lots of high schools in that region fed by very, very strong club programs. good for them there's no longer a limit on call-ups from any one region. uil used to leave a lot of all-americans home before that rule change!
I wonder who would be winning Districts, Regions, and State without the stables of top club kids swelling their ranks, many of whom barely show up for HS practice at some schools. Who REALLY are the best HS coaches? Would love to see the event rankings of non-club kids. There are some really good ones out there, and some really EXCELLENT HS-only coaches who do a heckuva job coaching non-club kids. Not to disparage club swimmers or clubs in general, but when a "sponsor" coach at a HS gets credit for a great team of kids he/she did not develop, does not really coach, and basically signs off on club practices, that gets under our collective skin, doesn't it? Someone get a State psych sheet and highlight the non-club kids. How many really have a chance at making Region or State in an individual event? What's that say to a kid, "Hey, you are going to have to swim year-round club if you want to swim at State"? It's always going to be those who make the sacrifice of time and money, and put in the dedication and work, who make it. Makes you think, though. College swimmers don't do dual-duty during their seasons, why should HS kids?
EVERY HS swimmer that swims for Southlake Carroll is required to attend and participate in EVERY HS morning practice from the start of the school year until the conclusion of the Texas HS State Meet. Our HS Coaching Staff at Southlake Carroll coaches ALL of our HS swimmers every school day. We are not "lame-duck" sponsor/coaches at Southlake Carroll. We do recognize and appreciate the cooperation of the "club" coaches that help our swimmers prepare to compete in the 6A class. We do have some non-club kids in our Varsity Program and they do quite well, but as most of us realize, the bar is set so high in Texas 6A swimming that it is very seldom that a HS-only swimmer can fight their way into the Texas 6A State Meet. Maybe a few in the sprints and a few that fill out some very fast relays, but beyond that, the year-round, "club" swimmers do what they must to get into the Texas State Meet. If someone else is doing it, (club swimming) then that sets the standard that one must meet to compete. In another venue, with a different set of rules, excluding the UIL 8 hour rule, we would train our Southlake Carroll swimmers two times a day, as HS coaches, if the rules allowed. Given the current set of UIL rules, we encourage our swimmers to enhance their potential by participating in "club" swimming, at the Team of their choice, so they can meet the 6A competition on as level a playing field as possible. See you at the Texas State 6A Meet in two weeks.
I know IL and some other states (not sure how many others) have a rule against concurrent club and HS training, i.e., during HS season (roughly 14 wks in IL) only HS training is allowed. And out of this restrictive policy come times that equal or exceed what we do in TX with combined HS/club training. I'm thinking that the elimination of the tug-of-war physiologically between two training regimens that often do not fit well with each other (lack of communication or concern between the HS and the club) is one reason. And I'm sure GOOD HS coaches (like you) would be more than happy to train their kids full-time with no club training, if the stupid 8-hr rule (thank you, basketball) was eliminated. It is apples and oranges, but I'd lean towards the IL system if I had my druthers. It also would be great if HS hiring looked to hire the best swim coaches available, like they obviously do in FB and BSKB, but often they seem satisfied to place as a swim coach someone whose best resume qualification for that job is "Lifeguard certified" or "swam on summer team". As long as they can teach that math class or biology class or computer class, the "coach" component is a mere footnote and minor requirement. I think most of the coaches of the top teams are probably good in their own right, like you. Have just seen too many sponsor coaches (as Button would say) or "lame duck" coaches (your words) at various levels receive accolades they didn't earn or deserve.
Why would you ever want to limit yourself to just high school swimming or just club swimming? That's what happens when you swim in Illinois. And, for the record, Illinois doesn't come close to the top times or the depth of swimming in Texas. I wouldn't ever want to coach high school or club in Illinois because of their limitations. Look at how successful Coach Murphy is here at Southlake Carroll. He has a working relationship with Coach Bill at NTN and they both reap the rewards because of it.
That's the key, isn't it? A good working relationship? A partnership? Not a "I don't care what your HS coach is doing, we're doing this." Very often the case. Or the HS coach who refuses to work with the club coach. Seems it's supposed to be about what can get the KID to be the best they can be. Too many past cases of club coaches not letting kids taper properly for State, HS coaches who wouldn't let kids off a low-level HS invite for a club championship meet, coaches who don't communicate hitting the kid with similar high-intensity or high volume practices on same day, stuff like that. Good communication and COOPERATION is the key. You're lucky when you have it, and screwed when you don't. ON TO AUSTIN! HAVE FUN AND SWIM FAST!
In my first full-time teaching/HS coaching job, in Moore, Oklahoma, I was also the USA coach. Talk about the expectations Administrators in scholastic Swimming: My first Athletic Director....when I was hired, his words of wisdom to me were: "Coach, you are just the swim coach, we don't care if you win, just keep the parents out of our hair, don't mess with the girls, don't mess with the boys, and don't mess with the money"
That job was in Oklahoma, and there were no Oklahoma HS rule limitations on concurrent club/HS coaching. It is still the same to this day in Oklahoma. The same coach could do both HS & USA at the same time, and the swimmers could do both. I did that job for 16 years. The last 10 years, athletics became an "outside the school day" HS athletic activity. No class time was allowed for any HS sports or HS swimming, just before school or after school athletics. That was not very conducive to the HS/USA model, and not very financially rewarding, since the kids could get two-a-days during the HS season (Sept thru Feb) without paying for the extra training. Of an average of 45 HS swimmers on our Team each year, only about 30% of them would ever swim year-round, even at the low cost of $35 per month for year-round two-a-day training in our USA Program. So, the potential to build a strong Team of battle-hardened swimmers was just about impossible due to the prevailing culture.
I tried to establish a Junior High Program to supplement the numbers on our HS Team and build a better recruiting model. Unfortunately, it did not give very satisfying results. **I was not paid for that Junior High Program that I ran each year for six months, and the kids didn't have to pay either.. Each Fall, for 14 years, I would recruit and teach about 60 kids in Junior High Swimming. As the Program ended in mid-Feb, 45 or 50 of those kids, that we had worked with, groomed and taught all Winter long, left the pool for Spring Track and never returned. So, out of each Junior High Group, only about 20% continued on with either HS Swimming or USA Swimming. It became more and more demoralizing, until I finally left for Texas. That was a great move for the future of my HS swim coaching. But one thing I carried from Oklahoma, where the talent pool ran shallow, was that EVERY swimmer mattered, not just the fast ones. So that experience has helped us to build a full TEAM, here in Southlake.
Upon arriving in Texas as a teacher/HS swim coach, I decided that I would never again coach for free, especially at the Junior High or Middle School level. If the parents don't pay, then they don't invest and motivate their kids to "stick with it". Swimming is harder than most sports sand if the parents are not invested, then the kids drift away when something else comes along that they find to be easier.
We have an entire JV Program of 50+ swimmers, and I enjoy them immensely, but to most of them, swimming is just a "class" and they come once a day and have limited commitment and limited expectations. Fortunately, with various options, from Summer-League to HS-only, to USA full-time training, there is a place for everyone and a means to move up in the pecking order if the individual so desires.
I am, indeed blessed, to have the opportunity to work in Southlake, and have a USA Head Coach, in Bill Christensen, that I can communicate and work with, to the benefit of our best HS swimmers. They don't have to choose one over the other, (HS or USA) as we work together to serve our swimmers to participate and prepare for both.
Now, on to the Texas State Meet, and forward to the Big 10 Stampede and TAGS.
I see some errors.
ReplyDeleteRegion 4 6A: "Death region". Sure looks like it. Question is, WHY?
ReplyDeletelots of high schools in that region fed by very, very strong club programs. good for them there's no longer a limit on call-ups from any one region. uil used to leave a lot of all-americans home before that rule change!
ReplyDeleteI wonder who would be winning Districts, Regions, and State without the stables of top club kids swelling their ranks, many of whom barely show up for HS practice at some schools. Who REALLY are the best HS coaches? Would love to see the event rankings of non-club kids. There are some really good ones out there, and some really EXCELLENT HS-only coaches who do a heckuva job coaching non-club kids. Not to disparage club swimmers or clubs in general, but when a "sponsor" coach at a HS gets credit for a great team of kids he/she did not develop, does not really coach, and basically signs off on club practices, that gets under our collective skin, doesn't it? Someone get a State psych sheet and highlight the non-club kids. How many really have a chance at making Region or State in an individual event? What's that say to a kid, "Hey, you are going to have to swim year-round club if you want to swim at State"? It's always going to be those who make the sacrifice of time and money, and put in the dedication and work, who make it. Makes you think, though. College swimmers don't do dual-duty during their seasons, why should HS kids?
ReplyDeleteJust thoughts bouncing around my head today...
EVERY HS swimmer that swims for Southlake Carroll is required to attend and participate in EVERY HS morning practice from the start of the school year until the conclusion of the Texas HS State Meet. Our HS Coaching Staff at Southlake Carroll coaches ALL of our HS swimmers every school day. We are not "lame-duck" sponsor/coaches at Southlake Carroll. We do recognize and appreciate the cooperation of the "club" coaches that help our swimmers prepare to compete in the 6A class. We do have some non-club kids in our Varsity Program and they do quite well, but as most of us realize, the bar is set so high in Texas 6A swimming that it is very seldom that a HS-only swimmer can fight their way into the Texas 6A State Meet. Maybe a few in the sprints and a few that fill out some very fast relays, but beyond that, the year-round, "club" swimmers do what they must to get into the Texas State Meet. If someone else is doing it, (club swimming) then that sets the standard that one must meet to compete. In another venue, with a different set of rules, excluding the UIL 8 hour rule, we would train our Southlake Carroll swimmers two times a day, as HS coaches, if the rules allowed. Given the current set of UIL rules, we encourage our swimmers to enhance their potential by participating in "club" swimming, at the Team of their choice, so they can meet the 6A competition on as level a playing field as possible.
ReplyDeleteSee you at the Texas State 6A Meet in two weeks.
I know IL and some other states (not sure how many others) have a rule against concurrent club and HS training, i.e., during HS season (roughly 14 wks in IL) only HS training is allowed. And out of this restrictive policy come times that equal or exceed what we do in TX with combined HS/club training. I'm thinking that the elimination of the tug-of-war physiologically between two training regimens that often do not fit well with each other (lack of communication or concern between the HS and the club) is one reason. And I'm sure GOOD HS coaches (like you) would be more than happy to train their kids full-time with no club training, if the stupid 8-hr rule (thank you, basketball) was eliminated. It is apples and oranges, but I'd lean towards the IL system if I had my druthers. It also would be great if HS hiring looked to hire the best swim coaches available, like they obviously do in FB and BSKB, but often they seem satisfied to place as a swim coach someone whose best resume qualification for that job is "Lifeguard certified" or "swam on summer team". As long as they can teach that math class or biology class or computer class, the "coach" component is a mere footnote and minor requirement. I think most of the coaches of the top teams are probably good in their own right, like you. Have just seen too many sponsor coaches (as Button would say) or "lame duck" coaches (your words) at various levels receive accolades they didn't earn or deserve.
ReplyDeleteYou do a great job, Coach, good luck at State!
Why would you ever want to limit yourself to just high school swimming or just club swimming? That's what happens when you swim in Illinois. And, for the record, Illinois doesn't come close to the top times or the depth of swimming in Texas. I wouldn't ever want to coach high school or club in Illinois because of their limitations. Look at how successful Coach Murphy is here at Southlake Carroll. He has a working relationship with Coach Bill at NTN and they both reap the rewards because of it.
ReplyDeleteThat's the key, isn't it? A good working relationship? A partnership? Not a "I don't care what your HS coach is doing, we're doing this." Very often the case. Or the HS coach who refuses to work with the club coach. Seems it's supposed to be about what can get the KID to be the best they can be. Too many past cases of club coaches not letting kids taper properly for State, HS coaches who wouldn't let kids off a low-level HS invite for a club championship meet, coaches who don't communicate hitting the kid with similar high-intensity or high volume practices on same day, stuff like that. Good communication and COOPERATION is the key. You're lucky when you have it, and screwed when you don't. ON TO AUSTIN! HAVE FUN AND SWIM FAST!
ReplyDeleteIn my first full-time teaching/HS coaching job, in Moore, Oklahoma, I was also the USA coach. Talk about the expectations Administrators in scholastic Swimming: My first Athletic Director....when I was hired, his words of wisdom to me were: "Coach, you are just the swim coach, we don't care if you win, just keep the parents out of our hair, don't mess with the girls, don't mess with the boys, and don't mess with the money"
ReplyDeleteThat job was in Oklahoma, and there were no Oklahoma HS rule limitations on concurrent club/HS coaching. It is still the same to this day in Oklahoma. The same coach could do both HS & USA at the same time, and the swimmers could do both. I did that job for 16 years. The last 10 years, athletics became an "outside the school day" HS athletic activity. No class time was allowed for any HS sports or HS swimming, just before school or after school athletics. That was not very conducive to the HS/USA model, and not very financially rewarding, since the kids could get two-a-days during the HS season (Sept thru Feb) without paying for the extra training. Of an average of 45 HS swimmers on our Team each year, only about 30% of them would ever swim year-round, even at the low cost of $35 per month for year-round two-a-day training in our USA Program.
So, the potential to build a strong Team of battle-hardened swimmers was just about impossible due to the prevailing culture.
I tried to establish a Junior High Program to supplement the numbers on our HS Team and build a better recruiting model. Unfortunately, it did not give very satisfying results. **I was not paid for that Junior High Program that I ran each year for six months, and the kids didn't have to pay either..
Each Fall, for 14 years, I would recruit and teach about 60 kids in Junior High Swimming. As the Program ended in mid-Feb, 45 or 50 of those kids, that we had worked with, groomed and taught all Winter long, left the pool for Spring Track and never returned. So, out of each Junior High Group, only about 20% continued on with either HS Swimming or USA Swimming. It became more and more demoralizing, until I finally left for Texas. That was a great move for the future of my HS swim coaching. But one thing I carried from Oklahoma, where the talent pool ran shallow, was that EVERY swimmer mattered, not just the fast ones. So that experience has helped us to build a full TEAM, here in Southlake.
Upon arriving in Texas as a teacher/HS swim coach, I decided that I would never again coach for free, especially at the Junior High or Middle School level. If the parents don't pay, then they don't invest and motivate their kids to "stick with it". Swimming is harder than most sports sand if the parents are not invested, then the kids drift away when something else comes along that they find to be easier.
We have an entire JV Program of 50+ swimmers, and I enjoy them immensely, but to most of them, swimming is just a "class" and they come once a day and have limited commitment and limited expectations. Fortunately, with various options, from Summer-League to HS-only, to USA full-time training, there is a place for everyone and a means to move up in the pecking order if the individual so desires.
I am, indeed blessed, to have the opportunity to work in Southlake, and have a USA Head Coach, in Bill Christensen, that I can communicate and work with, to the benefit of our best HS swimmers. They don't have to choose one over the other, (HS or USA) as we work together to serve our swimmers to participate and prepare for both.
Now, on to the Texas State Meet, and forward to the Big 10 Stampede and TAGS.
Well, there you go. 90% of high school swim coaches are hired as teachers and their primary focus is teaching not coaching.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fb and bskb and bsb coaches are hired primarily as COACHES, and "we'll find a class you can teach. or study hall. or ISS. or something."
ReplyDeleteMurphy: backgrounds similar, philosophies similar, blessed with good club coach relationships. I hear ya!
Can't wait to monitor UIL meet on MM. Hope all of you have fun and swim fast!