Preparing for the New School Year

written by Deborah Cadorette, Eugene T. Moore School of Education, Clemson University, SC

What are YOU doing to prepare for a new school year? Truthfully, if you are a proactive athletic administrator and/or coach, you are preparing all year long. This Coaching and Sport Section will cover several areas of concern for interscholastic athletic program administrators, and may help teachers and parents understand the challenges an athletic program endures behind the scenes.

Spring 2013 I had the opportunity and pleasure to tour Dorman High School campus with director of athletics, Flynn Harrell. This month I called upon him to respond to some questions about the challenges of an athletic administrator preparing for a new year. Thanks To Flynn I was able to pull the following article together.

Here are two links to documents used by Dorman High Athletics that can be used for ideas within your own athletic department. One is Dorman High School Athletic Policy, and the other is Spartanburg School District Six Coaches' Manual 3013-14.

Lack of Longevity in Coaching Positions: As many athletic directors today know, the reality of coaches remaining in a coaching position for the duration of their teaching career has changed dramatically over the years. It is a new, younger generation of coaches who are seeking change, and that makes it very challenging for an athletic administrator to provide consistency in coaching for the student-athletes in some of their programs.

For example, coaches in generations past may have remained in a coaching position that provided an opportunity to build the program from the ground, up; recreation program, to middle school, and into high school. The high school head coach would be someone who was respected in the community, involved with these various levels of sport coaches, and instilling not only solid basic skills that were developmentally sound, but implementing a philosophy that served the student-athletes character development.

Head Coaches with Limited Coaching Experience: This is a situation that is what it is. There may be a lack of teachers who are qualified to coach in the district. There may be people outside the school district with experience who do not have the flexibility in their schedules to commit to the demanding interscholastic athletic schedule due to their full time career hours. The interscholastic coach salaries in public schools generally are part/time positions with minimal pay. When a coaching position needs to be filled quickly, often-times a college student or recent graduate who has played the sport becomes the solution. These young coaches are "baptized by fire" as they assume the responsibilities of a head interscholastic coach position.

A young coach in a position of authority does not have sufficient experience to make the decisions demanded of her/him. Ultimately, the principal and director of athletics are responsible for the outcome and must closely monitor and mentor these inexperienced coaches. As veteran teacher/coaches and administrators, we can probably recall numerous issues over the years between coaches and student-athletes regarding supervision and relationships. There are unwritten rules (however today many of them ARE written) that exist in these areas that clearly define the role of a coach's relationship with student athletes. It is essential for all coaches to be professional and transparent.

Actually, I will borrow a term from Martha Beck (Life Coach) TAO, which means TRANSPARENT, AUTHENTIC, and OPEN; and a step further to include within professional boundaries. Coaches would do well to adopt this practice with their team. Let me be clear with this area. Some coaches may come directly out of college with the ability to be one of the most responsible coaches hired. It depends on the coaches, and parents they have grown up with in their lifetime and what they learned from them.

Personally (in 30 years as a teacher/coach, AD, and administrator in high school) I "heard rumors" about coaches inviting athletes to the movies, to hang out at their homes, swim in their pools (men coach of girls team), and actually, parents of an athlete having "keg" parties for the athletes at their home on weekends. Folks, talk to your coaches about where to draw the line with their student-athletes. Be specific. It can only help define behaviors and expectations.

Social Media: One thing for certain is that technology will continue to be a powerful influence in society. Policies and regulations are essential for students in school, and tech etiquette must be enforced. Consequences should be discussed in an open forum with student-athletes. Examples might be provided of situations where reputations have been tarnished due to a "moment" on the internet that cannot be erased. High school and middle school is an extremely emotional time when students are vulnerable more so than any other time in life. Peer pressure and peer approval are difficult to resist while maintaining one's self efficacy in adolescence and during the high school experience. It is essential for coaches to reinforce respect for diversity and individuals beliefs and experiences; or lack of. We are a global society where respect for diverse cultures and beliefs are essential for the future of our children as they discover their place and purpose in the world.

Planning, budgeting, hiring and scheduling are all part of the athletic administration and coaching experience. In seasons past we have addressed these topics. They are ongoing throughout the year. Safety and liability for coaches and student-athletes is also a topic covered each season in pelinks4u. You can access several issues of Coach & Athlete in Education at http://issuu.com/coachnathlete that may also address various helpful topics.

Good luck this year as you plan your Parent Orientations. Below are the documents mentioned early in this article used by Dorman High School. Let us know if you have a topic you would like to read more about. Thank you! djcat@clemson.edu

1. Coaches' Manual 2013-14
2. Dorman High School Athletic Policy
   

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