I have given this topic a great deal of thought, spoken with HS coaches, read posts, and considered several perspectives. I am not a high school (HS) coach, so I think I speak without a HS coach’s bias...

Most of us agree that:
(#1) during the HS season too many new kids quit or fall behind, and
(#2) coaches are hamstrung (stiff penalties vs feed the family) from working with their athletes (beginners or not) outside of the HS season.

It is not anyone’s fault, no one is to blame for the process, everyone is making the best of the situation...it’s just “how it is”.

High Schools must schedule a 3-month sport. Squads, in turn, have a few weeks to prepare for the first event. Everyone directs their attention to conditioning and improvements, and the season unfolds.

It begins with the “team” in mind. The HS coach plans the season around the typical participant (the target audience). The target audience will be teenagers that have done a year or two in kids club at some point in their youth, understand the rudiments of the sport, and remember several basic moves.

So it is reasonable for a HS coach to design practices that will condition the typical participant for rigorous competition as a team. Understandably, practices must be fast and furious. HS coaches must judiciously allocate time for brief demonstrations, intense drills, and “live” performance.

The HS season quickly fills with more than enough for everyone to do: practices, event logistics, routine admin, etc. HS coaches are busy with abbreviated pre/post efforts to orchestrate pinnacle decisions:
1. How many squads?
2. Where are the gaps in each line up?
3. Who has academic issues and how do we help them?
4. Who needs how much and what types of focused preparation?

Unfortunately, this model leaves little to no time for teaching the true beginner the volumes of information already possessed by the target audience. Just about the time, the beginner has just figured out “how to wrestle”, the season ends without reward. “Most wrestlers practice to go out and compete.”

Even more complex, many of our teenagers have a two season sport divided into 3 parts: HS, Kids, FS/GR.

USA/Fila events occur between the end of the HS season (Feb 24, 07) and Memorial day (May 28, 07). Kansas Freestyle State (June 2, 07) is usually the same week school lets out. This year, as with most years, HS coaches will have only 3 days to coach their wrestler...not enough to consider “serious”.

In June, wrestlers can get ready for Junior/Cadet Nationals/Duals, but there are no appropriate local tournaments for beginners. Coaches have opportunity to work with the experienced wrestlers; yet, once again, these are impractical sessions for the beginners.

In a perfect world, link consumer to producer. The rules for “HS Coaches and their athletes” are getting closer to that end. Just one more tweak, remove any reference to dates: Memorial Day and Labor Day. I am not clear on the significance of these dates. Maybe they limit risk or fend off violations of some sort, not sure? We need to discuss and seek to understand.

In a perfect world, coaches could help their wrestler whenever that wrestler needed the help. In this parent’s mind, all of our teenagers must be the target audience, not just ‘the experienced’. We should encourage our teenager to pursue hard-work and dedication…and the coach that wants to stay involved. Hold open rooms, camps, let them lift, etc. and then about a month before the season have pre-season open room to show the basics to the new freshmen that might want to join the team.

Swimming just gained some major changes. They figured out how to communicate their message to the rule makers. It is our turn to follow that example and figure it out too, united, without biting each other.

The system works, rules are improving, HS coaches do want to help, Kids coaches too, Kansas has lots of talent, etc, etc, etc. Each sport has subtle nuances as well as differing issues and needs. One size does not fit all. Some sports are one’s hobby, but another’s passion.

We’re all headed in the right direction...for the right reasons, the kids...swimmers are leading their example...I only wish we could remove the dates, soon.