Winners in the Game of Life

As part of his recap of this weekend’s high school football action, The Register’s Cody Goodwin mentioned the consecutive win streak of suburban schools over DMPS teams is now 115.   Just to be clear Ankeny, Centennial, Dowling, Johnston, Southeast Polk, Urbandale, Valley, and Waukee have beat up on East, Hoover,Lincoln, North, and Roosevelt 115 times in a row. In case you are wondering, Lincoln beat Urbandale 13 to 12 on August 28, 2008. This is a problem which has led some district officials to propose setting up a special classification for athletic competition limited to those schools with particularly high numbers of students of low socio-economic status. This proposal is debatable, but a much larger problem and tragic issue lies below the headlines on the sports page. City schools are lagging just as badly in the classroom. This chart shows two significant measures of academic progress: Reading proficiency and 4 year graduation rates.   ...

Friday night at our home opener against the Roosevelt Roughriders I was sitting a few rows behind our enthusiastic student section. While the small but mighty East High Marching Band was belting out the Star Spangled Banner, a thought randomly entered my mind. You see,  within the venerable Duke Williams Stadium  nearly the entire kaleidoscope of the human community stood respectfully shoulder to shoulder. This cross-section of the world's people walk through our hallways daily and on Friday nights during the Fall show their school spirit at the gridiron. Last night before my eyes were students of Nordic, West African, Southeast Asian, Central American descent as well as every other shade, hue, and combination.   I couldn’t help thinking, “Mr. President you cannot stop this change which is evidenced right here in front of me. The days of your America are over, you just don’t know it yet. Long after you are gone (and hopefully forgotten) this diverse mix of yo...

Monday my boss at East High School said something which I will remember for a long time and hopefully will influence me every day of this school year. The statement was simple, yet profound. “There are two types of school employees: Teachers and people who support teachers.” Wow! Let's just unpack this a little bit. The first thing to note is just the fact that teachers are rockstars . Every day students come to our building from every conceivable circumstance. Many of our young people do not get enough to eat or get enough restful sleep at night, have not been lovingly nurtured through childhood, are still learning English and acclimating to a new country, have a parent who is not participating in their upbringing, or have spent too much of the previous evening working at a job. Even the students who are raised in idyllic households are still dealing with the ambivalence and overwhelming stressors of young adulthood.   The teachers who greet each day them...

Today's blog post will be a departure from the normal focus on issues pertaining to high school student-athletes and coaches in order to take a unique look at a woman struggling to make her way in our community. Recently it’s become a pleasure to make acquaintances with a young woman who has been a student in the English Language Learner (ELL) class I’ve been teaching at a local non-profit.   She is definitely a Winner in the Game of Life. So what makes somebody a winner? The answer, in part involves overcoming difficult, some would say impossible, situations in order to maximize one’s life potential. Consider the following facts about this young woman… She was brought to the United States from a Southeast Asian nation to be an older man’s wife while still a minor. This is, of course, a thinly veiled and all too common form of human trafficking, child prostitution, and modern-day slavery. After a short period of time she bore a daughter to this man who ...

Last week the DMPS announced it would petition the state athletic governing bodies to study the possibility re-classifying schools in a manner which would take into account factors other than enrollment. The argument is that socio-economic factors have created an uneven environment for athletic competition. Cited as evidence was head to head football games over the last ten years between metro and suburban schools. During this time the suburban schools have won 92 consecutive games by an average score of 51 to 10. Ouch. “Ouch” doesn’t begin to tell the full story of vastly increased likelihood of injury when football teams are badly mismatched as well as the humiliation which occurs during these beatdowns. Something definitely needs to be done to rectify this situation. While football provides the most glaring and physically painful examples of an uneven playing field. Other sports programs, both boys and girls, suffer from similar disparities. Tragically, the achi...

To say the very least, the high school at which I work has some significant challenges. Every day ends with me being physically and emotionally exhausted and far too often I walk out of the building deeply discouraged. So when something positive occurs it is vital to my soul to dwell on that rather than the negative. Today’s blog post will pertain to some highly energizing recent experiences. The other day after school I’m at my normal supervision post (west door overlooking the student parking lot) and six boys walked out the door. Nothing exceptional here, right? What made it a highlight was these students were totally at ease, smiling, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company. Even better is the group included one Asian, one African-American, two Caucasians, and two Hispanic youths. With all the racial and ethnic hostility in every corner of our society, it was gratifying to see the diverse setting of East High School facilitating the friendships within such an unli...

Loved the Championship Friday format the IAHSAA piloted this year. Nice for a basketball junky to be able to watch all the title games (plus two consolation games) in one sitting. ……………………………………………………………………… I used to be nostalgic about Veterans Memorial Auditorium and was somewhat saddened when it was converted into a convention center, but Wells Fargo is a beautiful, functional, and comfortable venue. It’s also a thrill to play and coach in a big time arena. Good move Des Moines! ……………………………………………………………………… The Association should do everyone a favor and ditch the video from the Farm Bureau. It kills the pre-game vibe and NOBODY is listening to or watching the message.   We all know advertisements are how the bills get paid. Maybe consider playing the video while the kids are warming up. ……………………………………………………………………… It seemed like the public address sound system was turned down during the introductions of the color guard, national anthem singers, and halftime award...

“Laugh a little. And teach your men to laugh. Show good humor under fire. War is a game played with a smile. If you cannot smile, grin. If you cannot grin, then stay out of the way until you can.” Lt. Winston Churchill   Speaking to fellow junior officers during a difficult period of World War I (1916) While certainly not nearly as grim as war, last season for the East High Scarlets boys basketball team was extremely trying. The most important factor which kept us moving on day after day was the enduring character and good spirit of our seniors. Katrell Graham was by far the guy most responsible for us having fun every day. If he had been in Churchill’s battalion, he would have been leading the other men with a healthy dose of humor in the dreary trenches along the Western Front. Every day, regardless of the circumstances, Katrell would be making people smile, occasionally with little jokes, but usually just by being himself. On our team he made both playe...

Saturday I had the distinct pleasure of traveling to the small town of Sully for a basketball scrimmage involving three area high school teams. Getting out of Des Moines and into the countryside was good for the soul. Driving mile after mile past green fields and immaculately cared for farms and acreages was just the prelude for entering the quaint central Iowa town a few miles south of Interstate 80. It’s pretty evident the residents of Sully have considerable community spirit as virtually every home along the main road are in ‘neat as a pin’ condition. And of course being a town in which Dutch ancestry predominates, the yards are uniformly pristine. They even have one of the original style Caseys, unlike the gigantic mega marts which other places have been forced to endure. The highlight of the trip, however, was walking into the gym of Lynnville-Sully High School. This little cracker box is the type of facility in which generations of farm kids and small town boys and girls...

Last week’s post dealt with the topic of positive sports parenting. Within hours of hitting the “publish” button, this video came across my Twitter feed: http://usatodayhss.com/2018/video-massive-brawl-breaks-out-between-parents-at-youth-softball-game Um…folks, this is not good. Then, a couple days later I met a sports parent (thankfully not affiliated with any program with which I am connected!) who can only be described as crazy in an obsessive, compulsive sort of way. So to begin, let’s review some of the key points of what makes a great sports parent. They are moms and dads who encourage rather than coerce, who understand school-based sports programs are meant to be educational, who model sportsmanship, who leave the coaching to coaches, who value everyone on the team, who understand growth emerges from occasional disappointment, who keep sports in perspective, and who promote health, fitness, and fun above all else. Perhaps the key point in ...

Many variables influence the success of high school athletic teams. One of the most significant factors are the parents. Aside from the obvious genetic traits passed along to the youngsters, the individual and collective mindsets of the moms and dads have a profound impact on whether their children's participation in athletics is a positive experience. This blog post will outline some of the characteristics of positive sports parenting. Great parents encourage   Being a teenager is tough. The difficult period between being a child and adult inflicts a heavy toll on emotional wellbeing. Kids’ identities are evolving, social relationships can be unstable, roles and expectations frequently create strain or even conflict. Sports should not become just another source of angst for those who participate. Make sure your son or daughter knows your love and approval is not contingent on their performance. Few people would admit to doing this on a conscious level, however in s...

One of the prevailing values of the American culture has been our work ethic. Pretty much every person who has risen to the top in any field has had the value of work imbedded deeply into their character. A young man who I admire deeply wears his work ethic as a badge of honor. East High Scarlets basketball player and member of the graduating class of 2018 Osdy Villegas will not let you out work him. Coaches frequently sing the praises of their players, almost habitually saying this or that player is a hard worker. But in the case of Osdy, this compliment is quite literal. A basketball season is a grind. We practice or play six days a week. The workouts are always exhausting. The competition we faced was brutal. Osdy was always there for us day in, day out. But this is only a small part of the story. In addition to meeting and exceeding the high expectations which are normal for a varsity basketball player, Osdy took it a big step further. You see after a full...

With graduation season in full bloom, schools all over the country are saying goodbye to seniors who are moving on to the next chapter of their lives. Basketball coaches, like every other school coach, director, or sponsor are accustomed to this bittersweet process. The “sweet” side is knowing in ways both big and small we have played a role in shaping our athletes; not only for the battles on the court but also to equip young adults to embrace the opportunities and attack the challenges in life. The East Scarlets were blessed to have Scott Cooper as a senior/leader on our basketball team. Scott meant so much to our team and to me personally. It’s no secret our team struggled this year. We faced adversity in just about every way imaginable. If we had a Rock of Gibraltar keeping us grounded, it would definitely have been Scott. He was one of the first players I met at the introductory meeting with players. From that moment, through open gyms, into summer and fall ...

Last week’s post described the vital role which student coaches have played in our program over the past couple of decades. Each young person who has served in that capacity have brought their own unique qualities to the position.   This past year, the East Scarlets were blessed to have 2018 graduate Jocelyn Paredes as one of our two student coaches. Jocelyn came to use without any previous experience in the game of basketball, but the impact she made on our group was profound. Let it be said without hesitation that Jocelyn is one of the best student coaches we have ever had. Her level of maturity, respect, courtesy, and responsibility was off the charts. She took the initiative on multiple projects throughout the year and rarely had to be told what to do or how to do it. How many young people have that type of initiative! She interacted with both students and adults in her characteristic sweet and engaging personality. She was a key member of our ...

About twenty years ago we piloted a new idea within our basketball program by replacing the traditional ‘manager’ role with ‘student coaches.’ We wanted to get away from having student volunteers handing out and picking towels or filling up water bottles. After all, what did having fellow students waiting on our players teach our athletes about being responsible and self-reliant? Additionally, it reinforced a negative stereotype that ‘jocks’ are to be pandered to and that non-athletic students are rightfully in a position of servitude.   No way! But the most important reason for the change was a great deal of human capital was not being fully developed and harnessed. We had talented kids who were potentially great leaders not being encouraged to reach their potential. We could do better. So in the late 1990’s we started specifically recruiting prospective coaches from the student body. More often than not, these candidates were students who had previously playe...