[cat86]

Agree completely. And that is one of the reasons why some KHSAA folks and some state legislators are pushing for the KHSAA to get control of middle school sports. Middle school sports are getting way out of control, pushed by the belief that better middle school teams will make the high school teams better down the road. Which is actually true in most cases. But the balance of judgment seems to be lacking in many cases.

I hate using Highlands as an example all time as the way "things should be done" but..... in Ft. Thomas the middle school football program is actually not a part of the school system at all. It's an independent league ran by people in the community. Mueller does have some input on certain matters. Practice as I recall doesn't begin until August; three full weeks of practice before the first game and the season is over by mid October. Limits on the number of days a team can practice per week and the amount of hours per practice. Mandatory playing time for all players. Emphasis is on making football a fun experience so the kids keep playing. Instruction on playing skills comes next. Concerns about wins and losses comes last. The league abides by the KHSAA's heat index and has purchased the measuring devices. Mueller has told the league officers that he just wants the kids to have fun and keep their interest in the game; if that means they don't get the fundamentals down, he's fine with that. He and his other coaches will teach them the fundamentals starting in their freshmen year. But he can't teach fundamentals to kids that have quit the game because some youth league coach made the game miserable for them.

Unfortunately I read and hear way too often of middle school and youth teams being coached by folks that think they are the next Lombardi. It's more about them as coaches than the kids as players. Even if they are being so aggressive in their coaching and practices in the belief that they are helping the high school program in the future, their actions turn off too many kids to the game of football. With so, so many other things for kids to do today (play soccer, concentrate on baseball, basketball, sit on the couch playing video games, etc), turn them off to football because you run the team like Charlie Bradshaw and they will leave the game forever. And that is definitely not good for the high school team in the future.

:notworthy Very well spoken, Sir. I couldn't agree more with all you have posted.