One of the topics that is currently being debated within our community is the improvement of athletic programs at Clinton High School. I'm often asked from people outside of our community, "How can Clinton be one of the biggest schools in the Okaw Valley and always finish near the bottom?" Well, this stigma that has been cast upon us is not entirely true. In defense of our programs, if you look at the 2011-2012 school year, you would see that softball won 56% of their games (18-14), baseball won 57% (17-13), volleyball won 59% (22-15) , and girls basketball won 62% of their contests (18-11). Obviously, all of these programs had winning seasons and were very competitive within the OVC.
With that being said; I believe that school enrollment and the number of athletic options that are offered plays a big role in the success and failure of sports programs. If you look at some of the successful smaller schools in the OVC, you will notice that the kids have fewer options for athletics. This streamlines their skill development options in the off-season, allowing them to become better at fundamental skills that are required for specific sports. Also, our kids are becoming categorized and specialized at an earlier age than ever before for specific pathways. We have kids today who feel an obligation to participate in off season club activities, AAU programs, running clubs, etc. These programs are great, however, they take potential athletes away from the in-season sports team. Like in life, everything can have a positive influence, but only if it's done in moderation. We can't give our kids a thousand options, and then complain when our team sports aren't winning at a championship level. Our school district is not large enough to have kids that specialize in one sport. The outcome might create more college athletes, but it's also going to lead to watered down athletic programs that struggle to compete on a yearly basis. In the movie, Jerry Maguire, Tom Cruise's character writes a mission statement about his vision of an agency that deals with fewer clients, and has more direct contact with each athlete. This same vision can be applied to high school athletic programs. The problem is...everyone wants the biggest slice of the pie.
The Clinton Lady Maroons recently finished their 4th annual summer basketball camp on June 22nd. The week long camp hosted 30 girls that will be going into 4th-8th grade next year. The girls got to compete in full court games and win prizes for competitions involving ball handling, free throw shooting, and hot spot shooting. Prizes were also awarded for the Camper of the Day. Not only does the camp provide prizes, but the girls also got a chance to learn basic fundamentals from the high school coaching staff, along with varsity players, Haley Toohill, Megan Tool, Haley Ginger, Payton Bieber, Jessica Scott, and Shalyn Houston. The camp is a great way for the young kids in our community to get to work with our players. They look up to the older girls and want to become just like them. It's a great feeling to see how excited they get about Lady Maroons Basketball. Our players work with each camper throughout the week, and form a bond with them that creates a championship culture. The future of our basketball program is in great hands, because we have wonderful kids that have the heart, desire, and passion to become their absolute best.
