The spring season is finally getting in a groove as the weather has been pretty nice the last few days, except for an occasional rain. Here are some early observations...Some more championships are on the horizon: Last year this area was blessed to have two State Champions in the Ubly girls' track team and the USA softball team. I got the chance to see both of them in action over the last seven days and let's just say I was extremely impressed. I'm not ready to proclaim any one a shoo-in for a State Title like a jinx I used to work with once did, but I will say the post-season should be good for both of these teams.
For Ubly, my first question is whether it is possible for this team to actually be better than they were last season. It seems early on that some of the younger runners have made vasts improvements, while coach Pat Bolda has reorganized some of her races in order to maximize the opportunities for points.
That strategy seems to be paying off big time if you look at the results from the Brown City Invite. You can check those out at www.huroncountypress.com in the sports roundup.
The only question this team will face is how effective they can be with Shannon Weber reduced to more of part time role. She has decided this season to play softball, too, which I hear is somethings she has apparently always wanted to do. The question will be whether or not it will effect her ability to place in events like the high jump in big meets. We'll see.
As for a possible repeat, one of my friends thought it will be rough because as he says "all the stars aligned" last year in their championship effort, including Shelby LaBuhn having the performance of her career. He wondered whether they could do it again.
My thought was they potentially could for this reason: the people that had their best meets effort they don't necessarily have to do that again. They just have to have strong efforts, because someone else can step up their game and get those crucial points.
As for the USA softball team, they are the best softball team I've seen this year early on. Well, even without seeing them, I knew that.
The only question is, whether or not they are as good as or better then last year's team. Time will tell, but I'm not going to get into that one. Even if this team has some hold overs from last year, they are a different team and should be allowed to have their own success devoid of comparison.
That being said, I think this team has the talent to make their own extended playoff run. Marissa Lemere is by far the best pitcher I've seen, hands down. I'd put on the same level as such greats that I've seen as Sarah Allegria and Ubly's Kim Lackowski.
Which brings us to one last item. There have been posts in another blog by people that have brought up the issue of recruiting and at least posed the question about whether she was a recruit as she is "School of Choice" from Garber.
So I'll pull this little nugget of info out there. During boys' basketball season I was over at USA to pick up one of the TSA trophies and sat and chewed the fat with USA AD Mark Gainforth for a little over an hour.
During that conversation, this issue came up. He explained that students considering the move to USA aren't allowed to talk with coaches, before they are students. He made it clear that people coming to USA schools for School of Choice are coming strictly for academics; athletics are an after thought if they choose to make the move.
Your input: So what are your thoughts on these issues:
*Chances of a repeat for Ubly and USA
* Any other thoughts on this early sports season
* What are your thoughts on recruitment? Do you think it happens around here? What should be done about it?
8 comments:
I saw USA play last week against a pretty good Mayville team. Good pitching dual; Mayville's LaBair is pretty good too, but Lemere was dominant.
As far as 'recruiting', well, obviously no school can admit to that.
School of choice allows these kids to go where they want though, but to say that USA only allows kids to come in for academics is crap.
Is USA a better choice for academics than Garber? I doubt it...but as a parent, I would want my kids to have the best opportunity at exposure for the sport of their choice.
I have noticed that it seems like a lot of prominent USA athletes have addresses in places like Akron and now Bay City, but can you blame the parents for wanting their kids to have the best opportunity possible to be successful? We have kids playing for Kingston who live in Mayville...kids in USA from all over the place...what school of choice is doing is ruining the small schools.
I think we are going to see more School of Choice in the future as school enrollments go down and small schools are on life support. If I was a good athlete at say Port Hope, would I want to be a big fish in a small pond or add my talnets to say Harbor Beach. I choose being a Pirate myself.
But eventually it will phase itself out, becuase as schools start to close and cosolidate the schools will become a multi-school hodgepodge of the best athletes anyway.
That maybe a few years away, but it something to look out for.
Maybe this is a factor for School of Choice - the school buildings themselves. Here's an example: Pinconning has a sorely outdated building. Nearby districts such as Gladwin and Standish-Sterling have brand spankin' new high schools with renovations. Where would I send my child? If I could muster the ability to send my kids to a different school because of safety at newer buildings, smaller classes (not per classroom, but per grade), I'd consider it.
What also factors in is the kids themselves. Kids from different schools don't just talk about sports when they get together. Classes come up (what's offered). The opposite sex for the teenagers (how hot that guy/girl is). There's a number of things that can and do factor in.
Besides, kids are nothing more than a money issue, anyway. They've been assigned a price tag by the state and now schools are competing to get their share of the bucks.
As much as probably the adults would think it's all about sports, I think the kids are smart enough to know the ramifications of a move to a different school.
I agree Dave and I think that is why USA doesn't let the potential student interact with the coaches before they are a student. They want them to make an informed decision for the student's education and to worry about how they could improve a team later.
If you really believe that the student-to-be has no contact with a coach or doesn't talk to the players on a team, than I have some ocean front property in Florida I'd like to sell you!!
Get real....with myspace and other online social networking sites, these kids talk about everything, and are much closer with and friends with kids from other schools than anyone was back when I was in high school.
Who's to say that the coaches don't use their players to talk to other players?
And let's be real here...an athlete who moves from one school to another, without a change in their address, is doing so because of sports, not for academics, not because of a dilapidated building and certainly not because another school has better looking students!
I don't think kids talk about who's hitting where, where they fit in the rotation on the floor or playing time and that's the end of the conversation.
The conversation has to go somewhere after athletics. Where would it go?
And I wouldn't mind ocean-front property in Florida. Beautiful sunrises or sunsets; the ocean; the warmth; hmmmm....
Andrew,
I'm more of a bridge in Brooklyn guy myself, but...
Anyway, I know that has to be the official line and maybe it is more of a look the other way type of thing, where administrators give the company line and it is understood that coaches might approach them or soemthing despite being told not to.
All I was saying was what I was told and I truly believe that for his part Gainforth means what he told me.
Maybe things happen outside of his knowledge; more likely in bigger areas it is the norm... I can't say for sure.
I could see what your saying, as seems to be a realistic scenario, but if it is happening I think it probably is all going on behind the administrators back.
Andrew if you are going to make a comment about having ocean front property for sale you are suppose to say you have it in a state that does not have an ocean front. Thus the country song which says I have some ocean front property in Arizona.
Dave and Chris great comebacks I was laughing my arse off.
On this subject I am sure the kids want to go somewhere they can win at in sports. I am sure with all the AAU sports and traveling leagues kids get to know each other and talk. I don't think a school that is successful in sports has to recruit because the kids who want to be on a winning team are going to want to go there and lately USA has had a lot of success and that is with homegrown talent. The kids who come in from other schools may play a part on the team but most of the kids are from Unionville and Sebewaing.
I have also heard grumblings about USA advertising when I am up visiting home, but they are not the first to do it. I live in the metro detroit area and schools down here advertise in the newspaper, on the radio and even tv. Like Dave said it is a money issue as far as getting the students to come to the school.
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