UIL Considers Allowing HS coaches to be involved in 7 on 7, and SELECT SPORTS

[HillGuy]

This was started on the football thread, but I think there are much greater implications on the select (LIKE SOFTBALL) side!

UIL may let football coaches run 7-on-7, select sports teams

The time could be approaching for high school coaches to decide just how much time they want to spend with their athletes.

As part of the annual UIL press conference at the Texas High School Coaches Association Coaches’ School, UIL executive director Dr. Charles Breithaupt said the organization is studying the possibility of allowing high school coaches to coach non-school teams.

That would mean, for example, a high school football coach could coach a seven-on-seven team of his players, or a girls’ basketball coach could coach a select team of players from her program.

Breithaupt, who spoke to the media at the Hilton Austin in connection with the conference that brought together more than 12,000 of the state’s high school coaches, said he believes the coaches fall into three categories on the issue of coaching non-school teams.

“I think 40 percent would tell you, ‘Let us coach, we’re already having to be there anyway,’ †Breithaupt said. “Some are saying, ‘Enough is enough.’ There’s another group saying, ‘I’d rather us be coaching them than somebody else.’ â€

High school coaches are allowed to open school facilities for athletes to work out during the summer, as well as coach athletes for up to an hour per school day during the off-season.

But Breithaupt pointed out that high school athletes’ participation on teams not associated with the school has increased to the point that events take place just about every day of the year.

If high school coaches vote to approve coaching non-school teams, they could be signing up for a never-ending gig.

Breithaupt said there are far more questions than answers at this point.

“So how far do you go?,†he said. “Should coaches be allowed to coach 12 months? Where does it pick back up? What does that do to the sport?â€

Though he spoke specifically about the possibility, Breithaupt didn’t offer a target date for athletic directors to vote on a proposal.

“It may be a long study,†he said. “We’re not going to get in a hurry. We’re going to spend some time and get this right.â€

Breithaupt and UIL athletic director Cliff Odenwald addressed a variety of issues during the press conference, including:

* A review of the steps the UIL took in reaction to the outbreak of the swine flu in Texas in May.

* The results of steroid testing during the last two years. The UIL has revealed that, of 45,000 athletes tested, there have been 19 positive tests and three unresolved cases. Also, the UIL’s steroid testing budget has been cut from $6 million to $2 million, meaning the organization will test fewer students in the next two years.

* The decision made by 1A athletic directors to align in two divisions at the next realignment in February. A referendum item is up for vote by 2A athletic directors and 4A athletic directors are set to “revisit†the possibility.