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mamabear711 (Anonymous) says…

Surprise, surprise, surprise the revolving Boy's Basketball Head coaching job is up for grabs again! Corlette, Lewarne, Parker, now Maneotis. It looks like Moffat County High School can't figure out how to establish a Boy's Basketball program. With a new Athletic Director maybe he can learn from the past. Maybe he can figure out what no one else can on how to establish the Boy's Bulldog Basketball program to be respected and feared by their opponents.

calvinhobbs (Anonymous) says…

In today's world, who would want to be a head coach? You have parents after you all the time. Does the administration have your back? When you try to develop a program there is work involved. The best ones play at the varsity level, no one is entitled to be on varsity. But Steve has had parents that think their child should start, be on varsity, not have been cut etc. Do they go and watch practice every night for 2 hours? I have watched Steve run practices a few times, Steve and his coaches, expect them to work hard and do things right. For who ever the takes the new position, just play everyone and do not work them to hard, do not have high expectations and you will do fine. Best of luck Steve.

boxer21 (Anonymous) says…

Good job Steve. We think you did a great job!

Vermillion (Anonymous) says…

Calvinhobbs is correct. The real problem with the boys program is the parents. They have succeeded in forcing the last four coaches to resign. Some of the most vocal parents were school employees. Parents have harassed coaches in both boys and girls programs with telephone calls and e-mails and complaints to the administration. This parental behavior has been a problem since I moved here 30 years ago.

phishybob9 (Anonymous) says…

I agree that parents and politics have sabotaged the Moffat County boys basketball program for years. Another core issue for the failures of the program is the lack of a quality youth program. These kids are not learning the proper fundamentals of the game at an early age. They are falling behind the curve and it has been reflected in the performance of the basketball program. Until these issues are addressed then the program will be destined to fail.

justthefacts (Anonymous) says…

Fact: Poor academics = poor sport programs

Fact: Poor sport programs = poor school systems

Fact:It adds up, Moffat County Schools have problems. There has been no accountability for teachers or coaches for years in this school system.

Fact: There is a new superintendent in town. ( We hope he can make the changes needed.)

Fact: Schools systems are a reflection of the community that they are in. When the community has no buy in the schools will perform to the same level.

Fact: That level is like the bar at TMH on the ground.

Fact; The Schools are an after thought to the majority of the Moffat County Community.

Fact: Cultures are hard to change.

Fact: There are too many former teachers on the school board. ( They tend to pander to the Teachers Union and protect poor teachers.)

Fact: Moffat County may never change!!!

Fact: The Moffat County football team has the same problems. ( Not the kids !!! The culture of being in Moffat County)

As usual Just The Facts.

silentman (Anonymous) says…

Glad to see you brought up the football program. Hafey has been the “chosen one” but has not produced when he had really good athletes. The biggest problem with the program is that Hafey and the coaching staff cannot keep kids in the program. Look at the attrition from Freshman to Senior class. It is a total embarrasment to see 15 kids on the sideline during a varsity game with the enrollment the size of our school. The AD and the school board need to get some stones and get rid of Hafey and the entire staff! I know of many occasions when athletes have been run off from the team over the most trivial issues. The worst example is documented cases where the student athlete has been told if you don't go to football camp, no matter what, you will not play on the team!!!! It doesn't make any difference if the kid couldn't afford to go or had conflicts with other sports or work. I always thought it was the coaches job to put the best athlete on the field. Hafey, as with coaches in the past like Yester (yuck!) get their little empire and protect it by playing the kids whose parents coddle the coaches. Sorry for Steve that this has snared him: I think he's done one hell of a good job!!!

Anitadunnce (Anonymous) says…

OMG. Nightwatch, PLEASE tell us that you are not a product of MCHS. If you are, I fear that English teachers are going to start throwing themselves through windows all over town. You've heard the adage, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to . . . ” (you know the rest. . . fill in the blank).

To all high school students: read the preceding note from Nightwatch, and then remind yourselves to stay in school.

lgmillernl (Anonymous) says…

I agree that sometimes the parents can get involved when they shouldnt however being a parent myself its hard to know when that is! I wouldnt want to be a coach for any amount of money and I think what they do get is very minimal. You have to not only have a love of the sport but a love of kids. I had a child go thru school here and he played 3 sports so he had many coaches I never once went to a coach I let my son take care of it. Was I always happy with what was going on …no I sure wasnt but as a parent I was there and supported my son and his team mates. Good Job Coach Hafey and football coaches I appreciate your time and time spent away from your families and all the other coaches that my son had. Boys Basketball Team I hope you get a coach who you respect and he respects you back your a good bunch of kids and I look forward to watching you playing in the future. I am sure my post will be up for ridicule and I dont know anything but I was there with my son and I continue to go to activities at MCHS for support rather than to sit home and ridicule. Sports in high school should be fun, the kids should be there because its fun, when its not fun we need to figure out why. Just my opinion I am entitled to mine just as everyone else and any replies wont make me change my mind….go bulldogs!

eieiolrighty (Anonymous) says…

I would like to know what makes Steve any worse than the head volleyball coach? Can anyone tell me that?

Vermillion (Anonymous) says…

Lgmillerni raises a good point about the purpose of high school athletics. When I played football and basketball in middle school and high school, I never thought that practice was fun. The purpose of practice was to make me a better player through hard work and good teaching techniques by the coaches. When all the players practice hard during the season and the offseason, the team becomes better. You develop good relationship between your teammates and respect the time and effort the coaches put into the program. The fun part of sports is when you play well and maybe win some games against other teams who have also worked hard to become better. What I find distressing is that players and their parents believe that if the child lays on the couch watching football and basketball and playing video games they will somehow become a good athlete. If that doesn’t happen, then it has to be someone else’s fault, namely, the coach. The parents and the players want all the glory, but are not willing to pay the price on getting better. If you want your child just to have fun, then they should participate in pickup games, inter-murals or town team ball.

buck523 (Anonymous) says…

Nightwatch…I believe I may be stupider for reading your comment. I'm not sure that it made any sense.

lgmillernl (Anonymous) says…

always has to be someone to be passive aggressive….I got the dig Vermillion. And I take it with a grain of salt as you dont know me, my son or what they won or lost. Again I say have fun kids, pretty soon you will be in the working world and get to be angry all the time and post negative comments to vent your frustrations. Glad this doesnt mean enough to hurt my feelings!

Vermillion (Anonymous) says…

lgmillerni, you are correct I don't know you or your son. I believe that our differences are only about the purpose and goals of high school athletics. I certainly did not want to hurt your feelings. We just have a difference of opinioin. Reasonable people can differ.

Anitadunnce (Anonymous) says…

Vermillion and IgmillernI: If you will look back carefully over several of the comments in this thread, you will see a)references to parents who complain to the principal about the coach, because they want their sons/daughters to play more, etc., in addition to b)references to a spineless principal who will not stand up for his coaches and teachers. The exact comment was that administration does not have Steve's back.

All mature adults, both those in education and those not, realize that a parent who runs to the principal to tattle on a faculty member, rather than to discuss the matter directly with the coach/teacher is not a good or particularly honest role model for a student. The best that can be said about such an obnoxious and ignorant parent is that they are attempting to assist their child in a manner that provides very poor modeling. I don't know that a lot of blame can be placed on such a parent…. they are clueless, poor parents, and bullies, and school personnel have no respect for that type of parent and speak openly and negatively among themselves about those parents. The coaches and teachers all know who these parents are.

What coaches and teachers should be able to expect, however, is that when such a poor example of a parent runs to the principal, the principal should without reservation support his faculty, in every case and without exception. Only a spineless, weak link of a principal would take the tattling parent's side against school personnel. A better response, and the response that a supportive and intelligent principal would give to such a parent, is to require the parent to speak to the coach/teacher first. It is nothing short of insulting and unprofessional for a principal to handle parental tattling in any other manner.

Steve, you do not recognize me by my screen name, but you do know me, and all I can do is to remind you that Wyoming pays its teachers better than Colorado, in the event that you actually do desire to leave the state. Just give Thom Schnellinger your one-fingered wave in the rear-view mirror on your way out of town. You deserve a lot better than what you have received from him and some of the extremely poor role models of parents.

lgmillernl (Anonymous) says…

Anitadunnce I dont see what this has to do with vermillion and I's discussion to agree to disagree….your points have nothing to do with our conversation. Thanks vermillion I see your point and respect it, and thank you for seeing mine

Anitadunnce (Anonymous) says…

Igmillernl, I am surprised that you don't understand the connection. Although I am happy that you two kids are getting along now, within the past couple of days all readers were treated to some snarkey exchanges from or toward one or both of you. I was only trying to get you back on track, because YOU are NOT the topic in this thread, Igmillernl. The issues here are Steve; Steve's coaching; Steve's resignation; Steve's treatment by some immature parents who are only harming their own kids by their behavior toward the coach(es) and other school personnel; Steve's lack of support by the principal, etc. It is precisely some or all of those topics that my comments have addressed. (By the way, Igmillernl, if you are NOT one of the gauche and immature parents who harm their kids in this manner, then there is NO reason for you to be offended by my comments, is there?)

Anitadunnce (Anonymous) says…

BTW, after I entered a comment regarding the higher salary schedule up in Wyoming, I checked on Wyoming coaching/teaching jobs. Thermopolis is currently advertising a Head Basketball Coach position for the 2010-2011 school year.

nightwatch (Anonymous) says…

buck523 by saying stupider shows how smart you are,,look that up in the dictionary and see if that word exists,,you should run for mayor you would fit right in ,,thats craig if you can understand that

buck523 (Anonymous) says…

Nightwatch…must have been your posting that caused that. Out of curiosity…what word would you have used instead of “stupider”?

lgmillernl (Anonymous) says…

personally Anitadunnce…I dont want it about me, no I am not one of the parents but I do attend the games and I do watch do you…I hope the boys get a great coach!

eieiolrighty (Anonymous) says…

How do any of you know that these parents have or haven't went to the coach? How do you know what was said between the coach, AD and principal? Steve is an awesome person, but I do know that personally that he does get a little carried away coaching. I do believe that coaches will yell, cuss etc…..but when coaches start belittling players, this is when it goes too far.
I think as far as coaches here in Craig, most need to be fired and bring in all new ones. Someone who don't know names (or at least isn't going to play you because you have X for a name). Coaches that can start teaching fundamentals in middle school. It is not just about scoring at that age…..sorry! GEEZO, how long has Mort. been around? He is one of the worst and don't get me started on the volleyball coach…..HELLO! Wake up!
As far as the school board, when was the last time you checked who was on the board? There are two retired teachers on there. Why don't you step up and run if they are doing such a crappy job? It is so easy to complain about people.
I personally am hoping that the new AD is just starting to clean house. It needs it bad!!!