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Coaching in high school is becoming more difficult
And Menhart, the Mikes' coach for 14 solid seasons through 2002, should know. He's the principal.
"You wouldn't believe the people we heard from," Menhart said back in mid-June. "It says a lot about what people think of Carmichaels. This is a place where people want to coach."
These days, not many other places are on that list. Coaching high school sports in tradition-rich and sports-crazed areas like Western Pennsylvania has become increasingly difficult.
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From parents to apathetic athletic directors to school board members with agendas to anonymous and unwarranted criticism on the Internet, coaching is hard. Heck, it's becoming nearly impossible.
In light of recent events, one must wonder why anyone would want to forge into a high school coaching career. With the exception of Carmichaels, where coaches hang around for decades more often than not, it's far more trouble than it's worth.
Take the recent action by the Peters Township School Board and the circumstances surrounding opening the varsity softball coach's postion previously held, and with a certain degree of success, by Bea Rhodes.
Following the 2009 season, one in which a previously moribund program qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for the fourth time in five years, Rhodes received approval for the 2010 season by athletic director Rich Relich and principal Dr. Thomas Hajzus.
That's usually all it takes for the school board to approve the hiring.
Not in Rhodes' case.
In an unusual move, a group of players' parents met with superintendent Dr. Nina Zetty to discuss issues concerning Rhodes' handling of the team. Most of the information Rhodes received came from second-hand sources.
"There weren't any real specifics to let me go," Rhodes said. "They said I was calling games off too late. Just crazy things that had nothing to do with the team. The funny thing is I never had much of a problem with the players."
That's not where most of the problems come from, at least not for high school coaches.
They come from parents, some determined to take any action to garner more playing time or recognition, whether deserved or not. One thing to keep in mind: postseason awards such as the Observer-Reporter's annual softball all-star team - with two Peters Township players on this year's first team and three others on honorable mention - are not determined by coaches.
Those sure seem like frivolous reasons to oust a successful, respected coach.
"I have a pretty good relationship with the coaches and umps around the area," Rhodes said. "And I have a great reputation. I demand my teams be respected and well-behaved. That's something that others noticed about Peters Township softball."
Too bad that wasn't enough for a coach who took Peters Township to the WPIAL semifinals, an unthinkable achievement 10 years prior, in 2007.
Then again, it's coming from a district with a growing reputation for being difficult on coaches.
So, who's next? Whether it's in Greene County or Washington County, bet it won't take long to find out.
Mike Kovak can be reached at mkovak@observer-reporter.com.
coaching softball : 7/23/2009
I have been a fellow coach of Bea RHodes for a long time . She has always been a hard working and devoted coach for her players and school district. After all these years all of a sudden she can't do her job anymore. Let the coaches do their job.
coaching softball : 7/23/2009
Parents are the worst part of softball - whether its your school team, rec team or travel team - there are always discontented parents who try to undermine the coach. Some do it by turning their kid against a coach or fellow teammates, others do it by loudly proclaiming where they are going to play next year and they aren't coming back to this team and sadly, some do it by complaining to school officials until they get the coach fired. I suspect there's a shocker coming up in the next couple of weeks.
coaching : 7/23/2009
Thank you, Mr. Kovak for finally shedding some light on high school coaching. It is very frustrating to always be under the microscope with parents. In addition to all of the other issues you brought up, coaches often times can't even correct and/or actually coach their players these days without a parent claiming their son/daughter is being "yelled at" or "belittled". I think this article should be mandatory for all parents of varsity athletes to read. Thanks again for writing it! You are a well-respected reporter because you tell it like it is!
coaching : 7/23/2009
please post this on your blog! LOVE IT!
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly Coaches : 7/23/2009
I’m not going to dispute what some of you coaches are feeling. You have to admit though for every dedicated coach striving to win or at least give 110% to their programs. They're just as many of them merely phoning it in. They could care less it all pays the same, win or lose. For those that think athletics isn’t that important, or having winning programs isn’t important to academics, you should talk to all those students that were able to pursue higher education because of sports. Thousands of students across this country are able to defray some, if not all of the cost of higher education because of athletic scholarships. Its unfortunate but many student athletes have been unable to secure these scholarships. In many cases their coaches were responsible for this, because they buried in a poorly run program, or they had a head coach that was clueless about what they needed to do to help the student-athlete move onto the next level.
Coaching : 7/23/2009
Earlier in the summer the head baseball position was opened at my alma mater. I took serious consideration in applying for the position. I felt that my 21 years in the sport made me a qualified candidate and that working with kids at the high school level would be ideal, not to mention that it would be a dream come true to coach at my alma mater. The only reason why I didn’t follow through was the way I have seen parents overreact to decisions made the coach. I would have absolutely no problem dealing with the kids, but the parent aspect turned me away. It is sad that some people feel they have to control every aspect of their children’s life and undermine anything someone else in an authority position tries to do. Trust me, the parents of the Peters Softball team aren’t the only ones to blame, I know first hand that the Peters football team also has over involved parents. Great article, I hope some of the parents rethink what they have been doing and realize that they are doing more harm than good. Little Billy won't be able to bring you to his interview or have you talk to his boss because he didn't get a raise.
coaching : 7/23/2009
Mr. Kovak is spot-on with his views of the difficulties of coaching. I've spoken with many former coaches who have left the sport that they love simply because they no longer want to tolerate parents. It seems as thogh parents today are quick to look for someone to blame if their son or daughter, or their teams, are not successful. The coach seems to be the easy scapegoat, because it certainly couldn't be any shortcomings that their athlete has. It's unfortunate now that board members and A.D.'s are reluctant to stand up for the coach that they hired, and instead, back the parents and open the position. That's probably why schools have such a hard time getting qualified applicants when the job becomes available. Even schools like Waynesburg, with a rich tradition of wrestling, only gets 2 applicants when the job is open.
Scholarships : 7/23/2009
This is in regards to the statement about coaches costing kids scholarship money. I hear this far too often with parents not knowing the facts or having a real grasp of the numbers. Here are some from an accredited web site. The bottom line: only a small percentage of teenage jocks win athletic scholarships. According to the NCAA, only 2 percent of high school athletes, roughly 130,000 kids, bag a full or partial scholarship. An exhaustive New York Times analysis of athletic scholarships in 2008 determined that more than 1 million boys played football in high school, but only 28,299 received a scholarship in Division I or II. Girls faced adverse odds too. More than 600,000 competed in track and field (the most popular girls’ sport), but fewer than 10,000 won a scholarship that was worth an average of $8,100 a year. The average amount awarded for all sports was $10,400, but students could receive far, far less. That’s only about half the $21,400 an out-of-state student would have to pay at the University of Florida. Remember that your major aim here is to get money for college, not to turn your water baby into Michael Phelps — although that would be great if it happened. Athletic scholarships typically are not as generous as regular financial aid or merit awards that your teenager might be able to pick up from other schools. Only four sports — football, men’s and women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball — guarantee full-ride scholarships. In those four, a student either gets a full scholarship or none at all. Jocks in all the other sports, if they receive anything, will probably get a partial scholarship. The coaches in these programs essentially have a checkbook with a finite amount of cash, and they decide how to stretch the money as wisely as possible. Sometimes that means an athlete might only get an eighth of a full-ride scholarship or less. The article goes in to further details of what the parents and student athletes should be doing on their own as well. Too many times parents and players believe the coaches will just come see them because they are good. There is a long process that coaches, parents, and players need to complete to find the right school for the student athlete. As you can see if you look at the numbers very few players get scholarships of any kind. Especially as opposed to the amount of academic money that is available.
Coaching : 7/23/2009
This is a shame. Tells you what a fog the Superintendent is in. People better get a grip. Career stiffs whinning about their kids.....
coaching : 7/24/2009
most of you who read the article and thought it was wrong are probably the type of parents that mr. kovak described. sometimes the truth hurts! to all you coaches out there in this area, keep up the great work and try to focus on the kids and parents that actually appreciate what you do.
