Very odd considering their recent success
Burwell Basketball
- Thread starter Llama57
- Start date
Very odd considering their recent success
After seeing them this summer at a team camp, not shocked. They had 5 guys and I am pretty sure 2 of them were in junior high....it seemed pretty bleak that they were going to be able to field a team this year.
It sounded like a couple of them got hurt in football, but they also have 20+ out for wrestling and couldn't get a few of them to move over to basketball to fill the team. I believe 1 or 2 of them also went to Ord.
This feels like a trend that is likely to continue in the Class D schools. Weather it be because schools have strong wrestling programs or just a culture of not participating in extracurriculars participation is decreasing quickly it seems.
And this is not a school culture thing...it is a problem with our society. It is what it is. Not saying you said it was - just adding on to your comment.
We need more co-ops and consolidation if we want extra curricular activities to continue. It’s not fair to the kids.
Does Burwell, Taylor and Sargent all need their own K-12 schools? No. Would two schools work? Yes.
Why can’t Twin Loup and Burwell co-op sports and be a healthy C2?
Does Burwell, Taylor and Sargent all need their own K-12 schools? No. Would two schools work? Yes.
Why can’t Twin Loup and Burwell co-op sports and be a healthy C2?
Bring back the HornDogs!!!!!
Sargent and Burwell co-oped wrestling in the mid 2000’s and their nickname was the Horndogs.I wanna hear THIS story...
In Burwell's case I think it's neither. It has more to do with the fact their best boys athletes tend to choose wrestling over basketball and they just don't have all that many upperclassmen to go around between the two sports.
Their recent success in hoops was largely the product of getting a small group of talented players at the same time who have all now graduated.
Their 'mascot' looked like an animated recreation of those dog things from the OG Ghostbusters movie with some goofy, curly horns stuck on the side of a bulldog. It was possibly the greatest mascot in Nebraska Sports history.
Yes.... Grand Island (the largest school in the state of Nebraska) needs to consolidate. Come on.
As in anything there are outliners. That’s an example of poor leadership and no culture
Of course there are. But this constant call for consolidation and cooperatives from people that have no iron in the fire is nonsense. The only people that should have an opinion on Burwell consolidating or entering a cooperative are the people in Burwell and any potential partner communities.
Last edited:
I agree with that, local control should not be lost and it is up to those people in that area
I can't agree on this more. It really is nobodies business other than the local school boards. As an outsider I can sit here and say its stupid all I want, but the bottom line it is up to the stakeholders of the school and community to make these decisions. Nobody cares what someone from any other town thinks. Burwell does not need to consolidate. This is an aberration and honestly probably a testament to the strength of their wresting program in my opinion.
So when these schools that can't field a team, or forfeit half their seasons it doesn't affect every opponent that doesn't get to compete that week? A little isolated thinking, no? I shouldn't be surprised the decisions to not consolidate are selfish & egotistical ones.
Have you seen how many games they play each week for volleyball and basketball?
I wish my daughters' team didn't play 3 games a week, every week of the season.
Too many games nowadays. Don't worry about these poor teams not getting to compete, they will still get to compete plenty of times.
Many times co-oping means small, low talent level schools must compete with larger, more talented schools, resulting in more embarrassing losses.
You act like co-oping is easy. Try traveling on muddy gravel roads for 30+ miles one way 5 days a week. Not every town is 5 miles apart with highways.
How much more do parents need to worry about their teenage children driving in the dark after practices, especially when the younger kids on the team cannot drive yet, so now you are placing multiple young lives in the hands of your kids when they have to give each other rides?
Who pays for the fuel bill for these kids to drive back and forth? Who gets out of practice at 7 or 8pm instead of 6pm each night? How much more family time must be given up in the evenings?
Please don't act like co-oping is such as easy choice that is only denied by selfishness.
There is a lot of sacrifice for each school (admins, head and assistant coaches that get paid very little, students, parents, fans, etc) that co-ops.
Last edited:
No more games played now than when we all played. It sounds like your the prototypical parent who wants there kid to play but not earn it?? Oh to many games.
We use to have practice at 6 am because we only had one gym Now schools have multiple gyms to practice. You’re making my point. There is a lot of sacrifice and I will be the first to admit that every person in education is underpaid and undervalued and do make tremendous sacrifices.
But common sense tells us that if we pool together our resources what can we accomplish..???
1) more opportunities for students
2) better facilities and resources for students
3) more opportunities for ALL KIDS in Nebraska
4)better pay for teachers
5) more people wanting to go into education because pay is better
And many more
Unfortunately it’s hard for any parent or coach to approach a kid and say .. hey Susie or Billy guess what you’re not cut out for this but you know what you would be exceptional at xyz!
20 30 years ago it was acceptable for a person in education to do that heaven forbid we do that now
Just a few points on this, teams that are playing the same number of games as "back in the day" likely haven't updated schedules to modern games limits. A state tournament team can play around 30 games, I want you to look out at the end of the season come sub-district/regional time and see how many of these small teams teams have logged 20 or fewer games, that difference in competitions makes a difference over time.
Not all schools have more than one gym, in fact some that have two gyms only practice in one because of safety concerns in old/outdated gyms. How do 6 am practices work in a co-op that is 20-30 minutes away? I'm going to say not well due to the stress it puts on the students during a season that endures like basketball does.
Lastly, since when does consolidation between schools and pooling those resources end up with higher pay for teachers? The last time I checked that doesn't exactly create huge raises for teachers that make them more competitive with other professional level jobs.
After reading your 5 reasons, I must ask, are you talking sports teams co-oping or schools consolidating? Because those are 2 different things and your arguments don't seem to point towards sports co-oping, but more for school consolidation.
Last edited:
I’m strictly talking talking consolidation and pooling together resources.
Teacher pay is horrible
Teacher pay is horrible
All good points, but in the end Io_a and other states HAVE figured it out and I hope it hasn't led to any additional deaths to kids. That would indeed be a terrible conclusion to a co-oping decision.
What $ amount is horrible to you for 10 months of work and no weekends?
"bUt ThEy DoN't WoRk WeEkEnDs Or SuMmErS" as I'm pulling the One Act prop trailer for my wife every Saturday for the next month and a half.
HA.... Who wants to tell this guy that "10 months of work and no weekends" stopped being a thing in education about 50 years ago. Find me a teacher that doesn't work in the summer time and doesn't work on the weekends and I'll show you a unicorn.
Am I the only one laughing at the idea that better facilities and resources change kids priorities of where they find their entertainment and hobbies?
Do this, do that...but no one is really asking the "why" to the question. "WHY is participation struggling?"
Finding the answers to problems is usually rooted in the "why".
Well in my opinion, it has more to do with outsourcing athletes to clubs and the widened gap socio-economically of the families involved, than it does with School facilities. Now I agree that some consolidation needs to happen. But to use that argument to the only small county north of the interstate in central Nebraska that saw population growth in the last couple census' is not a good take
I'm sorry but I'm annoyed with the whole "just do" message rather than finding a solution of why. The comparison to "WELL WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL........" is laughable to think these kids all of a sudden think what their parents generation did was cool. No generation of kids has ever thought it would be sweet to live like their parents did.
There are SO many layers to these types of things and us keyboard warriors tend to think we're going to solve all the problems with the stroke of 6-7 sentences keyboard strikes.
/off
Do this, do that...but no one is really asking the "why" to the question. "WHY is participation struggling?"
Finding the answers to problems is usually rooted in the "why".
Well in my opinion, it has more to do with outsourcing athletes to clubs and the widened gap socio-economically of the families involved, than it does with School facilities. Now I agree that some consolidation needs to happen. But to use that argument to the only small county north of the interstate in central Nebraska that saw population growth in the last couple census' is not a good take
I'm sorry but I'm annoyed with the whole "just do" message rather than finding a solution of why. The comparison to "WELL WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL........" is laughable to think these kids all of a sudden think what their parents generation did was cool. No generation of kids has ever thought it would be sweet to live like their parents did.
There are SO many layers to these types of things and us keyboard warriors tend to think we're going to solve all the problems with the stroke of 6-7 sentences keyboard strikes.
/off
I teach and coach anything and everything under the sun for 12 months a year—from little kids to high school seniors. It’s a ton of work, and it takes a lot of sacrifice. I make good money, well over $40K, but that's because I've kept up my education with two master's degrees. And I love every single second of it.
The list of challenges? Oh, it's long: administration, parents, kids, more kids, my kids, my wife...and yeah, sometimes even me. At the end of the day, though, teaching and coaching is a great career. Underpaid? Maybe. Underappreciated? Definitely. I hear more about what we should do or how we could be different than about what we’re doing well or how much we’re appreciated.
This man nailed it, at least to a point...
TwinsRRUs, you have two examples that anyone can name. Every school district has elementary teachers who don't want to do anything outside of 8-4. That's few a far between in middle schools and high schools where activities take place, especially in non class A and B districts. I would also guarantee that the experience teacher has paid for more education that just a bachelors degree.
And whoever thinks a coaches pay is good pay for the time they put in is crazy....
I would put head coaches, assistant coaches, and officials in the same boat as underpaid for the grief they catch and for the amount of things that are said about them behind their backs.
I looked into coaching a few years ago (not a high school head coach) and the pay did not cover my fuel going to and from the school from my house, let alone cover the missed hours of work at my normal job.
For any coaches that do not already work for the school, it's got to be tough to show on paper that it is worth it monetarily.
Many coaches don't do it for the money, but deserve more pay for what they deal with. The problem is that it's tough to justify due to other costs and programs within a school system.
Ha! Would you please sign up to be on my negotiations committee?! I’d love a raise for all the coaching, teaching, and everything else we do. You’re spot on—head coaches, assistant coaches, and officials definitely deserve more for all the grief and the stuff that gets said behind our backs. Most of us aren’t in it for the paycheck, but it sure would be nice if the paycheck kept up with everything we’re handling!
And honestly, with inflation these days, I could use an inflated raise just to keep up with my three kids and my wife! We’re all just trying to make it out here, right?
Once had a school board member want coaches to track their hours. The superintendent looked at the packed room, as there were other hot button topics on their agenda and say, 'Sir, I don't believe you'd like to learn that you are paying people less than 50 cents an hour for their work.' The superintendent then went in to break down a week of football and volleyball season for the board and attendees to which many were in shock at the time spent.
Twins, thank you for acknowledging those people that are under paid and under appreciated for their work. I feel a bit better about your thoughts on educators now. I will say, as C8 did, the money isn't bad...but to make money in the profession, you have to do a lot of the extra pay stuff and get a high education degree.
You obviously have no clue how educators time and lives are spent!
Okay, first, I appreciate everything educators & coaches do. Farmers, as well. But.... we went from an OP about a successful kids basketball program going belly up, to a "consolidation for the kids" discussion and ended up in a d*ck measuring contest about how many hours "I" work. Yep, no selfishness or egos in this thread.
Biggest reason participation is declining is 2 fold
1) the obvious answer is lack of population in rural communities ( which I’ve been born and raised in and have sent my kids to)
2) the family structure
Two parents working!! Kids need a parent at home