HS Coaches Rule- expelling an athlete

Lots of ASSumptions here. Of course goal is to train everyday, and be the best you can be.

Rules and Committment wrote:

Vacations? I know families that go to their cottage every other weekend.

The plural of anecdote is NOT data. If this is all you have then it almost proves the reverse point.

you are missing the great big picture, and you are blasting a family who had not seen their oldest daughter for some time and this was the only time available to go to see her because of the distance between them! Also what about families who are struggling to make ends meet to pay the bills and their employers only allow certain times they may go, what about the person who just started a job and cannot risk going on vacation whenver is suits the sports schedule of a school at which they btw way pay thousands of dollars to send their children? Most folks do not have the luxury of having an entire summer off to go on vacation, in the real world there are rules set forth by employers for their employees when it comes to time off or earned. FYI this coach does not coach at all he just shows up does not give helpful advice ever! Missing one week before the season starts should not be punished in this circumstance. Would it have killed this coach to talk to the family or the athlete before they went in order to address his Phantom Policy, especially at the parent meeting the weekend before which I am aware one of the parents attended, a policy which still has yet to be seen???? The lesson learned here by the student and family is that this school only cares about POWER! Hopefully the student does not ever encounter people like this at college, she did not deserve to be treated like this, no child does! There was definately nothing "Catholic" about the way she was treated, or was it?

Sounds like this guy? isnt even a coach. Probably a first timer getting off on power and telling kids what to do. Need to look into this one. What about the AD? What's he doing?

You're arguing against a more general point which has more communicative coaches, and quite frankly twisting the hell out of it. Most of it could be shot down with 'she could stay home.' It may be about power with this specific coach, but it's generally just what was said above.

"There was definately nothing "Catholic" about the way she was treated, or was it?"

Considering how many Catholic schools used corporeal punishment until recently, I'd say it's Catholic-lite. :)

beenthere wrote:

you are missing the great big picture, and you are blasting a family who had not seen their oldest daughter for some time and this was the only time available to go to see her because of the distance between them! Also what about families who are struggling to make ends meet to pay the bills and their employers only allow certain times they may go, what about the person who just started a job and cannot risk going on vacation whenver is suits the sports schedule of a school at which they btw way pay thousands of dollars to send their children?

If someone is struggling to make ends meet, why would that person go on vacation? If they just started a job, are they immediately entitled to vacation time?

"...cannot risk going on vacation whenever is suits the sports schedule of a school at which they btw way pay thousands of dollars to send their children?"

There are other people on the team. Some of them might even value commitment and sacrifice to something larger than themselves. The world does not revolve around you because you paid thousands of dollars in tuition.

you obviously do not care about kids! hopefully you are not a parent. btw vacations do not have to be expensive but they are deserved especially if you work 60 hours a week all year. time spent with family is something to be treasured, you should try it!

beenthere wrote:

you obviously do not care about kids! hopefully you are not a parent. btw vacations do not have to be expensive but they are deserved especially if you work 60 hours a week all year. time spent with family is something to be treasured, you should try it!

You make several assumptions about me. Let me make a few about you.

- You are 15 or 16 years old. The lack of capitalization, the run-on sentences and the use of initials (btw) indicate that you are someone from the texting generation.

- You are a girl. The "do not care about kids" comment and the "you should try it!" with an exclamation point have the familiar ring of a teenage girl.

- You are connected to the situation through friendship or family or have some sort of animus for this coach. This injustice is SO great that you have to make post after post on an anonymous website in an attempt to embarrass a coach, his AD and his program.

Move on. Play a different sport whose team is less structured or where you (or friend or family member)like the coach more. Or go out for the team again when you're ready to follow the rules.

Actually sir, you are totally incorrect. Also, I do not recall this forum being a place where our postings were graded by the likes of you. Your arrogance caused me to be quite hasty in my previous comments however I am taking my time with this one. You should not make any assumptions either, for this situation was made known to me by some professional business people within the High School Athletic arena and my information regarding the way these children were mistreated is truly accurate. My suggestion to you is to find another forum to riducule anyone who is standing up for their children in an attempt to protect them from bullies, perhaps similar to you. For the record I am not the one embarrassing this coach, he has done that all on his own. Let me know if my grammar is appropriate enough for you.

R&C was just giving you a taste of your own medicine.

Wow, didn’t think this blog would turn this heated and emotional. But that’s what you get when you hurt and abuse children. No place for people like that at Allentown Catholic HS or anywhere. A coach should be there to promote and develop an athlete. Obviously this isn’t the case with this high school's policy- throwing a kid off a team for missing practice- even when previously notified.

The only person I see getting heated and emotional is you. BTW, you should revisit your personal definition of child abuse imho.

Here is the definition, and as I see it, there has been a violation in this case. Physical and emotionally. The mistreatment is key to comparing this to nothing less than child abuse. Hopefully I spelled everything correctly, I am hoping for a good grade!

Child Abuse:•the physical or emotional or sexual mistreatment of children.

Child abuse? Really?

An athlete made a commitment to be a member of a team, which includes not just competitions, but practices as well. A coach, who is underpaid and underappreciated, attempts to hold students accountable to the commitment they made. Otherwise, if runners come when it is convenient for them, how can he build a team and a program? And, then, anonymous posters take to a forum in relative fervor to decry the decision? Towards what end? I sympathize with the coach, and assume that previous issues with attendence led to his policy and decision. And a family learned a tough lesson about sacrifices and making choices. Too bad the lesson their child is getting isn't about actions and consequences, but rather about complaining needless to the wrong people...what positive steps do you expect to be gained from airing your grievances here?

Physical abuse?! Ugh, I'm done.

Child abuse is a horrible, disgusting experience. There's a profound sadness that affects everything about how you view and experience the world for the rest of your life.

I don't understand how you can related this situation to child abuse. It's offensive to do so.

Child abuse is a horrible, disgusting experience. There's a profound sadness that affects everything about how you view and experience the world for the rest of your life.

I don't understand how you can related this situation to child abuse. It's offensive to do so.[/quote]

Exactly! And these students will have a difficult time trusting the adults in their future athletic endeavors. Simply because this coach felt it more necessary to be a bully instead of being a more reasonable human being. If we recall the orignation of these posts, the coach hung his decision on a policy which never had been seen nor documented. ( plus he lied about discussing it with the students) Without a doubt it is understood that practices are mandatory in season. However does it warrant being kicked off, especially if there was a legitimate reason given? Perhaps suspending for a meet or two whould have sufficed. Instead of ruining the Senior year for both, the students kicked off the team, and their friends who were hoping to share their last year of High School on the team they were a part of for the last three years. So it is not offensive to equivilate this to abuse for that is what it is whether it be an abuse of power or and abuse of emotions. All abuse has different levels of tolerance and I would never minimize or disrespect the variances of pain suffered by any individual. Can you imagine the emotional distress this has caused these kids and their families? Especially thinking that they had placed their kids in a Catholic Institution which they assumed would have been more compassionate, instead of so cruel and unreasonable.

Oh my wrote:

Too bad the lesson their child is getting isn't about actions and consequences, but rather about complaining needless to the wrong people...what positive steps do you expect to be gained from airing your grievances here?

If the Oregon alumni can take out Martin Smith, kick starting a new golden age of Oregon running, a revolt can unseat the tyrant coach of some local private high school. Sue the school, contact the local news, try to get as many kids on the team to quit and join a club team you start, etc.

Your lack of ability to discern the difference between child abuse and the frustration these kids have experienced only illustrates you have lost perspective on this situation.