What do kids have today? Even the less fortunate? Cell phones, Internet, 300 channels on television, etc. I could go on and on about what kids today have individually. What else do they have? Cars, insurance for that car, vacations with family and others, etc. As a matter of fact, most kids today live the life that I wished I had when I was their age.Here is what I had....a basketball, a basketball goal, a tennis ball, a wall to throw it against, an old wooden bat, and rocks that I hit out of my driveway. We had no cell phones, we had 1 channel on t.v., we didn't go on vacation but maybe once or twice growing up (couldn't afford it), I had a car, but my parents bought it and paid the car insurance (the cars barely ran, but they got me from my house 3 miles out to Henryville just fine).
I don't know if that has anything to do with the situations we find ourselves in coaching today or not...well, yea, I do believe that it does. Fun to me was playing basketball or baseball or any other sport I could get my hands on, but living 3 miles from Henryville might as well been 20 miles. The only way I could get in before my license was on a bicycle. So, it was pretty much me, by myself, shooting around.
I didn't have all of the "confusing" extras that kids today have, so I played. I also had parents that were supportive and got me where I needed to be. Those parents also didn't force me to work until I had graduated so that I could enjoy being a kid. We didn't seem to have much extra growing up, but I didn't know better. As I got older, I was sort of resentful that I didn't have the other stuff some of my friends had...now as I have grown older, I am thankful for what I had and what I didn't have. It forced me into being what I was growing to be.
The committment of kids to high school sports has waned. Not just at HHS, but at just about every school that is in our surrounding area. When I talk about the issues that we have, it is reinforced by coaches and Athletic Director's at other schools. We are looking again at probably only 20 boys 9-12 who want to play basketball, and many of the "minor" sports struggle to even field teams.
Where are we headed? Some argue that we will have a club type atmosphere sooner than later. That is the international model. I hate that for us, because every single foreign exchange student that comes to HHS loves the fact that the school and community get behind its athletics. Unfortunately, as charter schools and private schools recruit their players, public schools will be left behind, fewer students will want to play and I do believe we will change to club/AAU programs as the way for kids to play.
