naia and ncaa baseball recruiting

PARENTS SHOULD JUST LET THE COACH COACH

The pressures and intrigues that go on between parents and coaches have been ratcheted, too. Whether it qualifies as interference or involvement. parents of today, in ever increasing numbers, are taking the hands on approach to their child’s athletic experience.

“It never seems ends,” says longtime Buena High football Coach Rick Scott. “We’re coaching a generation of young children whose parents know all about their 1st Amendment rights and are looking at everything with a critical eye.

“There was once a time when parents were just glad someone was taking the time to coach their kid in the afternoon. They were glad their child had a role model to look up to. But it’s all changed. Now we have got the new-age parents convinced that their kid is getting a raw deal.”

The days when the high school coach was seen as a veritable Vince Lombardi are long gone, unapproachable and dispensing roster decisions that were considered law. Today, everything is questioned by the parents. With the stakes higher, beginning with the quest for college athletic scholarships that are worth tens of 1000′s of dollars, parents are taking very proactive stances.

The parent see their role as protecting the interests of their children,” said Scott Carpenter, whose son and quarterback standout Rudy made a much-publicized transfer last spring from Newbury Park high school to Westlake High School. “I have to do what’s best for my son. In a perfect world, I’d just be quite happy to sit in the stands and watch my son play. But guess what? It’s not a perfect world.”

Parents are spending 1000′s of dollars and logging up 100′s of hours with club teams, summer leagues and private coaches, mostly with the reward of earning an athletic scholarship to college.

By the time their son or daughter reaches high school, they find a new world order, too. High school regulations, including those governing the CIF-Southern Section, have made it possible for a teenager to all but attend any high school as long as parents move into the district boundaries. No wonder many parents seek the ideal place for their child — virtually “shopping” their child, coaches and administrators say. The rich get richer, which is one of the reasons why area schools such as Westlake and St. Bonaventure are perennial football powers.

Westlake High School has attracted a string of high-profile quarterback transfers from other schools, including Carpenter. St. Bonaventure is an enticing stop for top football talent, including graduated defensive stars Lee Martin and Tony Castaldi, both of whom transferred from Royal High School. Under CIF-SS regulations, it’s perfectly legal. Parents also say that it is their duty to look for not only a top educational environment for their children, but a place where a great athletic program will lead to recognition and a scholarship.

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