More on the Multi-Sport Athlete

More?  Yes, I know.  Because it's what I'm passionate about and I believe it's how we're in the process of turning Carlisle into one of the most successful 3A/4A all around sports and activities program in the state.

I guess I'll probably never let it rest.  When your passionate about something that's the way it is.

We're in between seasons right now and getting things rolling for spring sports.  Are you out there competing?  Many are, and we're happy about that.

You're getting better and making yourself a better athlete.  That's the point, making yourself a better athlete.  You only do that by competing.

It's good to train, we have to train to get better, but you only learn to win by competing, and you need to compete year round.

Last week in the article that was shared, we learned how specialization can lead to over use injuries and how it's good to use other muscles that are required in different sports.  The other thing that specialization leads to is burnout.  I've seen many athletes over the years, who were gifted in a certain sport and trained for years, just give it up because it stopped being fun and became a job.

My case to athletes has always been that if you really want to pursue something in college, it's going to be a job when you get there, so you need to experience other sports and activities in high school because you won't have time for other things when you start to compete at the collegiate level, and it doesn't matter if it's JUCO, NAIA, or any NCAA level, it's going to be a job and full time commitment.

Which leads to a final point this week as it relates to the college coach and recruiting.  I have had many conversations with college coaches as they recruited athletes that I have coached, or athletes in the schools where I've been.  Three questions are routinely asked by them all from NCAA Division I on down.

#1 - Character Questions

        What kind of a person are they?  (They being the student/athlete)
        What kind of character do they have?
         Can I trust them on weekends and when they are away from me?

#2 - Academic Questions

          What kind of student are they in the classroom?
          Will they go to class?
           Am I going to have to have someone on them all the time about doing their work?
          Coaches don't have time to have athletes that are going to fail or struggle in classes.
          They'll get someone else to take that spot.

#3 - Finally, and I don't make this up for the sake of this blog,
     Do they participate in other sports or activities?

            The college coaches I have dealt with, have wanted athletes competing
             year round.  Many have also been encouraged by a student's participation the fine arts
             because they know this makes them well rounded and they are learning to budget time, are
             organized, and not afraid to work.

             I had a young man being recruited by the University of Iowa to play football back in the
             mid-90's (yeah, I know ancient) and the football staff was glad that he continued to play
             basketball, so was I as he helped lead us to the state tournament.
             Never once did they tell him to not compete and just train to play football.

             They wanted him out for track in the spring to continue to train and compete in the shot put
             and discus, which he did.

             Yes, that's a NCAA Division I example, and most of our students will compete at a level
              lower than that, but I can almost guarantee that coaches at the NAIA and NCAA D-III
              level will be wanting multi-sport athletes.  

It's not to late to get involved this spring if you need to.  How about summer?

Don't say what if?  Just Do It!!

p.s. Next week I've got more to say about it from another perspective.

#wildcatpride

Specialization

Today's blog is a link to an article on the very important subject of sports injuries and specialization.  I do believe in multi-sport athletes and competing year round, but in the different sports and not just one.  This article, shared by Dr. Aylsworth, is a fantastic read and one for coaches, athletes and parents alike to read and take to heart.  

Dr. Andrews is a well knows orthopedic surgeon who has put the likes of Adrian Petersen, RGIII, and Drew Brees back in the game.  Even with those high profile athletes he has a passion for youth and unique insight into over use injuries.  

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog weekly, and this weeks article, which I think is very insightful.  

Article by Dr. James Andrews

#wildcatpride

Winter Seasons Come to An End

Winter seasons are being put to rest for the season with banquets being held and awards being presented.  As this part of the year comes to a close I'd like to say a few thank yous of my own to the people who help make it all happen.  

First off, is our activities staff  of Vicki Born and Rich Parker.  These two do so much for the students and coaches...and of course, me, but they do it first and foremost for the students.  Also, to LuAnn Tucker and Terri Joiner for their help in the main office as well.  If you see them, please thank them and appreciate them.  

Thanks to the maintenance staff who come in after games and practices to clean up and get the school ready for the next day.  If see them please appreciate them.  

Thanks to the Middle School staff, Mrs. Ermler, Mr. Seiler, and Dr. Schlueter who run the show over there and are a tremendous support to the MS coaches and students.  

Thanks to all of our ticket takers who are so faithful to MS and HS events, our clock operators, scorekeepers, and announcers who help and give of their time.  

Thanks to our officials who work our HS and MS events.  Some are local and I appreciate so much having our local folks involved in doing these types of things. 

Thanks to Lori Landgren for setting up the concession stands for the HS events and helping to organize the parents.  Thanks to the parents of our winter athletes who step in and help run the concession stands each night.  

Thanks to Mrs. Miller and the outstanding students who sing the National Anthem for each home varsity event and to Mr. Tipping and the Pep Band for their great playing throughout the winter. 

Thanks to Mrs. Nordhagen and our outstanding cheerleaders for their spirit and hard work at JV and Varsity events and to Mrs. Towey and the dance team on helping to provide half-time entertainment.  As a short side note, Mrs. Towey has resigned due to family reasons and we thank her for her time and efforts with the dance team.  She did a tremendous job.  

Thank you to the student athletes who put it all on the line every night, every competition and work hard to get better.  Also, to the team managers who keep everything moving in a positive direction. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.  

Thanks to all of the coaches for countless hours, unseen hours, that you put in to helping our programs reach new levels.  

Thanks to the parents for the support of your students, Carlisle Activities, and Carlisle Community Schools. 

Thanks to the Carlisle Booster Club for their continual support and contributions toward our programs. Also, to the Hoopster Boosters for working the half-time shooting contest for Dollars for Scholars.

Together WE can/will work to improve and move our programs to the next level.  We'll never settle until "our good is better, and our better is best".  

Bring on Spring!!

#wildcatpride

More On The Moments

What do you do when you face tough times?  One of the beauties of participating in athletics and activities is that it helps to prepare of us for real life.  Yes, getting a good education is crucial and we must do our best in the classroom during the 8 period day, but I believe that what we do after the 3:20 bell rings helps to prepare us even more for life's classroom.

John Wooden, arguably the best head coach of all time was a master communicator (an English major) and believed that sports helped to build people and that was it's major purpose.  For those who may not be familiar with Coach Wooden I've included a clip that was made after his death in 2010.

Three of my favorite John Wooden quotes are:

"Sports don't build character, they reveal it".

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are".

"There is more value in the journey than in the victory itself".

I mentioned last week that what I like most about what I've done the last 29 years are the "moments".  The moments come in the midst of the journey.  I've personally been blessed with so many it's hard to even remember the tough times.

Here's my challenge to you:

If you participate in athletics and activities as a student think about the journey you go on through a season.  You may have won championships or even endured tough seasons without a lot of victories, but think about the experiences you had with your teammates, the laughs, the crazy moments that are etched in your mind that maybe only those that were there know about or appreciate.  You may even think of some sad moments that are important to you because of a special bond with someone on your team or in your group.  Those memories happened on the journey and help to define who you become.

Coaches and Sponsors, think about some of the journeys you've been on with different teams or groups.  Think of those success stories that you've experienced and the memories that you've been able to help create and you enjoy even to this day.

All for now.  Enjoy the week.  Hope you create more memories.

#wildcatpride

The Moments

The video clip at the end of the blog is a story of incredible sportsmanship and doing the right thing.  Even if you've seen this story it's worth watching again.  I've been at this for 28 years now and I've been fortunate to witness several acts like this in person.  Honestly, it's what keeps me at it.  The moments.

One of the moments I'll remember from this past basketball season is shown below:

You bet, I want to win, but I firmly believe that what we do in athletics and activities must be an extension of the classroom.  Even though I've been here for less than a year I have no doubt that we have students who would display great sportsmanship, compassion, and would do the right thing when given the opportunity.  I again, challenge our coaches/sponsors/directors/students/parents to not miss an opportunity when it's presented to you.

We'll keep looking for ways to show Wildcat Pride and we'll do it with Class.

#wildcatpride

Think Before You Hit ENTER

On Friday a story was released in the Des Moines Register about a high school wrestling team who put a picture out on a social media site that caused quite a stir and embarrassment to the school.  You can link the story at the bottom of the blog if you haven't seen it yet.

It's just another reminder of how quickly things spread in this day and age because of the internet and everyone's access to it.  It should serve as a reminder to students, and adults alike, to think before we hit the send/enter key.  Once we hit that key, and our words in an e-mail or posted to Facebook and Twitter, or a picture is posted, we can't pull it back.

This brings me to a reminder that we need to not lose the ability to have a face to face conversation with others if there is an issue.  We shouldn't hide behind the keyboard of the computer, or the keypad of a phone to blast someone and throw them under a bus.  We see athletes from the professional to high school level make poor choices on social media sites that are a negative reflection of themselves and their organization.  We also see parents and other adults involved in negative postings as well and it does nothing but create negative feelings and attitudes. Students, keep in mind that your postings are public records and can be made available to future employers.  I've even known college coaches to request access to a potential recruits Facebook and Twitter accounts.  In addition, employers will routinely do an internet search of potential employees to help in their hiring process.  What you post now may have a direct impact on you in a few years if it doesn't catch up with you now.

Finally, It's really no secret that I believe we should try to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us every day.  I think that should not only go for the words we say to people but also to the things we type and post on social media sites.

"The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back."
-Abigail Van Buren (Dear Abby)

Link to DM Register article:

Des Moines Register Sports

#wildcatpride

10 Things I've Learned

10 Things I’ve Learned in 7 Months

(in no particular order)

10.  We play in a very competitive conference.  The Raccoon River Conference is very competitive and makes us raise the level of our competitive play.

9.  We have good coaches/directors/sponsors who care about our students and will work to get better.

8.  Change takes time.  We have some things working well and some things that possibly need to be done differently or a little better.  Some of these will not happen overnight.  Small steps are good steps.

7.  Celebrate the small victories.   We sometimes get a bit impatient trying to see a vision become a reality. We’re going to continue to look at things with the glass half full approach.

6.  We have great kids.  I’ve seen some great things out of a number of different students in a number of different activities and look forward to many more.  

5.  We have a community that is passionate.  We all want our kids to succeed. We (coaches and parents) may look at things through a different lens but we all want success.  By the lens, I mean coaches have to look at things from a TEAM first approach.  Parents sometimes see things through what's best for their child. Neither is wrong.  Most of our coaches are parents. We understand that love and commitment to our own child, but coaching has to be done with the big picture in mind and the TEAM dynamic at the front of the thought process.  

4.  I work with a great bunch of people.  I’m not going to start to name them all because the list would become so long it would be an entire blog (but I’ll do that someday).  Whether they help with day to day operations, transportation, facilities, booster club, tickets, volunteering, or other areas, we've got great people who are good at what they do and do it for the right reasons.   

3.  We’re looking for new and innovative ways to communicate and promote our programs and students as an Activities Department, individual programs, and individuals. We want to be cutting edge and leading the way.  

2.  Success is a Journey, Not a Destination. We will never be done.  We want the target on our back, will work to get it there, and then embrace it.  

1. It’s Great To Be A Wildcat.  That IS #1!!

#wildcatpride