“Fundamentals of Coaching” Course – Saturday August 24th at Uniontown Lake High School

Welcome back to the start of another year.  If you have any “newbie” coaches who will need to complete the required “Fundamentals of Coaching” course as partial fulfillment of their Pupil Activity Permit (PAP), we will be offering the course here at Uniontown Lake HS on SATURDAY, AUGUST 24th from 8:00 a.m.-Noon.

By taking the classroom version of the course (the content is identical to online) there is a $10 savings ($55 classroom vs. $65 online).  Whether your district or the individual coach pays for the course, this is a significant savings to someone.

The registration link with OHSAA will be up later this week; however, if you have a new coach who has not taken the course before and you want to reserve them a spot in the class, simply forward this link to them or email me their contact information.  I will connect with the coach to make arrangements for their registering in time.

Feel free to contact me at brownbruce@lakelocal.org  or the office (330-877-4288) with any additional questions.

To learn more about what the “Fundamentals of Coaching” class is about  Watch the video below.

A Parent’s Guide to Dealing with your High School Athlete

A Parent’s Guide to Dealing with your High School Athlete

BY: 

It’s almost time for fall sports to begin again, where your son or daughter may be taking the field again as a high school athlete, or maybe even taking the field for the first time as a high school athlete. The transition from “rec” or travel sports to high school sports is a big one, and many an athlete find the transition tough to adjust to. There may be another group that may find it even harder:

Parents

I am sure we have all sat through games when our kids were younger, rooting them on, and hoping for our child’s personal and team successes. I have too. Through these many years of watching, there are 12 observations that I have come across that will make watching your child’s games more enjoyable, and allow your child to grow and develop.

1) Grades…. Remember these are “student-athletes” not “athlete-students”, and keeping ones’ grades high should be at the top of any list. The chances of getting a college scholarship through good grades is a 1000 times more likely to happen that through athletics. At least the same amount of time should be put into homework compared to training.

2) The days of “trophies for everyone” are over…. Your child may not get to play all the time, or even at all. Kids will learn from these disappointments, learn how to deal with them, and become better for it. They WILL make mistakes. Everybody does. That leads to the third observation I have seen:

3) Don’t be afraid of demanding coaches…. Quick question: In your mind, think of the three favorite teachers you have ever had. Done? Ok, think of the three most demanding teachers you have ever had. My bet is that at least two of the three favorites are the same. Coaches are going to be demanding. They should be. Coaches are going to yell and scream. It’s in a coaches demeanor to do that (within reason of course). Your kids can handle demanding coaches. They are stronger than you think.

4) The coach is the coach…. Too many parents think they are coaches. If an athlete is coached to do a certain skill by his or her coach, it’s the same way he or she should practice it at home. Find out how the coach is teaching a certain drill, and use THAT way to practice at home. In a kid’s mind, there may be a “Too many Chiefs, and not enough Indians” dynamic going on in his or her head. Be consistent when helping your child. Your first question you should ask as a parent when wanting to help your child is: How is coach teaching it?

5) High school sports are serious, but it isn’t the biggest deal in the world…. One of the worst offenses I have seen. Share in your child’s successes, both personal and team wise. Make sure they know how to handle defeat and disappointment. Don’t allow them to get too high after a win, or too low after a loss. Try to keep them as “flatlined” as possible. Remember, it is your CHILD’S dreams, not YOURS as a parent.

6) Keep your expectations realistic…. Don’t “set the bar” as far as what you expect from your child. There are many, many cases of star athletes in grade school and middle school that don’t get any better when they are in high school. There are just as many cases of athletes that all of a sudden have a growth spurt, or refine their skills and become great contributors to their high school teams. Just because a school may have a great freshman class, doesn’t mean they will all be stars in the next four years.

7) Be realistic about your child’s ability…. Not every child is going to go to Duke to play basketball, Michigan to play football, Stanford to play baseball, or UCLA or Penn State to play volleyball. Your child probably already knows what he or she did wrong (the coaches have already told them), so unless he or she asks, leave it alone. There is a huge difference between “discussing” with your child, and “pushing” your child. Learn to know the difference.

8) Stay out of the way, except for one situation…. Remember, it is what your child has chosen to do. It is THEIR dream, not YOURS. Let them choose how much they train, how much they lift, and how much they run. You can “encourage”, but the final decision should be the child’s. There is only one exception, and that is when the issue of quitting a team comes up. Quitting is not an option. Your child will be much better off learning how to overcome the adversity, than just throwing in the towel when things don’t go his or her way.

9) Don’t approach the coach with questions, have your child do it…. How many of you know of parents that call the coach when things aren’t going their child’s way? Ok, everyone put your hands down. We all know of someone. Your kids are at the age where they should be approaching the coach themselves. Always wait a day or two to talk to a coach and allow some time to calm down, so that there can be a clear discussion between player and coach. Your child with have to deal with talking to adults in life, weather it be a boss, teacher, or anyone else of authority. Why not start now?

10) Know the difference between pain and injury…. Everyone has heard the phrase “no pain, no gain”. Don’t believe it. There are always going to be bumps and bruises, that is a given, especially the day after a game. If a “pain” lingers on for more than a few days, go get your child checked out. He or she is not only hurting the team by playing injured, but also risking his or her future health.

11) Behave yourself during the game…. There is nothing more embarrassing than seeing a parent yelling and screaming, cheering for only his or her kid, and generally making a fool out of him or herself. Cheer for your TEAM, not just your child. Form relationships with the other parents. If you can’t act with some class and dignity, then stay home. Your child will appreciate you not being singled out for being a jerk.

12) Savor every moment…. Four years of high school sports go by quick. It’s the kind of thing that your child and you will enjoy sharing in the future. Make it enjoyable for both you and your child. Before you know it, he or she will be gone.

NFHS, PlayOn! Sports Announce Plans for High School Sports Network

NFHS, PlayOn! Sports Announce Plans for High School Sports Network

NFHS_Network 

Joint Venture Would Create Central Destination, Expanded Coverage of High School Sports 

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and PlayOn! Sports (PlayOn) plan to create and launch the NFHS Network, an all-digital network devoted to coverage of high school athletic content through the Federation’s state association members. The NFHS Network, with an anticipated start date at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year and featuring comprehensive coverage of boys and girls sports and activities from across the country, will be a subscription-based digital service available at NFHSnetwork.com.

Each of the 51 NFHS state association members has the opportunity to join the NFHS Network to showcase its high schools, student athletes and tournaments.  While states will continue to maintain local media relationships, the NFHS Network will become the largest aggregated destination for coverage of high school sports in the country, thus creating increased viewing opportunities for students, parents and fans – wherever they may be in the world.  

 “With 19,000 high schools in the United States and nearly two million events held annually across the country, we are very excited about this enormous opportunity,” said Bob Gardner, executive director of the NFHS.  “Once launched, the network will help the Federation showcase its primary mission of expanding participation and opportunities for involvement in education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities.  We are excited to provide viewership opportunities for fans of high school athletics all over the country.”

The new NFHS Network will build on the existing success of the PlayOn digital platform and high-quality coverage of high school sports. PlayOn currently streams nearly 30,000 events per school year on its national digital portal in addition to producing and distributing television coverage of select championship events. PlayOn works with 32 state associations and sections in 26 states, as well as more than 600 high schools across the country that have adopted PlayOn’s technology platform to self-produce their school’s sports and activities.

“Teaming up with the NFHS is a natural progression to build a truly national high school sports platform while honoring the local communities that support them,” said David Rudolph, PlayOn! Sports chief executive officer. “Our mission is to serve the current and future generations of student-athletes, support and encourage their participation and make their performances accessible to their friends, family and fans on every media platform they use.”

Nearly 50 million Americans identify themselves as high school sports fans and high school events have three times the attendance of college and professional sporting events combined. Couple this passionate fan base with the usage of smartphones and other connected devices and the NFHS Network will become a consolidated high school destination for schools, student-athletes, families, fans, alumni and advertisers.

“We are building a network for the next 40 years,” Rudolph continued. “The NFHS Network is being designed for the next generation of consumers who are driving the consumption of content in a multi-screen environment. These digital natives will set the stage for the success of the NFHS Network.”

The NFHS Network is a joint venture between the NFHS and PlayOn! Sports and will be governed and overseen by a combination of NFHS and PlayOn executives.  Both Gardner and Rudolph worked with numerous state association executive directors for more than seven months to develop the concept and agreement.  The NFHS Network is structured to provide all state associations with the opportunity to participate, providing a framework for a true national footprint for high school sports.

“Ultimately, we want to make the NFHS Network the most treasured and trusted source for high school athletics,” Gardner said.

NFHS Network: We are High School.

About PlayOn! Sports 

PlayOn! Sports is the largest rights holder, producer, and aggregator of high school sports events distributed across television, the Internet, and IP-video enabled mobile devices. By combining State Athletic Associations’ postseason content with the regular season events of member schools, PlayOn streams more than 30,000 high school sporting events a year, providing marketers with a unique multi-media platform solution to reach teens, young adults and families. PlayOn is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., with offices in the Southeast, Midwest and California. View the PlayOn! Sports Network at www.playonsports.com and follow us on Twitter and Facebook @playonsports.