NO CUTTING!

As can be perceived from my last post about the carreer of James Taylor from Peoria, IL, you can probably guess that I would be against "cutting". You know, that practice of keeping only a designated number of players for the roster and telling the other kids who tried out for the team that they didn't make the cut. They can find something else to do.

Now, I understand why some sports have to do it, but I still don't like it. Space is limited, uniforms are limited, and coaches are limited. Basketball may be the best example. It's not unusual for 50 kids to go out for the freshmen team but only 15 can make the squad. Therefore, tryouts must be held and 35 prospective athletes get cut. But is it possible that one or two (or more) of those kids cut could be a star in waiting? We all know the answer. Yes, that is a real possibility. Baseball is another sport that unfortuntely has to cut lower levels sometimes. The sports that I coached, football and wrestling, cutting was unheard of and I was thankful for that. I always recruited our halls for football players and I was a relentless recruiter for wrestling. Believe me, wrestling is NOT a sport where you open the doors and kids are pouring in to the wrestling room. But I have heard of a few schools around the nation who actually do cut in football. That means James Taylor, featured in my previous post, the future all stater, all american, and pro, likely would have been cut because he was a little bit of a late bloomer. I was fortunate enough when I coached wrestling to work with a heck of a basketball coach. Not only was he a winning basketball coach but we worked well together. When he made his cuts, he would gather the kids together and encourage them to give wrestling a try. I really appreciated that and actually picked up some kids who turned out to be outstanding wrestlers. So, in that instance, cutting helped my program. But I think that might be an exception.

So, what's the answer? I'm not sure. Intramurals could be promoted more, it seems they've lost their popularity. But that requires space, facilities, and personnel too. A "Taxi" squad that practices and works out but doesn't dress and then next season trys out again could be a possibility. I would love to hear some of your ideas. You can post them here or go to the forums at Chiefpigskin.com and chime in there. I'll have a thread ready just in case.

Final word; explore all possibilities before making cuts. I would hate to lose a kid that is full of potential but we just haven't seen it yet. Is there anything more rewarding than watching average or below average kids turn themselves into contributors or stars because of their desire, hard work, and our coaching? I think not.