Retribution



I am afraid a conflict has been started between girls' basketball coaches and volleyball coaches throughout the state. During the basketball season, volleyball players that are out for basketball play in tournaments on the weekends sponsored by the USVBA. It runs the players ragged and sometimes forces athletes to make a decision between the two sports.

Recently, I have heard talk about basketball starting a United States Basketball Association (USBBA) in the fall of the year. This all goes back to an earlier post of mine where we are forcing athletes to choose or specialize in sports.

In USVBA volleyball athletes are paying about $500.00 to be part of it. They are also going out and soliciting sponsorships as well. Is there no stopping this wear on our athletes and on our purse strings?

Can you imagine our athletes playing softball all summer, volleyball during the week, basketball on the weekends in the fall, basketball during the week and volleyball on the weekends in the winter, running track during the week in the spring and playing softball on the weekends, then last but not least while they are playing softball in the summer they are playing basketball on the weekend. Where in tar nation does it stop.

I understand why the number of athletes out for sports is going down, they are tired of being pulled in multiple directions. I can not say that I blame them.

Now back to the fall basketball tournaments. We are talking more money, more time, and more conflicts. I do agree if I was a head basketball coach I would be a little disappointed if an injured or tired basketball player was going during the season every weekend and playing. I can understand a couple of weekends but not regularly. Before you volleyball people get your undies in a bunch can't you see the problem if coaches start to push their players into USBBA clubs. If I was an athlete, I would yell UNCLE!!!!!!

We must have an armistice among the coaching staffs and stop this, or we will kill high school sports.