Then there were other coaching assignments

As basketball season ended, I moved into coaching track. This was about the most mismatched assignment ever. I didn’t run, couldn’t jump, and had never participated in track. My only experience was as a spectator at a couple of track meets, and I had watched the Olympics on TV.

My 5-6 grade boys participated in a number of events. They had sprints, relays, and distances. Field events were long jump, high jump, shot put, discus, and triple jump. Fortunately pole vault was restricted to grades 7 and 8.

Gerry Kreuder told me that I didn’t need to know anything, just supervise the kids. I was an expert in not knowing. I did purchase a book on how to coach track and field. This told me all the things the students needed to know. My problem was trying to translate this information into activity. I learned fairly quickly that the boys would need to coach each other. I could tell them what was in the book, but they had to figure it out and help each other. This actually worked because, during a track meet, there are multiple events going on at the same time. One coach simply couldn’t be at every event to help.

All of the coaches helped with the various events. When it came to races, we were all assigned to be a "picker". Each coach was assigned a place to pick, 1st, 2nd etc. The toughest race to pick was the 50 yd (before metrics) dash. Being assigned 3rd was really tough with all boys hitting the finish within a fraction of a second.Often no one got picked for 3rd as someone picked the 2nd and 4th and missed the 3rd place finisher.

Since no school in our conference had few competing in track, we often had to compete against 7^th graders from bigger schools. We were not very successful in spite of some very good athletes. The exception was the Savanna Invitational Track meet where we competed in our grade level. It was at this meet that I learned strategy from Gerry. With each athlete limited to 4 events, Gerry taught me how to organize for the most points. Placing the fastest runner in an individual sprint event was not always the best approach. Sometimes they were best used in longer races. Placement in relays and medleys was also a game of strategy.Four years later, with Gerry’s help, and some outstanding athletes, we won the event.

The best year for coaching boys track was my last (1981). With only 12 boys in 7^th grade and only part of them out for track, we took on track powerhouse Erie Jr. High on their track. With Robbie Bradley taking top honors in four events, including anchoring the medley relay, we beat them. It may have been their only loss.

My experience with girls also included track. Again, we were forced to compete with much larger schools. We didn’t win a lot, but we had some great individual performances. I coached girls for both the  1975 and 1976 seasons.

Coaching Girls Basketball

By the time Title IX came along, I had been coaching boys for 2 years. Title IX required schools receiving federal money to treat boys and girls equally. We had just finished a basketball season and were undefeated. I thought I knew how to coach and how to win. Boy was I wrong.

The girls wanted a team the prior fall but we didn’t have the money for a coach or uniforms. Several decided to go out for the boys’ team. I had always emphasized conditioning in the early weeks of practice. I decided to push all the players. It wasn’t a lot of fun for the students, and before long, all the girls and some of the boys quit. The same was going on with Gerry’s team. I wrote earlier about the courage Lu Ann showed in staying out all season.

Boys’ season ended and I volunteered to start a girls’ team that spring, 1975. This began new lessons in coaching. The boys would accept any activity whether it was a  drill or running. The boy attacked the drills with determination and enthusiasm. The girls would complain. The boys enjoyed practice. The girls would rather stand and talk or complain.

I thought I would never get them to play with the enthusiasm the boys displayed. I coached the boys for defense and we had always dominated the other teams. The girls liked to shoot, but didn’t like pressuring the ball. We didn’t have uniforms so the girls wore boys’ jerseys over their PE clothes. 

Then we had our first game. The transformation was amazing. The girls attacked their opponents and tried to steal the ball. The played with aggressiveness. 

In the very first game, the girls initiated something I had never seen with the boys. From the first jump ball, one of the girls on the jump circle held her arms over her head. Because all the girls were new to the game, the players from both teams started to imitate this. They even did this during free throws. You can jump doing this, but not very high. Just try it!


The girls continued this for all the years I coached. These photos are from years later and the practice was still in effect. Sometimes a coach cannot control his players!

The girls also were often not sure what to do so they would stand and hold the ball when they got it. Because I had coached my girls to be aggressive, they would grab on to the ball. The other team imitated this too. Thus began the constant jump ball. The boys would have about 4 or 5 jump balls a game in addition to those starting each quarter. The girls would have 4 or 5 jump balls every 2 minutes. Often, one jump ball would immediately result in another jump ball as the girl catching the first jump ball would hesitate to throw it to someone. Then, of course, they would all stand around the jump circle with their hands over their heads.

In spite of the constant stopping of play, my girls played aggressively. None of the attitude I had seen in practice was displayed. They played hard against teams with much larger enrollments. We were 2-2.

Not all of the other schools in our conference had added girls’ sports, so we continued to play against larger schools the following season.  The sport remained in the spring in 1976. In spite of that, we had a regular schedule, a longer season, and many more players. 

The girls finished 4-4. Near the end of the season we got uniforms.

In 1976 the schools agreed to move the season to a fall sport. The girls played well and won more than we lost.  I had fun and so did the girls. I was proud of their aggressive play, even if they often were over matched. Often our girls would tackle the ball.

 I continued to coach girls for several seasons. I was fortunate to coach some outstanding athletes and some wonderful personalities. I was always disappointed that cheer leading was a greater interest for some of my players. Although many could have played on the high school team, they chose to become cheerleaders instead. I often asked why they wanted to cheer for the boys rather play play for a team. Culture changes slowly.

Things that the girls did that the boys never did in addition to the unique approach to jump balls and free throws: Stand around and talk and gossip during practice; put adhesive tape to hold their hair back as no jewelry was allowed,;have a technical foul including a player thrown out of a game for fighting and arguing with the referee (yes, you Sarah J.); and come to my home for an after season party. 

Eventually the girls were coached by the female teachers. Still I loved them and they made coaching quite interesting. Every-time I see a jump ball, I think of them.

My first years as coach

I didn’t really start out to become a coach. In fact, I thought all coaches had been athletes, or at the very least had played often on a school team. I was on a couple of teams, but only because the coaches didn’t cut the squad. I may have been the worst person to pretend to be an athlete.

We had no program, or even a gym, in the school I attended through 8^th grade. When I was a freshman, I tried out for basketball. My cousin and I were attending school in Sterling while living with another family. They weren’t too pleased that we participated as it meant late dinners.

 The only reason I made the roster had to be my size. Although only 13 when the basketball season started, I was well over 6 feet tall and so clumsy I would often trip over my own size 13 shoes. I was so uncoordinated that I couldn’t do the basic drills like jumping rope. This lack of ability left me watching as others practiced. This was to become an advantage when I coached because I learned how the offense and defense worked while watching from the seats.

On Fridays, we shot free throws to see who would dress for the away games the following week. Although I got pretty good at free throws, I never got to practice on Fridays, as I had to return home for the weekend. Except one Friday we stayed over as our parents were coming to Sterling on Saturday. I made the traveling squad for the next week. The details about what happened are a later story.

I left Sterling at the end of the year to attend my local high school. That winter, my old grade school decided to start a basketball team. They still didn’t have a gym, so they rented one. Somehow I ended up being a volunteer student coach. I was terrible and the only thing I learned was to not nervously dribble the basketball while trying to talk to the players.

Fast forward to my first and only teaching job at Albany Grade School. I wasn’t a coach when I started. I did enjoy sports and did go to all the basketball games to keep “the book”. Each team had its own score book, and the home team book was the “official” score-book for the game. The official score-book is the true record of the game, regardless what the scoreboard said, but that’s another story too.

After my stint in the Army, I returned to teaching. My fellow teacher, Denny, had decided to retire from coaching basketball and track. With my buddy, Gerry, moving to Denny’s former job, a position was open for a basketball and track coach. I knew little about basketball and nothing about track. Still, back in those days, the only qualification for coaching was a somewhat steady heartbeat, and ability to keep track of the keys.

My first basketball team was absolutely amazing. In our conference grades 5 and 6 formed one level and grades 7 and 8 the other. We had a gym available after school at Garden Plain, so I had to drive the team there in order to practice. The story of me and the bus was posted earlier.

The GP gym allowed for a great teamwork to develop. Free from other staff and older students, we learned together. I didn’t cut the squad and made sure that every practice there was floor time for all players. I also made sure everyone participated in drills to help develop those with less athletic ability.

This first team was did well despite my lack of experience. We  won the conference and finished second in the conference tournament. 

The next season was the most successful of any team I coached. We went undefeated through 12 regular season games. When it became time for the conference tournament, we were seated first. We finished the season undefeated with a 14-0 record and both the conference and tournament trophies.

Even at such a young age, the quality of people I coached was evident. They were great sports and very kind to each other including those who were not yet great players. They were also very competitive, and worked hard at practice and at home. Their grades were never an issue. After coaching those kids, I was hooked on being a coach.

I coached for several more years, and added coaching girls. Gerry taught me how to prepare for practice and games and how to win. We had a great partnership. I will relate a few more coaching stories in later posts.

Student Teaching a little late

Teacher preparation is a lengthy process. The coursework is very specific and detailed. For those working at the elementary level, there are numerous requirements in subjects that relate more to requirements in the early 1900’s than to the reality of the 2000’s. Even in my earliest days, I found the list of requirements on my “Provisional” Certificate to be an unnecessary burden.

Because my first position at Albany Grade School included teaching science to 5^th through 8^th grades, I was required to hold an elementary certificate. Elementary certificates required the teacher candidate to be a generalist is everything. The candidates needed to know a little bit about reading, a little bit math, a little science and a little music.

This hearkens back to the days when every elementary teacher had to teach every subject. By every subject I mean reading, math, spelling, social science, more reading, physical education, music, art, and, if there was time, science. Every classroom had plenty of chalkboard space, reading books, math books, spelling books, social studies books, occasionally a science book, and a piano. Pianos were so common because every teacher, and I mean every elementary teacher, was required to demonstrate proficiency at playing the piano. In addition, they were required to be able to read and sing the music they played.

Seeing this requirement on my certificate sent chills down my spine. When my buddy, Gerry, explained the music course he took at Northern Illinois, I knew I would never pass. Gerry said he was required to play the piano, read music and sing! He said his instructor told him to stop when she heard him attempt to sing, but at least he passed. I can imagine hearing Gerry sing "That old Rugged Cross" as he so often said he did in his church "Our Lady of the Mattress".

I figured I could stumble through the rest of the requirements. Of course, my science and math background along with multiple social studies courses and general education requirements, covered the rest. I figured music would end my effort to become a certified teacher at Albany.

In the two years before I was drafted into the army, I made almost no progress on the list of courses I was required to take. The only course I managed to complete was a course in the US and Illinois constitutions at Blackhawk Community College.  I expected this course would complete the  history or  government requirement. Readers may remember I had not taken a constitution exam while in college. Unfortunately the Blackhawk course was an adult education course and not for college credit. I didn’t find this out until I completed the course.

When the Army beckoned, I was allowed two more years to complete the requirements. A fortunate thing happened while I was playing soldier. The principal decided 5th graders needed to return to a “self contained” classroom. This is educator speak for one teacher for all subjects, except for “specials” (art, music, physical education).

This change in grade levels, meant I would only need to teach science to 6^th through 8^th grades. In the archaic system of teacher certification in Illinois, you were required to hold an elementary certificate if you taught grades kindergarten through grade 9, but you were able to hold a secondary certificate if you taught grades 6^th through 12^th. There was no recognition of a certificate for those teachers working exclusively at grades 5^th through 8^th. With the change in grade levels, a secondary certificate would allow me to teach at Albany. This meant most of those elementary teacher requirements would disappear!

Returning to teaching after the Army, I was able to use the GI Bill for help with education costs. I began to take courses in earnest to get my permanent certificate. A fortunate benefit was the courses offered met requirements for certification and for a Master’s Degree. I elected to pursue a masters in elementary science. The only required course that did not qualify for the MS was student teaching.

In order to student teach, I was not allowed to be  paid. That is, no income for a family of three for an entire semester. Even with week-end jobs and the GI bill, I couldn’t afford to take a semester off. So I delayed student teaching until the end of certification coursework.  

Then Western Illinois University offered me a terrific option. I could student teach in a summer school program and not miss any regular teaching. I jumped at the chance.

The assignment was at United Township High School (aka East Moline) with incoming 9^th graders. The students were high risk of dropping out, and the program was to help them better prepare for high school. I was assigned to student teach both science and math. My supervising teacher was a math instructor, so I had all the science planning without assistance.

I completed student teaching that summer. It was five(5)years after I first started teaching. I had three(3) years of experience in the classroom on the day I started student teaching. It all seemed pointless, as I had already learned a great deal from all my initial mistakes. I would make many more, but that is part of teaching.

 At least I never had to sing and play the piano.