Former CPS Coach Rails on City Tourney

[Alvin Washington of ISNet]

Hey y'all!!

I got this from the old Von Steuben wrestling coach and he's got a lot to say about this year';s city tourney. Read on...


[from voncoach]

Improving city wrestling...
Alvin:

Are you mc at the city championships again this year? I hope so, because my kids enjoyed your work last year.

I don't want to take anything away from the kids during their tournament. But after the season, I'd like to see the media pressure the city sports administration to pay more attention to wrestling. I coached at Von Steuben for four years and I couldn't believe how badly the city treats wrestling. No medals from the sophomore city two years ago, last minute tournaments, bad referees, poor organization, long, dismally run tournaments, kids getting locked out in the cold on the coldest day of the year because no one had the key to Collins HS a few years back.

CPS sports administration should not be getting a full page, glowing review in the Sun Times for Calvin Davis and Mickey Pruitt for their football and basketball accomplishments while wrestling (and so many other sports) suffers.

This is the 5th straight year that the site for the city tournament is not figured out until a week before the event. I've no doubt it'll be a mess that demeans the kids. One of the worst things I've ever had to witness was watching my kids' faces when their city tournament was a one day event with only four mats because of a girls' basketball practice that took up half the gym. These kids did not need something else demeaning them like that.

Mickey Pruitt may know a lot about football, but he has never competed in wrestling and there were several people who wanted to apply for the city wrestling coordinator job. One person was a good friend of mine who worked and coached in the city and was a terrific wrestler. They wouldn't even tell him where to send an application.

City kids deserve more than their getting. Someone really has to stick up for them. They should not have a non-wrestler shabbily running their program. They should not have to read page long, glowing articles about Mickey Pruitt's football programs that don't even mention the fact that he's their wrestling coordinator. This year's city tournament is basically a repeat of last year's last minute scramble.

You can help stop it by trying to hold these guys a little accountable. We need something in the paper about these guys to pressure them to either do a better job or to hire someone for wrestling.

I neither teach or coach in CPS anymore. But I still talk to my kids from my old team. They are tired of being dumped on and they deserve more.

It's the right thing to do to at least raise the issue of the problems with sports coordinators (it happens in other sports besides wrestling, too) who collect a check and are never held accountable for disastrous city tournaments and demeaned kids.

Please consider helping. The kids deserve better and I don't think administration realizes how much it demeans them and hurts their dreams and self esteem.

Take care. Best of luck to Pruitt and the kids this coming weekend. I hope it's good one for the kids.

[UWwarhawk125]

I agree a 100% with this post. I was a former CPS wrestler and now wrestling in college, and the amount of respect and effort put into running that city tournament is a joke. In general the level of some city wrestlers is close to moderate, but there are always those kids that want to shine and want to work hard. So why not give them a "city championship" worth winning, and not a joke tournament.

[bling-bling142]

I am really tired of hearing how bad things are being run in the CPS (wrestling). Yes, things could be better and the kids disserve a championship they can be proud of. Some of us who have been around the CPS for a while remember how bad things were before Mickey. I think putting all the blame on Mickey Pruit is wrong. Some of the problems we are facing now are situations out of his control. So, instead of complaining, how about coming up with some solutions, or would that be too tough. Because we all know it is a lot easier to point out what’s wrong, and a lot harder to figure out how to fix it. We who care, and want to fix problems like these, have formed the CWCA (Chicago Wrestling Coaches Association). We can us organizations like the CWCA and the CPS wrestling committee to help Mickey fix what’s broke.

So, if you can’t post anything constructive then don’t post anything at all.

[MR TWISTER]

Originally Posted by bling-bling142

I am really tired of hearing how bad things are being run in the CPS (wrestling). Yes, things could be better and the kids disserve a championship they can be proud of. Some of us who have been around the CPS for a while remember how bad things were before Mickey. I think putting all the blame on Mickey Pruit is wrong. Some of the problems we are facing now are situations out of his control. So, instead of complaining, how about coming up with some solutions, or would that be too tough. Because we all know it is a lot easier to point out what’s wrong, and a lot harder to figure out how to fix it. We who care, and want to fix problems like these, have formed the CWCA (Chicago Wrestling Coaches Association). We can us organizations like the CWCA and the CPS wrestling committee to help Mickey fix what’s broke.

So, if you can’t post anything constructive then don’t post anything at all.

Okay. So how do you join the CWCA? What are the goals of the organization?

[Tofurky]

Originally Posted by bling-bling142

I am really tired of hearing how bad things are being run in the CPS (wrestling). Yes, things could be better and the kids disserve a championship they can be proud of. Some of us who have been around the CPS for a while remember how bad things were before Mickey. I think putting all the blame on Mickey Pruit is wrong. Some of the problems we are facing now are situations out of his control. So, instead of complaining, how about coming up with some solutions, or would that be too tough. Because we all know it is a lot easier to point out what’s wrong, and a lot harder to figure out how to fix it. We who care, and want to fix problems like these, have formed the CWCA (Chicago Wrestling Coaches Association). We can us organizations like the CWCA and the CPS wrestling committee to help Mickey fix what’s broke.

So, if you can’t post anything constructive then don’t post anything at all.

There is nothing wrong at all about people voicing their opinions about this regardless of how you feel on the topic or how close you are to Pruitt. The fact is that the Chicago Public Schools doesn't care about wrestling in the city. Mickey Pruitt only "cares" about wrestling because he has to as part of being the football/wrestling/lacrosse coordinator for the CPS. The reality of the situation is that the city can NEVER be fixed because too many coaches are too busy complaining about what they want and not coming together to do what is best for city wrestling as a whole. It's the "me, me, me" attitude that has divided the city up like no other and continually keeps them from making any progress or becoming any sort of power in this sport. That, along with coaches who are tired of making no money ($1000 for a head assistant spot and $400 for the next guy behind him?), having what little money they do make threatened by a coordinator with no background in the sport, lack of numbers, uncooperative athletic directors, school politics and, as much as I hate to say it despite it being a harsh reality, racial politics. These are things that these coaches don't have to deal with in the Catholic League or the suburbs. Since 2000, some of the best wrestling coaches the CPS has ever seen have gone to the 'burbs or to Catholic schools because they are tired of banging their heads against the wall year in and year out. Bill Weick told me a few years ago that he would never have anything to do with the CPS ever again because of how poorly it is managed (this came shortly after Weick offered former wrestling coordinator, Ernie Thompson, his services to go around from Chicago Public School to Chiacgo Public School and give coaching clinics for free as often as he was requested. Thompson told him "no" and a few months later, Brother Rice snatched him right up and we have all watched how he is turning that program around). While the challenege to take a bunch of inner city kids and make them into studs along the lines of some of the best from southern Cook County and DuPage County is certainly irresistable, you don't receive half of the headaches at the mediocre suburban programs as you do at the best CPS has to offer. The worst part is that the kids suffer more than anyone else.

[voncoach]

I've asked many times before and so I'll ask again here. Is there some astronomical administrative hurdle to getting a site for the city championship in advance? If so, how can anyone who wants to help, help?

I'm not railing on anyone. I just want to know if the wrestling coordinator is responsible for getting the site in advance and if someone is roadblocking his ability to do so. If not, get someone else. If the wrestling coordinator can't get a site more than a week in advance when there are no obstacles then he's deserves to be replaced or at least evaluated based on this criteria.

No site in advance means last second officials that threaten the safety of kids right before regionals, general chaos and problems, and kids who feel like their own city doesn't care about them.

What's in the way of at least getting a decent venue in advance? What about asking coaches which officials to get (as every other tournament does)? All of these suggestions were made to Mickey Pruitt following the city tournament last year. Two years ago a referee allowed one of my wrestlers to get full suplayed right on his head. I went to the table and he ignored me for a full minute, then made them wrestle a two minute overtime period while I stood at the table and tried to point out the error. That kid later had a concussion. This kind of thing happens when you have a last second tournament and get whatever referees are available and then have 8 year olds manning the time clock.

If there's no administrative hurdle to locking up Julian high school way in advance and then getting referees in the spring, then you have to evaluate whether this wrestling coordinator needs to be replaced.

That is a positive suggestion. Alvin, thanks for jump starting the discussion. But it's pretty easy for CPS administration to ignore matmen.com posts. If it was in the newspaper it might be a different story.

I hope that this will become an article in the newspaper with input from CPS administration and positive changes for the kids - who deserve them. For now, I just wish Pruitt and all the kids a good tournament.

[MR TWISTER]

Originally Posted by voncoach

I've asked many times before and so I'll ask again here. Is there some astronomical administrative hurdle to getting a site for the city championship in advance? If so, how can anyone who wants to help, help?

I'm not railing on anyone. I just want to know if the wrestling coordinator is responsible for getting the site in advance and if someone is roadblocking his ability to do so. If not, get someone else. If the wrestling coordinator can't get a site more than a week in advance when there are no obstacles then he's deserves to be replaced or at least evaluated based on this criteria.

No site in advance means last second officials that threaten the safety of kids right before regionals, general chaos and problems, and kids who feel like their own city doesn't care about them.

What's in the way of at least getting a decent venue in advance? What about asking coaches which officials to get (as every other tournament does)? All of these suggestions were made to Mickey Pruitt following the city tournament last year. Two years ago a referee allowed one of my wrestlers to get full suplayed right on his head. I went to the table and he ignored me for a full minute, then made them wrestle a two minute overtime period while I stood at the table and tried to point out the error. That kid later had a concussion. This kind of thing happens when you have a last second tournament and get whatever referees are available and then have 8 year olds manning the time clock.

If there's no administrative hurdle to locking up Julian high school way in advance and then getting referees in the spring, then you have to evaluate whether this wrestling coordinator needs to be replaced.

That is a positive suggestion. Alvin, thanks for jump starting the discussion. But it's pretty easy for CPS administration to ignore matmen.com posts. If it was in the newspaper it might be a different story.

I hope that this will become an article in the newspaper with input from CPS administration and positive changes for the kids - who deserve them. For now, I just wish Pruitt and all the kids a good tournament.

Call Calvin Davis or Arne Duncan. Email them. You should all proper channels before going public in either the internet or print media. Try to get an appointment with them for a face to face. You just never know. they might want to hire you. But posting here won't change a thing. It will get you ideas and get you frustrated.

[voncoach]

You're right, Twist. This isn't the way to initiate real change. I'm unsure what is the proper way. People in CPS are reluctant to make a lot of waves and it seems unlikely they want to hear from me as I am no longer in CPS and have been pretty critical of them. I do however want real change for the kids and I do not believe Pruitt is problem. I'm just surprised and disappointed that no significant changes were made this year under Pruitt.

I did get together with some coaches last year and fax detailed recommendations for changes in the city tournament after last year's event. Obviously not much changed. Then I saw the sun times article praising CPS sports and it made me want an article that told another side of the story. Posting here was just a way to get someone to look into writing an article. Honestly, I think Davis and Pruitt would be more willing to talk to the Sun Times or another newspaper than to a former coach who has been critical of them. That's why I put the questions to you and Alvin on this forum.

Once the season is over I'll email Davis and Pruitt and see if they want any input from me. Hopefully something good will come of it for the kids. Best of luck with the tournament this weekend.

[MR TWISTER]

Originally Posted by voncoach

You're right, Twist. This isn't the way to initiate real change. I'm unsure what is the proper way. People in CPS are reluctant to make a lot of waves and it seems unlikely they want to hear from me as I am no longer in CPS and have been pretty critical of them. I do however want real change for the kids and I do not believe Pruitt is problem. I'm just surprised and disappointed that no significant changes were made this year under Pruitt.

I did get together with some coaches last year and fax detailed recommendations for changes in the city tournament after last year's event. Obviously not much changed. Then I saw the sun times article praising CPS sports and it made me want an article that told another side of the story. Posting here was just a way to get someone to look into writing an article. Honestly, I think Davis and Pruitt would be more willing to talk to the Sun Times or another newspaper than to a former coach who has been critical of them. That's why I put the questions to you and Alvin on this forum.

Once the season is over I'll email Davis and Pruitt and see if they want any input from me. Hopefully something good will come of it for the kids. Best of luck with the tournament this weekend.

Two words. Arne Duncan. This guy wants to change everything. Get his ear. Keep calling him and emailing him personally. Skip everybody else. And don't wait until the end of the season. If what you say is true then he should be made aware NOW. So he can go to the city tournament now. But also the coaches have to posse up. they are the voice of the kids. If they say nothing then you have nothing.

[Tofurky]

Originally Posted by MR TWISTER

Two words. Arne Duncan. This guy wants to change everything. Get his ear. Keep calling him and emailing him personally. Skip everybody else. And don't wait until the end of the season. If what you say is true then he should be made aware NOW. So he can go to the city tournament now. But also the coaches have to posse up. they are the voice of the kids. If they say nothing then you have nothing.

With a $346 million dollar budget deficit looming for next year I can guarantee that Arne Duncan could care less about a handful of wrestling coaches and their needs in the CPL. The guy has to worry first and foremost about increasing class sizes, school closings, teacher cut backs and other more important things that revolve around academics. He will pass the buck, Calvin Davis will then pass the buck and Mickey Pruitt will be left to deal with any and all complaints. We need to face the fact that, as of today, this season and in the near future, wrestling is a low priority for the Chicago Public School system. Theur focus needs to remain on having kids reading at their respective grade level and then graduating on time.