I don't disagree with what you say when appling your beliefs to older kids. At a certain age it is not fair to the kids that have commitment and work hard at a sport if you play everyone as if they are equal but at 5 or 6 years old starting out in a sport or any activity I respectfully disagree, every young kid should get equal playing time and opportunity's. That is the only way a youngster would get to see if they will ever even fall in love with the sport and have the commitment you are talking about. I do think this is why it is getting harder and harder for rural towns to find enough kids to even field teams now a days.
I do understand from the coaching perspective of their is a many of parents that think their Johnny or Sally is an all star when they haven't even looked at a ball since last season and can't figure out why they are not moving up in an activity and blaming the coach or adviser but that is not what I am talking about. You see that in 4 H, some kids work hard on their project all year and do well and others do not and sit around and blame everything under the sun....except themselves that is.
I do have one question that is most likely going to start something but I hope not. You say bring you something that is worthy of the top of the order and you will put them there. Is that all the coach is suppose to do? Use what is brought to them or to coach and teach a kid? I feel lucky I grew up playing sports and can help my kids if they so choose to participate in them but I see several children that don't have that option to them.Again I am not trying to start something that statement just sticks out as odd to me and again I am talking young children not teenagers.
What a great question! And I am serious when I say that. This is the way I look at this. No, that is not all that the coach is supposed to do. The coach is supposed to coach and teach ALL of the players EQUALLY. Every player gets 25 pitches, or 15 free throws, or 10 carries, or whatever the drill is. Just give them all an equal amount of coaching, and of course work on fine tuning skills that are lacking. That is what the coach should be doing. But as you know from your sports experience, the kids that have the drive and commitment will still come to the top. They come to the top because they get 50 more pitches at home with an older sibling or a parent. They stand under the yard light until 10:30 at night and shoot free throws. OR THEY RINSE THEIR CALVES 4 TIMES A DAY INSTEAD OF ONCE A WEEK! My point is simly that even a great coach can not overcompensate for that commitment while practicing for 90 minutes a day, two days a week...or whatever the practice schedule is. BUT, the average coach spends 80% of their time with the least experienced 20% of their players. That means that most of the coaches time is consumed by the least committed players. How can that be fair. If these coaches could turn that around, and REWARD the top 20% with at least equal time, the end result is more favorable.
Now I agree with your statement about my methods not working will with 5 or 6 year old kids. Thats a good point. I was thinking about 10 year olds at the very least. At the "T-ball age", they all get equal time no matter what. Keep score, don't keep score, whatever the case may be.
But more to the point, here it is. The real world will reward performance. It will reward results. The member that started this post has a young child that has already learned this fact. This child has parents that have made the choice to pass this information on to their child. This family is to be commended for their efforts and work ethic. This child has not learned this level of skill by being given "equal playing time". The child has developed a drive......a commitment. This drive will be rewarded with respect and success. However the rules are still the rules, and they rules say the child isn't old enough to show.
I have been away from showing cattle for 25 years, and we are just getting back into it. I am absolutely amazed by the way sports and competitive cattle showing are so similar. I have always known it, just never thought about it. My three oldest kids chose sports. They had no desire to show steers. My two youngest decided they wanted to show steers. The most apparent similarity that I see......"games" are won at practice, not at the game. It is the things that you do that nobody sees, that make you successful.
I believe this post has not been hijacked at all. I believe these comparisons are very valid, and go hand in hand.
Excellent conversation. I am going to ask my kids to read this thread.
Quote from: Tallcool1 on Today at 01:46:43 PM
I think this is just another one of those "The rules are the rules" deals.
Usually (Not Always) when I really think through an issue like this, or go as far as to ask someone what the thought process is behind the rule, I find that it is in fact a good rule with good intentions.
Like every rule, there are always exceptions. Sure there are 5 year old kids showing the right 1250# steer that can get along just fine! If you are the parent of one of those kids then you should be proud. I sure would be. However, this young exhibitor is by no means typical. Rules such as this are generally put in place based upon what is considered to be the typical exhibitor. Someone made the determination that a reasonable age break is ____ , and that is now the rule. Unfortunately the parents of very talented and hard working kids that fall below this age break are just gonna have to wait a couple more years.
I have coached baseball, basketball, and softball for several years. I have coached state champion teams, First Team All State players, future college standouts, and some teams that couldn't win their way out of a wet paper sack. One thing that I have figured out is that the difference between the kids that get "buried" at the bottom of the order and the kids that end up being standouts......is commitment. The kids that are great are far more committed than the kids that are not. It is not typically about resources or ability. It is about hard work. With that said, why don't the kids that get "buried" not have the same level of commitment? Because they simply don't want to. It's not a crime, it is a reality. So mom/dad, instead of barking at me about your kid batting 8th......why don't you go outside and play catch with them? If us coaches want to win so bad, then we are not putting your kid in right field because we don't like him, or because he is too good. Bring us something that belongs at the top of the batting order and we will put them there!
) but I don't think they can do enough to call it their project and to be honest may be some can't at 9 years old either but you got to start somewhere and 9 has worked here for more years then I have been alive. As far as the teenagers that don't carry their own weight on a project I think that is a whole diffrent debate and has nothing to do with this topic. The whole 2 wrongs don't make a right deal. 
