Purpose of High school sport

[PharmerBrown]

In terms of wins/losses goals, our school puts a lot of emphasis on conference games. Everyone wants to make a run in the playoffs and win state, but let's face it, if a team doesn't have that D1/P5 pitcher, it's likely not happening.

There are 65 P5 schools and about 20,000 high schools.

 

[_MIA_]

There are 65 P5 schools and about 20,000 high schools.

Plus some states may only produce a P5 pitcher once in a blue moon..

 

[Cougars]

There are 65 P5 schools and about 20,000 high schools.

I did add D1.... Also, 95%+ of those 20,000 schools have no chance of winning a state title, with overall talent a big reason, but pitching especially.

Illinois has 587 team entered in the playoffs. 4 of them will win a state title (.007%). Especially in the bigger classes (3A and 4A), it's a pretty safe bet that the winner features a pitcher committed to a school we have all heard of.

I'll admit I don't follow the smaller schools as much. It's likely different for them (or it's even more dominated by the rare occasion of having an ace, I don't know?)

 

[daywalkerdad]

Decided to check,
286 D1 schools 4-6 pitchers or 1-1.5 per class. 300-400 pitchers each year.
Each softball year you get 600-800 future d1 juniors and seniors. 900-1200 if you include sophomores.

A state like IL with 3.8% of the pop should have 20-50 d1 level pitchers.

 

[Cannonball]

Did you lay out expectations for your coaches at the younger levels how they should develop the players? Skills they should be proficient at, style of play they should be able to execute, etc?

Yes, and I gave them a test. I was hired to be the HC at a school after the team I was an AC won a state championship. I didn't know any of the coaches. I gave them a test on strategies, terms, pitching and hitting philosophies, first aid, ... When I had my first coach's meeting, one coach quit about 5 minutes into the meeting. I threw another coach off the staff when I saw him hitting and playing a tee ball game in his practice instead of coaching. My JV and Freshman coaches were to give me a practice plan each day. That coach must have thought that I didn't pay attention to those plans. A tee ball game would not have been anything that I would support in my program. When I took over the baseball program at the school I went to, I was told that it was a "coaching graveyard" and that I could never win there. Those people were wrong. Still, I made a lot of enemies those first few years.

 

[chinamigarden]

There is a huge difference between the purpose of HS sport and the goals of HS sport.

 

[Dabears17]

Senior Night- The Love of the Game.

Did bases at a varsity game last night where the final score was something like 27-22. At the plate meeting the two coaches asked for the JV 2-hour time limit to be applied. After the first inning lasted 59 minutes (with one out by walking off the bases) we knew why. The game lasted three innings and 2 hours 20 minutes.

I'll admit it got a little boring after two hours and we started to wonder if we'd have to call the game on account of darkness (4:30PM start due to Senior Night).

It was the most fun I've had umpiring a high school game this year. Learned to never call an out on a flyball/pop-up until after the exchange . First time I've seen a team do the out jumps on every called strike.

There was a largish crowd due to it being senior night. The 1B was a great leader at calling out situations in advance. Both teams communicated well on defense. After the first inning my partner opened the strike zone to include the river and chin to shins. More balls were put in play as a result.

The players and fans were 99.9pct positive. The players were almost constantly doing cheers and encouraging their teammates on offense. The players were well-coached and knew the fundamentals, they just were newish players and didn't have enough games under their belt for the muscle memory and game IQ to always execute.

Whether it be 6u, 8u, 10u, or high school, this is what the game should be about. About females learning life lessons, being willing to take risks, trying new things, putting in hard work, and experiencing the sisterhood of being a teammate.

I bet these players got more out of this season than almost every team that makes a deep run into the section playoffs and/or regionals.

 

[uncdrew]

Yes, and I gave them a test. I was hired to be the HC at a school after the team I was an AC won a state championship. I didn't know any of the coaches. I gave them a test on strategies, terms, pitching and hitting philosophies, first aid, ... When I had my first coach's meeting, one coach quit about 5 minutes into the meeting. I threw another coach off the staff when I saw him hitting and playing a tee ball game in his practice instead of coaching. My JV and Freshman coaches were to give me a practice plan each day. That coach must have thought that I didn't pay attention to those plans. A tee ball game would not have been anything that I would support in my program. When I took over the baseball program at the school I went to, I was told that it was a "coaching graveyard" and that I could never win there. Those people were wrong. Still, I made a lot of enemies those first few years.

Do you know what made the guy leave the coach's meeting 5 minutes in?

I'm curious if they knew they weren't good enough, or what.

 

[PJR202]

I think all of us involved in the MS/HS program at this point would agree that the goal is to get the HS at .500. I *think* that's gonna happen. Basically we just have to win tomorrow and will end up at 15-15 or maybe 16-16 (and currently 3-3 in district play) once the tournament is over. Getting to .500 has taken three seasons, but considering that half the HS team and 3/4 of the MS team had to learn to throw and catch two seasons ago, I think we've done really well.

Next goal for the involved coaches and parents would be to win our side of the district. In 3-4 years we're consolidating with the best school in this half of the district. It would be nice to beat them before that happens. That's definitely the goal for a lot of the kids too. It's been 10-11 years since we beat them although if I'm making excuses, they had one of the top few current NCAA pitchers throwing for them from 7th grade on.

As for a purpose? Have fun. Learn the value of working hard. Build confidence. Learn to be part of a team and develop relationships. Look back fondly on those times.

 

[Rolling Hard]

Trying to figure out if this is about play time vs. winning. Should HS coaches be loyal to upper classmen when it comes to play time. IOW, should the SS that earned her starting spot as a sophomore (mom is head of the boosters) and is now a senior be displaced by an incoming stud freshman. Does she get kick over to second base? What happens when a team has 3 or 4 incoming studs? Do/should HS coaches always put the best players on the field?