Clarkson/Leigh No More?

[Dynasty Dreaming]

I mentioned the kids in a previous post. The video of the lady saying kids weren't good enough to make varsity so they need to be playing on their own makes me want to throw up. They play for a district championship in volleyball tomorrow. Why get on the bus?

Here's another thing to think about. The cost of rebranding and buying all new everything for sports can't sit well with some. That's a lot of money being burned and then a lot more being spent to get new stuff....only to have it last how long?

 

[o_runningback43]

Going to be an interesting district final tomorrow for the Clarkson-Leigh volleyball team.

 

[Bubman86]

It’s sad when people think about themselves only and not the ones being truly affected which in this case is the students.

 

[Bubman86]

I really hope those Leigh parents who wanted this enjoy seeing 14 kids on their 6 man roster next year wearing Panther gear and probably going sub .500 if that. What a short sighted move.

Leigh has no natural partners if the want to co-op again. They aren’t getting a bunch of Lakeview or Madison kids transferring to Leigh.

I feel awful for Clarkson. Hopefully the NSAA gives them a grace period to see if they can find a partner. And hopefully that partner is 7 miles on 91 in the other direction.

They could possibly do Stanton or Howells-Dodge.

 

[JAG164]

I thought the same thing, do they not offer JV and C team options if you want to be a part of the team? The school my kids go to is smaller than this co-op and we have those options here. Unfortunately soft parenting and the social environment we live in has created kids that when they don’t see immediate results they give up. Crazy thing is Clarkson-Leigh has coaches that are respected across the whole state in most of their sports.

I guess the one nice thing about being in Nebraska weather your a family in Leigh or clarkson if you don’t agree with this situation option enrollment out of your district is an option.

Really agree with the final statement.. If I was a teenager from Leigh or a parent of one, with AN OUNCE of competitiveness in me.. I hear my board and AD saying we'd rather lose alone than co-op? Papers are filed and I'm headed to Clarkson... Wouldn't think twice.

 

[SkolSker]

From what I've heard this morning, H-D is interested in taking on Clarkson (but I'm sure it's fluid). The head football coaches at both schools are very close friends as well.

Would be nice if there was a grace period, given the situation.

Sign me up for more 11 man football in the area. HDC Jags vs Battle Creek, Albion, Norfolk Catholic, Plainview- Osmond etc would be cool

 

[Goldengeko_69]

Howells and Clarkson were very close to merging back in the day but Clarkson wouldn't agree on terms and backed out. Maybe Howells can swap Clarkson for dodge as a lot of the dodge area kids go to North Bend now anyways

 

[GoSkers3]

The video of the board member saying girls walked away from sports because they weren't good enough to play makes me want to throw up. Here's a thought...stay on the team, be a GREAT teammate, and learn that life isn't fair. Stop being soft af and walking away when things don't go your way.

Absolutely, agree! So, this decision isn't what is best for all the students - it's what is best for the butt hurt families who choose to make excuses rather than do something about the situation. Instead of teaching our kids a GREAT life lesson - what's sports is all about - let's let the kids off of the hook by making excuses. Like JAG stated earlier, I hope those families that wanted to keep this coop going - transfer to Clarkson and stick it to Leigh. What an unfortunate set of events that took place and another sad display from a few sets of parents.

 

[SpaghettiSlayer]

I thought the same thing, do they not offer JV and C team options if you want to be a part of the team? The school my kids go to is smaller than this co-op and we have those options here. Unfortunately soft parenting and the social environment we live in has created kids that when they don’t see immediate results they give up.

I completely agree with this take. It hurts me to see kids walking away from sports and activities in any case. At the same time, they're still kids, having their own real frustrations and decisions. What needs to change is how we can encourage them to stay involved, how we can parent them to learn about the realities of life when it seems unfair, and how we can give them opportunities to play.

I think we're all on board that kids need to get involved to have fun, connect with others, and learn from these experiences. A 15-year old may not see the big picture and think that the value of a sport is only tied to their own immediate results. I've been that "soft-kid" before many years ago, and it's the biggest regret of my life that I hadn't had that "growing up" moment until after graduation. This is simply what happens when the support isn't there for them.

I don't have any connections to this situation or to the communities involved, but hearing about these things just makes me want to speak out for this.

 

[RedBlood]

Going to be an interesting district final tomorrow for the Clarkson-Leigh volleyball team.

Would like to sit in the crowd to see what the vibe is like.

 

[Alum-Ni]

Athletes react to dissolving co-op between Clarkson, Leigh

LEIGH — Tears, heartache and an eerie quiet filled the gym at Leigh High School on Thursday night as the school board voted unanimously to end the athletic co-op with

norfolkdailynews.com

Athletes react to dissolving co-op between Clarkson, Leigh
by Pat Caveye, Norfolk Daily News

LEIGH - Tears, heartache, and an eerie quiet filled the gym at Leigh High School on Thursday night as the school board voted unanimously to end the athletic co-op with Clarkson Public Schools beginning next athletic season.

The decision by the school board ends a 12-year partnership between the two communities, located just 6 miles apart along Highway 91.

Consolidations are nothing new across Nebraska, as more schools are turning to joining forces activity-wise due to lack of participation across all sports.

However, Leigh principal and athletic/activities director Andrew Faltys said that decline in participation is one of the reasons why the school is looking at dissolving the co-op.

"This is my fourth year here, and it seems like over the last seven or eight years, the participation between the co-op has steadily gone down," Faltys said. "With COVID and more kids having phones, they don't necessarily have to be a part of something to hang out with friends. In some instances, it's a lot easier to go home and work and easier not to play."

Faltys said it's a common trend around the state.

"You see in bigger schools like C1 and C2, kids are just stepping away," Faltys said. "Maybe it's because of their experience in the program, the way they're being treated or they're not getting any playing time.

"Since the 2017-18 school year, it's been kind of eye-opening on how many people have quit. During that span, we had 88 different players in football with 20% of them not finishing. In boys basketball over that same time period, 21% of the students quit. Volleyball saw 36% of the kids not finish over that same time span."

Those decreases, according to superintendent Cole Fischer, have led to the ongoing discussions about possibly ending the co-op.

"There's pretty good evidence out there that small towns are dying," Fischer said. "I would say our two communities are the opposite of that. At some point then, as a co-op, the question becomes then can the two schools sustain themselves in athletics on their own? Are we built to be a C1/C2 co-op consistently, and that can spiral into when is the right time. Unfortunately, things have spiraled to this point, and we're at a crossroads where we need to decide....what's best for our kids."

However, kids and attendees had different ideas.

Out of nearly 20 people who came up to speak, nearly all of them seemed to want the co-op to continue.

Leigh junior Wyatt Langhorst, who attended Clarkson, said everything they've built over the past 14 years or so as a community has been great.

"Splitting our co-op doesn't just split our co-op, but it splits our communities and our teams," he said. "As a guy who plays football, while we might be able to scrounge together enough guys, having to play freshmen in a contact sport is not only not going to be competitive, but it's going to be dangerous. Same thing with wrestling. Even with both schools, there's only about four or five guys in there. If you split, I'm going to be practicing with my coaches."

Following nearly an hour and 15 minutes of executive session, the board reconvened and voted 9-0 to end the 12-year co-op between the two communities, leaving many of the attendees in tears.

One woman was heard telling the school board members as they quickly exited the gym "look what you did to these kids. There are people literally in tears from your decision."

The tears continued outside the school as well, where a bunch of the current Patriot volleyball players were in heartache after hearing the news that they would not be playing with each other after this season.

The decision also comes less than 48 hours before the team's district final contest with Lincoln Lutheran and a chance to go to state.

"The people who are actually here in the parking lot are the ones that actually cared and the ones that drove away really didn't care about anything," one of the players said. "We've grown so much over the years since we were little, and to see this all go to waste is very disappointing."

"I think we've built such a strong culture together, and now it's just broke apart. We feel betrayed," another girl stated.

"I don't know how I'm going to look through the net on the volleyball court playing against the girls we've been playing with since we were about 9 years old," a third girl added.

While the co-op may be over, recent Patriot graduate Jordan Noonan said the best thing the coaches need to do now is keep preaching they're still a team and a community.

"This is tough, especially for those sports that are still going on or yet to come," Noonan said. "I think it's going to be a tough adjustment, and while there's opportunities gained by this co-op splitting, I would have never ever wished for it to split."

That message was addressed almost instantly toward a crowd of about 40 people standing just outside the school on a dark, crisp night in late October from Clarkson athletic director Lee Schneider.

"We were there to help those that needed to be helped," he said. "That's what makes Clarkson special and great and why we love being there so much. We're going to rally, we're together, we're going to do the high road and watch out."

 

[RedBlood]

Splitting our co-op doesn't just split our co-op, but it splits our communities and our teams," he said. "As a guy who plays football, while we might be able to scrounge together enough guys, having to play freshmen in a contact sport is not only not going to be competitive, but it's going to be dangerous. Same thing with wrestling. Even with both schools, there's only about four or five guys in there. If you split, I'm going to be practicing with my coaches."

Doesn't this prove that you NEED a co-op?? How in the world is splitting going to help fix this??? This makes zero sense.

 

[HuskerO58]

Absolutely no insight to this situation - but, been alive long enough to guess.. Someone at Leigh has a kid(s) that didn't/doesn't play.. Unbelievably near-sighted decision..

I'm not saying your guess is wrong, but a kid or 2 not playing (as much) created a 9-0 vote?

 

[RedBlood]

I'm not saying your guess is wrong, but a kid or 2 not playing (as much) created a 9-0 vote?

Depends on if we are dealing with a board member’s kid. Surely someone on here has to know some specifics.

 

[HuskerO58]

Athletes react to dissolving co-op between Clarkson, Leigh

LEIGH — Tears, heartache and an eerie quiet filled the gym at Leigh High School on Thursday night as the school board voted unanimously to end the athletic co-op with

norfolkdailynews.com

Athletes react to dissolving co-op between Clarkson, Leigh
by Pat Caveye, Norfolk Daily News

"Since the 2017-18 school year, it's been kind of eye-opening on how many people have quit. During that span, we had 88 different players in football with 20% of them not finishing. In boys basketball over that same time period, 21% of the students quit. Volleyball saw 36% of the kids not finish over that same time span."

Those decreases, according to superintendent Cole Fischer, have led to the ongoing discussions about possibly ending the co-op.

20%+ of kids quit during the season in the past 8 years?!?! Does no one have any pride anymore?

You'd have maybe 1 kid quit during the season back when I played (20+ years ago) and those kids were typically shunned for a couple of months. Even if you were on JV, you just didn't quit on your team.

Also, my rebuttal to what Sup. Fischer said... It's not a decrease in participation. It's an increasing in families allowing their kids to be quitters.

 

[Dynasty Dreaming]

It's mind blowing that Leigh kids would seemingly like to be handed a starting spot and not have success, then to work for a spot and have team success. Again, I don't know how this is manageable for the long haul, and now you burnt the bridge of those that bailed you out already.

 

[clktwr]

I do not have any inside knowledge of the Clarkson/Leigh situation. I have not spoken to anyone that does have inside knowledge of the situation. I have not spoken with any community members from either Clarkson or Leigh. I want this to be clear.

Whatever the reason this has happened, the timing is bringing about significant challenges. I would hope (and believe they will) the NSAA will grant some type of grace period for Clarkson to find a program for their athletics. Stanton may make sense but what do I know. Geographically Howells Dodge makes sense but I honestly don't see it happening.

I can say from experience that there is NOTHING worse than having numbers issues in the sport of Football. Football is a sport in which physical maturity plays a huge part. When you have number problems, you have Freshmen on the field against 18 year old men on the other side. You commonly see weight difference of 100 pounds and that is a really bad situation. What is a 140 pound 14 year old defensive back supposed to do with that 250 pound OT that is out in front of a play?

I hope that both communities can heal up and go on to do great things. It will be a long process but hopefully everyone can look back in a few years and conclude that this was a good decision.

I feel sorry for the kids that have to ride out the rest of this school year. The parents are likely to make it a miserable experience. I hope that doesn't happen.

 

[Anon1695937414]

20%+ of kids quit during the season in the past 8 years?!?! Does no one have any pride anymore?

You'd have maybe 1 kid quit during the season back when I played (20+ years ago) and those kids were typically shunned for a couple of months. Even if you were on JV, you just didn't quit on your team.

Also, my rebuttal to what Sup. Fischer said... It's not a decrease in participation. It's an increasing in families allowing their kids to be quitters.

He didnt say they quit in season, just that they started playing football and didnt finish, which actually seems really low to me. I went to a c2 school and we had 12 out for football our freshman year and walked senior night with around half that. I did football basketball and track freshman year, then didnt do track sophomore year so i could work more, then didnt do basketball my junior or senior year for the same reason. I would expect the number that started a sport as a freshman but didnt do it senior year is probably 50% or more in most cases as other things become bigger priorities or you see that you arent on a path to contribute long term.

 

[GoSkers3]

He didnt say they quit in season, just that they started playing football and didnt finish, which actually seems really low to me. I went to a c2 school and we had 12 out for football our freshman year and walked senior night with around half that. I did football basketball and track freshman year, then didnt do track sophomore year so i could work more, then didnt do basketball my junior or senior year for the same reason. I would expect the number that started a sport as a freshman but didnt do it senior year is probably 50% or more in most cases as other things become bigger priorities or you see that you arent on a path to contribute long term.

This is what I see as a HUGE problem with the athletic world today - if they see they aren't on a path to contribute they quit. Whatever happened to working harder and wanting to contribute later on? OR just being apart of a team to be that practice player that helps the team become better? OR just being apart of a team learning how you can be a good employee someday because you learned that you won't always be the best but you can be the best damn teammate and work hard for a group to be as successful as possible. Sports teach so many life lessons is ridiculous and just hate the path athletics is on. Rant over!

 

[AlabastorKilgore31]

Honestly the state should step in and stop this from happening from a property tax position. All of these little schools need to consolidate to help alleviate property taxes across the state.

 

[hailvictors2]

He didnt say they quit in season, just that they started playing football and didnt finish, which actually seems really low to me. I went to a c2 school and we had 12 out for football our freshman year and walked senior night with around half that. I did football basketball and track freshman year, then didnt do track sophomore year so i could work more, then didnt do basketball my junior or senior year for the same reason. I would expect the number that started a sport as a freshman but didnt do it senior year is probably 50% or more in most cases as other things become bigger priorities or you see that you arent on a path to contribute long term.

I think there is a huge difference between not finishing a commitment and not renewing one. To me, quitting is going out for a sport (or activity or whatever) and then leaving the team/group before the designated end date for that year/season. Huge difference between that and finishing a season and choosing not to participate in that sport/activity the next year. That's not quitting at all.

 

[Anon1695937414]

I think there is a huge difference between not finishing a commitment and not renewing one. To me, quitting is going out for a sport (or activity or whatever) and then leaving the team/group before the designated end date for that year/season. Huge difference between that and finishing a season and choosing not to participate in that sport/activity the next year. That's not quitting at all.

Agreed. Have 20% of kids been quitting mid-season or just not gone out and thus 'quitting'?

 

[HuskerO58]

He didnt say they quit in season, just that they started playing football and didnt finish, which actually seems really low to me. I went to a c2 school and we had 12 out for football our freshman year and walked senior night with around half that. I did football basketball and track freshman year, then didnt do track sophomore year so i could work more, then didnt do basketball my junior or senior year for the same reason. I would expect the number that started a sport as a freshman but didnt do it senior year is probably 50% or more in most cases as other things become bigger priorities or you see that you arent on a path to contribute long term.

I guess when I see the word "quit" in this context, I'm thinking they quit mid-season.

To me, if you finished the track season your freshman year and then stopped going out after that, that doesnt mean you quit (again in this context) or that you were a quitter. It just means you tried something out, finished the season, then decided not to do it anymore.

So with that mindset, you can understand why I thought he meant mid-season.

Crazy that for a C2 school, only 6-7 of your class went out for football your Senior year. Hopefully you had a good class behind you. Could've been a tough season.

 

[Anon1695937414]

I guess when I see the word "quit" in this context, I'm thinking they quit mid-season.

To me, if you finished the track season your freshman year and then stopped going out after that, that doesnt mean you quit (again in this context) or that you were a quitter. It just means you tried something out, finished the season, then decided not to do it anymore.

So with that mindset, you can understand why I thought he meant mid-season.

Crazy that for a C2 school, only 6-7 of your class went out for football your Senior year. Hopefully you had a good class behind you. Could've been a tough season.

We had an outlier class size with only about 15 boys. the grade behind us had significantly more. This was 20+ years ago

 

[clktwr]

Honestly the state should step in and stop this from happening from a property tax position. All of these little schools need to consolidate to help alleviate property taxes across the state.

This was a Sports Co-Op, not a school consolidation. The State has no say and there are no Property Tax implications with a Sports Co-Op. I agree that property tax relief would be helpful. It just doesn't apply here.

 

[clktwr]

This is what I see as a HUGE problem with the athletic world today - if they see they aren't on a path to contribute they quit. Whatever happened to working harder and wanting to contribute later on? OR just being apart of a team to be that practice player that helps the team become better? OR just being apart of a team learning how you can be a good employee someday because you learned that you won't always be the best but you can be the best damn teammate and work hard for a group to be as successful as possible. Sports teach so many life lessons is ridiculous and just hate the path athletics is on. Rant over!

You make good points. Unfortunately this is no longer the world we live in. The bench players no longer receive any recognition. We celebrate the top end of the athletes and the bench players get nothing but their asses kicked around in practice and the less skilled ones even get passed over on the JV Teams in favor of younger more athletically talented kids because coaching staffs have to develop for the future.

I have really struggled with this for a long time. If a kid isn't good at something they need to keep doing it because it will teach them how to be a good employee? How so? Remember that there are lots of good team building experiences to prepare a kid for the workplace including.........actually working! Being the best damn teammate? Unfortunately that also does not translate to anything in the workplace. Billy, we love having you around because you are the best damn teammate we have ever had. You don't generate any revenue for us because you are not good at your job but we want to keep you around anyway. I am sorry (really because I like following you here) but that is not the real world.

Find something that you are good at OR coaches you have to figure out a way to get these kids in the game. I have told my kids to step away from a sport that they are not good at. Find something that you are good at.

To me the real shame is that kids are trying sports. They try them when they are at the youth level, then through Jr High. There is a disconnect and misunderstanding between the sport and the job of the youth coach. The youth coach has a list of priorities and that list should ALWAYS have

#1. Get every single one of these kids to come back next year.

That is their job. Unfortunately most of these kids are lost because the youth coaches don't understand the big picture.

Again, you and I agree on most everything on here and I am a fan of yours. This isn't personal, just a difference of opinions. I do respect your rant.

 

[JAG164]

You make good points. Unfortunately this is no longer the world we live in. The bench players no longer receive any recognition. We celebrate the top end of the athletes and the bench players get nothing but their asses kicked around in practice and the less skilled ones even get passed over on the JV Teams in favor of younger more athletically talented kids because coaching staffs have to develop for the future.

I have really struggled with this for a long time. If a kid isn't good at something they need to keep doing it because it will teach them how to be a good employee? How so? Remember that there are lots of good team building experiences to prepare a kid for the workplace including.........actually working! Being the best damn teammate? Unfortunately that also does not translate to anything in the workplace. Billy, we love having you around because you are the best damn teammate we have ever had. You don't generate any revenue for us because you are not good at your job but we want to keep you around anyway. I am sorry (really because I like following you here) but that is not the real world.

Find something that you are good at OR coaches you have to figure out a way to get these kids in the game. I have told my kids to step away from a sport that they are not good at. Find something that you are good at.

To me the real shame is that kids are trying sports. They try them when they are at the youth level, then through Jr High. There is a disconnect and misunderstanding between the sport and the job of the youth coach. The youth coach has a list of priorities and that list should ALWAYS have

#1. Get every single one of these kids to come back next year.

That is their job. Unfortunately most of these kids are lost because the youth coaches don't understand the big picture.

Again, you and I agree on most everything on here and I am a fan of yours. This isn't personal, just a difference of opinions. I do respect your rant.

I understand both of your views. I’ll add, to what I think he’s saying is under the assumption that most (almost all) that do actually go out for the sport, enjoy some aspect of it. Or they wouldn’t be there. So, learning to accept the reality that you may not be a Friday night star BUT there is always a ROLE is what’s important.

athlete a: plays football because he likes it and knows he can score 30+ tds a year and is a star

athlete b: plays football because he likes being with his buddies, knows he can contribute somewhere and that keeps him going, lets say he plays 20-30 snaps a game.

Athlete c: plays football because the idea of football is fun. Doesn’t have any skill, good dude though.. Knows he may not see the field at all until MAYBE senior year, at best, but knows the coach needs a reliable scout OG or DE. Commits to doing that job to the best of his ability and helps the starters prepare to win Friday. Filled a role, personal satisfaction is the result. Team is rewarded with prepared starters. The TEAM wins > the kid playing.

I think what he is saying is in today’s world athlete c is just quitting because his role isn’t a “star”.. In reality, learning to add value to the team, and in turn, to himself as a human, Is a valuable life lesson. A hard lesson, but a valuable one.

And maybe I’m way off base, idk, haha. Just my two cents!

Also, 1000% about youth coaching. Youth football should have 2 goals..

1) everyone plays next year
2) keep kids as healthy as possible (don’t play bull in the ring)

 

[clktwr]

I understand both of your views. I’ll add, to what I think he’s saying is under the assumption that most (almost all) that do actually go out for the sport, enjoy some aspect of it. Or they wouldn’t be there. So, learning to accept the reality that you may not be a Friday night star BUT there is always a ROLE is what’s important.

athlete a: plays football because he likes it and knows he can score 30+ tds a year and is a star

athlete b: plays football because he likes being with his buddies, knows he can contribute somewhere and that keeps him going, lets say he plays 20-30 snaps a game.

Athlete c: plays football because the idea of football is fun. Doesn’t have any skill, good dude though.. Knows he may not see the field at all until MAYBE senior year, at best, but knows the coach needs a reliable scout OG or DE. Commits to doing that job to the best of his ability and helps the starters prepare to win Friday. Filled a role, personal satisfaction is the result. Team is rewarded with prepared starters. The TEAM wins > the kid playing.

I think what he is saying is in today’s world athlete c is just quitting because his role isn’t a “star”.. In reality, learning to add value to the team, and in turn, to himself as a human, Is a valuable life lesson. A hard lesson, but a valuable one.

And maybe I’m way off base, idk, haha. Just my two cents!

Also, 1000% about youth coaching. Youth football should have 2 goals..

1) everyone plays next year
2) keep kids as healthy as possible (don’t play bull in the ring)

Excellent post as was Goskers3's post.

Honestly this all boils down to youth sports and the quality of the youth coaches. It isn't about having a rule that all of the youth participants must play at least 25% of the snaps or anything like that. It is about the youth coaches understanding exactly what they do and do not know.

Get everyone in the game in some capacity. Guess what, the little kid that doesn't have an ounce of skill can be one of 2 or 3 kids that runs the plays in and the three of them can easily be convinced that they have the 2nd most important job of the game. Put him at WR. You aren't throwing the ball anyway. That little kid thinks he's a superstar and his parents are tickled that he is playing. Is he really playing...no. Is he engaged...damn right he is. Is he coming back next year...yep. Next thing we know that little kid decides to grow. He is a Sophomore now and standing 6'2" with a tremendous understanding of the game. Longer legs have actually translated to the ability to run. He is now an ACTUAL WR and away he goes.

I spent many years coaching Summer Softball. The teams consisted of age divisions that spanned 2 years. So 10/11, 12/13, 14/15, etc.. Part of my team would move up with me and part would stay down for the next coach to come up. I had girls that saw a lot of action. They were mentally solid and fundamentally solid. They were not athletically talented but so what, I got them into games and coached the hell out of them. The following year these girls wouldn't show up for the sign up because the team that they were left behind with wouldn't let them play. So I would go to their houses, sit down with the parents and the player and explain to them that I WANTED them on my team. Just come to 3 practices and I will have you right back up to speed. They would reluctantly say yes and I went back to getting them into the game and coaching the hell out of them. What did I understand that I did and did now know? What I knew is that they were mentally tough and fundamentally solid because I made them that way. I also knew that they loved the game because I taught them the entire game. What I didn't know is what mother nature was going to do with these girls. Were they going to grow? Were they going to gain coordination? Were they going to become more athletic through repetition and strength? How could I know. What I learned is that keeping these girls coming back resulted in 2 girls that led their team in Batting Average, were All State selections, Area Super Seniors, and were damn good softball players. One is a Doctor today and the other is a Nurse Practitioner. Youth coaches somehow think that winning is the only way to teach things like resilience and mental toughness. Survival of the Fittest has no place in your sports. No One Left Behind should be the mantra.

Youth coaches must get their priorities in order. It is killing HS Sports especially in Rural America.