IU's Oladipo and Hulls with Sports Reach and Robby Speer

Two Great Guys

The Coaches by Bill Libby

Call me a coaches advocate.  I rarely want to hear anything negative about what a coach is doing unless you are at their practices, talking to them about what they are trying to do, or speaking with an assistant about that kind of thing.  And even speaking to an assistant isn't always the best person to ask, as they may have an agenda (everyone does).  Even with all that and how you should handle dealing with a coach, it is a thankless job.  I know, many jobs are, but consider your profession and then if your "success" and "failure" was decided by teenage boys or girls.  You might have a different take on things if you did that or tried to coach...at any level.  I would be willing to bet that most, if not all, of those anonymous critics online have never coached at the varsity level of any sport.  It's a different world especially basketball in Indiana.  More pressure, more exposure, more critiques, and more pains all for a couple thousand dollars.

I recently received this in an email from the Henryville volleyball coach, Shallon Hill.  It was so good, I wanted to pass it on to everyone else to read.  Feel free to agree or disagree, but there's a lot of truth in this poem.  Criticism is a part of the job, but try considering this before being so publicly outspoken.  However, there are situations that cricism is necessary and needed, I guess you will have to be the one who decides when that it is appropriate.  But I bet we are wrong more often than we are right when it comes to these situations and what we think is correct behavior when it comes to coaches.

He's called a coach and it's a different job.  There is no clear way to succeed.  One cannot copy another who’s a winner, for there seems to be some subtle secret chemistry of personality that enables a person to lead successfully and no one really knows what it is.  Those who have succeeded and those who have failed represent all kinds.

They are young, old, experienced, they are soft, tough, good natured, foul tempered, proud and profane.  They are articulate and even inarticulate.  Some are dedicated and some casual.  Some are even more dedicated than others.  Intelligence is not enough, and dedication is not enough.

They all want to win, but some want to win more than others and just wanting to win is not enough.  Losers almost always get fired, but winners get fired also.  He is out in the open being judged publicly for six or seven months out of the year by those who may or may not be qualified to judge him.  Every victory and every defeat is recorded constantly in print.  The coach, this strange breed has no place to hide.  He cannot just let the job go for a while or do a bad job and hope no one will notice as most of us can.  He cannot satisfy everyone, seldom can he even satisfy very many, and rarely does he even satisfy himself.  If he wins once, he must win the next time also.

They plot victories-, they suffer defeats; they endure criticism from within and without; they neglect their families, they travel endlessly and they live alone in the spotlight surrounded by others.  Theirs may be the worst profession in the world.  It's unreasonably demanding, poor pay, insecure, full of unrelenting pressures and I ask myself: Why do coaches put up with it?  Why do they do it? I've seen them fired with pat phrases such as, "Fool", "Incompetent", or "He couldn't get the job done".

I've wondered about that, having seen them exalted by victory, and depressed by defeat.  I've sympathized with them having seen some broken by the job and others die from it.  One is moved to admire them and to hope that someday the world will understand them; this strange breed they call coach.

 

Winning is Important, but so is Sportsmanship

Great video going around.

FCA Appreciation Meal for the Henryville Bus Drivers

Saturday, February 23, the Henryville FCA gave an appreciation luncheon for its bus drivers.  As many of you know who read here, and maybe you don't, an EF -4 tornado hit our town last March 2.  Our bus drivers went above and beyond that day to make sure our children were taken care of.

I think what that day did more than anything was not to highlight just the heroism from that day, but that each day we send our children off to school expecting that person driving will get them there and back.  HHS FCA truly appreciates our bus drivers!

Thanks to First Baptist church pastor, Toby Jenkins for speaking.  He as well as Principal Troy Albert and parents/grandparents Jennifer Hayes, David Hunter, and my wife above, Kristi Hunter, also thanked them for their day to day efforts.

The Doghouse

Last Friday, my son and I took in the Bloomington North vs. New Albany boys' game.  The outcome wasn't quite what we wanted as NA took a loss in their last regular season game, but the experience was something nice to share with my son.

I have been back to The Doghouse a few times since my first time in there, we actually played our sectional there my junior year, and every time it brings back those memories when I was ten years old.  My cousin was Michael Hunt who was on the team in 1979-80, he didn't play much that year (he started his senior year and went on to play at St. Bonaventure), but we went to watch him play a few times during the regular season and at the regional.  That 1980 team was state runner-ups.  We had to go to my Aunt Nellie's up in the hills of Borden to watch the state finals on Channel 4.  When New Albany lost to Indianapolis Broad Ripple, as we drove home that night, I can remember crying...a little.

I grew up in Henryville.  Spurgeon gym was "it" as far as I was concerned, but it might hold 1400-1500 people.  My experiences at any gym other than that had been at Madison for the sectional, but I barely remembered that.  When we arrived at the New Albany vs. Indianapolis Attucks game in that 79-80 season, everything stuck out to me.  I am now, and was then, a Indiana basketball history enthusiast.

We pulled up and NAHS just seemed to have a "city" school feel that I hadn't seen before live, like something from the movies.  Then when we walked in, you could feel the buzz in the gym because that team was so good.  From my first Charlie Bond sighting (you know, the guy with all the buttons on his hat and Mr. New Albany Bulldog, their #1 fan, no doubt...doesn't every community have one of those?) to when Richie Johnson walked in, I can still remember that night.

Johnson, who was an unreal talent, came strolling in and had a tie on with an overcoat and his gym bag.  As far as I was concerned, I was seeing a basketball superstar, and with the 5-10 little kids running around and trailing him, you could understand that he was special.  Watching him and Dave Bennett play was a little different than anything I had seen in my young life at Henryville games.  And the gym...walk down the halls and you see the pictures from throughout the years, and then the white brick inside the gym gives it an old school feel.

We arrived Friday, and I started noticing and remembering that first time.  The crowd at New Albany on the lower section of their side of seating is decidedly older and decidedly loyal to their team.  You can tell they take pride in being from New Albany and being at The Doghouse.  At New Albany the longer you have season tickets the lower you sit on the home side which is visible as the older more experienced fans are lower and it seems the age decreases as you ascend the bleachers.

The players weren't exactly Richie Johnson and Dave Bennett this year for New Albany, but the all time winningest NA coach Jim Shannon, has put together a competitive team.  They have their work cut out for them when it comes to post season, but no matter what happens, the history, tradition, and New Albany pride will continue.

FCA Appreciation Meal for Cheerleaders

In feeding our athletes this school year, we never want to forget the cheerleaders.  Often overlooked and often taken for granted, these students put lots of time and effort into building up the spirit of the school.

Thanks to U of L Lady Bird Paige Conrad for coming in and talking to them.