Riding Solo

[quote name="catfever" post="1209812" timestamp="1334253746"] Many skills from all sports can be taught in 50 minutes.  My belief is that the Head Coach of the sport should be allowed to decide what days to lift weights, what conditioning or agility drills would benefit his kids, and what sport specific skill drills could help his sport.  Most coaches want to build something within their sport so they would want to get better in the offseason.  It is hard to do that when you have no control over what the kids do in the offseason.  Many people have gotten on here and said that kids should be motivated enough to do it on their own.  I completely agree and when I was younger we were like that.  Are we really naive enough to think that very many of them are going to do that today.  Kids have changed.  They don't live outside anymore to throw the ball around or shoot hoops.  Society has changed and athletics needs to adjust as well in order to progress.  Somebody mentioned the 2010 Bobcat baseball team.  That team had three young men who really knew how to work and were gifted with many natural talents as well.  They were very driven.  Those kids don't come around very often.  Not many teams have 3 Division one athletes on one team at the 3A level. [/quote] I agree somewhat with your statement about the kids of today. I graduated from Orangefield in 1980 and believe me the parents of today would not like Coach Peveto. I played 4 sports and even though Basketball was my favorite I did not mind going through offseason for football because a position is earned not given. That being said there are football players that play basketball and I am sure they want equal practice time as the kids who only play Basketball. It is hard to practice when your whole team is not there. If you give to one it will take away from another. All this is mute point because as long as we are in this district it will be a struggle. Like you said those really gifted athlete's don't come around very often and neither will winning for orangefield. Don't get me wrong, I think our kids are awesome and for being out numbered they fight to the end.  Before the 2010 group came the last athlete to stand out was Jeff Granger. That was 22 years ago. I don't have a dog in this fight anymore. When I hear classes for an individual sport I see specializing and I will never agree to that. I guess I will be old school forever. Huck will be gone soon and some of you will win. I will just sit back and watch because when a new guy comes in and things don't go the way some of you want it to or the program does not progress, I will be there to say I told you so.

Maybe you should become a coach then, since you have all the answers. By the way I played 4 sports. ;)

I just talked to  UIL director and yes you can practice a sport out of season duing the school year in the athletic period. I was wrong but I still feel the sameway about classes for individual sports. 50 minutes is not a lot of time to actually get in much work.  Most of the work is done after school. HJ is good not because they have a basketball class but because of their little dribbler program. I don't see the baseball class helping their baseball program. Silsbee they just have more athletes plain and simple. Don't see a basketball class helping Bridge City either. Here are the facts, unless Orangefield really grows at a rapid pace we will always be in the rear view mirrow of WOS, Silsbee and HJ in basketball, also WOS, Silsbee and BC in football. It will be hit and miss for us as long as we stay in this district. We simply do not have the number of athletes some of these bigger schools have. Orangefield needs to have their athlete's playing multiple sports in order to compete. If kids start specializing the program as a "WHOLE" is doomed. That is what we are talking about RIGHT, the "WHOLE" program.

[quote name="belle-mere" post="1209555" timestamp="1334200325"] Most 3A schools don't have enough coaches/teaching units to allow multiple athletic periods, especially after budget cuts this year, and many don't have the facilities to split up into multiple sports during one period. It's a mute question at many 3A schools. [/quote] You are right on. Funny how people don't see that.

[quote name="hitman009" post="1209535" timestamp="1334197106"] [quote author=Riding Solo link=topic=98828.msg1209444#msg1209444 date=1334185910] [quote author=catfever link=topic=98828.msg1209174#msg1209174 date=1334159096] This topic would probably get a more accurate response on the baseball and basketball forums.  IMO, yes it does help.  They can get better at individual skills that are a must in order for a TEAM to be successful.  They still need to work on throwing, batting, and catching in baseball and dribbling and shooting in basketball.  I agree that kids don't need to specialize at the 3A level, but lets face it, some kids aren't football players, just like some are not baseball or basketball players.  Why should the kids who just aren't football players, not be able to get better at the sport they like to play.  If done properly, this would not encourage kids to specialize, it would just benefit the ones who do. [/quote] The UIL does not allow a team to start practicing before the mandated date. So if they work on batting, throwing, catching, dribbling and shooting before that date it is against the rules plain and simple. What they do on their spare time is their business. I agree some are not football players but why should the football players not have the adaquate time to prepare just like the kids who only play basketball. It that fair for the football players just because they chose to play football? Its a double egde sword. You have to think about every kid in every sport not just the one your kid is playing in. [/quote]HMMM YES UIL does allow a team to start practicing before the mandated date. Its called fall ball. Now the head baseball coach of the school can not coach them there but he can appoint the right person to run the team. He can teach him/her how to run practice and what to look for.. so they can practice as a team.  Also during the athletic period they are allowed to throw, catch, hit.....with the coach there. and yes football players are allowed to practice before the season starts.... its called 7 on 7 during the summer.. or Spring Football with pads. As for should 3A teams have separate specific sport periods...YES... Its not fair that a kid can not get practice during the period just because they do not play football.  But It has to be done right and the RIGHT COACHES need to be hired.  [color=red]A coach should not persuade a kid to stick to one sport.[/color][/quote] Like Griff does at LCM right, Never heard of fall ball before at the high school level except for select teams.  I agree, they should be able to practice the sport in season during their athletic period, but again if you are going to have a class for baketball and baseball why not have a class for every single sport. Not very realistic.  Apparently basketball and baseball are the only sports you care about. Jacob Felts and Jace Statum did not get better from playing High school ball. They got better from putting in the work before the season on their own.

[quote name="T-daddy" post="1209160" timestamp="1334157935"] Yes, a baseball class is very benificial in 3a..look at the successful programs and I bet they all have a baseball class period.. [/quote] The most successful is Bridge City and a lot of those kids play football. Bridge City is good because of their youth program plain and simple. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!

Karma for you Dove. ;D

[quote name="catfever" post="1209174" timestamp="1334159096"] This topic would probably get a more accurate response on the baseball and basketball forums.  IMO, yes it does help.  They can get better at individual skills that are a must in order for a TEAM to be successful.  They still need to work on throwing, batting, and catching in baseball and dribbling and shooting in basketball.  I agree that kids don't need to specialize at the 3A level, but lets face it, some kids aren't football players, just like some are not baseball or basketball players.  Why should the kids who just aren't football players, not be able to get better at the sport they like to play.  If done properly, this would not encourage kids to specialize, it would just benefit the ones who do. [/quote] Football is the issue here, so this thread is in the right place. Just like you said, it would benefit the ones that do "SPECIALIZE".  The bigger picture is "ALL" the kids. How do "ALL" the kids benefit? It's about the program as a whole. By the way if a kid wants to get better it is not done by the coaches at the High school or college level, it is done by the individual kid who puts in the extra work to get better on their own. Kids are responsible for their own actions.

[quote name="catfever" post="1209174" timestamp="1334159096"] This topic would probably get a more accurate response on the baseball and basketball forums.  IMO, yes it does help.  They can get better at individual skills that are a must in order for a TEAM to be successful.  They still need to work on throwing, batting, and catching in baseball and dribbling and shooting in basketball.  I agree that kids don't need to specialize at the 3A level, but lets face it, some kids aren't football players, just like some are not baseball or basketball players.  Why should the kids who just aren't football players, not be able to get better at the sport they like to play.  If done properly, this would not encourage kids to specialize, it would just benefit the ones who do. [/quote] The UIL does not allow a team to start practicing before the mandated date. So if they work on batting, throwing, catching, dribbling and shooting before that date it is against the rules plain and simple. What they do on their spare time is their business. I agree some are not football players but why should the football players not have the adaquate time to prepare just like the kids who only play basketball. It that fair for the football players just because they chose to play football? Its a double egde sword. You have to think about every kid in every sport not just the one your kid is playing in.

[quote name="footballin" post="1209193" timestamp="1334161656"] IMO most of the individual skills are learned at a young age. When they get into HS they are (for the most part) expected to already know how to dribble, shoot, swing, throw properly. To polish off those type of skills it takes a driven individual to practice outside of the normal practice times, putting in that extra effort on the weekends. Ask any successful player at any sport and I bet they tell you that the extra effort put in outside of practice is what set them apart from the rest of the athletes. It's when you get a group of kids that all are willing to put in that extra effort is when you get the best results. Ex. the 2010 Orangefield Baseball team when they made a run at the playoffs. Most of those kids had been playing together since they were just little guys in t-ball. And you can bet that even before the official practices started they were out there putting in work without the coaches, getting their arms in shape, getting their swing mechanics back in order, etc, so that when the season came around they were ready to roll. My point being that it is not sufficient to rely on what is done during practice or an athletics period to make a team successful. If you disagree with that I would be happy for you to give me an example of a team that was successful putting in ONLY the necessary work. [/quote] Good post and you are right on.

My answer is "NO" and why you ask. Well, they cannot practice as a team until the UIL permits. Yes, they can build conditioning and upper body strenght but a team is all about chemistry. Yes, the 4A and 5A teams have enough kids to go around but not the small 3A teams and down. If kids start specializing in sports at the 3A level then the program is doomed as a whole.  Sorry but classes or not it will not make a difference for Orangefield. Most kids get better by playing select or AAU. Now I do agree they should be able to practice the sport in season during their athletic period. But not one class for baketball players, one for baseball players and so on. If you create a class for those then why not every single sport. That is not realistic.

[color=red]Quote from Wildcatter: Did you know that the last time that we made playoffs in football, basketball and baseball ther was a common denominator?  They all had a separate class where they could work on skill developoment and off season lifting.  It absolutely killed the program I guess becasue since that time footbal has not made the playoff and the other sports have in spite of this.  the coach wasRandy Theriot. [/color] The first time the boys made the play-offs in basketball since 1958 was 2005. Theriot was not there at that time. Also our district foes had a different make-up in coach Theriot stint as head coach. Here are the teams: Woodville, Kountze, Kirbyville( during down years for them) Warren, SFA, Buna and Newton (we never beat Newton in football). IMO you cannot compare 1995-98 to 2012. Out of 4 years Theriot was in Orangefield 2 were very successful, Playoffs in football, we had decent track teams, very good pole vaulters, good tennis teams, good golfers and the baseball team was decent. In 2011 the football team was in the  hunt for a playoff spot needing to win their last game, girls went to the playoff's in Volleyball. In 2012 girls made the playoffs in basketball. Boys had a playoff for 3rd, Boys and girls Golf teams won district (Don't think that has ever happened before), Girls softball has a chance and so does boys baseball to make the playoffs. All and all 2012 is a decent year considering who is in our district now compared to 1997-98. By the way the quote is in [color=red]red[/color] to set itself apart from the actual text. Not because I am upset. Just letting everyone know.

[quote name="footballin" post="1208152" timestamp="1334009817"] If you want the type of father figure that will allow his kids to run wild on the weekends, act up in class, or be disrespectful and be able to get away with it, your not going to get that from Coach Huck. What you will get is a man who holds every kid responsible for his actions. He is molding young men and instilling values in them that they may carry for the rest of their lives. He is more than a Coach. [/quote] I agree footballin.

Have to agree with both of these post.

[quote name="bobcat4life" post="1207352" timestamp="1333719076"] The moral to the story about her, is why is it too much to ask to have an AD that accepts every kid.  Many of these young men and women are reaching out for a father figure at home because they don't have one.  As you well know I have a soft spot for kids, and all the kids, not just mine.  My heart goes out to some of them, and as you know I open my home up to them as well.  So I just don't see where it is a huge leap to ask people who are in the profession of motivating as many kids as possible, and to make a difference in their lives, to do it.  I know this, when coaches and teachers are mentors to these kids, maybe just maybe, a few of them will decide that they don't want to let down their coach and will stay away from some of these parties. So if I seem a little sensitive on this issue it is because there isn't a day that goes by that I don't look at a room where a young man stayed that is no longer with us.  Every single time I go to a basketball game I am reminded of the young man that would have been beside my son playing. So yes, I believe that is all of responsiblity to help these young people get to adulthood. And I believe that an AD has a unique opportunity to play a significant role in these kids lives. [/quote] I agree Because because my High school school coach was a father figure to a lot of young men. But some kids are just not reachable. Not saying that was the case here but even the ones that Coach Peveto mentored still went out and partied. That is what some kids do, except back when I was young parents did not throw parties at their house for kids. A coach can only do so much and a lot solely depends on the kid.

Very good post man. I could not agree more. The guessing part was easy, Cindy Burton.

Since you put it in elegant terms, YES. LOL!!!!!!

Some teachers are better than others just like coaches. I agree with that but I will never call them out. Because they do a service most are not willing to do and that includes me and you. I promise you there is not a school district in this state that has a perfect teacher at every grade. To say some of your teacher's was horrible right or wrong was uncalled for.

[quote name="bobcat4life" post="1206600" timestamp="1333595149"] maybe you and I should just call each other and talk about all this :) [/quote] No need to call because we will not agree and that is OK. We have talked and nothing will be settled on this matter.

[quote name="bobcat4life" post="1206598" timestamp="1333595037"] I agree with the fact that teachers and coaches get paid a pittance for their efforts.  However, I know some teachers that were there when I was in school that were HORRIBLE.  And were still there up until they finally retired a few years ago. My personal opinion is that teachers have more protection than average people in the workforce.  After all, how many people at OF that you know have actually been relieved of thier duties for poor performance? The coach we discussed is one of the few.  Here is the deal, people that do a good job don't have to worry about it. I mean, you must be doing a good job since they let you get on message boards all day... lol [/quote] Becareful what you say because you are on here also. It would be nice if everyone was perfect like you then it would be utopia. ;D Who are you to judge? Just saying man!!!!

[quote name="bobcat4life" post="1206575" timestamp="1333592849"] To be totally honest, I know that he was reassigned for supposedly pushing a kid down in PE.  Josh was in that class and said he had no idea what was going on.  I have always hated that he left, I think it was a loss for the school. [/quote] That is not what happen but close anyway I agree with you it was a loss for the school. But again parents caused this. I  personally watched this man greet every kid every morning at the elementary.  Now do I know the whole story No I do not. Actually I wrote an article in the Orange leader about this and Mr Gentry called me into his office and said I should not have because I did not know everything. But that was the Supt talking.  My point is these coaches and teachers are under a Microscope and why? They can't even breath without wondering if they will have a job tomorrow. They went to college for 4 years and for what? To get paided nothing and have do deal with this and we wonder why we have a shortage of teachers and coaches are not far behind.

Do we need to go there?

[quote name="bobcat4life" post="1206559" timestamp="1333590850"] And Solo, the reason I said I agreed with you is because I really did :) I think the track program should be pushed more.  I saw the best High School track coach we have ever had last week in BC watching the pole vaulters.  I wondered to myself just how awesome Ty Johnson could have been in pole vault if he would have still been here. [/quote] Oh I agree Bobcat, but why did he leave?

You are learning about the quoting bobcat4life. Proud of you. LOL!!!!! I don't completely agree with you but do we ever.  ;D ;D

[quote name="jenks" post="1206475" timestamp="1333581044"] [quote author=nineteen70 link=topic=98194.msg1206444#msg1206444 date=1333576599] [quote author=bobcat4life link=topic=98194.msg1205188#msg1205188 date=1333383150] OH Mr. Little, you know I love you and we go back a long way.  I also know that a lot of what you say, or don't say is to stir things up.  Here are a few questions I have for you; 1. How should an AD be judged?  2. Wins and losses? 3. Number of kids in the program? 4. Overall morale and unity of the school? Secondly, who told you or anyone else for that matter it was the kids that received discipline last year?  Sure they were the school board's kids, but, to my knowledge, Mr. McAlpin, the principal, administered the discipline, NOT Huck.  Funny, I haven't heard one negative word concerning McAlpin.  Those kids confessed, they were not caught.  They could have lied about it, but they didn't.  They then faced their discipline, and went on.  In short, the issues going on have zero to do with the discipline those boys faced, but rather a difference of opinion in certain facets of the athletic program. For anyone to say different is irresponsible.  Secondly, the boys we are talking about are just that.... boys.  Not sure which kids aren't susceptible to making mistakes. Here is the other deal, when the board suggested months ago they would like to see a class for basketball kids, etc. It was a recommendation to the Supt.  Why there is this huge panic with everyone running around screaming about the school board is a mystery to me.  I know every one of them personally.  I do not agree with each of them on every issue, but I will say this, they are all in it for the benefit of kids. Period. [/quote] I attended one of the school board meetings earlier in the year.  I was astonished and mortified at the conduct of 2 of the school board members. If you had seen what I saw, you might have a different opinion of the whole situation. They had hatred in their eyes and treated Coach Huckabay in a way that no one deserves to be treated. If all they were concerned about was adding classes for different sports, they wouldn't have acted the way they did. The intentions they had were definitely personal. There is nothing anyone can say to change my mind. I saw it for myself, and at the time, I wasn't even aware of what was really going on. If there is a Code of Conduct for the School Board then a line was certainly crossed. [/quote] You are welcome to run next time. its not as easy as it seems. [/quote] I agree Jenks, politics have been around for a long time. School boards are no different. School board members are human just like everyone else and they are volunteers and should be commended. But keep their kids separate from the business at hand. Just like a coach who has a kid playing. Not saying that is the issue here but I have seen parents who only care about their kid and not the team. A friend told me that at a girls basketball game he counted 9 parents that had scorebooks in their hand. Wow are they about the "Team"? I don't think so.