The student athletes deserve better than what is handed to them from the board of educations. Maybe the law needs to be changed. I started coaching when I was 20 years old. That has now been 34 years ago. I have observed selection of coaches in the school systems over the years become a political nightmare and the process does not seem to have our athlete's best interest in mind.
The law that implies a school teacher, administrator in the school system or a custodian is somehow qualified to coach our student athletes is just wrong. I don't know if this law was made with our children in mind or just a process that has evolved into what we have. Teachers or anyone in the school system that alone does not mean they have the qualifications or for that matter the desire to coach our athletes. I have seen qualified coaches get turned away because they were not in the "system." The coach was selected and the candidate had never volunteered to coach in a youth program in the community or even showed interest in helping. The selection was made just because they were in the school system.
The result should be the right decision for our student athletes. In the wake of the Penn State travesty, we all need to re-evaluate the process of selecting a coach. It should be serious and have the interest of our student athletes at the core. In my opinion, coaches should be selected in order based on character, qualifications and then if they are in the "system." This process would allow for more candidates and give the decision making authority the best options for selecting the coaches.
Coaches leave a lifelong impression on student athletes, good or bad, and the selection process should have the interest of them at the center. A change to the process is required and then we may see more candidates to choose from with the qualifications to better coach our student athletes.
Sam Hilton
Ravenswood
