Commitment to high school team often blurred in this era

Playing for the old high school team isn't quite what it was years ago.

The dream used to be putting on the green and gold or blue and white uniform before longtime friends and hometown fans. To do whatever it took to lead their school to downstate glory.

And when the seasons changed, many of the kids also changed uniforms from football to basketball or wrestling and then to baseball or track. Or from volleyball to basketball to softball.

But this is a different era where the lines aren't quite as clear about commitment to the high school team. Not when club teams and showcase events give some seasons no beginning or ending.

Kids end up teetering in a difficult balancing act. Coaches end up facing difficult dilemmas on doing what's best for the team.

What if your star basketball player also wants to participate during that season in a club volleyball tournament? Or the starting quarterback wants to go to a baseball exposure showcase before college coaches?

And then there's the spring break dilemma of kids who want to take a warm-weather vacation rather than take a bunch of cold-weather cuts with a baseball or softball bat.

Try that 20 or 25 years ago and most coaches would tell you to enjoy the vacation for the rest of the spring.

But a coach who tried to do that now could also find himself in the midst of a player and parental revolt.

However, trying to play both sides of the aisle is likely to lead to disaster. It's vital for a coach to make his or her stance on the issue perfectly clear before a high school season starts.

Some coaches tell their players or athletes who could have a potential conflict with a club sport to make a choice. They either commit fully to the high school team or commit to something else.

Trying to arrange a split commitment has the potential to split apart a team. Let one player take a weekend off to compete in another sport and how long is it before a teammate asks to do the same.

Kids might view the treatment as preferential - particularly if a player misses time for a club sport and jumps right back into the lineup.

It's why a high-school coach needs to make it clear what his or her rules are. Administrators need to be on board with their support.

And parents and athletes have to understand the reasons why commitment to a high school team can't be a some-of-the-time thing.

It has to be everything or nothing at all.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com