Good Enough to Compete? Really?

Back when I was involved in running the Omaha high school bowling league, I used to hear adult volunteers who were organizing teams say that they weren't sure they were going to have a team because they couldn't get enough good players.

Never mind that they had boatloads of kids try out and they had no problem putting teams together, the volunteer was worried that the collection of student athletes wouldn't be good enough to compete against more experienced and talented players. This kind of attitude in someone responsible for coaching is pretty bogus, in my opinion.

Being a part of the Varsity team is something that many student athletes dream of. Sure, you get kids that come through your program that have next to no competitive blood in them. They want to hang out with their friends and be a part of a team, but after that . . . . well, it's just not a big deal. Those students are the exception, in my experience.

Our job as coaches is to get kids to see things in themselves that maybe they don't yet see. Our job is to help them improve their skills and not worry about whether they lose a match. A coach, especially a high school coach, especially a high school bowling coach, should be putting player growth and development above winning and losing. Holding kids back from Varsity competition because they might lose some games, throws growth and development out the window, and may indicate that the coach doesn't have the skills to help his or her players develop.

With all this being said, I've seen and heard some things in the last few weeks that tell me this trend of holding kids back is alive and well in high school bowling.

This came up recently for me when I was looking at the Omaha Metro Bowling league website. I noticed a lack of Varsity teams. Not a big deal, generally, because these things do fluctuate from year to year. But then I looked at the JV standing sheet and saw boatloads of JV teams. Again, generally, this isn't a big deal, because it's great to be able to field several JV teams to give kids the opportunity to compete.

What stood out in this whole thing was how many of these schools with JV teams had no Varsity teams bowling. I looked further at the team breakdown. Check this out:

Marian has eight JV girls teams, but no Varsity girls entry.
Northwest has two JV boys teams, but no Varsity boys entry.
Central has a JV girls team, but no Varsity girls entry.
Ralston has two JV girls teams, but no Varsity girls entry.

Now, it's not like the JV and Varsity bowl on different days and times, so the schedule prohibits the school from putting a Varsity team into competition. And, remember, since bowling isn't an NSAA-sanctioned sport, the schools aren't making these decisions anyway. To Varsity or not to Varsity is a coach-driven decision.

Unfortunately, this isn't just an Omaha thing. The NHSBF faces some of this too. We currently run four classes of competition, similar to most high school sports in Nebraska. We've never had deep numbers at the Class D level, so all those teams are generally making it into the State Championships. On the surface, that's not a bad thing I suppose, but with all the other classes competing hard for a spot in the tournament, it's tough to see the lack of a challenge in Class D.

The obvious answer to me is to only have three classes of competition, or structure the classes differently, so that Class D teams earn their spot in the State Championships. The way to do this is a topic for another day. For now, one of the reasons we haven't merged Class C & D is the fear that some of the Class D schools would drop out of the program entirely. Why? Because they don't think they could compete against the Class C teams.

Just to make sure I"m clear on this, I think this situation is as bogus as what's happening with the teams I mentioned above from Omaha. Holding students back from Varsity competition, or more challenging competition, because the coach doesn't think the team can compete, is offensive to me.

Winning is great, but after spending years hearing coaches tell me they are "in this for the kids," I'm wondering if that's a true statement. Look, bowling is not football, where players who are bigger and stronger are going to be blocking and tackling a smaller and less skilled opponent. Last I checked, bowling is still a sport where you don't block or tackle the members of the other team.

Is there a gap in skill levels sometimes? Sure, but as a coach our job is to help our players get better and enjoy the sport. Teams win and teams lose, but none of that keeps a bowler from improving and enjoying our sport. Losing is tough, but it's a part of our lives. A good coach knows how to coach through losses and keep the student-athletes focused on their goals. If the only goal is winning, it's time for the coach to find a new hobby, and give a real coach an opportunity to motivate and inspire their players.

With another season completed, it's time to renew the effort to get bowling the NSAA recognition our students deserve. It's time to get this program in the hands of the schools, where the mission to give students opportunities outweighs the need for a coach to win games and tournaments.