High School When Should A Coach Be Fired?

[Sterling von Shimmer]

Hi everyone,

Some backstory: there’s a coach in my school district who has a bunch of really talented girls, but fails to win Nationals (or even regionals) because she doesn’t know how to use them effectively in a good routine. This has been going on for years and every time they fail to final at Nationals, I’m always certain she’s on her way out. But she never is. And I know those parents have got to be tired of spending hundreds on private tumbling lessons/uniforms/fees only to see their talented daughters walk away with nothing year after year. The tragedy is — again — that the team is full of individually skilled girls who could win if placed in the hands of a competent coach.

If it were your kid, when would you speak up to the school board and demand some change? I’ve been watching this Shakespearean tragedy for years.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

Hi everyone,

Some backstory: there’s a coach in my school district who has a bunch of really talented girls, but fails to win Nationals (or even regionals) because she doesn’t know how to use them effectively in a good routine. This has been going on for years and every time they fail to final at Nationals, I’m always certain she’s on her way out. But she never is. And I know those parents have got to be tired of spending hundreds on private tumbling lessons/uniforms/fees only to see their talented daughters walk away with nothing year after year. The tragedy is — again — that the team is full of individually skilled girls who could win if placed in the hands of a competent coach.

If it were your kid, when would you speak up to the school board and demand some change? I’ve been watching this Shakespearean tragedy for years.

In cheerleading?

You can plan to keep watching this until she decides to give it up or does something so egregious that the school board has to fire her (I’m talking against policy, illegal, or immoral here).

There’s just not that many people who WANT to accept the pathetic amount of money cheer coaches get paid and will stay on top of the things the board of education actually cares about: finances and school image. There’s not a school administrator on the planet who cares if the cheer team doesnt make finals at nationals. As long as the budget isn’t busted when the team returns.

If this were a real sport, wins and losses would play a heavier role in making this decision.

 

[jscoach210]

In cheerleading?

You can plan to keep watching this until she decides to give it up or does something so egregious that the school board has to fire her (I’m talking against policy, illegal, or immoral here).

There’s just not that many people who WANT to accept the pathetic amount of money cheer coaches get paid and will stay on top of the things the board of education actually cares about: finances and school image. There’s not a school administrator on the planet who cares if the cheer team doesnt make finals at nationals. As long as the budget isn’t busted when the team returns.

If this were a real sport, wins and losses would play a heavier role in making this decision.

I agree however... some districts like mine pay exceptionally well and let the coach do whatever she wants Because
1. The BOE know nothing about cheer
2. Trust the AD to ensure all coaches are doing their jobs
3. The AD knows nothing about cheer and believes the cheer coach no matter what
4. I did say they pay well right?
Head coach fall/winter/comp season
Including camp in summer $18,500
Assist coach 1 $11,000

A lot of talent but she lacks the ability to build her program Because there is too much separation between V and JV
And she allows it to happen. JV is the red headed step child
It’s a shame




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

All great points. Except in this area, cheerleading is a big deal. Student enrollment is directly linked to the success of the athletics programs -- including cheerleading -- and this program has been around and failing for years. Girls have even left the school and enrolled at my school to be on my team. So it remains an enigma to me. Even if the parents never complained -- which I know can't be true -- the actual decline in enrollment numbers as a result of this woman failing to do her job can't be lost on the administration.

It's such a crime. They could actually win UCA Nationals if they were being used effectively. Every time we meet up with this team for basketball/football, it's all I can do not to scream at them, "LADIES! COME TO THE DARK (BLUE) SIDE! COME TO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU WORLD DOMINATION! OR AT THE VERY LEAST, A NICE TROPHY TO POSE WITH FOR YOUR SELFIES."

 

[oncecoolcoachnowmom]

This begs a few questions:

1. Is good coaching defined by winning?

(Coming from someone whose teams did not always win in my first few years.)

2. Does this have anything to do with the coach you named and dissed very publicly in your first few posts? Seems like you are oddly interested in others in your state/district and wishing for their downfall.

3. Not a question, but I honestly do not think my AD cares if we win or not. Incredibly supportive gentleman but the only way he'd care was if we flew back from the comp on a private jet using district money.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

This begs a few questions:

1. Is good coaching defined by winning?

(Coming from someone whose teams did not always win in my first few years.)

2. Does this have anything to do with the coach you named and dissed very publicly in your first few posts? Seems like you are oddly interested in others in your state/district and wishing for their downfall.

3. Not a question, but I honestly do not think my AD cares if we win or not. Incredibly supportive gentleman but the only way he'd care was if we flew back from the comp on a private jet using district money.

1. I think winning definitely plays a role in what constitutes a good coach. However, I also know that teaching the girls good sportsmanship, integrity, and common courtesy is just as important so they can go out in the world as well-adjusted, kind adults regardless of how many titles they bring home. Which brings me to my next point:

2. No, this has nothing to do with the team I mentioned previously in an earlier post (they’re not in our region). This is a different team. However, in neither case did I “wish” for either team’s downfall. In this post and the previous one, I observed the already-existing shortcomings of otherwise strong teams — whether those shortcomings were physical or ethical — and attributed those failures to the coaches. But I would never sit here and wish failure upon a bunch of kids. In fact, if you read some of my other posts, you will see how highly I speak of other cheer programs from around the country — El Do, Oak Ridge, United South, Greenup, Westlake, etc. — whose coaches I’ve personally dealt with and respect because of their ability to win while also producing gracious, dignified girls who can handle the responsibility of a national title.

3. I literally dream of flying on a private jet with district money every year at around this time.

 

[OldskoolKYcheercoach]

This begs a few questions:

1. Is good coaching defined by winning?

(Coming from someone whose teams did not always win in my first few years.)

2. Does this have anything to do with the coach you named and dissed very publicly in your first few posts? Seems like you are oddly interested in others in your state/district and wishing for their downfall.

3. Not a question, but I honestly do not think my AD cares if we win or not. Incredibly supportive gentleman but the only way he'd care was if we flew back from the comp on a private jet using district money.

I would add a few more questions to your list:

1) how long has this person been in the position? Graves County High School competed at UCA for more than 20 years before taking 6 nationals in 9 years. Blackman HS competed for years (don’t have an exact number) before finally grabbing one from Sparkman. Dunbar competed years before going on their string of domination.

2) are you doing yourself any favors by wishing these talented kids over to your program? Our cross county rival has some kids who are wonderfully talented athletes, but I wouldn’t take their attitudes into my program under any circumstances. Some of these kids have been all stars who I’ve known since they were barely out of diapers. Away from their high school program, they’re wonderful kids, but within their high school program, I see the drama they bring.

 

[Sterling von Shimmer]

I would add a few more questions to your list:

1) how long has this person been in the position? Graves County High School competed at UCA for more than 20 years before taking 6 nationals in 9 years. Blackman HS competed for years (don’t have an exact number) before finally grabbing one from Sparkman. Dunbar competed years before going on their string of domination.

2) are you doing yourself any favors by wishing these talented kids over to your program? Our cross county rival has some kids who are wonderfully talented athletes, but I wouldn’t take their attitudes into my program under any circumstances. Some of these kids have been all stars who I’ve known since they were barely out of diapers. Away from their high school program, they’re wonderful kids, but within their high school program, I see the drama they bring.

1. About fifteen years, give or take. They’ve gotten out of semi finals twice. I know it takes time to build a strong team, but with the talent this coach has it should not be this difficult. We just met up with them again at a comp where it became clear to me that her girls actually have MORE individual skills than my girls, and yet they came in behind us again because the coach has no strategy. And while I’m always glad when we win, it’s like watching a Greek tragedy every year. I’m not so competitive that I can’t see that those girls deserve better.

2. Oh, I’m just projecting. I’m only friendly with a few of them and don’t really plan on any significant number of them making the transition. It happens every now and again, but getting a teenage girl to leave her established social circle like that is rare. It’s just frustrating for me to see such talented girls under-utilized. And if it’s frustrating for me, I can’t imagine how the parents must feel.