There are some major changes taking place at Flat Rock High School this summer. There are a new Principal and Assistant Principal/ Athletic Director in place.
This is a welcome change at my Alma Mater and hopefully we can look forward to better things to come from the athletic teams. I have included a nice article from the News Herald.
http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2010/07/26/sports/doc4c4a079ee5488603714177.txt
One thing I would suggest is that if they are truly interested in returning things back to where the proud programs once were, they need to drop the pay to participate. That fee really hurts fringe sports like Cross Country, Wrestling and Track & Field.
Here is a news flash, Flat Rock has not won a Huron League title since they started pay to participate over a decade ago (bowling doesn’t count). Their participation numbers have dwindled and they have diluted the talent pool by adding other sports.
The crazy thing is this pay to participate raises minimal money. The amount raised does not justify the negative impact that it has had on Flat Rock sports.
Flat Rock has had many great athletes over the last decade but the pay to participate has hurt the depth that is needed to win consistently.
I would say the principal factor was huge and I think Andrew Brodie can change that.
You can't argue the fact that FR hasn't won a league title since pay to participate started over a decade ago.
As for coaches and playing time. Let me fill you in on a little secret. Coaches always play the players who give them the best opportunity to win. If a coach doesn't like a player he plays them anyway unless they don't work hard in practice, don't have talent or hurt the teams ability to win games (chemistry).
Does the coach not liking someone effect sports like Cross Country, Wrestling and Track? Those sports are depth sports and the fastest times or best person alway participate. Those sports are directly effected by participation numbers.
I feel that the pay to participate fee has nothing to do with it, it has everything to do with the Coaches, Principles,Athletic Director and most importantly the Superintendent! It's time that we stop letting the coaches and all the above use personal feelings to coach these kids. The student athletes know when a coach personalty don't like them or their parents and in turn will not get a fair shake. We need to get Dill Pickell out of there!
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Just ordered my "spirit wear" online. The season is truly near!!!
Flat Rock has so far in football it would really be something if anyone can change the atmosphere and outlook.
Chris…nail on the head for both pay-to-play and the detrimental effects on football based on the numbers required to field a competitive team.
The HL has a WIDE gap on who pays what from almost 0 to over 600/year if you kid plays 3 sports (GI). With mulitiple kids the issue is much worse.
I don't have an issue with pay to play, but how much is clearly an issue, especially at GI….I can hear the nay-sayers now saying GI parents can afford it, but I say phooee as GI numbers the last 5 years have been POOR and the programs results are self evident.
Granted GI is improving in numbers because of recent success but the issues still remains!
ALL schools should have a family max amount for all sports.
SITOFN
Fair enough. Basketball and baseball have not been effected at all by the pay to participate policy but those aren't always depth sports.
Football is the big one. Over the last decade the Rams have had some excellent players but the numbers have been extremely low. You must have depth in football to win.
Look at wrestling. The Rams have had great individual success but not much team success. Again, depth is the main problem.
I will say this again. I believe Mr Brodie will be a good thing for the program as principal. He is supportive of sports and it he will make sure kids get recognition for their efforts.
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all im saying chris is that usally at flat rock a lot of the guys play almost every guy sport possible now for a single sport all you have to pay is 75 dollars too play 2 or more sports you have to pay 125 enless of course you get free or reduced lunches and half the school gets that. i get your point chris but that is only for track as i recall they wouldnt play track. now that does not explain why the problems for all the other sports such as football or basketball and baseball when i ask my freinds you know are u gonna play football or basketball they have never told me no i cant afford it or i cant pay the fee they allways say oh no i hate that coach or i hate coach p. so the fee has somewhat to do with it but not for extreme depth shortage
I think I made my argument pretty well. Tough to argue the lack of league success since the policy was established. Don't you think?
I experienced it first hand. Kids telling me straight up why they wouldn't run.
Now is $125 reasonable? Yes but let the better policy go for 7 years so it works its way through the entire system middle school through high school.
Some of the statements made in the paper seemed as if they were aimed at lack of commitment from the athletes, coaches and parents.
There are two reasons why FR sports are where they are at right now. Pay to participate and apathy from the high school administration. That person is now gone and a better person is in that position.
Now please make an argument.
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chris thats crazy first off yes pay to particapate can get expensive buts its only 125 to play as many sports as u want. secondly if u get free or reduced lunch u dont have to pay at all no one penny. there is no reason why they shouldnt have depth
I know bowling counts but it wasn't a sport prior to pay to participate. That's why I didn't include it.
Last I knew, pay to participate raised about 30K or so per year at Flat Rock. That isn't a lot of money considering they participation impact that it has had.
The funny thing is they dropped pay to participate for one year in 2003. Numbers didn't go up drastically that year so they reinstated it. They said is didn't matter. What they didn't realize was that they had basically wiped out four years of middle school participation which had moved up to the high school level.
When I coached track there I would have 5 to 10 kids tell me each season that they weren't paying to run track and that was just they boys team. We would put out 20 to 25 kids out there and compete pretty well. That was tough though when Milan, SMCC and Airport have 60 kids on the team.
Now they have changed the policy and have gone to a one pay for as many sports as you like but the cycle hasn't gone completely through. Give it 3 or 4 more years and it may not matter.
I completely agree with u chris but you have to count bowling, bowling is a varsity sport at flat rock and believe it or not thats one of flat rocks greatist teams right now. Who is the new assisntant principal?
At GI the fee is a min $175.00 per sport with no discount for family or multi sport children. With my son in three sports last year it was close to 600.00 since some sport have additional fees. Start adding up the extra equipment that is not provided you are close to $1,000.00 for one child to play three sports.
this is shaping that sophmore class up to do something in there junior and senior years. They have a group of talented young men who I would like to see succeed