dominate small class programs year in year out

[mole 2 the hole]

how are they maintained? class 3 or lower:

a. luck?
b. multiple athletic families in the district?
c. recruiting (if private school maybe)
d. great coaching in the youth ball ranks?
e. solid commitment to play travel ball?
f. none of that matters it only matter if high school coach is a great coach?
g. great high school coach
h. summer programs/camps/commitment to work in the off season
i. a combo of a-h (or all of the above)

 

[stjamestigerfan]

Speaking for St. James, it begins with youth coaching and players staying together until high school. They dominate from the beginning. Grades 4-6 all won first place last weekend in a tournament. The current 8th grade team has lost only 1 or 2 games since they began in elementary school. They go as a team to summer camps and some individual players go on their own to additional camps out of state.

 

[mole 2 the hole]

i think that is a big factor---also i think at many larger schools the kids/parents feel like to stand out they need to just do things on their own just to make the team. so they may not take entire teams to play youth ball tournaments

another factor i see is that some schools have school ball in 5th/6th grade, so they have 2 additional years of organized every day practices than a lot of mid size schools have

 

[Grip it and Rip it]

The biggest factor is individual parent commitment to the activity when a player is young (introduced to sports around K-1st grade). Secondly, getting several parents to get kids in the same age group playing together (4th-6th grade). Lastly, player commitment all the way through high school. A program will never be at its very best when you have 12+ players on the lower level teams but only graduate 2/3 seniors every year because the kids stop playing for various reasons ($$$, relationships, burnout, grades, etc).

You have to have talent and chemistry to win at the high school level. A great coach can only do so much with a talent-less team. 20+ wins, district titles, and tournament championships are out of the question if a team has little experience and talent. Talent starts at a young age and is cultivated through years of hard work and commitment by both the athlete and parents.

 

[stjamestigerfan]

Parental commitment is a huge part of it too.

 

[Majost]

I agree with parental commitment, but that only applies if the child wants it also. Another thing that helps programs is that the ones who play the best athletes no matter what grade. I know a few schools who refuse to do that and believe you play the older kids who have been with the program the longest the most or you know there just has to be some favoritism there. Never going to be a team who goes far in the playoffs with that mentality. Good off season program helps tremendously.

 

[DOGFATHER1]

how are they maintained? class 3 or lower:

a. luck?
b. multiple athletic families in the district?
c. recruiting (if private school maybe)
d. great coaching in the youth ball ranks?
e. solid commitment to play travel ball?
f. none of that matters it only matter if high school coach is a great coach?
g. great high school coach
h. summer programs/camps/commitment to work in the off season
i. a combo of a-h (or all of the above)

Whatever WALNUT Grove and Skyline do... C =|~

 

[have an idea]

Mountain Grove? I would recommend Hermann St James walnut grove crane skyline

 

[Majost]

clopton has a pretty good program lately

 

[yoyo78]

I know in Walnut Grove it's because of good coaching by Rory Henry.

 

[All_Options]

Coaching and having a program. Good coaching will change their philosophy to the group on the floor, bad coaching never changes it. An example is a coach that yells "5 out" every year, no matter what player combination he/she has.

Good coaching will play the players that earn it, demand hustle, demand no plays off, etc. Bad coaching plays thier 'friends' or those players they gel with.

You do not have to look far to see these coaches.

 

[Move86]

I don't think Crane would should be considered, they are like 1 and 7 this year.

 

[Highsocks4life]

I agree with move86. Crane was good for 4 years. I'd say skyline is definitely doing things right on growing a program. I look back over the past 20 or so years and skyline has been a high quality program year after year and they play up in class all year. Walnut Grove has a quality program as well however they tend to stay in their class and roll people so I'd have to put a astric beside them but they are a quality class one program. Start em young and get the parents on board early. Run the same stuff at young age that they will run in highschool. Parents don't coddle your kids. Not everyone is a winner sometimes you lose .If you hate losing you'll work harder