HS Sports Rant

[junior]

He needs to talk to his coach. Do you go watch practices, see what's happening everyday on the field? I'm an ex high school baseball head coach in a 6A district. My son played at a 6A school after I was out of coaching, he got hurt his junior year and missed part of the start to his senior year. Once he was able to play again he had to work his way back. It was frustrating as a parent. I'm good friends with the head coach,(he was actually my assistant), but I had to talk with him about my sons playing time. He told me why he wasn't starting and what he needed to work on. We did what he said and my son earned his spot back. Quit blaming it on politics and daddy ball and go talk to the coach. Take off the blinders and be realistic.

[glen]

Jbarr- dont know your kid but love the no quit. He does need to talk to coach about what he may be able to do to get more field time. Not saying it will help now but the ability to go have difficult conversations will benefit him his entire life.

[DedDuk]

My son plays baseball for a big 6A school and the talent is pretty amazing, and me and him know that he's not the best kid on the team by far. He is a senior and we knew going into his senior year he would be playing behind another senior that is a great athlete. But from how it looks now he somehow got bumped to 3rd string during the first couple of scrimmages and honestly me or him can't understand why. What I hate as a parent is to see my son get deflated and lose his love for the game due to politics and other things, if he wanted to stop playing on his own terms because he is burnt out that is one thing and that's fine but for a coach to make a kid feel like that is disappointing. I asked him if he would talk to the coach to see what he can do to improve or get more playing time but he thinks it won't help. He has already said he won't quit because he doesn't think that is right and also loves hanging out with his buddies on the team, and I support him 100 percent and in front of him I always try to be positive and encouraging but he can see what's going on and it's just frustrating.

Sounds like you both already know the issue.

Not being a smartazz, but a sports team is supposed to win games, not look out for players feelings.

[Fmjag64]

6A sports is tough. Allen HS almost has as many students as SMU does undergrad students and double the average D3 undergrad enrollment.

[trhunter]

Been there, made it into a life lesson form my daughter. Last year she was a soph. and competed for a spot on the varsity team with a senior, coach decided to go with the senior. Her and I respected the coaches decision, now mind you my daughter did ask what she needed to do to win the spot. When she got home you could clearly tell she was not a happy camper, so I took her in to the bathroom mirror and told her " that person who is looking back at you is who is to blame" If you want the spot you got to work harder and out work the senior, period. Well by the end of the year she was getting her fair share of playing time on varsity. Not that this is the same situation, but sometimes kids have to hear the truth and be told that they either can work harder or sometime there is just someone better.

[Farmdog]

What would Nick Saben tell you?

[jbarr]

He needs to talk to his coach. Do you go watch practices, see what's happening everyday on the field? I'm an ex high school baseball head coach in a 6A district. My son played at a 6A school after I was out of coaching, he got hurt his junior year and missed part of the start to his senior year. Once he was able to play again he had to work his way back. It was frustrating as a parent. I'm good friends with the head coach,(he was actually my assistant), but I had to talk with him about my sons playing time. He told me why he wasn't starting and what he needed to work on. We did what he said and my son earned his spot back. Quit blaming it on politics and daddy ball and go talk to the coach. Take off the blinders and be realistic.

Obviously you missed the part where I said the starter deserves to be where he’s at, I don’t have blinders on. Lol

[OldRiverRat]

Obviously you missed the part where I said the starter deserves to be where he’s at, I don’t have blinders on. Lol

is the kid they bumped up in front of him an underclassman? if you are at a big school and not the starter your senior year then you can expect the coach to be looking to use that back up role to develop his younger talent. tough situation being at a big school and not having elite talent.

[buzzbait]

Make a large donation to the Boosters, your kid will be starting

[gingib]

Make a large donation to the Boosters, your kid will be starting

Sounds like another disgruntled parents, who son was struggling for PT

[WItoTX]

Tell him to focus on being a good teammate! Practice hard and stay prepared in case he gets a shot. Most of all enjoy senior season with his buddies! It’s still Fall…lots of things can change before Spring.

This. How many people were behind Simone Biles that got moved up when she couldn't compete? When the opportunity presents itself, he needs to be ready.

[bullhead44]

I can see where you are coming from, but I agree with most of what the coaches above have already posted. That is probably because I have been coaching for a long time now.
The higher level competition you go, and the larger school you are at, there is usually much more competition, and less politics. The best thing your son can do is go talk with the coach. He will at least know where he stands. My daughter is playing volleyball at a Div II school right now. She is a junior and doesn't get to play much. Most games she doesn't get in at all. She still loves it and loves being part of the team. Its frustrating watching her sit the bench, but the bottom line is she is not as good as the people playing in front of her. She is gonna be a GA there after she is done playing as she wants to be a college coach in the future. She is learning a lot of how to deal with adversity. This is one of the greatest things learned thru athletics.

[Triple 7]

Is the kid that moved to second string younger than your boy? I can tell you as a former coach and now parent of three boys. The coach will play a younger player who has equal skills over an older one who is a senior. The reason being is that the younger kid will be around longer and has the potential to get better. The senior who isn't a starter is likely at is ceiling and wont get much better.

[jshouse]

we are at a competitive 6A program as well, my oldest is in 8th grade and i think about this situation all the time. i have buddies that have HS kids that hardly ever or never get/got to play and its tough on them, but like someone said, i think its tougher on the dad than it is the kid.

the longer we live here the more i wish we were at a smaller school where they dont have to pick a sport by 9-10th grade. my wife and i talk all the time about finding some land in a smaller school district and i would love to be able to make it happen next year.

i have coached both my boys over the years, and still coach my 5th grader now, and still sit back every year and would love to ask some of our coaches why they make certain decisions, some regarding my kid and some not....

and i am a firm believer in "iron sharpens iron," and i think my boys are getting great experience growing up here, but if they came to me and asked to go to a different school so they could play, i would make it happen. i wouldnt force that on them, they would have to want it and i would have to believe they really wanted it.

[Flex]

Every situation is different. Always hard to armchair quarterback a situation.

IT is 6A Ball, the amount of pressure on head coaches rises at each level, you generally are not getting a 6A head job in any sport if you don't know what you are doing. That being said, if he does not put his best 9 on the field he is going to be looking for a new job. Unfortunately that means sometimes we have to sit kids, which is especially hard when they are a really good kid that works their butt off and shows up every day.

Best thing is for your kid to talk to the coach and see what it is specifically that he needs to work on. Maybe it is a few simple adjustments and he works his way back into the lineup, or could be just the talent gap has grown and he is needed to be a senior leader to the young kids even though his PT has decreased. Also, their is a lot of time between now and June, never know when a kid may fail, get hurt, transfer etc. Got to stay ready.