OHSAA proposes spring ball

[91Buckeye]

Agree with Joe on this one, these activities are great for our young people because of the lessons they learn not the championships they earn.

[Charles Farquar]

Im not a head football coach but I have coached football for 32 years and I think it is a bad idea, especially if it is done at the expense of denying kids other experiences . First of all it might force kids to specialize in football only, if that is their choice then thats fine, but there would be a lot of situations in which kids would be prevented from experiencing some other sports and activities that might lead to them being a more rounded human being and student. From what I have read most college recruiters and coaches would like to recruit an ATHLETE and a STUDENT that was involved in more sports and activities than just football. A multi-sport athlete who has success in more than just one sport and proves himself athletically in baseball or having good footspeed in track and field demonstrates in those other sports that he has speed and athletic skill. Basketball and Wrestling have carry over to the football field. A kid that is a good student with a good grade point average and scores well on the ACT and is a good athlete as well as good football player is more attractive to a recruiter than just a football player.

[Westfan]

Doesn't Kentucky do this? I see Raceland out in the spring some. Maybe April.

[hitman14]

Spring ball would a great idea. Especially for the kids that are planning on playing on the next level. It will really give the kids a good sense of the rigorous scheduling that is expected on the college level. Great Idea IMO

[bengalfan76]

Thats a good reason to destroy or disrupt Spring sports. It would affect maybe 5% of all the kids in SE ohio.

[FarAwayFalcon]

I cannot see how 10 TOTAL hours in a two week span will kill spring sports. Kids might have to put track or baseball on the backburner for 2 weeks but that isn't going to kill a sport. I bet a lot of teams spend ten hours every two weeks on weights and conditioning in the spring time, and lots of football players still play other sports. Question is will they be able to do weights and conditioning during these two weeks?

[eagles73Taylor]

Ohio could make it easy and just make school year round. You wouldnt have to add any weeks to the actual school year, just spread out the 180 days over the whole year. This would mean now you have 4 seasons to move sports around in, giving each more time to train and not cross over with each other.

Fall- football, cc,
Winter- basketball, wrestling
Spring- track, soccer
Summer- baseball, golf

Of course, this is just off the top of my head, but it would give schools the oppurtunity to not be in session during say January, saving money and not missing as many days!

[JChipwood]

^^ That is a totally different debate 73 but definitely a debate worth having and one that has been ongoing for some time now.

I too don't see how 10 hrs will kill or even affect spring sports. Spring sports seasons must be completed to participate but at that point most are finished anyway. I do agree that the kids could take it upon themselves and put in the 10+ hrs and develop leadership skills on their own. Most other sports already have open gyms/mats and "non-mandatory" workouts with little to no affect onthe sport in season. Of course some coaches would take this to the next step and mandate these workouts and threaten playing time based on participation rather than utilize the time to work with the kids that want to participate.

I have seen firsthand in basketball how a coach can use this time incorrectly and reward guys for showing up with playing time regardless of actual skill during the season. It can be a program killer if treated incorrectly. As long as the coach plays his best players regardless of participation in the "voluntary" workouts then the team will be better and the concept will benefit the kids that participate. It does go without saying that more time put in by a player results in improved play but some kids can't participate or don't want to and shouldn't be penalized for pt by a lesser player.

[Charles Farquar]

Track and Field starts the 2nd or 3rd week of March and then the Conference meets are usually the 2nd week of May . Then you have District , Regional and State bringing you up to the State Meet around the begining of June. In football you get in shape in the summer and try to maintain that once the season starts. In track you train for a peak, your training is continuous, you build on phases of different kinds of training depending on the time of year. Two weeks in the middle of your season could foul up a lot of things. Even if he was practicing football at a different time , when is the recovery period going to take place in getting ready for a meet? When is the kid going to get rest? What do you think would happen if the track coach came to the football coach during football season and said you know I would like to have that stud running back of yours to work on Sprinting for a week, I know your putting in a game plan for your rival this week, but I dont think it would hurt him to be gone from practice for a week?

[Peake]

Wow JoeRoberts if you really are a coach I would never play for you.

Spring football would be outstanding. The more practices you can get the better. Why do you think it is so important for colleges to make it to bowls, the extra 15 practices they get. This is a prime time to develop all of your talent, and most importantly your younger talent that will only get to practice and see some freshmen or jv ball action without and varsity time.

Florida, Texas, and California all have spring ball, another reason all three are pumping out better d1 athletes then Ohio.

This is another opportunity to help develop kids as players and people. Why is that a bad thing? Another opportunity to keep kids off the streets for two hours.

I can't believe anyone is actually opposing this, especially a coach, which I highly doubt this guy really is. A real coach would never make comments like that.

[Peake]

Another thing, I am a strength and conditioning coach in North Carolina (cedar ridge final four last season class 2a), and some of these ideas proposed by this so called coach are ridiculous. Heck yes 99% of kids would rather be sitting in front of their couch, in a pool, at the beach, etc then at practice. That is why it is called a sacrifice. They are sacrificing doing things they would rather do and enjoy, then going to two weeks of practice near the end of the year. BTW, where I went to school the last two weeks of May my school is still in.

To be successful life in general requires a lot of hard work. Everything in life evolves and sports do as well. Either get on board or get off the train. Telling someone it would be better to go down the street and toss the ball around then be with coaches who will teach you necessary skills you will need to play on Fridays or at the next level is probably THE MOST RIDICULOUS thing I have ever heard.

***A lot of kids want to play at the next level, and combines are usually starting in June-July and this would also help kids to stay in football shape and not be rusty so to speak when it is time to head on the football circuit.

I played for Norm Persin, my summers were spent in the weight room at 8am-10am, and then to open gym from 10am-12. 7-on-7's voluntary were during the evenings a couple of days a week. That also produced 4 OVC basketball championships, a sweet 16, and then 3 OVC titles in football and 3 playoff appearances.

Go ask Bob Lutz if he would like to have 5 extra practices. He would laugh in this joeroberts guys face.

If this rule makes you quit football, then please quit. That tells me all I need to know about you as a person and athlete.

The mission trips, volunteering, traveling bit is played out too. Kids are still in school the last two weeks of May.

[55buckeyes98]

This would be helmet and shorts fundamental teaching. It would primarily be for kids not playing other sports. This would not really be much of a benefit for DVI/DV schools and really maybe not even for most DIV/DIII schools as well. I other states have spring ball because most of their school districts are much larger than Ohio school districts. Aren't we really one of the last state's to have true "small" town sports programs?

[Orange and Brown]

I agree with Peake

[Peake]

55 Bukeyes,

What are you basing any of your ideas on?

There are few school districts as large as Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland areas. I don't understand your points at all.

[nice guy]

Yes, it would kill spring sports. 95% of the football coaches would be telling kids not to play spring sports because they have to come to football for 10 hours at the end of May.

[55buckeyes98]

Well I was just saying that for bigger schools you'll have more kids out there practicing. smaller schools where kids (should) play 3 sports it's just going to burn them out even more. Even tho more fundamentals are needed to be taught, kids won't see it that way. But to a one sport athlete it would be good for him/her to get out there and get some coaching.

[Orange and Brown]

Well I was just saying that for bigger schools you'll have more kids out there practicing. smaller schools where kids (should) play 3 sports it's just going to burn them out even more. Even tho more fundamentals are needed to be taught, kids won't see it that way. But to a one sport athlete it would be good for him/her to get out there and get some coaching.

well they can't participate in Spring ball if they are currently playing another spring sport...So how does it burn them out?

[Peake]

Just like in life the cream will rise to the top.

People who will make excuses will never stop making excuses. People who work their tales off, will never stop working their tails off.

In life successful people put in a lot more work then is already currently asked of them. It is the same in sports, no different really. Those who want to be good put in work, those who don't care will not. I have learned this as both a player, a professional, and a coach.

[Peake]

Most spring sports are over by the end of May unless you are good enough to go to regionals or states in track or your baseball program is really good.

Again, people are going to make excuses because that ultimately is what they do best.

If you really care about developing your players as athletes and as people then spending MORE time with them is never a bad thing.

[Orange and Brown]

If this passes every NY football player will find a way to be there......Nothing breeds success like success!!