Do facilities matter to kids?

[Jomjam]

I was talking with a friend of mine who has a son in Webster Groves, his remark was, Webster is down in football because the facilitates aren't as good as other in the area, and that is drawing kids to Vianney, or parents move to Kirkwood, etc.

Webster has grass field, its not in great shape, locker rooms are old, everything is old at their field, per my friend.

He said for a class 5 school they have maybe 40 kids on their roster.

 

[WaggleQB]

Not a kid so I really don't know. Cool, new, updated facilities seem to excite kids and pretty shiny and flashy uniforms really seem to excite them. Your example may have more to do with parents caring about facilities than kids. Just my thoughts.

 

[bullitpdq68]

I don't know if it would be the Kids, because they cannot just up and move. Their parents have to want to move also. But I think things like facilities be is sports and school buildings can attract families to want to move to certain towns. If your school has a winning tradition along with a track record of local community support that could attract young families to want to move there. But you also need housing, jobs and other things for growth and to attract families.

 

[Team Tiger]

I think bullit hit on it. Outside of the KC, STL, Springfield and maybe some of the secondary areas it doesn't matter much. You play with what you got, you can't move 5-10 min away and change schools with no disruption to the rest of your life. Changing schools for most areas would usually consist of some larger life changes for the family.

 

[bueno_Tuco]

I don't know if it would be the Kids, because they cannot just up and move. Their parents have to want to move also. But I think things like facilities be is sports and school buildings can attract families to want to move to certain towns. If your school has a winning tradition along with a track record of local community support that could attract young families to want to move there. But you also need housing, jobs and other things for growth and to attract families.

And you need a fast 3/8 mile clay track!!!!!

 

[Bleeding Red and Black]

Great Question!! I think in bigger area’s they can offer just jobs it helps because parents can commute so the new stuff can be a draw and the jobs can allow the parents can make it happen. In rural area’s it’s just too hard. Several years ago there were several on here that said we had recruited which was incredibly hilarious. We simply don’t have a job market to draw people in. When several of our big industries closed it was a killer. People living her decided to commute though. I know several who work in Carthage and Joplin. I feel like we have a great field. We work with what we have and have incredible volunteers and one maintenance man that I know of. Several years ago we were able to build a nice building to replace the old bus barn we used for weightlifting. I know the baseball team also utilizes it. My kids had graduated so I’m not sure what type of funding was used to build it. I will say we have that typical small town backing. We had fans in the stands even in all the years we were losing and the laughingstock of the Big 8.

 

[cru66]

yes

 

[hitch_and_go]

The fact that Lamar has maintained with O' Sullivan and a few other big companies closing years ago ( probably half the jobs in the town ) is insane . Something like that wouldn't even matter in say Webb City because there isn't many jobs like that anyways and alot of Webb works in Joplin . But Lamar doesn't have the luxury to live 7 miles from a town that has 150k plus jobs

 

[runbillyrun]

I was talking with a friend of mine who has a son in Webster Groves, his remark was, Webster is down in football because the facilitates aren't as good as other in the area, and that is drawing kids to Vianney, or parents move to Kirkwood, etc.

Webster has grass field, its not in great shape, locker rooms are old, everything is old at their field, per my friend.

He said for a class 5 school they have maybe 40 kids on their roster.

Many years ago (I read it in maybe 1993 & it was older at that time) there was a study done in Texas. Something like, "Common threads in winning programs". If I recall correctly they looked at offensive style (run/pass), defense ran, and perhaps coaching style, etc. The number 1 factor they found, DOLLARS SPENT. You can say it is important or you can show them it is important.

 

[hitch_and_go]

I've always figured offensive philosophy would be a huge factor . If I'm a super star pro style qb that lives in a town that runs veer, wing t , ect ... I may look at a local school that runs the spread. Whereas if I'm a super fast qb but can't throw real well then maybe those schools are a good fit . It honestly surprises me that LN has as many weapons as they do because some would be better off in a different offense . If I'm a 5* wr....I wouldn't feel like LN would showcase that well enough . Granted ...with all the camps and talent showcases these days it may not be as big as a factor .

 

[Duck_walk]

Yes.

 

[Pancho and Lefty]

To a 16 year old kid, facilities and apparel matter a great deal. Ask any kid would they rather wear under armour or avia? Obv they don't have much influence over where they live.

If I am a parent with decent resources and am invested in my childs education, facilities would play a part of where I would want to send my kids. Coach Ice at WG is a great coach, one of the early pioneers of the spread offense in St Louis. He didn't suddenly forget how to coach. They have to practice and play off of their HS campus. Grass field. Old school locker rooms. If a parent gets a job at Boeing, and you drive by Kirkwood HS and WG HS, KWood gonna win 9 times out of 10 on facilities alone.

I don't know they numbers, but my guess is WG is getting less VTS kids than in years past, the parochial/privates are poaching some of their players, and more move in families would choose Kirkwood over WG community.

 

[bullitpdq68]

The fact that Lamar has maintained with O' Sullivan and a few other big companies closing years ago ( probably half the jobs in the town ) is insane . Something like that wouldn't even matter in say Webb City because there isn't many jobs like that anyways and alot of Webb works in Joplin . But Lamar doesn't have the luxury to live 7 miles from a town that has 150k plus jobs

You know I have wondered how long does Lamar continues to keep pace with the other schools in the big 8 and do they grow or will the shrink? I think the closing of those factories has not been fully realized yet in that community. For the older and current generation who are already invested in the town because they have homes and roots there you probable will not see much change they will drive for jobs and get ready for retirement. But for those who are just getting started looking for homes and jobs I can see them bypassing and probably leaving Lamar for towns which will support them with jobs and homes. Which is sad for a very nice and proud community.

And you are so correct on the jobs, right now in Monett we have a shortage of workers for all the jobs we have, we cannot even provide enough housing for those moving in for the jobs. The city is trying to offer incentives to developers to get them to come here and build houses. In the last month I have had two different real estate people stop by my house and ask if I would do a one time showing just so they have something to show clients, I am like then what would I do if it sells, because there are no homes for sale here?

 

[BoosterBosko]

I feel like I can offer some advice on this one. Ive lived in Ampipe damn near all my life. Ive seen the towns highs and lows. Were a blue collar, hard working, steel mill town. And I am sure you are all aware of struggles towns like ours faces. So needless to say, their aint much money in Ampipe. We have a few select families with some wealth but thats it. Our facilities were atrocious in 70s and 80s. Nearby town, filled with rich pricks had the BEST facilities. A real locker room, a swimming pool, tennis courts, you name it. Ampipe lost many families to towns like that, which caused the talent pool to dry up. Once elected as Booster Club President, one of my goals was to slowly improve ALL of our facilities. Ever since doing that, things started to change. More students started going out for sports. Like an earlier poster said, kids like new, bright, and shiny things. No kid wants to dawn a jersey 7 other classes of kids have worn. So my point being, facilities matter to kids!

 

[BPcompete]

I was talking with a friend of mine who has a son in Webster Groves, his remark was, Webster is down in football because the facilitates aren't as good as other in the area, and that is drawing kids to Vianney, or parents move to Kirkwood, etc.

Webster has grass field, its not in great shape, locker rooms are old, everything is old at their field, per my friend.

He said for a class 5 school they have maybe 40 kids on their roster.

Facilities matter to Kids and everyone else. Most people want to go to nice schools, stay in nice Hotels, live in Nice Homes/Apartment Complex, drive nice cars etc.

You'll have some people who dont mind because its what they can afford at the moment but if you can control it most would prefer the nicer options in life.

 

[STL_Dan]

Yes. It's been my observation that most kids are very similar to adults when it comes to facilities.

Most everyone likes to have access to a decent restroom.

 

[Jomjam]

To a 16 year old kid, facilities and apparel matter a great deal. Ask any kid would they rather wear under armour or avia? Obv they don't have much influence over where they live.

If I am a parent with decent resources and am invested in my childs education, facilities would play a part of where I would want to send my kids. Coach Ice at WG is a great coach, one of the early pioneers of the spread offense in St Louis. He didn't suddenly forget how to coach. They have to practice and play off of their HS campus. Grass field. Old school locker rooms. If a parent gets a job at Boeing, and you drive by Kirkwood HS and WG HS, KWood gonna win 9 times out of 10 on facilities alone.

I don't know they numbers, but my guess is WG is getting less VTS kids than in years past, the parochial/privates are poaching some of their players, and more move in families would choose Kirkwood over WG community.

This what he was saying, though, he did say he felt like Ice had not changed much in the last 10 years, meaning evolved with the times. I don't know, just what i got from him.

 

[MoSooner69]

You know I have wondered how long does Lamar continues to keep pace with the other schools in the big 8 and do they grow or will the shrink? I think the closing of those factories has not been fully realized yet in that community. For the older and current generation who are already invested in the town because they have homes and roots there you probable will not see much change they will drive for jobs and get ready for retirement. But for those who are just getting started looking for homes and jobs I can see them bypassing and probably leaving Lamar for towns which will support them with jobs and homes. Which is sad for a very nice and proud community.

And you are so correct on the jobs, right now in Monett we have a shortage of workers for all the jobs we have, we cannot even provide enough housing for those moving in for the jobs. The city is trying to offer incentives to developers to get them to come here and build houses. In the last month I have had two different real estate people stop by my house and ask if I would do a one time showing just so they have something to show clients, I am like then what would I do if it sells, because there are no homes for sale here?

Just wondering, if the closings you mentioned has anything to do with the numbers being down a little at Lamar, or if they are just experiencing the same drop, most of the nation is?

 

[bullitpdq68]

Just wondering, if the closings you mentioned has anything to do with the numbers being down a little at Lamar, or if they are just experiencing the same drop, most of the nation is?

I think smaller towns are struggling, I don't know if those closing has anything to do with their numbers or not. Lamar seems like a nice town when you drive throw it, it is a very historic town. But right now no matter what they do nothing is going to change what is going on with them, they could build a domed stadium a new high school, whatever, there are just is no jobs in the community to help keep people there or attract new young families. Does not make it a bad place to live, just makes it inconvenient to live there and also make a living. So that means you will spend about an hour or more a day in a car going back and forth to work that is time away from your family, I just don't know that today's generation want to do that, so it is not just Lamar that will struggle it is a lot of little towns like them that will.

 

[Rcarlisle314]

Think facilities are starting to matter more than they used to at least in STL but it's a mixed bag. McNorth and Hazelwood East/Central never had great facilities but used to field great teams. Now I see more and more kids from these districts being drawn to other schools with more resources. Some of that could be due to school academic declines and an increase in school options as well. On the flip side, Trinity has outdated facilities and still attracted a strong class of kids. LN's facilities are nice but are not the nicest in their conference yet they are still strong. WG's issues are primarily being caused by the deseg program ending which WG relied heavily on.

 

[JNreturns]

Many years ago (I read it in maybe 1993 & it was older at that time) there was a study done in Texas. Something like, "Common threads in winning programs". If I recall correctly they looked at offensive style (run/pass), defense ran, and perhaps coaching style, etc. The number 1 factor they found, DOLLARS SPENT. You can say it is important or you can show them it is important.

The Kansas City Schools in the 1980s and 1990s proved the spending money theory to be completely false.

https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/pa-298.pdf

Kansas City spent as much as $11,700 per pupil--moremoney per pupil, on a cost of living adjusted basis, than anyother of the 280 largest districts in the country. The moneybought higher teachers' salaries, 15 new schools, and suchamenities as an Olympic-sized swimming pool with an underwa-ter viewing room, television and animation studios, a robot-ics lab, a 25-acre wildlife sanctuary, a zoo, a model UnitedNations with simultaneous translation capability, and fieldtrips to Mexico and Senegal. The student-teacher ratio was12 or 13 to 1, the lowest of any major school district in thecountry.The results were dismal. Test scores did not rise; theblack-white gap did not diminish; and there was less, notgreater, integration.The Kansas City experiment suggests that, indeed, educa-tional problems can't be solved by throwing money at them,that the structural problems of our current educationalsystem are far more important than a lack of material re-sources, and that the focus on desegregation diverted atten-tion from the real problem, low achievement.

 

[Bleeding Red and Black]

For Lamar you are correct. This next generation is moving. Right off the top of my head I can tell you (and this is just quickly thinking, not trying to leave anyone out) my kids all have moved out of the district and work in Joplin. Bailey Boys & JT Tucker now live up in the KC area. Jared Beshore is in Branson. I know the class ahead of them have several boys still here working here, but would say 80% of my kids friends have moved out of the district.

 

[Team Tiger]

For Lamar you are correct. This next generation is moving. Right off the top of my head I can tell you (and this is just quickly thinking, not trying to leave anyone out) my kids all have moved out of the district and work in Joplin. Bailey Boys & JT Tucker now live up in the KC area. Jared Beshore is in Branson. I know the class ahead of them have several boys still here working here, but would say 80% of my kids friends have moved out of the district.

Pretty much been the trend the last ten years. When they go away to college, they are gone for ever. The descent paying jobs are all held by people who graduated 20-30 years ago and they are not giving them up anytime soon. Barring a miracle and something moving in to the old Osullivan factory, I don't see any way the town keeps from shrinking.

 

[millerbleach]

It all depends on the economy. If the economy remains strong and employees are hard to find, you can try to draw the Lamar community types or have a satellite company set up in a community full of eager workers in established buildings.

 

[Rocket9425]

For long term success Yes.. for a motivated coach with talented enough kids nothing matters outside the locker room or under the lights!

 

[bhunt95]

Just take a look at towns like Rock Port and Tarkio. The kids dont stay. The schools were once 2A/Class 2 size now they barely have enough for 8 man.

 

[Bleeding Red and Black]

I will say this, when O’Sullivan closed it really brought the community down. Then you had Thorco close it doors as well. Honestly for me, it started when our Lamar Supermarket closed. I still miss them!! When Bailey came in, and he was a hometown guy it brought a new excitement to the town that we desperately needed. I remember the first year we made the semi’s and it was in Lamar. The town went crazy. It gave our town a new outlook on things. It was a fun time even if we did lose to Maryville.

 

[cru66]

Yes. It's been my observation that most kids are very similar to adults when it comes to facilities.

Most everyone likes to have access to a decent

moth to flame

 

[carthagefan2006]

Carthage seems to be strangely bucking the trend in regards to this across the board. 15 consecutive winning seasons in football with 14 of those having taken place under the second longest-tenured coach in the conference. Three final fours in the last four years. Brand new stadium in just its third year in existence. One of the top gymnasiums in the state. Brand new indoor practice facility. New field house. Three state final appearances in soccer in a five year span from 2012-2016. Enrollment is absolutely surging as Carthage posted a record enrollment of 1500 students this fall, but none of this seems to be translating to numbers in sports. Only 47 upperclassmen out for football (but 34 freshmen should lead to a bright future). Soccer only had 51 kids out this year and is plagued by injuries right now. Girls basketball didn't have enough girls to play a freshmen schedule last year, but lost eight seniors to graduation.

 

[bullitpdq68]

Carthage seems to be strangely bucking the trend in regards to this across the board. 15 consecutive winning seasons in football with 14 of those having taken place under the second longest-tenured coach in the conference. Three final fours in the last four years. Brand new stadium in just its third year in existence. One of the top gymnasiums in the state. Brand new indoor practice facility. New field house. Three state final appearances in soccer in a five year span from 2012-2016. Enrollment is absolutely surging as Carthage posted a record enrollment of 1500 students this fall, but none of this seems to be translating to numbers in sports. Only 47 upperclassmen out for football (but 34 freshmen should lead to a bright future). Soccer only had 51 kids out this year and is plagued by injuries right now. Girls basketball didn't have enough girls to play a freshmen schedule last year, but lost eight seniors to graduation.

It can be feast or famine for some schools. Monett in the last 3 years has won a State title in Football, girls Softball, and Wrestling we have been to the final 4 twice in Soccer, once in Baseball, which is not a bad run for a school our size. Enrollment has been booming, jobs are plentiful, The football stadium was turfed and that was all done with private donations, All of our facilitates have gone thru some sort of updates in the last few years, there is talk of building a new high school, people in Monett have money to support the schools and do. Yet in all those sports our numbers struggle at times, not bad just not what you would think they could be with all the success they have experienced the last several year.

 

[cmsupunk]

I know first hand that facilities can absolutely matter. If kids don't like where they are playing or if they have to play on someone else's field because their school doesn't have a field They don't feel like they have a 'home field advantage'. It can be nice to play somewhere special like Arrowhead or Mizzou stadium but when push comes to shove kids want a place of belonging. Be it in the classroom or on the field or at home. Kids want to have that place they can call their own and if the facility they play at is falling apart that tells them that the adults don't put any stock in what they are doing so why should they. JMO