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14. November 2008 by admin.
It seems there is plenty of discussion that the Mt. Airy Bulldog leadership intends to try and join the MMYFCL this year and leave the MVYFL just like TJ, Damascus and Poolesville did last year. They couldn’t even wait for the season to end before contacting the MMYFCL and indicating their desire to join. I wonder if they let the leadership of MVYFL know of thier intentions to leave?
I wish them well and hope they make the move.
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20. July 2008 by admin.
According to the Mt. Airy Bulldogs website and as commented on earlier in this blog the Bulldogs claim the following to be true statements regarding the div 2 program…
We can say that we have taken away from the game, but remember that this is a developmental division, not a competitive one. Once you put a record on the line, then coaches spend more time focusing on winning than developing. This year, we are implementing an end of year “Challenge”, where we will have teams play a “wrap up game” with other Division II teams. Nevertheless, we will be expressively clear that there is no “Division II Champion”.
Now I’m going to make a prediction b/c a little birdie told me at a meeting recently where it was discussed the league voted on keeping score at this level months ago and having a playoff and a superbowl champion. It’s possible Mt. Airy leadership was sleeping at the meeting and just didn’t realize the rest of the gang wants to keep score and play an actual game of football. Most folks aren’t afraid of a little competition and would value the opportunity win or lose to have fun playing a game of football. It’s also possible I’m completely off base here and Mt. Airy is correct about being “expressively clear there is no champion” Only time will tell but for the league and kids sake I hope they let them play football.
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4. July 2008 by admin.
It’s amazing how a little public information goes a long way to improve things. Since the blog began some local organizations and leagues have done quite a bit to improve/change the way things were being run. Some examples: a) Helmets provided by the Mt. Airy Bulldogs! Parents you should thank me…I just saved you $60 to $135 per kid for helmets you had to buy in the past. Guaranteed Play time in Middletown for Division II players! Great Job… they even put it in writing on their website. More than I can say for many of their league partners. Officials for Division II. MVYFL is finally getting officials for their Div II program so the kids can play and actual game instead of some simulated scrimmage. Great Job! Thank You Frederick County Officials Association! Frederick High School gets a youth program… for years they were snubbed and turned down but in the wake of so many organizations jumping to the MMYFCL it left MVYFL vulnerable and open to the idea that they had never considered before. Congratulations Vince Ahearn and company on finally getting a program going… you deserve it and good luck this season. It’s surely going to put a dent in the area teams who have been taking your youth talent in previous years. Kids should have a feeder system where they can learn the local high school programs basics and not show up the first day of 9th grade football without a clue. I could go on and on but you get the idea. It’s amazing what happens when you inform a few parents what’s going on. No one wants egg on their face so programs are stepping up and trying to make things better everywhere and that’s all any one can ask. Great Job all you who had a hand in changing this years youth football programs for the better! There’s still lots of work to do but for now we can say the off season has been productive.
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28. June 2008 by admin.
Part 2: Having participated in youth sports for over a decade I can testify, nine out of ten times it’s a great experience. I will admit, however, recreational programs are not always how they should be. You should still get your kids involved. Just also be aware of the situations that you’ll want to avoid so you can serve as a good safety net for your kids.
First, make sure that there is always some guarantee that all the kids will participate. Must play rules and team size limits are two common ways to
Just as kids learn a great lesson from working cooperatively on a team, they can also learn a horrible lesson if all the kids do not play. The kids who do not play learn that their contribution does not matter. They learn that nothing they can do will help. They learn to depend on others to do good things for them. The kids who do play learn that it’s okay for other kids to do nothing. Worse yet, they often learn to have less respect for the kids who don’t play.
Perhaps worst of all is that uneven play time tends to promote competition between teammates. This can lead to jealousy and conflict on a team. Nobody wins in a situation where some kids don’t play.
Be particularly suspicious when a team is called, “the competitive level” or “High School Prep.” Such terms are often used fallaciously. Every level is competitive; otherwise, they wouldn’t keep score. Also, good high schools handle their own prep. It would be a very sad day when high schools come to depend on a bunch of flabby old dads to prepare the kids for high school sports.
Don’t accept any excuses for unfair play time either. Some coaches will site safety concerns or other reasons why some kids shouldn’t play. Again, such ideas are fallacious. If a child’s safety is ever truly in question, then he should be removed from the team and any fee you paid should be refunded. It would be irrational to even have the child on a team where his safety is in question.
Only when all the kids play, do the children learn to work cooperatively. When all the kids play, then every child knows that he must do his best, and that his contribution really matters. With good coaching, they will also learn to help each other improve which tends to promote close personal bonds and true appreciation of one another.
Next, as a parent make sure your child’s coach makes a good role model for your child. Kids admire their coaches. It cannot be avoided. Most of us started coaching as little more than well intentioned dads. We never bargained for how much the kids ultimately admire their coaches, but they do. Although admiration is wonderful, it is also very sobering to know how my behavior is likely to be absorbed by the kids. All coaches should endeavor to be good role models — not because they asked to be role models, but simply because they are.
Concern yourself that your child may adopt his coach’s manners. Hold your child’s coach to a high standard. He should not smoke, use bad language, or treat people poorly.
Respectful coaching is also a must. Don’t let your child learn to answer to people who don’t show him respect. Be there to stick up for your kid if he is treated poorly. Just remember to discuss problems with your child’s coach in private — and with your child present.
Always be watchful of any activity that you expose your child to, but also be aware that even the best youth programs have a share of bad examples. Don’t let the bad examples make up your mind about an otherwise good program. If you have a problem and cannot resolve it with the coach, then talk to the program’s leadership, and keep your kid in sports.
Recreational sports have wonderful things to offer your children. Get to know the sports programs in your area, and be a part of your child’s youth sports experiences. Be there to look out for your kids and also to share in the fun times that youth sports have to offer. Most importantly, don’t let your child miss the opportunity to play sports as a youngster.
Lastly, avoid contact with anyone you see being chased by a dozen or more screaming kindergarteners.[Editors Note: Part I of this article about club sports appeared in the August issue of Homeschool Frederick!]
About the author: Charles “Chaz” Shrodes, is the co-founder and president of West Carroll Football. He is a veteran of US Navy, Submarine Service, Nuclear Reactor Operator and decorated with Submarine Warfare Brest Insignia.
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28. June 2008 by admin.
Part 1: Okay, maybe I am a little too affable to be a football coach, but hey, we always have fun. Last year I found myself being chased by a gaggle of giggling six-year-old kids at almost every flag football practice. They would always gang-up on me. I wonder if they got the joke when I screamed, “run Toto, run!”
We always had a blast playing football, baseball, and soccer. I’ve been coaching youth sports for 13 years in three different sports, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed every single team. Some of my teams won championships; others didn’t win a single game. It didn’t change the way we did things. We just enjoyed being on the team, and all the kids had fun.
I also have an appreciation of how youth sports can be beneficial, but also harmful. What makes the difference is parental involvement and having good-hearted coaches. By raising the awareness of benefits and exposing the hazards of youth sports, more people will feel comfortable participating.
In our family, participation in youth sports was always a must. Even if my kids are not gifted athletes, they benefit immensely from participation in recreational sports. Youth sports promote many good life lessons that are not promoted elsewhere. Through youth sports, my children were given the opportunity to interact constructively with people their age. It helped my children develop good social behaviors as they learned to work cooperatively with their teammates.
For the most part, we live our adult lives as members of a variety of “teams” — at work, in our family units, in our community. Being a member of modern society is an exercise is teaming and cooperation. With that in mind, we should probably do more to teach our children a little team ethic.
Certainly, sports promote personal health and fitness. But youth sports are fun and encourage friendships. In a sense, youth sports serves as convenient grouping of families with similarly aged children. Youth sports can almost be like a play date, but with helmets! Youth sports gave my kids the opportunity to face real challenges and to know both success and failure in real life, but without serious consequences. Through youth sports, my kids reference their own experiences gained by real life interaction with their peers.
Recreational sports have wonderful things to offer your children. Get to know the sports programs in your area, and be a part of your child’s youth sports experiences. Be there to look out for your kids and also to share in the fun times that youth sports have to offer. Most importantly, don’t let your child miss the opportunity to play sports as a youngster.[Editors Note: Part II of this article about youth sports will appear in September’s issue of Homeschool Frederick.]
About the author: Charles “Chaz” Shrodes, is the co-founder and president of West Carroll Football. He is a veteran of US Navy, Submarine Service, Nuclear Reactor Operator and decorated with Submarine Warfare Brest Insignia.
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19. May 2008 by admin.
Here are the actual 7 guiding principles for youth programs from the NFL….
| The 7 Guiding Principles of NFL Youth Programs |
| The NFL Youth Programs were developed to help kids and their families have an enjoyable experience every time they step on a football field. As part of this, the NFL asked kids, parents, and coaches about their likes, dislikes, and concerns, not only with playing football, but with the overall youth sports experience.As a result of this research, we have developed seven guiding principles that make up the overall philosophy that we apply to all the NFL Youth Programs.
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| 1. Make It Fun This is the primary objective and cornerstone of the entire philosophy. Regardless of whether it’s a game or a practice, football at the youth level should always be fun. This requires a little creativity on the part of the parent/coach to offer and adopt fun methods throughout all aspects of their program. Incorporate games and low-key competitions to teach fundamentals rather than running traditional drills. |
| 2. Limit Standing Around This is a common problem with youth sports that ultimately turns kids off. Whether it’s a game, practice, clinic, or camp, we have designed all of our programs to engage every participant consistently. Kids don’t attend practice to watch others play. Kids enjoy practices when they have fun and they experience an improvement in their overall skills. Many professional coaches put a major emphasis on fast paced and interactive practices that eliminate downtime. You will see your team’s attention and energy levels improve immediately when you engage the entire team in drills of short duration. |
| 3. Everyone Plays Football at the youth level should be an inclusive experience. It is never fun at any level of play to sit and watch others participate, anticipating the opportunity to play if the situation arises. The youth level of football should be an equal learning experience for everyone, whether it’s a game or a practice.How often have you either experienced or witnessed a practice where several players are being instructed and drilled while a group of teammates stand around and watch, never receiving the same attention? Most often the group standing around has been deemed by their coach to be not as skilled or talented, therefore, the attention is paid to the so-called “stars” of the team. A coach is a teacher. A teacher/coach’s job is to raise the level of learning and skills of not only the most talented, but for everyone on the team, starting with the least talented. The NFL philosophy eliminates first, second, and third strings in both games and at practice. |
| 4. Teach Every Position To Every Participant Don’t pigeonhole kids in one particular position because of their physical size and/or ability. In order to provide each participant a full experience and appreciation for the game that will last a lifetime, we encourage all programs to teach everyone every position.As we all know, kids grow at various rates. A smaller child may develop late and become much larger than his/her present size indicates and vice versa. How many athletes has football lost throughout the years because of coaches taking the largest kids and making them play the line? These kids often experienced an entire football season without touching the football. Kids should have the opportunity to experience every position. As Peter Brock, former center for the New England Patriots, explains to youth coaches in the Boston area, “What a tragedy it would’ve been for New England Patriots football history if Drew Bledsoe had been told as a big kid beginning youth football that he could not play quarterback, and was forced to play the line due to his size. Who knows? He may have dropped out of football like so many other kids in his situation and gone on to play baseball, another sport, or dropped out of athletics completely.”> A youth coach’s job is to introduce and teach every position to every kid. Never make judgments based on someone’s size alone; teach every participant every position and they will naturally find the position they belong in, and you will be in a better position to guide them. |
| 5. Emphasize The Fundamentals Build a foundation that will never crack by properly teaching the basics. Learning the fundamentals and perfecting the same basics at every level of play is essential to having any chance of success.Warning: Do not attempt to replicate plays you see in NFL and college games! Every scheme that is attempted in a college or NFL game is supported by years of training in the fundamentals of the game. If one player does not execute the fundamentals of his position correctly, the most sophisticated scheme in the world will not work. It is unfair and not fun to focus on running plays that will fail 9 out of 10 times. Youth programs that focus on scheming plays over executing fundamentals are cheating every participant out of the chance to learn the game properly. |
| 6. Incorporate A Progression Of Skill Development For Every Participant Regardless of a player’s skill level, it is your responsibility as a youth football coach to teach every kid on your team. It is no secret that if kids experience improvement in their skills, no matter what their athletic ability may be, they will continue to participate and return to learn more. |
| 7.Yell Encouragement, Whisper Constructive Criticism Keep it positive. As a youth football coach you should never tolerate negative comments from your players, parents, coaching staff, and especially yourself. Kids realize when they have made mistakes. What they don’t need is to have that mistake compounded by negative feedback and comments. What they do need is feedback on how to correct the mistake supported by positive encouragement. |
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19. May 2008 by admin.
While Mt. Airy Bulldog organizational leaders have their thoughts about how Pop Warner justifies the fact they have no guaranteed play rule for kids I beg to differ… Get the facts straight before you mislead the parents. ”even Pop Warner eliminates the must play rule at the older levels” here is the actual rule for Pop Warner teams for all age groups similar to our local youth organizations.
RULE 9: MANDATORY PLAY RULE
The following shall be the Minimum Mandatory Play Rule (MPR)
for all Pop Warner teams. Each league may set a higher number
of Mandatory Plays, but never less than the minimum set by
PWLS. All MPRs should be based on eligible players at the time
of the game.
16-25 players - 10 plays
26-30 players - 8 plays
31-35 players - 6 plays
A. The plays must be from the line of scrimmage.
B. Kickoffs, extra points and free kicks shall not be used
in fulfilling the MPR requirement.
C. A play shall not count toward fulfillment of the MPR
if the play results in a penalty which causes the down
to be replayed.
D. All players shall be provided their mandatory plays
by participation in “active” plays, without the intent
to minimize the action or integrity of the plays.
Plays such as, but not limited to, having the center snap
the ball to the quarterback, and then the quarterback
fall to the ground, while substitutes are playing the other
positions, shall NOT be considered as active plays.
E. All players shall receive their mandatory plays by
the end of the third quarter, or they shall enter the
game at the start of the fourth quarter, and remain
in the game until they have received their required
number of plays.
Each League shall establish its own system for enforcing the
MPR, and must print a simple handout describing its MPR in
sufficient quantity so that a copy is made available to each
coach throughout the entire League, before the beginning of the
season. The Nationally preferred system is that used in the
National games.
The MPR is determined by the number of players eligible at the time of the game, and not based on the size of the roster.
Here is a link to a page to the Pop Warner web-site. http://www.popwarner.com/aboutus/benefits.asp?lable=benefits
On this page you will see that Pop Warner has been around for over 75 years and on this page you will see the reasons they believe they have been so successful for so long. Here’s one of them:
Mandatory Play Requirements – Everyone participates under mandatory rules of play. Each league may set a higher number of Mandatory Plays, but never less than the minimum set by PWLS. All MPR’s should be based on eligible players at the time of the game.
Please take note of the fact that Pop Warner “NEVER” allows less play time and always allows more!
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2. April 2008 by admin.
There is an emphasis on Participation and healthy competition with in the league, so that Participants may become happier more productive individuals that are truly better people because of their involvement with the Capital Beltway League. Our primary Objectives shall always include the development of positive social values and character traits that will instill the will to win and the courage to accept defeat. There will always be an emphasis on clean play and sportsmanlike conduct for every one participating within the league.
The above is a clip of content found on the Capital Beltway League website indicating yet again that participation is a key factor in youth sports.
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1. April 2008 by admin.
Jim Taft looked at me with all those years of experience behind him and said “Joe you must learn to read volunteers, a few of these guys are thinking of only themselves” I was sure he was wrong – look at all the time they had put into their positions directing both the adults and youth.
Even though Jim had lost sight in one eye while blocking a punt as a young Washington Redskin free agent, his insight remained keen.
With over 30 years as a commissioner of a national youth football organization, Jim had seen it all. He had that sixth sense of seeing right through the familiar hyperbole of a selfish motive.
This quote was taken from a page of www.Americanyouthfootball.com and can be a reminder for league leadership when looking for volunteers. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind!
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1. April 2008 by admin.
Safety, Safety, Safety! – Kids compete with kids of similar age and size. Pop Warner is the ONLY youth football program (local, regional and national) that sets and enforces a strict AGE & WEIGHT MATRIX that reduces the risk and reality of injuries. Did you know that Pop Warner football is safer than soccer? Pop Warner football has 12% fewer injuries per capita among 5-15 year olds than organized soccer in the same age range!
Mandatory Play Requirements – Everyone participates under mandatory rules of play. Each league may set a higher number of Mandatory Plays, but never less than the minimum set by PWLS. All MPR’s should be based on eligible players at the time of the game.
Age-Weight Structure – Kids compete with kids of similar age and size. We set and enforce a strict AGE & WEIGHT MATRIX that reduces the risk and reality of injuries.
More than just athletes! – Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc. (PWLS) is the only national youth sports organization in America that requires its participants to perform adequately in the classroom before permitting them to play. We believe that the standards we have set give these children a sense of responsibility and an appreciation for academics and athletics that will help them develop later on in life.
Visit www.popwarner.com for more infomation.
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