Athlete can't run meets, but is able to play poweder puff football

Accept it. She's a kid, enjoying her HS years. Maybe track isn't her # 1 priority.

XCPirate wrote:

What do you think letsrun?

Cut her from the team.

Relegate her to the jv. If she isn't commited, keep her out of the varsity team running top meets, regardless of her ability. She is treating xc like some organized cross training to get in shape for basketball. Why are you treating her like a top athlete? The only way I'd let an athlete walk over me like this as a coach is if without her, I didn't have a complete team, ie you only have 5 runners total. Good teams reward commitment and have consequences for a lack of commitment.

Anyways, with this particular athlete, I'd say her season is over. Keep her out of all remaining meets so her knee can "heal". If she shows up to practice, just give her an easy 3 miles or something every day. That sounds like all she really wants to do as she is just cross training for basketball anyways. If she comes back for track and shows commitment to the team, you can give her another chance to compete.

A good coach has athletes who skip a meet when they could run watch from the sidelines at the next meet they go to.

XCPirate wrote:

I have an athlete that has missed several meets this year due to a knee issue. I excused this athlete from the district meet this upcoming Saturday so that she can get her knee ready for her basketball season. I just found out that she participated in a powder puff football game last night. Coaches told me that she was running around with no apparent regard to her knee. How would you approach talking to this athlete? I know that her priorities (especially after the game) are elsewhere, but it is disappointing that she would participate in a powder puff football game instead of her qualifying state meet race. The girl's parents are sensitive to any criticisms of their daughter. (My AD told me not to say anything to avoid any additional frustration.) What do you think letsrun?

Sounds like her season is over anyway so just let it go. Next year just start her on JV until she seems ready to move up.

Thank you for your reply. We have a small team (6 girls). I'm not sure how the girls are going to feel about their teammate bailing on them. This girl is a senior, so I won't have to worry about her standing up her team again.

The powderpuff player was definitely her clone.

Ultra or Die wrote:

Accept it. She's a kid, enjoying her HS years. Maybe track isn't her # 1 priority.

Hey Ultra hobbyjogger, please leave HS running threads alone since you are clearly clueless about them.

XCPirate wrote:

I have an athlete that has missed several meets this year due to a knee issue. I excused this athlete from the district meet this upcoming Saturday so that she can get her knee ready for her basketball season. I just found out that she participated in a powder puff football game last night. Coaches told me that she was running around with no apparent regard to her knee. How would you approach talking to this athlete? I know that her priorities (especially after the game) are elsewhere, but it is disappointing that she would participate in a powder puff football game instead of her qualifying state meet race. The girl's parents are sensitive to any criticisms of their daughter. (My AD told me not to say anything to avoid any additional frustration.) What do you think letsrun?

You aren't doing anyone any favors by hiding this. This was duplicit on the part of the kid, and the parents should know about it.

I have had multiple athletes lie to me about missing meets and practices. It can be frustrating and parents will cover for their children tooth and nail sometimes. I finally put a stipulation that said if you missed 3 practices, including meets, you were done. I also had well over 100 mediocre runners.

Essentially her season is over. She has made it obvious that cross country was a means to get into shape for basketball. (Which Ive had happen also, along with girls who want to run with the team but not do races.)You have to decide how much energy to expend and the possible hassles. Personally I would call her out on it. That had you known she was going to play football you would have expected her to run. If shes a senior and you never have to see her again, amen. If she was a Junior or underclassman I would make a few things very clear to her when she came out for the next year. ( I would also give a heads up to the basketball coach. )

You’ve got a crazy blasey on your team. Cut her now before she falsely accuses you of something.

She has moved on and so should you.

Here's what you should do this year - nothing. You set your team rules at the beginning of each season. This is one of those things that is supported by the school.

Next year set a team policy not to allow it. That's what I did after my first year of coaching when one of our varsity runners was injured in a powder puff football game and it set us back from 1st or 2nd to 3rd in our state championship when she could not run.

It's unfair to the other athletes for someone to toss out all of the hard efforts in training of the team for something like this.

I hear other posters say that she is just being a kid. Yeah, true but she is still disrespecting the teammates that care about the team. It's a selfish act.

You need to get control of it for next year. But, make sure the AD backs you up.

On a separate note, it is my opinion that we can do better to honor our female athletes than parade them around in something named "powder puff". At least call it flag football or something a little more respectful.

Is it too late to do an abortion?

[quote]XCPirate wrote:

I have an athlete that has missed several meets this year due to a knee issue. I excused this athlete from the district meet this upcoming Saturday so that she can get her knee ready for her basketball season. /quote]

Nothing better to strengthen your knees than some running and cutting on a soft grass surface. Running in a straight line certainly won't help the ancillary muscles around the knee.

I can't believe your school still calls it powder puff. I thought that became taboo a while back. I think our local school call it power puff or some other pc crap.