CPL tournament...

[voncoach]

Okay CPS, just wondering what the word is. Pruitt was supposed to stop the poorly run tournaments. I just got word that the Fresh/soph cpl tourney will be next saturday at Bogan. But no other info.

CPL championship was supposed to be at UIC. Now I hear they are moving it to a CPS building that is actually empty?

Does anyone know what's going on and whether I can have any hope of a decent tournament? Or will it be the same debacle it has been in year's past?

[MR TWISTER]

... can you email me your phone number. I spoke with Mickey today.:cool:

[jrbu]

Today I received notice that any city coaches who do not show up at either meet will be fined $250 per meet. I'm all for trying to improve the meets in the city, but we barely get paid in the first place, now this. I just pray that some of the smaller programs get there kids there so they don't have to lose either 250 or 500. That is just amazing to me. My vote is cancel it next year, there is no longer a direct bid downstate, and it's become to big a problem. Many of the city varsity teams are at the Morton Tourney the day of the frosh/soph anyway.

[voncoach]

Exactly! As if your or any other coach's vote or opinion matters to these guys. Here you have a guy who doesn't even release the site of the tournament or the times until a week before the event. So he's late and unpreprared. This kind of disorganization will definitely lead to teams who are late or unprepared, too.

But be late or unprepared and you're fined! Nice one, Pruitt. The best thing to do is to boycott it. I no longer care about the $250. What I care about is that these people are bullies, nothing more. Guess what? CPS coaches need help, not bullying. When are these people going to realize that MOST cps coaches work really hard with very little pay, almost no support from administration, no busses, no equipment, no feeder programs and then having to try to help these kids who suffer losses at the hands of established suburban programs every year.

It's a tough situation. Their bullying doesn't help. And when you have the kind of track record they have it takes a lot of balls to come to me and say, "you guys have proven unreliable. So if you're late, I'm fining you. it's time to get tough on cps coaches."

How about the city tournamen fiasco last year? How about cancelling the fresh/soph city last year because of mismanagement? How about the year before when they couldn't finish because of a girl's basketball practice in their gym? How about the year before when the city never came through with any medals for the soph city championship. I STILL have parents who call me and ask for the medals their kids won.

What are you blind? GET IT STRAIGHT. OFFER COACHE'S HELP AND RESPECT, NOT THREATS AND BULLYING. GET THE TOURNAMENTS SET UP WAY IN ADVANCE. GET GOOD REFEREES.

Guess what? I love my guys and that's all that's keeping me as a coach. But if you keep pushing me and bullying me I will quit. And so will a whole host of other coaches who are tired of your childish bullying tactics.

If the referees are poor again (because you schedule everything last minute) I WILL WALK. I'M NOT LETTING MY GUYS GET SUPLAYED ON THEIR HEADS AGAIN. I'M NOT WATCHING FROM THE TABLE AS A REF FORCES MY GUY TO WRESTLE TWO 2 MINUTE OVERTIME PERIODS.

AND I WON'T BE THE ONLY ONE WHO WALKS. Hey, at least I care about my kids and city wrestling. I'm not sure what Pruitt's agenda is or what his job is like. But this new regime is pretty much like the old regime so far.

Hey, I'm hopefully things will flow smoothly at city this year. And finally telling schools that they have to be on time and ready to go is a beautiful first step. But it is also an easy and obvious thing that should have been done years ago. If you want the tournament to be good, you have to run it well.

This last minute, here's the site a week before stuff just tells people that you don't really care about the tournament. So why should I care about it? I mean, I already know the dates, times, and locations of all the tournaments I'll be in next season. SO UNDERSTAND, CPS WRESTLING COORDINATORS, that getting the information a week ahead of time is totally absurd, last minute, and bound to be trouble.

So best of luck running this thing. It's also hard to be confident in that, given the fact that Mr. Pruitt has no wrestling experience. This is a large tournament and it will be difficult to run. I hope he has some good people to help him.

[MR TWISTER]

I understand your displeasure having been a CPS head coach, abeit in another sport. Have you talked with the chain of command, your A.D., Principal, Mickey Pruitt, Calvin Davis or Arne Duncan. I mean if you really feel slighted this would be the way to go first instead of voicing it in public. The internet won't get results. It just pisses people off. email me if you want some ideas. I been there and I got results before. As a coach won some city titles and state games but I got my kids what they needed at the same time.:cool:

[voncoach]

You're absolutely right. This post will get nothing done and if it pisses someone off, well then I guess we're even. My hope is that it will at least show the people who install someone who has never wrestled or coached our sport as the wrestling coordinator that they are not serving the wrestling community. Besides, you realize at some point that since these people aren't contributing anything to your program but hassles, requirements, and bullying, then why not at least let off steam amongst the wrestling community?

I have also been through my AD and Principal with no real luck, but we have limited funds. CPS doesn't provide for us. Besides, what can my AD do about an administration who runs a crummy city tournament in years past and who is resorting to bullying tactics on its coaches?

Lastly, I asked Mr. Pruitt to help me earlier in the year with a minor matter, and although he seemed to want to help, he wound up making a promise to me that he ultimately wasn't able to keep. Then I had to go into my own pocket to get what I needed for my team. Mr. Pruitt's reaction was that it's my responsibility to get what I need for my team, not his, even when he gives his word that it'll be done. I understand he may be in a tough position, but I did disagree with him making a promise and then backing out and leaving me and my kids in the lurch.

Mr. Twister, I know you are working on an article and I'd like to discuss some of these things with you. I'm not interested in bashing CPS. In the last four years I have tried repeatedly to work with the wrestling coordinators to at least run the city tournament well, to get the site way in advance and to ask coaches recommendations for the referees. They have really not responded. Here it is a year later and I only find out about the tournament my freshman are required to be in a week in advance, and even then, I kind of had to email and call for a few days before anything came back on it. With no bussing and a separate varsity tournament on that day, I need to know these things to get my kids there. Besides, it's finals week and I've got Mr. Pruitt threatening to fine me personally if my numbers aren't what he likes.

Look, I love this sport and I love my kids. But I have a wife and family who are pushing me hard to quit because of all this bs. CPS sports administration is not responding. I mean, it's been four years and if anything they contribute a little less each year. So if you have the ear of these people, let them know how serious the situation is and that certain simple things, like scheduling the tournaments with the sites, times, and refs must be done in the spring, when coaches make their schedules. And maybe you can suggest that their stance is directed towards the few lazy coaches who are in it for an easy paycheck and yet it punishes and embarrasses everyone else. Lastly, let them know that they should not make any more promises that they can't keep! CPL championships at UIC, right? Well, let's wait until we have all the details to make pronouncements. Isn't it a bit odd that our Championship is being held in a middle school? One that was not too long ago an empty building?

My kids are consistently humiliated by this mismanagement. If you think that it has no effect on the kids when you cut their championship in half to have a girl's basketball practice, you're wrong. It sends a clear message. You don't matter and we don't care about you. Our wrestlers at least deserve a measure of respect from the sports administration. This has been pretty debilitating to my guys over the years.

Anyway, if you want to talk about any of these issues, drop me an email and I'll forward my number. And CPS, if you're listening, I'm not trying to make you angry. I'm just looking for some reasonable changes and for a way to help it happen for Chicago and its wrestlers, who deserve it.