Coaches under the microscope Coaches under the microscope (November 11, 2005)

School board to review coaches' knowledge, competency

by Alexandria Rocha

Coaches for Palo Alto's public schools will be in the spotlight Tuesday when the school board discusses the athletic leaders' knowledge and competency in several areas, including first aid, coaching theory and adolescent psychology.

The discussion comes one week after an alliance of prominent sports organizations issued "poor grades" to the nation's handling of youth athletics. In the Midpeninsula, coaches and youth leaders have been under scrutiny in recent months since the arrests of two well-known supervisors.

The district is required by the state Department of Education to annually certify that its coaches are "knowledgeable and competent" in four areas: first aid and CPR; coaching theory and techniques; rules and regulations in the athletic activity being coached; and adolescent psychology.

"This part of the administrative code has nothing to do with the background check, that happens even before we hire someone. This is where we're certifying that they have the knowledge and competency in a number of things," said Scott Bowers, assistant superintendent of human resources.

Coaches can meet the requirements through adult-education programs, for which the district foots the bill. At Gunn and Palo Alto high schools, the coaches typically attend a training conducted by the athletic directors, in which they watch a video course from the Orange County Office of Education and then have a discussion and participate in assessment activities.

The American Red Cross offers the CPR and first-aid trainings.

Although it's a matter of routine, this year's review occurs in a changed climate of youth sports. While coaches were once considered safe guardians of young athletes, they're now under fire for inappropriate actions with kids and forced to follow guidelines that make mentoring even more difficult. For example, under Palo Alto's new rules, coaches cannot under any circumstances drive an athlete home alone.

"Driving kids home at 10 (p.m.) . . . when their parents haven't picked them up -- now you're under suspicion for doing something right," said Earl Hansen, Paly's athletic director and head football coach, earlier this school year.

It doesn't end there. Coaches are feeling the heat from all sides.

A report released earlier this week by Citizenship Through Sports -- a coalition that includes the NCAA, Major League Baseball, the NBA, WNBA, and NHL among others -- said "youth sports need to focus more on the child's experience and less on winning games or earning scholarships."

In the report, parents are also at fault. While coaches received a "C-," parents earned a "D."

The coalition is concerned that "early sports specialization, poor sportsmanship and over-invested parents seeking sports scholarships are threatening to undermine the positive experience of youth sports."

One official said the report is "a wake-up call for all Americans."

The board will discuss the district's coaches at its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the district's board room, 25 Churchill Ave. For more information, visit www.pausd.org.

Staff Writer Alexandria Rocha can be reached at arocha@paweekly.com.

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