Mentoring in Sports for the Development of the Successful High School Coach

This study involves the surveying of current high school coaches in the state of North Dakota who are certified by the National Federation of High Schools through the completion of the required courses, including “The Fundamentals of Coaching”, “Concussion Diagnosis and Prevention”, as well as CPR, First Aid and AED certification in a current, active status. The participant coaches (n=113), were sent a survey through email using the Qualtrics Survey Program. This survey contained documentation of demographic information, coaching history, opinions regarding issues in coaching and how they are/can be addressed. This survey also discussed influences in the coaches life and how they have shaped their coaching careers. Coaching education and mentoring suggestions are also offered by the subjects as ways to improve the coaching job field as well as struggles they see mentoring bringing if a program were to be introduced.Results indicated that the majority of coaches would be open to mentoring programs in their school. This includes communication sessions, coaching education, sport specific coaching development, and time for personal interaction with other coaches aimed at creating relationships and discussing professional successes, coaching issues, and questions they have. Results also show a trend happening. There is a shortage of coaches with 11-20 years of experience and a large number of head coaches that have less than five years of experience. This trend is hinting to coaches leaving the profession after ten years, with not a lot of experienced people left to take over. Young coaches lead to a large learning curve, immaturity with dealing with certain situations, and lack the experience of actually teaching the game itself.

When the High School Coach Is a Bully

Though it is known that a minority of bully coaches exist, statistics regarding the actual prevalence of bully coaches in high schools are not well researched. School nurses may be placed in a consultative role with student athletes and their family members. Resource availability and suggestions for a plan of action are important for the school nurse. Support and encouragement for student athletes is critical for the development of positive mental health for young adults; therefore, families, peers, school personnel, and school nurses must all work together to produce positive sports experiences for high school age students.

Our Boys and The Last Shot: Examples of the Power of Community Involvement in Underprivileged America

The central focus of this essay was to examine different socio-cultural structures that affect high school aged athletes in seemingly different impoverished areas in the United States. Specifically, narratives in the popular press books The Last Shot and Our Boys were explored in order to highlight similarities and differences between the high school athletes in these two different urban and rural environments. In all, four factors that showcase the power of community involvement in underprivileged America emerged: the values promoted by the high school coach, the socioeconomic status of the community, the public education system, and the battle between the desire to escape the community and fear of the unknown. The implications of community involvement are discussed and avenues for future research are presented.