Power Lifting - The Heavy Load for Athletics Programs

“Straight from the horse’s mouth” 

What Coach Instructors Think At An Inner City School

Athletic programs across the country are facing challenges like never before. Finding cutbacks are causing loss of programs and a need for external support from the community and fund raising. Students are “couch potato laden” because of technology and health issues related to inactivity. Students are facing big health concerns at younger and younger ages with diabetes, high cholesterol and other medical concerns. Mental and emotional problems are rearing ugly faces with suicides up in the early teen years. Physical Education programs can be a “dumping ground” for schools with regular classroom sizes exceed capacity due to teacher shortages and funding cuts. Some physical education classes may have over 100 students making it a challenge to do effective instruction with limited resources and classroom management obstacles. These classes might possibly just be a holding tank until the bell rings. Physical education classes are the training ground for future athletes and they are struggling. Here are the thoughts from coaches at an inner city school.

1. What are problems/challenges that our athletics programs face?

·         Lack of participation for most sports

·         Principals not hiring teachers that also coach sports (so, low number of qualified coaches)

·         Parental involvement

·         Transportation home after practice

·         Snacks and pregame meals to provide athletes who stay to participate

·         Adequate facilities

·         Student and parent commitment

·         Community involvement

2. How does it affect student education?

·         There is data to show students who participate in athletics are more motivated and perform better in academics.

·         Behavior improves and referrals decrease when students participate in athletics.

·         Students are more motivated who participate in athletics.

·         Students who are not participating in athletics but normally do don’t care about their academics

·         It’s a vicious cycle of participation and motivation

·         Athletes become a family which is important for students who don’t have one or don’t have support or push from parents to be successful in school

. What are ideas for solutions?

·         Provide an activity bus for after practice to take kiddos home

·         Create a full-time athletic director position at each school to fund raise for snack and meals

·         Create corporate sponsorships (it's a full-time job)

·         Get the principal at each site to understand the more teachers that coach sports the easier it will be to reach the students academically

·         Partner with the community to help with facilities

·         More encouragement from school and parents

·         If more teachers and administrators attend athletic events and support the students, the students will feel like someone cares and maybe the support and enthusiasm will catch on with the parents and community and student body.

           The thing to remember is education is a circle of relationships that support or hinder student success. The athletics programs are necessary for students to be healthy; they supply motivation, stamina, foster teamwork, problem solving, grit and perseverance.  These programs might be the anchor or turning point for many inner city students to graduate and pursue careers or college.