Coaching Decisions :: essays research papers

Coaching DecisionsOn December 20, 1996, Granite Citys girls basketball coach, Chuck Kraus,appe ared to be agitated during the halftime conference with his players. Afterminutes of yelling, he began to use profanity. Five minutes later, he picked upa bench and threw it across the locker room. Assistant coach John Moad tried tosettle Kraus down, alone he failed. The coach pushed him into the lockers andtossed chalk into his face. This halftime outburst cost Coach Kraus a three zippy suspension. The first practice after his suspension, Kraus held a meetingwith the players and the parents. Jan Shanefelt, the scratch point guard ofthe varsity team, asked the coach why he came back, the girls liked playingunder Coach Moad better. Quickly, Kraus became agitated and threw a hard chest good-by that hit Jan in the arm. The next day Kraus wrote a letter of resignationfor the rest of the year and will resume his duties in the fall of 97. ShouldCoach Kraus only if get suspended for the rest of the year, or should he never beallowed to coach again? I think Coach Kraus should be fired without whateverhesitation. Many of the players and the parents wanted Kraus fired after thefirst incident, and they definitely want him fired now. In school systems today,many incidents similar to this happen often. Are athletic coaches today giventoo much power and think they can do whatever they think can improve the team?The coaches should be mise en scene examples to the players, not putting them down.Athletics are not about winning and losing, it is about getting the most out ofyour players. Sometimes the players lose their concentration during the gameand need to be reassured during the halftime discussion. Verbal abuse does nothelp the players at all. Coaches also need to remember that they are teachingteenagers, not adults. teenage girls look up to their coaches, and lean towardthem for guidance. After the first incident, Coach Kraus claimed to be sickwhich gave him a short tempe r. The December 22 issue of the Granite City diary supported Kraus, saying "he is not the type of man to lose control likethat. As much as Kraus has given to the girls team, he shouldnt be punishedfor using profanity one time." The school board President Jeff Parker stated"he is not a person that coaches for the money, he coaches because of hisaffection for the kids." These are just some of the explanations in Kraussdefense to help persuade the school not to punish him.