Jump to content

WINNING AT ALL COST!


brian103

Recommended Posts

I have patiently waited to give my opinion until the Yorktown/Franklin wrestler was indeed seeded at the Delta Sectional.  This was confirmed last night when his name was submitted to be seeded in the 140 lb. weight class.

 

First off?..to the wrestler that wrestled for Yorktown at 140 all year, I truly feel bad for you and your family,  especially if this  is your senior year and are TRULY a Yorktown wrestler who has wrestled for Yorktown since you were in elementary.

 

I have to say the decision to seed the FRANKLIN WRESTLER who has not scored any team points for Yorktown and has only been enrolled in Yorktown for a few weeks does not surprise me or anyone else in the Wrestling Community.  It simply reflects the lack of ethics, morals, and above all loyalty.  Is there any obligation to the kid and his family that have been at every meet and practice this year?  Has everyone forgotten about the TRUE Yorktown kid that has been there all year?  You know?..the kid that wrestled at this weight class all year??kept his nose clean and fought hard for his varsity spot.

I find it amazing when coaches will do anything to win.  Whether it?s throwing your assistant coach, who has no ethics under the bus, every time there is a situation that will be looked upon poorly, or the 140 lb. wrestler who has been there all year.  When do coaches simply do the right thing for our kids, even if that means you might not make it to Team State?  What is the message this sends to our kids when they go out in the real world?  Do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it is illegal or unethical? 

 

Has everyone forgotten they have been trying to recruit a 140 lb. wrestler all year?  They tried to recruit the kid from Jay County, who was enrolled at Yorktown until the Principal, who is on the I.H.S.A.A. Board, put a stop to it.  It appears 140 is a very important weight class to assure a repeat to the Team State.  What team and wrestler are they focused on beating?  I?ll give a hint?.the Head Coach and wrestler has the same last name. I would love to know?..just how many kids in Yorktown?s line up are actually from Yorktown.  How many attended elementary at Yorktown, and how many moved in when they were in 8th grade.    At last count, there are 8 or 9 wrestlers in their lineup that did NOT attend Yorktown Elementary.  There must be some really good jobs in Yorktown, population 10,000.

 

It should also be noted I was informed that the Franklin/Yorktown wrestler has his own apartment in Yorktown, and his parents still live in Franklin.  How is this possible? If this is true, it would be interesting to confirm whether his parents continue to rent the apartment after their son graduates and moves back to Franklin.  I believe the I.H.S.A.A. should continue the investigation of theses ?so called move-ins? after they have abruptly moved out following their senior year.  When will the I.H.S.A.A. investigate and hand out some stiff sanctions for these shenanigans?

 

In closing, we talk about coaching and ethics.  It?s my opinion there are no ethics when it comes to Yorktown.  A school that terminates their assistant coach and then mysteriously hires him back a couple years later when a new School Board was voted in.  The same coach that was barred from coaching the ISWA travel teams for weighing in a wrestler, in which he coached, at a weight class that he was over by 20 lbs.  Of course the decision of entering the Franklin kid in the Delta Sectional rests solely on the head coach.  He can?t blame his assistant on this one!  Winning appears to be the most important thing no matter what the cost.

 

P.S. There are a few teams out there that do things the right way??.i.e. Belmont, South Adams, Ft. Wayne Carroll, New Haven, Homestead that might have something to add at Team Regional.  Karma does have a way of working these things out!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 185
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

I'll be upset if it is deleted.  I don't necessarily agree with what it says and I don't have a problem on the surface with the move and I do not have enough information to feel comfortable weighing in.  However, he presented the arguement in a thoughtful way and sighted past examples of behavior to support his claim.  It would be a huge mistake to remove a post just because someone doesn't agree with it or are afraid it may cause controversy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is the message this sends to our kids when they go out in the real world? 

 

 

That even though you may do nothing wrong, if some one with great credentials(Let's say a Harvard grad) decides they want your job there's not much you can do about it. The company would be stupid not to give them the job.

 

To keep it related to wrestling, what if David Taylor decided he wanted to transfer to IU? Paul Young has always been a good kid and hard worker. He grew up in Bloomington, and has been a starter for IU for several years. David Taylor tech falled Young earlier this year. If Taylor decided he wanted to trasfer to IU shouldn't he be the starter?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have patiently waited to give my opinion until the Yorktown/Franklin wrestler was indeed seeded at the Delta Sectional.  This was confirmed last night when his name was submitted to be seeded in the 140 lb. weight class.

 

First off…..to the wrestler that wrestled for Yorktown at 140 all year, I truly feel bad for you and your family,  especially if this  is your senior year and are TRULY a Yorktown wrestler who has wrestled for Yorktown since you were in elementary.

 

I have to say the decision to seed the FRANKLIN WRESTLER who has not scored any team points for Yorktown and has only been enrolled in Yorktown for a few weeks does not surprise me or anyone else in the Wrestling Community.  It simply reflects the lack of ethics, morals, and above all loyalty.  Is there any obligation to the kid and his family that have been at every meet and practice this year?  Has everyone forgotten about the TRUE Yorktown kid that has been there all year?  You know…..the kid that wrestled at this weight class all year……kept his nose clean and fought hard for his varsity spot.

I find it amazing when coaches will do anything to win.  Whether it’s throwing your assistant coach, who has no ethics under the bus, every time there is a situation that will be looked upon poorly, or the 140 lb. wrestler who has been there all year.  When do coaches simply do the right thing for our kids, even if that means you might not make it to Team State?  What is the message this sends to our kids when they go out in the real world?  Do whatever it takes to get ahead, even if it is illegal or unethical? 

 

Has everyone forgotten they have been trying to recruit a 140 lb. wrestler all year?  They tried to recruit the kid from Jay County, who was enrolled at Yorktown until the Principal, who is on the I.H.S.A.A. Board, put a stop to it.  It appears 140 is a very important weight class to assure a repeat to the Team State.  What team and wrestler are they focused on beating?  I’ll give a hint….the Head Coach and wrestler has the same last name. I would love to know…..just how many kids in Yorktown’s line up are actually from Yorktown.  How many attended elementary at Yorktown, and how many moved in when they were in 8th grade.    At last count, there are 8 or 9 wrestlers in their lineup that did NOT attend Yorktown Elementary.  There must be some really good jobs in Yorktown, population 10,000.

 

It should also be noted I was informed that the Franklin/Yorktown wrestler has his own apartment in Yorktown, and his parents still live in Franklin.  How is this possible? If this is true, it would be interesting to confirm whether his parents continue to rent the apartment after their son graduates and moves back to Franklin.  I believe the I.H.S.A.A. should continue the investigation of theses “so called move-ins” after they have abruptly moved out following their senior year.  When will the I.H.S.A.A. investigate and hand out some stiff sanctions for these shenanigans?

 

In closing, we talk about coaching and ethics.  It’s my opinion there are no ethics when it comes to Yorktown.  A school that terminates their assistant coach and then mysteriously hires him back a couple years later when a new School Board was voted in.  The same coach that was barred from coaching the ISWA travel teams for weighing in a wrestler, in which he coached, at a weight class that he was over by 20 lbs.  Of course the decision of entering the Franklin kid in the Delta Sectional rests solely on the head coach.  He can’t blame his assistant on this one!  Winning appears to be the most important thing no matter what the cost.

 

P.S. There are a few teams out there that do things the right way…….i.e. Belmont, South Adams, Ft. Wayne Carroll, New Haven, Homestead that might have something to add at Team Regional.  Karma does have a way of working these things out!

 

 

The only portion of this I want to comment to is that Yorktown indeed is a very high move-in area. With the college, hospital, and a lot of very high paying engineering firms there are students from all over the world moving in. I used to teach there (working at a college now) and my AP Chemistry class my first year had 4 students who moved in from outside the US and another 6 that moved in because their parents got jobs at Ball State or the hospital. There were 14 students in the class. People live in Yorktown because it's a very wealthy area outside of the Muncie limits and the property taxes are low. There was no way I could have afforded to live there, that's for sure!

 

As for the other wrestler that came in you need to check your facts, he has family there and spent summers there and as I understand it he wanted to finish with his friends. He waited until after wrestling season last year to move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

That even though you may do nothing wrong, if some one with great credentials(Let's say a Harvard grad) decides they want your job there's not much you can do about it. The company would be stupid not to give them the job.

 

To keep it related to wrestling, what if David Taylor decided he wanted to transfer to IU? Paul Young has always been a good kid and hard worker. He grew up in Bloomington, and has been a starter for IU for several years. David Taylor tech falled Young earlier this year. If Taylor decided he wanted to trasfer to IU shouldn't he be the starter?

 

I have an idea, let's compare apples to oranges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems to me that there needs to be a cut off point early in the season/year for tranfers.If you do not meet the deadline you do not wrestle! That goes for any sport! This is the only fair way to handle this IMO.Then the wrestle offs can decide who has the spot! I understall all to well the level of dedication it takes to secure a spot but it is not a insured  by any means! BUT no one should be allowed to come in late in the season and leave someone with out ample preparation time to defend his spot.As far as coaches recruiting at the HS level....your fired!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a lesson to be learned from this - "Life is not fair."  It's a simple one, and one, unfortunately, our children will have to learn if they want to make it in the "real world."  The way a person responds to adversity is a true test of character, and what they take away from a negative experience can provide invaluable building blocks for success. 

 

I don't know who the 140 lb wrestler from Yorktown was prior to this move-in, I don't know if he's a Senior, if he fought for the spot, or was the only one at that weight...what I do know, is that he will learn from this experience, and it will make him stronger, and seeing the empathy and support from wrestling supporters across the state can only help.  History has proven time and time again that those who are "handed" everything, have a very hard time with the complexities of the "real world." 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

brian103 - well said.  One thing Yorktown's wrestling program will have to live with is this quote from Thomas Paine, one of the Founding Fathers of our Great Country:

 

Character is much easier kept than recovered.  ~Thomas Paine

 

The sad thing about this whole thing is that it seems like this program has really tanked in terms of respect, integrity and character over the last few years.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just don't think it is fair for the 140 lb. wrestler  that has been there all year.  If it was my son there would be hello to pay.  No right.  So does another school go out and get the best wrestlers to fill their weak spots.   You know it is only for the "TEAM".  Way to go coach.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a lesson to be learned from this - "Life is not fair."  It's a simple one, and one, unfortunately, our children will have to learn if they want to make it in the "real world."  The way a person responds to adversity is a true test of character, and what they take away from a negative experience can provide invaluable building blocks for success. 

 

I don't know who the 140 lb wrestler from Yorktown was prior to this move-in, I don't know if he's a Senior, if he fought for the spot, or was the only one at that weight...what I do know, is that he will learn from this experience, and it will make him stronger, and seeing the empathy and support from wrestling supporters across the state can only help.  History has proven time and time again that those who are "handed" everything, have a very hard time with the complexities of the "real world." 

 

If what brian103 says is correct (and it must be otherwise I feel it would have been removed) then this is pretty bad! I do not think high school kids should be learning "life is not fair" from their teachers, coaches, or school board in actions that are less than honorable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do I understand this right?  A Franklin wrestler is booted from the team for disciplinary actions and then enrolls at Yorktown because he can't wrestle anymore at Franklin.  Now Yorktown along with IHSAA is allowing this kid to participate?  WOW.  

 

I will say, if this is all on the up and up, and there are no competition violations, then wrestling is no different than all the other sports and the better kid gets the spot.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If what brian103 says is correct (and it must be otherwise I feel it would have been removed) then this is pretty bad! I do not think high school kids should be learning "life is not fair" from their teachers, coaches, or school board in actions that are less than honorable.

 

I agree completely, that our children should not be learning that "life is not fair" from disreputable leaders in their lives...however...it happens like that more than we want to admit.  Do I think this situation is completely absurd?  YES!  Do I think the IHSAA, School Board, Principal, Coach, etc. will do anything to rectify the situation? Nope.  My kid has learned that lesson the hard way more than once...my heart breaks for him everytime, but everytime it makes him more determined to succeed despite of the obstacles.  What I was saying was that this kid will succeed in spite of this coach, not because of his coach and that seeing the support of people on the boards should make him see that this situation is not in any way fair...but, unfotunately, I don't think anything is going to change before Saturday. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I, personally, like oranges better

 

Me too!

 

Although I do agree with your first point(apples) about hiring the Harvard Grad, I think it is a bad comparison here due to the fact that we are talking about a company who pays for their employees.  Not to mention I am sure there would be some sort of sevrence package for the non Harvard Grad who is being let go.

 

Your second point I guess would still be in the apple family because IU actually can offer scholarships to student-athletes to compete at their school.  I am not sure how it works in college when it comes to transfering in the middle of the season and what his eligbility would be.  If this was to happen at the begining of the year, the current starter would have the same oppurtunity to transfer elsewhere if he so chooses.

 

In the case of this topic(oranges), we are talking about a student-athlete who do not have the options mentioned in some of the other scenerios.  I personally feel that the coaches had a tough decision to make when it came to replacing their current 140lber with the transfer.  I am not sure all the particulars of the situation nor do I really want to know.  My opinion on this one though would be if said transfer moved in because of his parents decision to move the family, then I feel he should have the right to wrestle off for the spot.  I feel if the current wrestler's roles were reversed he would feel the same.........

 

 

Now if there were any shenanigans involved, then I truely feel sorry for the wrestler's who spot was taken after a long season of hard work was put in on the mat.  

 

Reminds me of a similar situation a few years ago where a kid could not make weight toward the end of the season but wrestled up at the end of the year bumping a pretty decent kid.  My age is starting to show because I can't remember who they were.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This seems to be happening more and more, recruiting and questionable transfers for all the wrong reasons, not just in this great sport but others.. I have been reading the post on this and will say that I am not sure about all the details and not sure we will ever find out all the details.  The sad part, the way  i see, is that no high schools are putting more pressure on the athletes and coaches to produce the big wins. I think, and I hate to say this, that the State athletic board needs to look into these and put in place some rules or controls to keep this from happening.

 

I can remember being told once by a wise man "if you do something or involved in something that causes people to question your ethics or morals, then there probably is some truth to their suspicions" 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apparently, he wasn't expelled from Franklin.  If he had been, I don't believe he would have been eligible to enroll in any school in the state, right?

If a student is expelled(NOTE: This was not the case) another school can take the student in, but most of the time...99.9% of the time... they will not take in an expelled student.  Most schools do not want to take in another school's excess baggage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am very aware of all of the facts because the wrestler and his family happen to be great friends of ours. Friends that are in a different school corp, but because of wrestling, we have come to know very well. The wrestler doesn't wrestle with my son but they are still best friends. This kid has learned two life lessons, one that you have to pay for your mistakes and the other that sometimes life isn't fair,  and unfortunately that came from a School Corp that punished him twice for the same infraction. He served both suspensions and he and his parents decided they did not want him in that School Corp. Franklin signed off ( which should tell you something )the IHSAA signed off so now as of 3 weeks ago he is a Yorktown wrestler. Now, how Coach McCormick treats his kids and his rules are for him to decide.  I have been around him some and from what I have seen he doesn't seem to be a win at all costs type of guy. I feel that wrestling is one of those sports , like others should be, where the best person wrestles. The wrestler was not recruited and I know that for sure. People need to start understanding the whole transfer  situation  because it has been going on in Football for a while and with school choice it will continue. Not sayiong right or wrong but it is legal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this is a great post.  we have a public school in our conference who has ILLEGALY recruited wrestlers and football players.  They do have a great coaching staff, and good talent to work as it is.  However, this is sucking the true sportsmanship out of the sport.  Its terrible to see a complete disregard for morals and ethics in a high school sport.  I was on a state football team that had the luck, hardwork, and determination to make it there without any illegal activity going on.  When do these coaches and athletes cross the boundary on these things, and when will the IHSAA quit being so naive to the fact that it is going on?  i have a feeling it will only get worse with time.  It will suck the competitiveness and spirit out of the great sport we know as wrestling. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not know all the facts but all does seem a little fishy. Why Yorktown? Why not closer to Franklin? Why not Center Grove? Plenty of top notch programs a lot closer. I do not think Coach McCormick is a win at all cost coach. Coach McCormick, I am most positive, is not doing anything to jeopardize his team's eligibility, he himself was a state champ so he knows cutting corners will not get him to his goals.  Even with this move-in Yorktown will not win state as a team. I do believe they still have a few weak spots that this one wrestler will not carry them to the team title. This may get them past Bellmont and such but will not get them above Perry and  CP.  With this being said, Yorktown has always had an open club and this alone will get kids to "transfer" because they build a relationship with the coaching staff, feel comfortable with the staff and develop friendships with the wrestlers within the club. This is enough to get kids to want to come and wrestle at this school. Kids at this age want to be with their friends, so many inside the club will want to go to school with their friends.

 

The scenario with David Taylor holds no water because he would likely have to sit out a year. Most times a student-athlete can not transfer without sitting and this would never happen where an athlete would be allowed to compete the second semester after transferring in the middle of a season.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not know all the facts but all does seem a little fishy. Why Yorktown? Why not closer to Franklin? Why not Center Grove? Plenty of top notch programs a lot closer. I do not think Coach McCormick is a win at all cost coach. Coach McCormick, I am most positive, is not doing anything to jeopardize his team's eligibility, he himself was a state champ so he knows cutting corners will not get him to his goals.  Even with this move-in Yorktown will not win state as a team. I do believe they still have a few weak spots that this one wrestler will not carry them to the team title. This may get them past Bellmont and such but will not get them above Perry and  CP.  With this being said, Yorktown has always had an open club and this alone will get kids to "transfer" because they build a relationship with the coaching staff, feel comfortable with the staff and develop friendships with the wrestlers within the club. This is enough to get kids to want to come and wrestle at this school. Kids at this age want to be with their friends, so many inside the club will want to go to school with their friends.

 

The scenario with David Taylor holds no water because he would likely have to sit out a year. Most times a student-athlete can not transfer without sitting and this would never happen where an athlete would be allowed to compete the second semester after transferring in the middle of a season.

 

 

Having an open club in the spring doesn't mean its open recruiting.  I have ran an open club for the past five years and never has anyone magically moved to Garrett.  I know for a fact that the kids I work with in the offseason would have loved to wrestle for me during the high school season.  I would have loved to have a couple of the club kids I coach on our team this year and know three top 5 ranked wrestlers that would have made us an instant team state contender.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.