a UIL event, the AD's (football coaches) had to figure out where on the calendar to put soccer.  Although most of the rest of the high schools in the country play their season in the fall, there was no way the UIL (football coaches) was gonna let a buncha sissy commies take their players or mess up their practice fields for the freshman football team.  And they didn't want to directly overlap with basketball or baseball, so they stuck it in between. Now when a teacher says to me, "It sure is soccer weather out there!" when it's 40 degrees and drizzling I just nod my head and realize they don't have a stinking clue. [/quote] ps these statements against the fine football coaches of the state of Texas seem arrogant and condescending to me fellow. [/quote] Then explain to me why the soccer season in Texas is different than it is everywhere else in the US.  The UIL and THSCA is headed, for the most part, by football coaches. Who else can you blame for this decision? Please tell me why they chose to put an outdoor sport on the calendar in the middle of winter.  Really.  I want to hear your explaination. Condescending? When you speak of something that you obviously know nothing about, you're darn right I'll be patronizing and arrogant. I gotta go now.  I'm planning my game of kick-ball for soccer class tomorrow...

[quote name="rip2506" post="952001" timestamp="1295577987"] Bon I also know that you have a distaste for clubs and some of their players, but many of the kids I have had the pleasure to be around or good kids and they also do their High Schools proud ie The Woodlands, King Wood, PN-G, Lumberton, and Kelly just to name a few. [/quote] If you make a statement like this, then you obviously don't know me.  My distaste is for the eliteist snob who thinks that because a player plays for a certain club, then that player is obviously more talented than someone who plays for a lesser club. It's just not tue. And that high school coaches are just caretakers of talent cultivated by the clubs. Go through my history of posts and find one where I speak negatively about a club. Your logic is so flawed. Do high school programs need clubs to be good.  Well, duh! What sport is successful where the players begin playing that sport in 9th grade? That's like saying that Shakespeare would be nothing without his grammar school teachers. So what you're saying is that players get better because of club soccer, but not because of high school? It can't be both? I'm not so smart.It's not like I'm a doctor or something, but what in the bejeebuz do you think I do with my program in the off-season? I see my boys for an hour a day five days a week for the better part of 180 days a year. I'm not real good at math cuz I teach English, but that seems like a bunch, right? You remind me of a parent who insisted that his son deserved to be on varsity because of all the goals he scored in club.  My response, "If I went to your club coach and told him that your son should get more playing time for his club based on the goals he scored for his high school team, that club coach would laugh in my face and call me an idiot."

[quote name="rip2506" post="951651" timestamp="1295534863"] imagine if no-one played year round club soccer and only played in high school... That would be a kick ball fest and a real spectacle to watch... [/quote] You are so right! These ignorant high school coaches have no idea how to coach soccer! They'd probably try to call a time out or something...  ::)  "NO disrespect intended..."  Trust me, your statement is insulting, to say the least.  I'm pretty sure your coaches at Kelly have an idea how to teach the game, keep the ball on the carpet, & play positive soccer.  If I were them, I'd enjoy a little clarification on your statement, because you come off just a tad bit arrogant and condescending. Just to clear up some information on football since you obviously know nothing about it:  Have you heard of Spring Football?  Have you heard of 7on7? Football in Texas[b] is[/b] year round. I can name at least a dozen high school programs in Texas filled with players from top-notch clubs who underachieve because the coach can't reign in those little spoiled brats who've been told by their parents that they're better than the other players on the team.

If you're wondering why, consider where you are.  Just about everywhere else in America (and the world) soccer is played during the spring, summer and fall, but when it became a UIL event, the AD's (football coaches) had to figure out where on the calendar to put soccer.  Although most of the rest of the high schools in the country play their season in the fall, there was no way the UIL (football coaches) was gonna let a buncha sissy commies take their players or mess up their practice fields for the freshman football team.  And they didn't want to directly overlap with basketball or baseball, so they stuck it in between. Now when a teacher says to me, "It sure is soccer weather out there!" when it's 40 degrees and drizzling I just nod my head and realize they don't have a stinking clue.

[quote name="GoDogs27" post="907753" timestamp="1289694400"] But barrow has a history of choking in the playoffs.. If you've followed nederland closely, then you know what I mean.. This was like vintage smithson valley or bay city playoff games.. Just can't understand why you don't put the ball in the hands of your senior leader.. Instead you rely on a sophomore qb who is scared to death out there, and understandably so.. [/quote] I've followed Nederland football, and I have no idea what you mean.  History of choking in the play-offs?  Are you kidding me?  Maybe it's because Nederland has had so many opportunities to "choke" over the past decade+, but you do realize that Monte helped GET THEM TO THAT POINT right?  Look around the area and ask how many high schools would love to have a choker like Monte as a head friggin coach - if not their OC.  Get a clue. You can call it a "choke," but to lose to an [b]eventual state champion[/b] is not what I would consider a "choke" either. I don't know what you do for a living, but I would love to come judge you against the best 5 to 10 people in the ENTIRE STATE that do what you do and then call you a stinking choker if you don't match up. Please elaborate on how what Monte did is "vintage smithson valley or bay city".

:o [Hidden Content]

I played at Tyler Junior College and we beat Letourneau 10 - 0 in Longview! My opinion: please don't go to a school several states away just to play soccer if the school and/or experience isn't worth it.  If this is your only option to get a college education, then, by all means, go for it, but to accept a scholarship so far away at such a small school might be a little difficult without a solid support structure around you.

Here's a good article on how the Germans revamped their entire youth system and reinvented itself: [Hidden Content] It talks a little about the strategy of the national team and how, ironically, a lack of money in the Bundesliga actually helped the national team.  It also addresses their long-term goals and shows forsight that focuses on development at the youth level. Some of the hi-lites: [i]All across the country, 121 national talent centers would be built to help 10- to 17-year-olds with technical practice. Each center would employ two full-time coaches at a cost of $15.6 million over five years. The second key point was a new requirement for all 36 professional clubs in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 to build youth academies.[/i] [i]Whereas youth coaches would traditionally stress stamina and physical endurance, the new crop of highly qualified coaches is more interested in developing technical ability.[/i] [i]"We start with the U-9s. They play four-a-side, on small pitches, to encourage individual skills," Albeck said. "We then add players every year, only the U-13s are playing with full teams."[/i]

[quote name="DogOne" post="816055" timestamp="1278218871"] Once you separate the wheat form the chaff, what happens to the chaff?  What does the 13 year old kid do when he or she is told that they aren't good enough to be on one of the "solid club's" teams?  What do the 15-45 kids that are left over do when you reduce the 4 to 6 so-so teams down to 3 teams that could go to Houston and compete on a regular basis?  Do they just quit playing soccer?  Remember, after consolidation, there are no teams for them at the local clubs. [/quote] [quote author=Bon_Mot link=topic=70757.msg815691#msg815691 date=1278035665] I think by the U14 level, these trainers should be able to identify the talented and comitted players and also be able to assemble one very good team and a couple of other pretty good ones.[b] I also think that these satellites could continue to field teams at the U14 an up levels, but on a less competeve basis with the rest of the state.[/b] [/quote] I don't think you and I want the same thing at all. I might be way off, but it seems like you would be happy with a glorified rec league consisting of all of the local communities. I think by the age of 14, if a kid wants to continue playing but couldn't make one of the upper echelon teams, he could play for his high school team or like I said play rec.

For Dani Alves and the other Brazillians complaining about Robben's diving, check out the first 30 seconds of this link: [Hidden Content]