At this rate, how many will still want to coach?

We live in a need-for-speed, got-to-have-it-now society.

I must admit it is pretty convenient to get on to the Internet in the blink of an eye and have near-immediate access to world news, entertainment, and business reports.

I can find out about tomorrow’s local weather forecast or even the 10-day outlook at the simple push of a button.

I have the ability to get up-to-the-second sports scores and real-time statistics, something that comes in handy when you’re a Fantasy football or baseball addict like I am.

It’s a far cry from my teenage years when I would call Sportsphone from my rotary-dial phone to try to get final scores of late-night games from the West Coast.

Keep in mind that the scores were updated every 10 to 15 minutes.

And I thought that was cutting-edge technology.

Thirty-plus years later, some things have changed for the better.

But I wouldn’t say all things.

I just got finished watching a TV commercial for a certain car manufacturer about accessing your Facebook account while you’re driving.

Convenient? Perhaps. Necessary? Definitely not.

Today, many high school athletes are training on a year-round basis for their sports.

Dedication? Probably. A necessity? While some would say yes, I say probably not.

Meanwhile, the number of options available for today’s young athletes continues to multiply at seemingly break-neck speeds.

Nearly every sport is being played on a club basis. There’s club volleyball, traveling baseball, soccer, softball, and AAU basketball programs popping up throughout suburban Chicago and beyond.

While I believe that some programs are beneficial, especially if they are teaching programs, I also have a sinking feeling that others are being formed simply as revenue producers.

If you think that your son or daughter is the main priority for some of these programs, I beg to differ.

How else can you explain the need for 8, 9-, and 10-year-old travel teams? Why do you think a lot of kids are tired of playing by the time they’re 15?

I myself turned gullible a few years ago when I had my youngest daughter play a 60-plus game summer schedule with a local travel softball team.

She was 11 years old at the time.

My conclusion — too much, too soon, too much pressure, too expensive.

As a society, we seem to want to push, push, push, and expect more, more, more from our children. What my 21-year-old daughter studied in school as a seventh-grader, my 10-year-old son is learning now in fifth grade.

A couple years ago, I remember observing a 9-year-old travel baseball practice where a coach (parent) was trying to teach a kid how to throw a curveball.

When you see things like that happening, it’s little wonder why kids are experiencing more injuries these days.

As a parent, you want the best for your child. You want them to experience things you didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy.

That’s one of the reasons why parents volunteer their time as youth coaches.

But there comes a time when parents need to step back and allow high school coaches to do their jobs — even when they think they know better.

Lately, I’ve heard too many instances where if their kid isn’t playing, some parents are no longer satisfied voicing their disapproval with the coaches. They’re going straight to the principal’s office with their problems — sometimes threatening to take legal action as a last resort.

Pretty soon, there won’t be many teachers wanting to coach because the reward won’t be worth the risk.

Like I said before, not all things have changed for the better.

Chaotic ending: I’ll be the first to admit that writing about the frenetic finish of last Friday’s Class 4A St. Charles East regional basketball championship game between Bartlett and South Elgin was one of the tougher tasks I’ve had in recent years.Why?It was because I#146;ve never seen anything like how the final 2.4 seconds played out in my 26-plus years covering high school sports.After two free throws from Femi Oyewole gave Bartlett a 32-31 lead with 2.4 seconds remaining, South Elgin had its inbounds pass stolen by Matt Chaltin near the scorer#146;s table.Chaltin was immediately fouled by a South Elgin player #8212; and it appeared that the Hawks were going to beat the Storm for the second consecutive year in the regional finals.That#146;s when chaos ensued.A Bartlett player, thinking the game was over, ran from his bench clear across the court to celebrate his team#146;s victory with the Hawks#146; student section.But there was one small problem.There were still 1.5 seconds remaining.After meeting with both head coaches, officials whistled a bench technical foul against the Hawks.Jake Maestranzi converted both free throws and South Elgin went on to a stunning 33-32 triumph, capturing a not-soon-to-be-forgotten first regional title.The painful lesson learned from this #8212; stay on the bench until the final buzzer is sounded.It truly was March Madness and March Sadness.