Fair Weather

In the most literal definition of the term “fair-weather fan,” I became one last Friday. No, I didn’t bail on my team in their time of need, but I did make the decision to not attend a game due to the rain. I don’t mind watching my own kids in bad weather (like I’ve done for most of 2014, it seems), but if I don’t have somebody playing, I’m less enthused about freezing or getting soaked – or both. So when I looked at the forecast in the afternoon and it said there was an 85% chance of rain with some severe storms possible, Plan B just sounded too good. I called Quinn and he concurred that the temperature-controlled comfort and soft, reclining seats of a theater were preferable to a potentially soggy and cold evening on hard bleachers.

The concession snacks we would have enjoyed were replaced with a pre-movie meal of the giant burritos at Panchero’s – another good tradeoff. Then we went and saw “When the Game Stands Tall,” the story of Bob Ladouceur, the legendary coach of De La Salle High School in Concord, CA. In 34 years, he had a record of 399-25 and his teams went undefeated 20 times, including a mind-boggling 12 seasons in a row. The movie revolves around the tail end of this 151-winning streak and how he and the team deal with ultimately losing for the first time in a dozen seasons.

What struck me about the movie was the similarity between Coach Ladouceur and the Iowa coaches I have come to know and others I have read about. The winning was great; but he was more focused on helping turn kids into quality young adults. The football field was his classroom for doing just that. Build character first; teach skills second; and the winning should start to take care of itself. Of course, raw athletic ability certainly helps – and he had plenty of that. As a Catholic school, De La Salle attracted top student-athletes from surrounding districts – and we know how that can be a little controversial.

Coach Ladouceur tried his best to stay out of the spotlight and didn’t want to take all the credit for the teams’ success. He even came to be somewhat disdainful of “the streak” because of the way the media and others outside of the program became too focused on the number instead of what the winning really represented. Every time he was offered a college job that would have been much more lucrative, he turned it down because that’s “not what I do.”

Quinn gave the movie an enthusiastic thumbs-up and I liked it, too, but thought the pace was a little slow at times. The cast isn’t exactly Hollywood A-listers and the screenplay is just okay. The movie didn’t have the emotional highs and lows of something “Remember the Titans,” and it may not end up on your list of favorite sports movies, but it’s definitely worth seeing. It’s a great reminder of all the Coach Ladouceurs we have working hard every day in all sports here in Iowa.

Favorites Playing

Some favorites are easier to pick than others. I have favorite NFL, MLB and NHL teams; a favorite brand of running shoes; a favorite toothpaste; and even a favorite coffee mug. But as far as something like a favorite band or favorite beer – I could never pick those because there are just way too many good alternatives to choose from.

And there are favorites that you can never pick – like a favorite parent; or a favorite child. (Though all three of our kids would probably tell you that one of the others is the favorite.)

People have asked me which team was my favorite when I wrote my book, The Fields of Fall. I bleed Cardinal red, so of course my home town team, Earlham, is the team in which I have the most rooting interest. But of the other teams, it’s kind of like picking a favorite child – I just can’t do it.

If I absolutely had to pick a favorite, however, Decorah and North Fayette would be top contenders. And these two teams just happen to play each other in week 1 this year.

To get an idea as to why I have such warm feelings for these schools, here are excerpts from the book.

From a trip to Decorah (at a post-game gathering at Coach Post’s house):
“I was invited to start in on the food, but what little social decorum I do possess told me to hold off until some other guests arrived. It was torture, but folks started showing up quickly and soon the house was nearly full. But even though I had met most of these folks last time, I didn’t want to be the uncouth stranger, so I only filled up about half a plate with some chips and a couple of sweets. I was thirsty, too, and the beer I quickly consumed hit my empty stomach with a vengeance. Somebody asked me if I wanted another and I said, “Yes.” Maybe not the best idea; until the rest of the party food showed up—about a dozen pizzas from Mabe’s. The pizza and beer combination temporarily made the impartial journalist in me disappear and the fan and admirer in me emerge, and I found myself hoping that these folks would win the high school football championship of the world and never lose another game—ever.”

From a trip to North Fayette:
“The staff and their significant others usually get together after home games at the home of volunteer coach Gary Bemiss. When Jennifer and I arrived, there was already a healthy mix of celebration and preparation going on. Assistant coach Heins was already breaking down the game tape in between slices of pizza, while Bemiss, who runs the local beer distributorship, made sure everyone was properly supplied with libations.”

These stories may give you the idea that I’m easily won over by beer and pizza. Well…yes, I am. But it goes much deeper than that. Decorah and North Fayette play an old-school, run-first, slobber-knocking brand of football that I really enjoy. Passing teams are great, but watching these two teams’ o-lines work their magic is inspiring. The over/under on total passes attempted by both teams on Friday is probably around nine – which is just the way I like it.

But besides having football teams that win year after year, Decorah and North Fayette have a lot of really nice people in and around the programs. I got to know several of the coaches and fans pretty well that fall – thanks in large part to the terrific fare and beverages – and I enjoyed conversations about football, education, and life in general. Good people build strong communities. And strong communities tend to have consistent, excellent sports programs – which lead to quality kids. Which leads to…well, you get the idea.

Friday, my feet will be in Woodward as the Cardinals take on Woodward Academy, but a piece of me will be in West Union as the TigerHawks take on the Vikings. I’m not a big fan of ties, but…

The Case for Three More “Rs”

I came across a recent quote from a mayor of an Iowa city last week that I digested with equal parts amusement and disgust. In vetoing a project that would have expanded the football facility at the local college, he said, “The world doesn’t need any more football players.” As a huge fan of amateur football, of course I was disgusted with this sentiment. I was amused, as well, because sometimes when I hear something like this from the mouths of elected officials, I have to laugh to keep from crying. Someone should tell Mr. Mayor – college and high school football programs aren’t in the business of producing football players; they produce young men who are better prepared for the real world because they learned about hard work, dedication and sacrifice by playing the game. Just like volleyball teams and softball teams produce young women with the same attributes.

I don’t know all the details of this particular situation in this town. Maybe it doesn’t work financially and I’m sure there are other circumstances, but for a leader to say something this short-sighted is unfortunate. Not surprising, though, since many of our elected officials these days are career politicians that don’t know or have forgotten how the real world works.

What the real world needs is young people who know how to contribute to society by doing what they do best and doing it well; by working well with others; by improving themselves every day. What better way to learn things like that than by playing football – or any sport – in high school and college?

If a math department needed money for classroom space or new materials, would Mr. Mayor or anyone say, “The world doesn’t need any more mathematicians.” Probably not – even though that sentiment has admittedly been suggested many times in our household. But when any of our kids have struggled with math (just like their mom and I did in school) and use the famous line “I’m never going to use geometry after I graduate,” I tell them that they are missing the point. Learning that sometimes it takes extra effort and plenty of blood, sweat and tears to achieve a goal (or at least pass the class!) – not necessarily remembering exactly how to determine the volume of a rectangular prism – is what will pay off for them in the future.

Would anyone insult the band by saying, “The world doesn’t need any more musicians.” We have a terrific music program in Earlham, but I don’t think it’s producing any Grammy winners. Again – that’s not the point. Although Quinn is a pretty good singer and has shown the ability to play a couple instruments, sold-out arenas may not be in his future. Still, I want him perfecting his craft and learning to be a part of something bigger than he is. Plus, he’ll get to wear a uniform on Friday nights, but without having to block someone twice his size.

If a prestigious law school was proposing to spend money on new facilities, would anyone say, “The world doesn’t need any more lawyers.” Okay, I guess I would say that.

But too often, naysayers think of sports and academics as separate things. Sports (and all extra-curricular activities) and academics are all under the same umbrella called “education.” For a well-rounded education, we need them all. Not every kid is going to be the starting quarterback, but not every kid is going to be first chair trumpet or valedictorian, either.

So to give sports more of what it’s due in the educational process, I am proposing that the “Three Rs” of education be expanded to six. Henceforth, Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic shall be joined by Running, ‘Rasslin, and Rebounding. And in case any more clueless elected officials get in the way, there is one more R that can be added – Recount.

Raw Material – The private vs. public school debate part 2.

As I have coached youth teams over the years or just watched my kids’ teams compete, I have come to judge student-athletes on three basic traits: ability, attitude and effort. That’s simplistic, indeed, but these raw materials are all anybody – kids or adults – need to achieve success in any sport or field of endeavor.

Ability. That definition is easy – the raw talent and natural skills necessary to play a sport well.
Attitude. How coachable is a kid? Is he a good teammate who will work toward team goals or is he in it for himself?
Effort. Doing the work necessary – in- and off-season – to improve; and giving nothing short of 100 percent once he gets between the white lines.

When a young athlete displays an abundance of all three of these raw materials – terrific! If a coach is lucky enough to have a slew of players like this, he and the AD can start making those state tournament reservations.

Not every student-athlete can possess all three traits, but kids who have any one of the three can find certain roles that contribute to team success. Ability is certainly the key in any sport, but if a kid doesn’t also have the right attitude or effort level, he’ll never achieve his potential and might even drag his team down. Kids that don’t have as much ability as others can make up for it with attitude and effort. Those two traits will pay off for them much more after they graduate than whatever their batting average was for four years.

And for the kid who never develops any one of the three raw materials in any endeavor – well, have fun in the real world! (And please don’t whine about how unfair life is…)

The three building blocks are not static, and the coach’s job is to help a student athlete move the needle in each. Training programs – the proper amount of weight training, the appropriate amount of practice laps at the right speed, etc. – can improve ability. Improving attitude and effort in kids that lack those traits is much harder for coaches, but the best of the best have the ability to get kids to buy in to their philosophies and convince them to go all-in for winning.

So what does this all have to do the private versus public school football debate? As I pointed out in my last blog, a much higher percentage of private schools win at a better rate as compared to the majority of public schools. Why? One of the reasons, I believe, is that teams from private schools inevitably end up with a higher percentage of kids that possess all three traits than public schools do. Their raw material tends to be a little better.

I believe that most of the kids that attend private schools are more likely to inherently possess the traits necessary for athletic – as well as academic – success. Not every private school student is brilliant or a great athlete, of course, but the very fact that they are there tells us something about the parents. The parents are engaged enough to be deeply involved in their kids’ lives and committed to find the “best” education – and frankly, have the money to pay for it. Many private school parents have achieved some success in the real world and most likely possess plenty of ability, attitude and effort and have passed it onto their kids – either genetically or by example.

Furthermore, ability, attitude and effort cannot be nurtured without discipline. I’m not talking about knuckle smacking with a ruler or sitting in the corner, but discipline defined as “training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.” By their very nature, private schools are much more disciplined than public schools. Kids that must abide by dress codes and sign a code of conduct already have displayed a certain amount of discipline and are more likely to run suicide drills without complaining to the coach than the kids from the public schools that don’t stress discipline.

Of course, there are plenty of disciplined public schools. I wrote about a few of them in The Fields of Fall. Not only do the sports teams – boys and girls – win with regularity at schools like Decorah, Solon and Harlan, but they also have great bands, choirs, dance teams, etc., and their kids perform ahead of the curve academically. This doesn’t happen in schools that lack discipline and don’t push the boundaries of their kids’ ability, attitude and effort.

But the root of discipline is the family – not the schools. I believe that the average private school kid has been subject to more lessons in discipline than the average public school kid.

But do the private schools have an unfair advantage over the public schools when it comes to gathering the raw material that inevitably ends up on the gridiron? The private schools are certainly open for business and have plenty of money, they can advertise, they aren’t limited geographically as to their student base, and can offer scholarships to kids and parents that need them. But public schools are free (major plus!) – and their doors are always open to open enrollees. The common complaint among public school fans is that private schools recruit athletes. I admit I have heard stories and had a few “R-word” experiences regarding private schools that seemed a little shady. But I have also been privy to an equal amount of stories about public school shenanigans with open enrollees. In the end, I believe that the majority of schools in Iowa – public and private – are playing by the rules. Hopefully the rules are written fairly enough for both sides.

Come fall, there are many private schools that consistently set a standard of excellence on the gridiron – but there are just as many public schools that do the same. I don’t resent any of them. I just look forward to watching them play.

“Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful…” The private vs. public school debate.

Several years ago my wife Jennifer and I were sitting in the Earlham School auditorium watching the junior high conference chorus festival. Since we enjoy music (almost) as much as sports, we weren’t passively listening and hoping it would be over soon. We were both in choirs in school and Jennifer has even achieved some degree of fame as a singer. (If you haven’t heard of her, that’s alright–she’s not that famous.) So we had a feel for what groups were good, which ones needed work–and, just like when we watch sports–we weren’t shy about offering up blunt critiques or praise among ourselves as appropriate. And frankly, some the choirs just weren’t very good. But, that’s okay—it was junior high and they all seemed to be trying hard and enjoying themselves to some degree.

(Keep going—this story really is about football eventually!)

Kristen was in the Earlham choir at that time and when it was their turn, they did fine. Jennifer and I weren’t keeping score or anything, but we are fairly competitive, so we determined that our choir was better than some and maybe not as good as a couple others. Eventually the choir from Des Moines Christian sang and they were amazing. If this had been a competition and not an exhibition, it would have been a blowout. A few days earlier, our boys basketball team had just been beaten soundly by a very good DMC team. As we were clapping for their choir, I turned to Jennifer and whispered sarcastically, “Great. First basketball, and now they’ve kicked our ass in choir, too.”

Whether its choir or sports DMC always provides a good competitive test for our school. I like that—it’s important for teams to find out exactly how good they are. Some of Earlham’s teams have fared well against theirs and some haven’t. When we do lose, some fans and parents tend to do the wink-wink, nudge-nudge thing and say, “Well, they recruit, you know.” I guess I don’t really know. It kind of depends on the perception of what that word means, but I’m pretty sure they aren’t “recruiting” 8th grade singers.

DMC is one of those schools that always seem to be good at everything because—from my point of view—they work hard and do things the right way; not because they circumvent the rules or play by a different set. Are they recruiting good players year after year; or, are they creating them? I admire the schools—public or private—that have continued athletic success. Every school has an opponent or two like that on their schedules every year. I featured a few in my book: Harlan, Solon, Decorah. That’s just a few on a long list. Many folks from rival schools end up hating teams like this and I just can’t go there.

Hate them or admire them, for the private schools the inevitable “yeah, but…” always comes back to the theory that they have an unfair advantage because they recruit, they have more money, they “play down” in class, etc., etc. This long-held notion cropped up in some abundance last fall during and after the Iowa high school football playoffs. Of the 24 schools that made it to the Dome, seven of them were private schools, and the private schools nabbed state titles in five of the six classes. That last one is a bit of a statistical anomaly, but plenty of these schools are no strangers to deep playoff runs. Schools like St. Albert, Gehlen, Dowling, Heelan, Beckman, Newman, Kuemper, and Don Bosco seemingly always pepper the brackets. Iowa City Regina hasn’t lost a game since 2009, has collected four straight state titles, and hasn’t really been challenged much. They have won their eight games at the Dome in that span by an average of three touchdowns.

With dominance like that, it’s easy to understand why many people think that something in the world of public versus private high school football is askew. So…do private schools have some advantages that public schools do not? I think they definitely have advantages—but are they unfair? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I’m going to examine the public/private debate further in future posts this spring.

In the meantime, the line from a 1980s shampoo commercial comes to mind: “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” Or, let’s not hate schools – public or private – just because they win a lot of football games.

It’s Always Football Season

Sometimes I think I spend way too much time watching, following and generally being completely wrapped up in sports. Through four seasons of professional, college, and high school games, there is plenty of action to absorb; and there are other activities I could pursue that might be more beneficial to me personally and professionally.

But when I witness a back-and-forth game that ends with a buzzer beater, marvel at a player hitting three home runs in a game, feel the exhilaration of one of my favorite teams winning a championship, or sit in the stands while one of my kids strikes out the side or sets a school record; I come to my senses and conclude that perhaps I don’t spend enough time watching games.

Sports are more than just mindless entertainment. They are a reflection of all that’s right with society and a good gauge of what human beings can accomplish. Hard work, dedication, sacrifice and sheer talent come together in contests that pit teams and individuals against each other – and most importantly, measure athletes against themselves. The winners celebrate (briefly) and go back to work to get better; while the losers lament (briefly) and go back to work to get better. Those of us whose job does not involve winning and losing athletic contests can take the lessons that great teams and individual athletes teach us and apply them to our daily lives; so we, too, can triumph in our chosen fields of endeavor.

I’ll watch most any sport and know at least a little about a lot of them, but my main focus as a spectator is on football, baseball, basketball and hockey.

Of those, I know the least about the intricacies of hockey. But thanks to the TV package I purchased, I watch lot of games – and I don’t really care who is playing. I love the speed and physicality of the game and the crazy skills of the players. I have a favorite team (Penguins) and even second, third and fourth favorites (though my youngest son Quinn tells me that’s not acceptable.)

I love basketball, but don’t watch the NBA at all. That could be separate blog post all together, but those games just look like a lot of rich guys collecting pay checks to me. Along with everyone else, I’m enthralled every March with the NCAA tournament, but I don’t have any college teams that I live and die with. High school games are my main focus as a fan during hoops season and I follow every class closely, boys and girls. The state tournaments are among my all-time favorite sporting events (amateur or pro) and a spinning leather ball ripping the nylon cords is still one of the sweetest sounds in any sport.

As a game in and of itself, baseball is the most beautiful of all the sports. Ever since I was a kid, baseball has been my favorite game to play and to dissect and study. I figured out relatively early in life that I could never play for a living, so instead I went to college and got a sports management degree and worked for six years in professional baseball with three different teams. The unchanging nature and sweet perfection of the game keeps it my favorite. The clean, unending lines; green grass; soft dirt; open sky; the hard crack of a ball against a bat and the leathery pop of the ball into a mitt; all make baseball unlike any other sport.

But football is king. No other sport consumes me as a fan in the same way as football. It’s hard to put my finger on my attraction to the game. My own playing career consisted of one intramural season in seventh grade and both my boys “retired” from football before they got to high school. But the combination of brute force, superior athletic ability and strategy makes the game completely unique. Football is like a chess match played out on a 100-yard grid and you are allowed to smash the other guy in the mouth during each move. Beauty and grace is mixed with mud, blood and mayhem. Equal parts brain and brawn; pain and joy; make up the perfect equation that is football.

While my focus on the other sports is generally limited to their seasons, football is a 12-month commitment. When I open the Internet, my home page is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Packers page, and I start most every day reading the latest news. Whether it’s the latest game story during the season or a blog post about signing some no-name street free agent in the spring, I have to read about it. I plan my entire fall and early winter around the Packers schedule; even the pre-season games. (I am a part-owner, after all.)

I enjoy watching random college football games but don’t get too worked up about any particular team or the bowls or the BCS or whatever the latest playoff structure is. College has basically become minor league football. There’s nothing wrong with that – it just doesn’t interest me that much.

But coming in a close second to the Packers in my sports fandom is high school football, particularly the brand that is played here in Iowa. We’re currently two seasons away from high school football, but I’ve already been pouring over the freshly published schedules and planning what matchups I might want to see in the fall. I won’t go into detail here on why I love the game so much – since I did that in my book, The Fields of Fall. The season I spent researching the book was a football fans’ dream. I got to speak to coaches, fans and players and had access to the fields, locker rooms, and even post-game social gatherings. I enjoyed blogging about my adventures on a weekly basis and sharing my experiences and insights. I blogged during the next season as well, but eventually shifted my posts toward all sports and have focused on the “sports parent” experience. (Check out my Seasons on the Run blog if you haven’t already!)

But I’ve missed writing about football only, so I’m back with this blog – cleverly titled, The Fields of Fall. I’ll be writing about issues, teams and games, and interviewing some of the people and visiting some of the places in Iowa that make the game so great – twelve months a year. Because it’s always football season.