Discussion:"Coach"

Young fellow dies of heat stroke after practice. His father opines that if a child feels hot, he should inform "coach". I feel bad for the father.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/high-school/school-officials-mum-on-1072685.html

Don't get me started on these coaches! There is altogether too much coach worship going on in the country today. When I wake up in the morning I don't know whether to start on the ministers or the coaches.

If I was a sociology professor I'd write off for a big grant and make a study of it.

There are even coaches now to tell you how to make out your calendar and plan your life. I can assure you that "Coach" will be waiting a long time before he sees me darken his door.

Now the world has gotten so turned around that it's the kid's responsibility to tell the coach what the coach should already know. Remember the fellow who said "The rent too damn high!", well it's too damn hot out there to practice football right now! You don't have to be a physiologist to know that.

I am going to warn the parents out there... you are putting your kid in danger if you think that "coach" has got the sense to do the right thing. All it takes is one Bozo and the kid is a gonner. (In fact, it's an insult to Bozo to associate him with this crowd).

It's been scortching hot down here, and yet the head reindeers still have the kids outside giving their all for the Gipper.

I'm not assigning blame (for legal reasons). But these things come around every year like clockwork. Second one we've lost this year.

Pure irony, Crow.

You'll never see a coach down here drop. Most of them were born with a remote in their hand and the only 50 yard dash they make is to the refrigerator.

I went out to look at the birds this morning to take my mind off the coaches and the ministers, and I felt great until I noticed one bird putting some other birds through exercise, and a squirrel giving a sermon about nut theft (after he'd filled his pantry with his neighbors' nuts).

There is no relief to be had even in nature from this relentless coaching and ministering.

I have extensive experience as a (former) soccer referee, former coach and soccer commissioner. I've seen a lot, but I can't claim to have seen it all. I have run into my share of pig-headed coaches, parents and players as well.

The players could be part of the issue as well as parents. Peer pressure and parental pressure are huge problem. Practice hard and you will be rewarded is the mantra of many.

If your body tells you, "I am hot", people need to listen. Too many times, I've known people who didn't listen to their body and wound up in worse shape than if they had just listened. I count myself among those "warriors" who idiotically didn't check warning signs (truthfully, because of outside pressures and my own stubborness) and I paid a big price for it.

I recall once that I did a soccer match where air temps were 100 degrees at match time. The field is hotter and running around makes you hotter. I remember that I stopped the game at some point to allow players water. One coach gave me a bunch of lip for it, so I simply ignored him. At the end of the match, he apologized saying one of his players complained of "heat-stroke related symptoms" when they came to the bench and were relieved to have water. If I had not done what I did, I won't even speculate what might have been.

While I agree that some coaches can be a problem, so can players and parents. It's not unique to coaches.

Tom

http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Junction_boys.html?id=jFDoMUE6cFEC

Vince Lombardi was the same way. His teams practiced hard. I also once heard it said of Joe Gibbs by the great offensive lineman Joe Jacoby, "Practices were hard, but on Sunday, we had it easy."

The Notre Dame death was football related. It wasn't on the field, but some kid filming practices in the tower. He should not have been up there.

It all boils down to one thing: money. Kids today see these athletes making $1 million + and they dream to be them. Coaches see the obscene money paid to college and professional coaches and have that same dream. Like politics, there is too much money in the system.

Tom

This was popular the year I attended The University of Alabama in 1982.

Tom, maybe if a coach has 3 or more players go to the ER in one practice season, or if he loses a player to heat stroke, then that highschool be reqired to have a referee at practice.

And the referee must come from a different part of the state.

The ref. is empowered to stop the practice. Finally, the law would require that the referee be paid only from booster club funds.

By the way, the organization in GA that regulates highschool football wants to order another "study" to study when the best time to practice is this time of year. Give me a break.

Why not ask an old farmer? A farmer gets up and gets out early. They should have these boys on the field while it's still dark in the morning, and never end practice later than 10am.

Although your idea is interesting, it won't work. Referees are usually paid by a private organization. They contract with the county athletic departments. Of course it depends on the state, but that's how it works here MD.

I agree another study is unnecessary and more legislation is not the answer. The answer lies somewhere in between. I believe coaches should be licensed. In soccer, travel teams pretty much require a licensed coach. High schools, in most cases, just require a warm body.

I love the Bear Bryant clips especially the first one.

Tom

"Casa says it's not just about [drinking] water.

"Heat strokes are completely survivable," he said. All that may be needed is an immersion in a cold-water tub or pool. An athlete who is immediately cooled can survive, but many schools and coaches just call 911, he said. Casa said while they wait for an ambulance the brain and vital organs continue to cook in the heat. The body can only withstand such extreme conditions for about 30 minutes." CNN 8-5-11

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/08/04/heat.deaths/index.html?

Here are some transcribed interviews for the show: the ones from Casa and Easterbrooke are interesting.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/football-high/interviews/?utm_campaign=cove&utm_medium=relatedimage&utm_source=portal

Here is the actual PBS video: "Football High".

http://video.pbs.org/video/1880045332