by Terri Lobdell
Palo Alto Online Staff
The emergence of "club sports" in the past 20 years has created a pool of experienced coaches in high school athletics -- but it also has raised concerns about conflicts of interest and favoritism when a club coach has club players on a school team.
According to school officials and sports experts -- local and nationwide -- this growing influence of clubs impacts high school sports in several significant ways.
There are major differences between club sports and either recreational youth sports or high school sports, which often are less intense or have multiple goals. Club sports focus on winning and developing highly skilled athletes, according to school officials and experts. Clubs recruit players from wider geographical regions and from early grades, pay professional coaches hefty sums, and pride themselves on gaining entry to "showcase" tournaments and "premier" playing leagues, participants say.
"This is not the model for high school, where you play with your schoolmates and play for your school," said Commissioner Nancy Lazenby Blaser of the Central Coast Section (CCS) of the California Interscholastic Federation, which governs high school sports.
She said the primary mission underlying high school sports is educational. By contrast, for professionals running club sports it's about "promoting and making a livelihood from sports," she said.
Club programs cover a variety of sports, especially soccer, volleyball, basketball, water polo, tennis and baseball. They also offer camps and other training programs to develop skills, according to participants. Many club teams travel extensively to play other high-level teams in their leagues and at regional or national tournaments.
Young club athletes train more seriously from earlier ages to compete at higher levels, according to experts. Year-round programs are common and sports seasons have begun to disappear, as have multi-sport athletes.
Clubs become a way of life for many young athletes and their families. Parents are heavily involved due to the time, travel and financial commitment clubs usually require.
The single-sport specialization is a growing concern. The most frequently asked question at sports-parents workshops is how parents should deal with pressures on their children to specialize, according to a recent Positive Coaching Alliance newsletter. Potential costs of specialization include physical, psychological and emotional pitfalls, including burnout, overuse injuries and damage to parent-child relationships, the newsletter warns.
In addition, by the time students enter high school, if an athlete has not played club sports, his or her ability to compete on the high school team in many sports is significantly compromised, many sports participants say.
"High school sports don't matter the way they used to. Any sort of elite (play) is done at the club level," said Palo Alto Superintendent Kevin Skelly, noting two exceptions: football and track and field.
"It is what it is. I don't think you're going to change that," said Skelly, whose daughter, Gunn High senior Teresa Skelly, is heavily involved in the competitive volleyball world.
In fact, many club coaches and players view high school teams as a competitive "step down" and worry that high school play will slow a club athlete's progress. Many elite club players are discouraged or even forbidden by their club coaches from playing high school sports, school officials say.
Most club athletes, however, still enjoy playing for their school and do so eagerly. Some juggle continuing club practices (CCS forbids club contests if the athlete is competing in high school) while they also play on a high school team, several top athletes told the Weekly.
Club programs also hone in on preparing athletes for the next level of play -- in college -- complete with strategies for how best to attract college recruiters' attention and scholarships. This mentality can also pervade the high school teams and cause a ramp-up in competitive focus, at the expense of the educational mission of personal development for all players, many school officials fear.
As club sports have grown, high schools are pressured to be more like clubs, Lazenby Blaser said.
"Most successful (high school) athletic programs ... are deeply intertwined with club sports," Skelly said, defining "success" as measured by wins and losses.
As the number of teacher-coaches decline (see "The job of coaching" sidebar online), club coaches are filling the void.
"We want talented coaches and, let's face it, some of the most talented coaches are club coaches," Skelly said.
One concern expressed across the nation is when club coaches have players from their club team play for a high school team they coach, or who have players switch schools to play for the coach. The CCS recently passed a rule making the athletes who follow a coach to a different school immediately ineligible for play, Palo Alto High School Athletic Director Earl Hansen noted.
But there is no rule to cover a club coach landing at the same school his club athletes already attend. This overlap creates a real or perceived conflict of interest because the club coach may feel financial and political pressures to favor and play club players, according to numerous sports parents and school officials. The coach's primary income is from his club families; he wants those players to reflect well on his club; and there is a mutual comfort between coach and players.
Even if the coach doesn't play favorites it's "still a huge suspicion," Hansen said.
Students who play for rival clubs often decide, or feel pressure, to join the high school coach's club team and may that way gain advantage, or perceived advantage, on the high school team.
Coveted team-captainships (which carry status, leadership opportunities and college-application cachet) are often given to club players, fairly or not, according to many players and parents. Players who don't play for the coach's club can feel like outsiders and resent that, numerous players told the Weekly.
"These are all major issues that I did not have to deal with at the beginning," Hansen said of his 17 years as Paly's athletic director. To combat the club-conflict problem, Hansen requires all club coaches to provide him with their club rosters "so I can understand the moves that are being made, and that they're not influenced by money."
Skelly acknowledged concerns about potential conflicts of interest with club coaches. It's a dilemma, he said.
"I don't know how you stop that and still get quality coaches and still give kids a quality experience."
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The link to this article can be found by clicking on the title above. What are your thoughts of club teams and their effect on high school athletics. The mentioned Track and Field above and realistically you can add Cross Country to that list.
Do club sports have an effect on Cross Country and Track and Field? Do they narrow our pool of athletes? What sports are taking away the majority of the athletes? Thoughts?
20 comments:
There are so many club athletes getting huge scholarships and not getting injured that they should be encouraged to participate in as many clubs as possible. The costs are acceptable for the amount of time they get with high quality coaches. They have a great opportunity to get money for college. Competing in other sports would only serve to confuse them and possibly make them a more well rounded athlete.
I like the way the CCS has ruled on this matter. Having a daughter who was introduced to the world of running this year her freshman year, and who has enjoyed some success this year, I have had to explain to her that the girls who she is being beaten by and seeing in the papers are club runners with years of experience. That being said she and I are not so impressed with their accomplishments, but those girl like her who are coming into high school athletics with with a raw talent. Nothing against those club athletes, but for the fairness of those who may not have the financial means or insight to get involved with clubs at a young age, Let their high schools be a place whereTHEY can shine.
One issue the article doesn't address (perhaps because its source is Palo Alto) is that, for some school districts, club sports may become a necessity for high school athletes if sports are cancelled due to budget cuts. How will that work for, say, runners who have no school team to run with, but still want to compete with other high schoolers locally and around the state?
"Competing in other sports would only serve to confuse them and possibly make them a more well rounded athlete. "
What?
This is an interesting topic and one to get quite a few heated answers.
In some sports like volleyball, tennis and soccer this has become the norm and college coaches do not even come to High School games. (Unless you are maybe Mitty Volleyball). Other sports like football, baseball and even track, high school is still the main form of competition.
In track you run your times or you don't. That said, many people seek outside help during the off season, sometimes during it. If you have a top hurdler or do the pole vault and no coach what are you supposed to do? My Senior year my high school did not hire a coach until April. I was lucky to find a coach who did not charge me a dime and has been one of the most influential coaches in my life.
In terms of track I think there are a number of quality high school coaches out there, as good or better in the "club system," who teach and coach for the love of it. And dang good at it too. I also think there are AD's who can't find a coach and are forced to hire babysitters who do not know a thing about the sport as well. I hope I'm the former.
In fact I am happy to say my athletes are not "club athletes," my most recent graduate got a "huge scholarship," is healthy and is doing quite well at the NCAA.
As for the multiple sports I think it is fine but by the time you are a Junior or Senior you better know what you want to do. Brett Gotcher (Aptos HS) played basketball through his Junior year. Our top miler plays football. My top girl two miler played basketball. But next year as Juniors they have to ask themselves how good do they want to be and where do they want to focus their energy?
Do you remember the interview with Dena? She played soccer and ran XC...at STANFORD! I don't think she was confused.
One of our local high schools recently hired a Basketball coach who had coached all but one member of the team in a club, yet if another club athlete had moved to a school where his club coach was, he would be ineligible. Does this make any sense? Also, you would be surprised how many of the elite high school Track & Field athletes are from clubs.
If you want to see the worst example of how public schools have failed to integrate their athletic programs with the reality of club sports, look no further than the debacle at Carlmont with the XC/Track team.....
Carlmont High School did not support the runners so the majority of the long distance kids quit the team to run club. It is sad that they could not represeent their school which is what they wanted but still it has all worked out. They have had fun, stayed with their running friends, travelled all over to unusual meets and trained hard(which is what they wanted) and have obtained some very good results-
Jessie Petersen 5000m-17:20.39
also won the U19 female section of the Bay to Breakers, 22nd female overall.
Chet Reyen 1500m -4:00.95
Tim Leyton 800m-21:05.18 (freshman)
Good luck to these kids that had to make a very hard choice. What a pity the school didn't take care of them.
correction to the last comment
Tim Layton 800m- 2:05.18 (freshman)
If you read the article on the DyeStateCal mainpage about Terry Kennedy the Long Beach Wilson coach getting fired maybe you can understand why some kids are forced into a different situation.
My son ran for Carlmont from 2004-2008 and luckily didn't have to make a decision on whether to run for his school. He was coached "old school", trained hard, and still had a good time.
Contrary to what it seems a lot of principals and school officials think, it was ok to work very hard. I never saw any of the Carlmont kids upset when they won CCS Championships in XC or Track.
You can't have a successful athletic program without hard work. If all the coaches that make kids work hard get fired because they may actually expect a kid to train (and because some parent didn't want their special little angel to be pushed too hard) why would they want to coach in High School? Why would the athlete want to stay somewhere where they won't let them train?
Sticky situation all around.
"Kerns said although he has received complaints, most of which were from students, and heard rumors about Kennedy berating the girls, nothing has been formalized in writing."
I want to be clear, this is NOT "old school." This is just plain unacceptable, especially for someone who coaches girls.
Running mileage, getting up when it is still cold and dark outside and putting in double days, working hard instead of sitting at home online or playing video games... that is "old school."
Berating 14-17 young girls is not.
It is not alright to berate boys or girls you are coaching.
"Kerns said although he has received complaints, most of which were from students, and heard rumors about Kennedy berating the girls, nothing has been formalized in writing."
The question is if nothing has been formalized in writing and Kerns has heard RUMORS how do we know what is true? What if he told an athlete that he/she wasn't working hard enough or even said something like the athlete is being lazy. Is this berating or the truth? How many of you know parents that call and complain for any little thing said to their kid? I once had a parent complain to my AD and VP because I told her daughter to jog on her 2 lap cool down instead of walk!?! Was that berating? The mother said I was picking on her daughter even though all 110 other kids were jogging the cool down. I feel very sorry for the youth if they can't take criticism, I hope Mommy and Daddy are there when they have a real job someday and the boss has something negative to say. Ask Lashinda Demus how Coach Kennedy was - I'll believe an Olympian and WC medalist over some JV Girls parent any day.
Wasn't Carlmont's old coach fired for lying and cheating? There's the other end of the spectrum. Parent's who will allow their students to train with a cheater. That's not "old school" that just bad judgement. Students who will run for such a person, and parents that allow them to, deserve each other. Our league does not need coaches like that to influence our children so negatively. Let's not forget how this whole mess began. Thank goodness for all the positive coaches out their who practice healthy honest competition and hard work. You don't have to be a "star" to learn great life lessons from these honorable men and women. Thank you to them.
Is this a thread on club coaching vs. high school coaching or a thread about Carlmont AGAIN! We know the old Carlmont coach was fired for cheating and was allowed back and then let go again. You have gone over and over this. It is interesting that the poster is talking about the League not needing coaches like that instead of speaking about just Carlmont. My son ran at the PAL meet and it didn't seem to be an issue that Carlmont was or wasn't there. It gave other athletes like Lauren Croshaw a chance to shine. It was nice to see distance runners from other schools get a chance to win at PAL and qualify for CCS.
In keeping with the spirit of the thread I guess a better question is did the runners who left the Carlmont team run faster than they would have with the current Carlmont coaches? If the times the poster put in this thread are correct wouldn't Reyen's time of 4:00.95 convert to around 4:19? This would make him faster than everyone in CCS but the Strums and MacQuitty. I don't know what Petersen has run for 3200 but I think a 17:20 5K would equal a sub-11:00 3200. I know a former Hillsdale runner is running with the Carlmont kids and he seems to be running well. I don't know if college coaches will be able to see these runners, but can't college coaches see the times just like they get info on other club sport teams? Did the Carlmont parents decide that their kids were better with the club situation than staying on the Carlmont team? I have to wonder what made the coaching situation so bad at Carlmont that such a large group of runners and parents would choose to follow a coach that the entire league seems to think is a villian? A post above said the Carlmont kids were enjoying themselves and training hard like they wanted to. Isn't that the point, the kids being happy?
Everyone please stop! Enough is enough already. I hate the fact that the Carlmont runners did not get the chance to compete in track for their school. The kids missed meets like Stanford and Arcadia not to mention the chances to win league and CCS titles and compete at the State Meet. Do you think any of us are happy about Jessie not getting a chance to defend her CCS title? The kids were put in a bad spot but they dealt with it the best they could. They have been through a lot of adversity and showed a maturity that few of the so-called adults have shown the past year (myself included). I'm just glad they didn't quit training and will be able to come back and run Cross Country and Track for their school next season!
Folks, let's give the whole Carlmont situation a break and respect the wishes of all those involved.
Thank you.
What is the club situation for Carlmont next year? Is the club coaching being allowed or are the athletes going with the coaches in place?
One can only assume based on the fiasco of this year's XC and track seasons at Carlmont that the current coaching staff will not be retained. And that next year's coaches will have a more positive approach to integrating club programs and outside training, and put the needs of the students first.
Or how about Carlmont hire the right coach who runs their own quality program so no outside club is necessary. Will that still work for you, or are parents going to fight against anyone who gets hired?
End of the road here for comments.
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