Maybe this is why I started this thread. Coaches make a commitment to their athletes, but it seems like commitment works only when it is a convenience for many kids and parents. Not all, and certainly not the good ones.....A day or so before the Goodland dual tournament this year, I got a call from my brother that my dad was in intensive care. He was stable, but I wondered whether to go down or not. Thursday night, he was doing better. I chose to head to Goodland before driving down to see my Dad early Sunday morning. On the way to Goodland, I got a call that Dad had crashed and been placed on life support....a few minutes later we made the decision to pull him off of life support. I stayed at the tournament because I had a commitment to my team. I was committed to them. I felt some guilt about not being with my dad and my brothers, but my first priority at that point was to the 13 kids that I had at Goodland. My administration offered me a ride back, but at that point I was where I needed to be. My daughter was with me as a manager, and it was a tough weekend. My team was well aware of what was going on, we grew up a bit that weekend. It is really frustrating, and yes, PATHETIC, that kids so easily forget the commitment that many of their coaches and teammates give to our teams. Their weak A$$ excuses get old. They are lesser people because of their lack of commitment, and always will be. Their reputation is made. I may like them, but I will probably never respect them. I am very proud of the kids that have stayed with our program. They battle. They wrestle hurt. We will be better next year because of what we have been through this year. Wrestling is a very demanding sport. It's not for everyone, but our society at large embraces mediocrity.