ispeakjive

[quote name="smiley93" post="848500" timestamp="1284654253"]
Anyone who would make a blanket statement that the middle schools are the problem with Nederland's football program obviously isn't very well acquainted with Jack Lynch. 
[size=12pt][font=Comic Sans MS][color=red]You're correct...I'm not acquainted with Jack Lynch. No idea who that even is?! Don't really care as I'm obviously not talking about him  ;)[/color][/font][/size][/size]

Your budding superstars at Central may have had bad experiences, but your initial statement about both schoolsis just wrong.  It is not a coaching problem at Central it is an overall talent problem. [color=red][size=12pt][font=Comic Sans MS]I totally disagree, the player talent is what got the 1st win against CO in 10 years last year!! There actually is A LOT of talent at Central it's just not utilized by the coaches. And I later made an implication as to what middle school I was referring to anyways. [/font][/size][/color]

C.O. traditionally has more of the better athletes.   
[color=red][size=12pt][font=Comic Sans MS] That's probably a true statement BUT... from here on out that's mostly because of transfers too, because parents and kids from the CMS district don't WANT to play for CMS!!! Take a look at how many transfers were approved in the last 2 years!!! It is enough to open anyone's eyes!! Get a clue?! [/font][/size][/color]

As long as both middle schools are teaching the fundamentals of Neumann's system and replenishing the ranks in high school the middle school coaches at both schools are doing their jobs.
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Smiley, you're either an ostrich or an idiot. 

C.O. traditionally has more talent.  Plain and simple.  That's not the case every year, but traditionally it has been.  By the way, I think you answered your own question when you said that Central beat C.O. for the first time in ten years.  Some of the more affluent neighborhoods are on that side of town and more of those parents make the investment in their kids at a young age as far as time and opportunities.  Because of that, more of those kids have developed athletically by the time they are in middle school than what you have at Central. 

The number of transfers has very little to do with athletics.  Most of the transfers are more for, shall I say, demographic reasons, than for sports.  Right or wrong there are some parents that don't want their kids going to Central for various reasons, none of which have anything to do with athletics.  Now, I am not saying that never occurs, but it is rare.  (On a related note, anyone that would transfer their kid for athletic reasons in middle school ought to have their head examined.)

At the end of the day, none of the wins and losses in middle school have anything to do with what happens on Friday nights as long as kids are taught the system and remain interested. 

Anyone who would make a blanket statement that the middle schools are the problem with Nederland's football program obviously isn't very well acquainted with Jack Lynch. 

Your budding superstars at Central may have had bad experiences, but your initial statement about both schoolsis just wrong.  It is not a coaching problem at Central it is an overall talent problem.  C.O. traditionally has more of the better athletes.  As long as both middle schools are teaching the fundamentals of Neumann's system and replenishing the ranks in high school the middle school coaches at both schools are doing their jobs. 

That's a fair question, but it is ultimately apples and oranges.  Boise St. is the only big time program in Idaho and in that region.  They get their pick of the players in that region and have been successful enough to recruit outside of that region as well.  I love Lamar, but we would be competing to be the eighth pick of FBS recruits in the state behind UT, A&M, Tech, UH, Baylor, UTEP, and Rice.  And that doesn't even factor in LSU, Oklahoma, North Texas, and the other FBS schools in the state and region.  Lamar can fill a FCS niche here especially if Texas State and UTSA move up and have a very successful program for years to come.

Obviously, if the SLC changes dramatically over the next three or four years, the conference affiliation may have to change, but at this point, I would rather the program go in the direction of McNeese rather than North Texas.  I don't even know that FBS is feasible in terms of facilities, stadium size, and money available to the program.

I would much rather Lamar develop into a FCS power with a legitimate shot at the playoffs year in and year out than go to some middle-of-the-road FBS conference and every few years have to get excited for an invitation in the Carl's Jr.-Budget Airlines-Shreveport Chamber of Commerce-Cialis-Just for Men-Happy to Be There Bowl in late December against the 8th place team from the Big East.

I am a Lamar graduate and I have never seen this area as excited about the University.  I am confident that the football program will grow and develop over the next five to ten years and I for one hope that all of that growth and development will be as a championship-caliber FCS or 1-AA football program. 

The Montange Center should be a cautionary tale to all of those who are prematurely wishing for Lamar to play FBS football.  25 or so years ago, Lamar had a tremendous, nationally-recognized basketball program and the Montange Center was planned.  When it opened, crowds came and things were rolling.  When Pat Foster left and the quality of the product on the court dropped, so did the crowds.  And the basketball program has still not fully recovered.  Anyone who followed Lamar in their heyday knows that unfortunately the basketball program is a shadow of its former self. 

Unfortunately, crowds in the Golden Triangle are fickle.  This area will support Lamar athletics (and football specifically) as long as they are winning and competitive.  If Lamar goes FBS and expands their stadium to a capacity of 25,000 or 35,000 (which I don't believe is physically possible given the contraints of location), there will be very few sell-outs and the perception will again be that the program is in decline.  Winning will keep the stadium full now and into the future and the best way to win here is FCS.  There is a great talent pool and you have the perfect size community and alumni base to support a high-level FCS program.  However, push it to FBS and go 6-5, 5-6, and so on for three or four years in a row, the crowds will dwindle and the program will be yanked again.  I appreciate the enthusiam for the program and where it can go, but the expectations need to have some perspective.  Just my humble opinion.

I hope this is on point...

Coaching is like any other job or profession - there are good ones and bad ones.  The best ones treat all kids fairly.  (And fairly does not mean equally.)  What works in getting through to one kid may not work for another.  Good coaches (and teachers) determine what works best for each player or student.  Some may need tough love (yelling, etc.) and others may perform just as well by treating them with encouragement and a softer touch.  As a parent, if my kid is treated fairly, then I am going to remain hands-off with coaches at school.  End of story.  

On another note in this thread, we are talking about high school sports, not little league or pop warner.  We ain't talking about orange slices and pizza parties after every game.  Not everyone deserves to play and get a trophy.  The best will play and the coach determines who the best are.  This is subjective and will not always be the same across the board.  Middle school and high school athletics should be a part of the process of letting your kid grow up and learning to deal with people that may not always think they are the greatest and always kiss their butt.  Some of the parental hand-holding that still goes on at the varsity level nowadays is a joke and a parent that thinks they are 'helping' their kid by running to the coach everytime something doesn't go their way is stunting your kid's development.  Let them grow up.

And, for the record, I taught for several years and coached varsity athletics as well.  I am not holding myself to be an expert, but just giving my perspective.  

[quote name="RustedCutlass" post="839905" timestamp="1283710873"]
[quote author=teeboan link=topic=72505.msg839789#msg839789 date=1283702176]
As a member of the local chapter I take offense to your comments. I have never heard anyone in our chapter say anything bad or negative towards coach Mattews or the Vidor program. The only thing true in your statement is he doesn't use our chapter. If you call us bad officials that fine, you are allowed to have an opinion. My opinion is your head would explode if you tried to call a game. But I consider it an insult and a slap in the face to be called a cheater. The statement that he can't get a fair game is a bald face lie. I put in many hours of training, reading the rules book (ever seen one?) going to classes, clinics and discussing situations with fellow officials because I love the game. The only teams I pull for are in college or the pros. If any body tells you he can't get a fair game from the refs he's making an excuse for losing. Good luck with the guys you get, they work hard too. 
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Like I said, I've heard things. And, this was from a few years ago. So, like I said, to check on the talk I've heard being true, you'd have to talk to the coaches. All I know is that for certain reasons Mathews decided it was in better interests to use refs from outside the Golden Triangle. End of story. Take offense all you want, think I'm too stupid to call a game or to read a rule book, or whatever it takes to make you feel better.
But there is a reason for decisions made. And, it is not to get an excuse for losing.  ::)
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