Just how obsessed with sports are we?

[I'm Floored]

I agree that some parents can be out of control.

As far as coaches, we've never had one who valued the "game" more than the players. Granted, we have always been very selective, but you don't have to sacrifice quality in a coach.

In our home, grades ALWAYS come first. Ours know....if you don't make the grade, you don't play. Period. I can remember our oldest preparing for High School. He came home and said he was only going to take two AP/Honors classes the next year because he was playing baseball. We said, "No, you're taking ALL honors classes." He replied that his teachers had recommended the lighter load so that he could play without so much stress. We reminded him of our priorities. Education comes first. You are smart, you take the classes you need to take, you do well in them, and THEN you GET to play baseball. He will be a senior this year. He has had the full load of AP/Honors classes throughout high school, and he has a 3.75 GPA.

Now, you know I don't have a medical degree, but one of the problems I see is that children's bodies (and adults nowadays, too) are not prepared for heat. We never lost anyone to heat when I was a youngster, but we also didn't have AC everywhere. We never ran the air at home. We didn't have it in our cars. Our school buses and school buildings were not air conditioned. I can remember that I loved going to the grocery store with my mom. It was the only place I felt cool!

Anyway, it is important for adults to teach their children safe and healthy practices. We shouldn't depend on the coaches (although in the school systems here, they do a GREAT job!)

Where the heck did you grow up? We always had a/c. In our homes and schools. I know we are about the same age so that whole paragraph threw me! LOL

I grew up in a small town not far from here - Cedartown, GA (Polk County). We did have air conditioning in the high school building (it was a "newer" school and had no windows.) We didn't have a lot of money growing up. As an adult now, I see how hard my mom worked to take care of us on a very small budget. Our house had central air, but we could never afford to run it. We had box fans in the windows to keep us cool. Daytime and nighttime. We would lock up the house in the morning before we left, and run around sweating to open all the windows and get the fans running in the afternoon.

I always had the windswept hair look. Our windows were down in the car everywhere we went! LOL

 

[Guard Dad]

We didn't have A/C in elementary or junior high. Old buildings; steam radiators for heat, if that tells you anything.

My dad was in the TV and appliance business, so we always had A/C at home by the time I came along. My first car didn't have A/C and it didn't work in my second car.

It didn't seem all that bad back then. Now RNG and I start cutting fans on when the office gets up to 75 degrees on these hot days.

 

[mei lan]

The south generally does take its sports very, very seriously starting at way too young of an age and I don't know that it will ever change. I don't get why it is so important but it is. Even at the 5-6 year old level you have parents, coaches, and kids acting like their lives depend on whether or not they win a game and it is sad.

TOTALLY sad. I don't get it, either. Sports is just that...SPORTS. And yes, it can be a living (or at least a scholarship) for a few, BUT what happens if/when an injury ends a career? What then? How are they prepared to handle real life? Yes, sports is important. But it is NOT the be-all-to-end-all.

 

[Grey Colson]

Maybe a little off subject, but one of the best things we had in one of our houses in Ohio was a attic fan. Granted it didn't get this hot in mid Ohio that I remember, but we seldom ran our air conditioner. Attic fans are the thing! When we were having our house built I ask the builder about one and he didn't even know what I was talking about I wish I had pushed the issue and had one installed...

 

[Foxmeister]

I played football all through high school. I loved playing football. My parents had a rule that I had to maintain good grades or I couldn't play. Our head football coach, Joe Olif was a great guy. He also put an emphasis on grades as well. All teachers had to report the players test grades to him each week. If a player got an "F" on a test, they didn't suit up for the next game; didn't matter if they were a starter or not. During practices, he was always making us drink water. He emphasized keeping ourselves hydrated to prevent heat stroke. He stressed how heat stroke could cause death. During scrimmages during practice, you had to keep your helmet off so you could cool down and the coaches could monitor your sweating. We never had a player fall out from heat during practice or a game.

 

[Foxmeister]

Maybe a little off subject, but one of the best things we had in one of our houses in Ohio was a attic fan. Granted it didn't get this hot in mid Ohio that I remember, but we seldom ran our air conditioner. Attic fans are the thing! When we were having our house built I ask the builder about one and he didn't even know what I was talking about I wish I had pushed the issue and had one installed...

Those seemed standard in houses in Michigan as well. Mine had one on each end of the house. When it hit a certain temperature in the attic, they would come on. My attic up there was never as hot as mine here gets. When I had my house re-roofed a few years ago because of hail damage, I had the roofer put in ridge vents.

 

[unionmom]

Maybe a little off subject, but one of the best things we had in one of our houses in Ohio was a attic fan. Granted it didn't get this hot in mid Ohio that I remember, but we seldom ran our air conditioner. Attic fans are the thing! When we were having our house built I ask the builder about one and he didn't even know what I was talking about I wish I had pushed the issue and had one installed...

Those seemed standard in houses in Michigan as well. Mine had one on each end of the house. When it hit a certain temperature in the attic, they would come on. My attic up there was never as hot as mine here gets. When I had my house re-roofed a few years ago because of hail damage, I had the roofer put in ridge vents.

Truly beyond my comprehension that they are not part of building down here where it is even hotter. Pretty standard stuff in VA.

 

[unionmom]

I played football all through high school. I loved playing football. My parents had a rule that I had to maintain good grades or I couldn't play. Our head football coach, Joe Olif was a great guy. He also put an emphasis on grades as well. All teachers had to report the players test grades to him each week. If a player got an "F" on a test, they didn't suit up for the next game; didn't matter if they were a starter or not. During practices, he was always making us drink water. He emphasized keeping ourselves hydrated to prevent heat stroke. He stressed how heat stroke could cause death. During scrimmages during practice, you had to keep your helmet off so you could cool down and the coaches could monitor your sweating. We never had a player fall out from heat during practice or a game.

While it is good that the coach was keep up with grades the bar wasn't, in my opinion, high enough. It took an F to pull bench duty? Should have been D, at least.

 

[ShoeDiva]

I agree that some parents can be out of control.

As far as coaches, we've never had one who valued the "game" more than the players. Granted, we have always been very selective, but you don't have to sacrifice quality in a coach.

In our home, grades ALWAYS come first. Ours know....if you don't make the grade, you don't play. Period. I can remember our oldest preparing for High School. He came home and said he was only going to take two AP/Honors classes the next year because he was playing baseball. We said, "No, you're taking ALL honors classes." He replied that his teachers had recommended the lighter load so that he could play without so much stress. We reminded him of our priorities. Education comes first. You are smart, you take the classes you need to take, you do well in them, and THEN you GET to play baseball. He will be a senior this year. He has had the full load of AP/Honors classes throughout high school, and he has a 3.75 GPA.

Now, you know I don't have a medical degree, but one of the problems I see is that children's bodies (and adults nowadays, too) are not prepared for heat. We never lost anyone to heat when I was a youngster, but we also didn't have AC everywhere. We never ran the air at home. We didn't have it in our cars. Our school buses and school buildings were not air conditioned. I can remember that I loved going to the grocery store with my mom. It was the only place I felt cool!

Anyway, it is important for adults to teach their children safe and healthy practices. We shouldn't depend on the coaches (although in the school systems here, they do a GREAT job!)

Where the heck did you grow up? We always had a/c. In our homes and schools. I know we are about the same age so that whole paragraph threw me! LOL

I grew up in a small town not far from here - Cedartown, GA (Polk County). We did have air conditioning in the high school building (it was a "newer" school and had no windows.) We didn't have a lot of money growing up. As an adult now, I see how hard my mom worked to take care of us on a very small budget. Our house had central air, but we could never afford to run it. We had box fans in the windows to keep us cool. Daytime and nighttime. We would lock up the house in the morning before we left, and run around sweating to open all the windows and get the fans running in the afternoon.

I always had the windswept hair look. Our windows were down in the car everywhere we went! LOL

:laugh

Okay the having it, but not using it I can understand.

 

[gog8tors]

I agree that some parents can be out of control.

As far as coaches, we've never had one who valued the "game" more than the players. Granted, we have always been very selective, but you don't have to sacrifice quality in a coach.

In our home, grades ALWAYS come first. Ours know....if you don't make the grade, you don't play. Period. I can remember our oldest preparing for High School. He came home and said he was only going to take two AP/Honors classes the next year because he was playing baseball. We said, "No, you're taking ALL honors classes." He replied that his teachers had recommended the lighter load so that he could play without so much stress. We reminded him of our priorities. Education comes first. You are smart, you take the classes you need to take, you do well in them, and THEN you GET to play baseball. He will be a senior this year. He has had the full load of AP/Honors classes throughout high school, and he has a 3.75 GPA.

Now, you know I don't have a medical degree, but one of the problems I see is that children's bodies (and adults nowadays, too) are not prepared for heat. We never lost anyone to heat when I was a youngster, but we also didn't have AC everywhere. We never ran the air at home. We didn't have it in our cars. Our school buses and school buildings were not air conditioned. I can remember that I loved going to the grocery store with my mom. It was the only place I felt cool!

Anyway, it is important for adults to teach their children safe and healthy practices. We shouldn't depend on the coaches (although in the school systems here, they do a GREAT job!)

Where the heck did you grow up? We always had a/c. In our homes and schools. I know we are about the same age so that whole paragraph threw me! LOL

I grew up in South Florida. We didn't have AC at all. The biggest differance is the humidity. I have to agree with I'm Floored, we're not used to the heat at all anymore.

I don't remember ever thinking it was to hot to do anything when I was a kid. Now I just don't want to be in it at all.

 

[Winchester]

Sure school is starting earlier then it use to.......but why does the H/S football season have to? There is no reason why the season for M/S and H/S cannot start a month or 2 later in the year. This whole problem could be avoided. Loosing one child is not worth having a football season to begin with!

 

[kittycat]

well there's a thought........Good point...

 

[Foxmeister]

I played football all through high school. I loved playing football. My parents had a rule that I had to maintain good grades or I couldn't play. Our head football coach, Joe Olif was a great guy. He also put an emphasis on grades as well. All teachers had to report the players test grades to him each week. If a player got an "F" on a test, they didn't suit up for the next game; didn't matter if they were a starter or not. During practices, he was always making us drink water. He emphasized keeping ourselves hydrated to prevent heat stroke. He stressed how heat stroke could cause death. During scrimmages during practice, you had to keep your helmet off so you could cool down and the coaches could monitor your sweating. We never had a player fall out from heat during practice or a game.

While it is good that the coach was keep up with grades the bar wasn't, in my opinion, high enough. It took an F to pull bench duty? Should have been D, at least.

To be on the team, you had to maintain a "C" average. If you didn't, you were gone.

 

[Foxmeister]

Sure school is starting earlier then it use to.......but why does the H/S football season have to? There is no reason why the season for M/S and H/S cannot start a month or 2 later in the year. This whole problem could be avoided. Loosing one child is not worth having a football season to begin with!

I would much rather see the school year start the day after Labor Day for many reasons. It would reduce the amount of time air conditioning would need to be used, which would reduce costs. It would also allow students more time to work jobs during the summer to earn more money. It would also benefit those seasonal employers like Six Flags who hire high school students. It would help reduce the risks of serious heat injuries during football practice as it would be starting later in the year.

 

[Madea]

Maybe a little off subject, but one of the best things we had in one of our houses in Ohio was a attic fan. Granted it didn't get this hot in mid Ohio that I remember, but we seldom ran our air conditioner. Attic fans are the thing! When we were having our house built I ask the builder about one and he didn't even know what I was talking about I wish I had pushed the issue and had one installed...

Those seemed standard in houses in Michigan as well. Mine had one on each end of the house. When it hit a certain temperature in the attic, they would come on. My attic up there was never as hot as mine here gets. When I had my house re-roofed a few years ago because of hail damage, I had the roofer put in ridge vents.

Truly beyond my comprehension that they are not part of building down here where it is even hotter. Pretty standard stuff in VA.

Our house had one and so does my parents' current home.

 

[Madea]

School sponsored sports do require they maintain grades and attendance.

 

[unionmom]

Sure school is starting earlier then it use to.......but why does the H/S football season have to? There is no reason why the season for M/S and H/S cannot start a month or 2 later in the year. This whole problem could be avoided. Loosing one child is not worth having a football season to begin with!

I would much rather see the school year start the day after Labor Day for many reasons. It would reduce the amount of time air conditioning would need to be used, which would reduce costs. It would also allow students more time to work jobs during the summer to earn more money. It would also benefit those seasonal employers like Six Flags who hire high school students. It would help reduce the risks of serious heat injuries during football practice as it would be starting later in the year.

And none of those reasons has anything to do with whether or not it is better for the learning process.

 

[unionmom]

I played football all through high school. I loved playing football. My parents had a rule that I had to maintain good grades or I couldn't play. Our head football coach, Joe Olif was a great guy. He also put an emphasis on grades as well. All teachers had to report the players test grades to him each week. If a player got an "F" on a test, they didn't suit up for the next game; didn't matter if they were a starter or not. During practices, he was always making us drink water. He emphasized keeping ourselves hydrated to prevent heat stroke. He stressed how heat stroke could cause death. During scrimmages during practice, you had to keep your helmet off so you could cool down and the coaches could monitor your sweating. We never had a player fall out from heat during practice or a game.

While it is good that the coach was keep up with grades the bar wasn't, in my opinion, high enough. It took an F to pull bench duty? Should have been D, at least.

To be on the team, you had to maintain a "C" average. If you didn't, you were gone.

I get that. Same "back home." But you didn't play that week if you had a test score below a C either. Still on the team. Still got to dress out and be on the bench but you did not play.

I'm not saying that the way they did it there was necessarily the better way. I was just surprised that the bar, where there was one, was so low. That's all.

 

[dapandlap]

Sure school is starting earlier then it use to.......but why does the H/S football season have to? There is no reason why the season for M/S and H/S cannot start a month or 2 later in the year. This whole problem could be avoided. Loosing one child is not worth having a football season to begin with!

I would much rather see the school year start the day after Labor Day for many reasons. It would reduce the amount of time air conditioning would need to be used, which would reduce costs. It would also allow students more time to work jobs during the summer to earn more money. It would also benefit those seasonal employers like Six Flags who hire high school students. It would help reduce the risks of serious heat injuries during football practice as it would be starting later in the year.

And none of those reasons has anything to do with whether or not it is better for the learning process.

I agree that if school must start during the HOTTEST part of the year, then sports should be delayed till the thermometer will average a temp. that is not dangerous to the people participating.

 

[unionmom]

Sure school is starting earlier then it use to.......but why does the H/S football season have to? There is no reason why the season for M/S and H/S cannot start a month or 2 later in the year. This whole problem could be avoided. Loosing one child is not worth having a football season to begin with!

I would much rather see the school year start the day after Labor Day for many reasons. It would reduce the amount of time air conditioning would need to be used, which would reduce costs. It would also allow students more time to work jobs during the summer to earn more money. It would also benefit those seasonal employers like Six Flags who hire high school students. It would help reduce the risks of serious heat injuries during football practice as it would be starting later in the year.

And none of those reasons has anything to do with whether or not it is better for the learning process.

I agree that if school must start during the HOTTEST part of the year, then sports should be delayed till the thermometer will average a temp. that is not dangerous to the people participating.

yeppers ... me2