FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

 

1.        What time should I pick up my son after practice?

As a general rule, plan to pick up your son a half-hour after the posted end time of any football event. If practice ends at 5:30, you can expect your son to be ready to leave at 6:00.

 

2.        What should my son do if he can't attend practice?

He needs to call Coach Valach. Missing practice should only happen if an athlete is extremely sick or has a family emergency. Excused absences are given prior to missing practice. Unexcused absences are given after practice. Please, have your son call the coach, not you. He needs to practice being a responsible young man, and he is the one on the team, not the parent. 

 

3.        If my son is failing a class, what should he do?

First, make certain that he is using his class time wisely and keeping a daily assignments list. Second, meet with his teacher and seek extra help. The best times to meet with a teacher are before school, at lunch, or during guided study (if your son has guided study). Most teachers post their grade books on Basmati, so your son can stay up to date on his grade and assignments via the internet.

 

4.        When is a good time to talk to the coach?

If you want to meet with a coach, call the school number and arrange a meeting. Before or after a practice or game is not the appropriate time to talk. If the issue concerns a conflict or problem involving your son and the coach, encourage your son to try and resolve the issue himself before you become involved. Learning to resolve conflicts is a great interpersonal skill for your son to develop. 

 

5.        What topics are appropriate to discuss with the coach?

Any questions regarding how your son can improve as a student-athlete or questions about helping out with the football program.

 

6.        What topics are not appropriate to discuss with the coach?

                Playing time, strategy, or other athletes.

 

7.        What should a player do if football practice conflicts with a club soccer or baseball practice?

Once the football season starts, club sport practices must be a second priority. School sport practices always take precedent over club sports. If you want to play high school football, you must commit to it fully during the season. Athletes who try to balance a demanding sport like football with a club team outside of school are setting themselves up for physical injury and academic struggles.

 

8.        What should a player do if his work schedule conflicts with football practice?

Be proactive. Notify your employer now, and let him or her know your practice schedule. If you fail to plan and find yourself in a predicament, you will have to make a choice between football or the job. Ninety-nine percent of the time employers accommodate a student-athlete's practice schedule if he sets it up before hand.

 

9.        What is the coaching staff's attitude towards creatine and other over-the-counter supplements?

The coaching staff discourages the use of any supplements. Most of these substances are fairly new and no long-term studies have been conducted regarding their potential harm. Athletes who look for "the edge" in pills and powders on the shelves of health food stores won't find it. "The edge" comes from within. Eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and work out with intensity and purpose. You WILL become bigger, faster, and stronger... guaranteed.

 

10.     What should my son do if he wants to play football in college?

a.        Focus on making the most of his high school experience. Playing in college should be a natural byproduct of his love for the game and his relentless work ethic.

b.        Work diligently in the classroom. The better his grades are the more choices he will have for where he wants to attend college.

c.        Compete in at least one other sport.

d.        Meet with his guidance counselor during the spring of his junior year, fill out the NCAA Clearinghouse paperwork, and take the SAT or ACT.

 

11.     What can you as a coach do to get my son a scholarship?

A coach cannot "get" a player a scholarship.  What a coach can do is notify scouts of outstanding players and send game film to colleges. If the college is interested, they will ask about the athlete's grades, his character, and his attitude.