My son wrestled middle school and I do think he picked up bad habits there. Its not the coach's fault. We only have one and he had alot of other kids to work with. And, Red, its not that some kids think they are too good, it that if they are not just going into the room 'just to help coach' they are not going to get anything out of most of the practices. Changes need to be made for the good of the sport. Fortunately, our middle school season was over in time for the Park Hill tourney in early December, if not, I would never skip club wrestling for middle school, it would impede a kid's development.
And, if you let the experienced kids do both, won't they bring back experiences that will help everyone....Red, isn't that the theory you used about them coming into the middle school room and helping the new kids???
While I am sure we agree most times, I disagree here. The theory you ascribe to me is the theory of "sharing the wealth" which I do not believe in. Saying I should continuously maximize my own talents and only share them when I have to. I am saying that you do not get to have your cake and eat it too. I would fault no person that skips the middle school season because they can get more at the club level. If the coach isn't up to snuff, then don't wrestle for him. My theory is simply that there are many things that take place in a kids life between the 7th grade and the 12th grade and the humility to take the six week window of being a part of a school team, goes a long way socially and emotionally for the development of all involved. This is the theory called stewardship, which I follow, where talent should be shared, meaning sometimes sacraficing personal gain for the betterment of the whole. Sometimes that means doing things for no personal self gain but for the gain of others. I have my own kids to worry about so ultimately, I don't care what a family does. I have my own plates to clean. But....
...we must decide if the team and community are more important than the individual and not wantonly ignore rules because they do not benefit me personally. If you are an athlete (especially at a 5A school and below) that could help a team, but you are sitting out the season to focus on your specialty, then honestly, I am not impressed. And really, the way most youth athletes look to the stands for guidance instead of their coaches anyways, makes me wonder why we even bother trying to teach kids lessons that will actually help them for the rest of their lives, like self-control and respect.
So there you go, aren't you glad you asked?
