Argos Charging Coaches to Attend Session

Remember when the Toronto Argonauts made all that fuss a few weeks ago, trying to take complete credit too, about how great they are in reviving teams at several Toronto public high schools?

Well, the fact is others in the community had contributed to the success of these same schools - and several more long before the Argos decided to get involved.

This is the same professional organization that introduced their own Toronto high school football all-star team last year but, much to their embarrassment, didn't include the Toronto private schools. Yes, St. Michael's, for example, won the past three Metro Bowl championships.

The Argos, trying to get much-needed attention from a dwindling student market who are focused more on the NFL and the Buffalo Bills, went as far as to mention how they will offer clinics -- leading many people to assume that they would be at no charge. Well, not so.

The CFL team will use legendary and 79-year-old Leo Cahill as the guest speaker for a Friday, Oct. 16 coaching symposium. But, there is a hook and some coaches have told me they think it's shabby that the Argos are charging.

Indeed, it’s $50 for the session that starts around 6:15 p.m. and ends about one hour later -- just in time for, yes, their league game. The Argos are also assuming the people attending the session decide to stick around and watch.

Get this, with the help of OFSAA, they're also appealing to coaches to bring friends and family at $40 per person. So, either the clinic is worth $10 and they're charging the rest for the seats to the game or Cahill and Co. are the prize for $50 -- and the game is free.

Judging by the way the Argos have been playing lately, I wonder if it's a good idea to listen to their football strategies and more. If the Argos played this right, they would seriously consider waiving the fee and opening the doors to all amateur football coaches and run a full-day professional development program during the off-season. That way, they could also bring in some top-notch people from both sides of the border.

I find it hard to believe the Argos are charging because they need the money. Maybe, they're doing this now to help fill the empty seats.

Profanity and the F-word

So, a few days ago, the top Canadian university football quarterback dropped the F-word during a game on national television. The university turned around and suspended him for one game. Harsh or not?

Professional tennis players Roger Federer and Serena Williams recently used profanity and were both reprimanded too. There are many more examples of pro athletes too. Sports figures, some say, are role models for youngsters. Hmm, I remember hearing politicians - like former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney defend his vulgarity. The obscenity he used was the same F-word.

But let's stick to sports. Are people making too much of a fuss or should there be more emphasis put on school-age athletes to refrain from offensive comments or behaviour? Some high school coaches tell me that profanity is not an acceptable means of communication in sports. Yet, watching games, I hear it all the time at school games.

There are even profane T-shirts worn to games. I remember reading about a high school student who was suspended for showing a sign that said "We Suck" at a game. Profanity? While schools like to be firm about a code of conduct, I often wonder how many times a coach will pull a player from a game, sit him or her down or even boot the player off the team for using an obscenity. Doubt it, particularly if the athlete in question is one of the best on the team.

Many times, it's a spur-of-the-moment thing. The anger and frustration come after a loss or a bad play or a penalty. Sometimes it's inspired by a prank or a reaction to a player on an opposing team using the index finger. Words that come out of the mouths of athletes, and girls too, can be very nasty.

Maybe the answer is to have players just say "bleep, bleep."

Top Ten School Athletes of the Week

Time for our first look at the athletes catching our attention early in this high school sports season and apologies to others that we may have missed because their schools and coaches didn't share the information with us.

Football tops the list of excellent performances. I also can't remember, and that goes back a fair time, when we had so many football players each score five touchdowns in a game in one week.

Remember, they are listed below in alphabetical order. Our best picks of the past seven days.

• Wumi Agunbiade, Dunbarton (Pickering). Female athlete of the week in the Star and here's why. The 6-foot-1 forward scored 54 points in three senior girls' basketball games and also led her team to the championship of the Uxbridge Invitational.
• Mikeal Andrews, Loyola (Oakville). He's a quarterback for the senior team, but also returning after missing last year because of a broken finger. He threw four passes for touchdowns in a 33-17 win over Georgetown. Yes, it was in their Halton league.
• Selena Colarossi, Notre Dame (Burlington). A one person scoring machine. Three goals in a 6-0 win over Robinson. Then, three more in an 8-0 shellacking of Corpus Christi. Both were Halton Region varsity girls' field hockey games.
• Adrienne Crampton, Bishop Strachan (Toronto). Apparently, is quite the soccer player. She scored four goals in a 7-0 victory over Greenwood. Then, she scored twice in a 9-0 win over Branksome Hall in Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association games.
• Marcus Hansen, Gonzaga (Mississauga). All right, so he's a junior-age football player. This kid appeared to do whatever the coach wanted in a 44-8 Peel Region win over Turner/Fenton. He scored a touchdown, converted five majors, scored on a two-point convert and kicked a single.
• Travis Jennings, Don Bosco (Toronto). His senior boys' football team has played three games and won them all.  He's been a huge factor and scored five touchdowns, converting three of them, in a 57-7 win over Forest Hill.
• Matt Matsuba, Etobicoke (Toronto). Five touchdowns for him in a 51-0 thumping of Western Tech in a Toronto District School Board senior football game. Ineligible last year because of poor academics, bonus points to this 17-year-old for improving his grades too.
• Tyler Pritty, Markham. Apparently, we are told, as many as 70 universities have this grade 12 quarterback on their radar. He threw five touchdown passes, completed 20 of 28 for 421 yards, in a 34-3 York Region senior football win over Brother Andre.
• Josh Smallwood, O'Neill (Oshawa). His first touchdown on a 65-yard run. Tack on his next touchdown on a 50-yard pass-and-run play. Add on six converts and a single in a 45-0 Durham Region senior boys' football win over Bowmanville.
• Tevaun Smith, Chaminade (Toronto). He's a wide receiver with speed. And he can catch and score touchdowns. Make that five majors as the Gryphons, an all-boys' school of about 800 students, opened their senior football season at home with a 63-0 win over Weston.

Your comments?

What about H1N1 and School Sports?

There is quite a bit of scratching of heads these days and less hand shaking by high school coaches and athletes, and I am thinking it has nothing to do with poor sportsmanship.

More like two letters and two numbers - H1N1.

You should know what that is by now.

The Public Health Agency of Canada issued guidelines for all schools last month on how to deal with Round Two of the influenza-like illness. Tag on the messages and commitments by the various Boards of Education to protect the health and well-being of everyone. So far, so good as people anxiously wonder if there is cause to panic or stay calm and just keep washing their hands.

When a school in British Columbia reported on Wednesday that one third of the students were sent home, I got thinking again about how things were shaping up in Toronto, if that dreaded flu hits here.

Well, the two athletic associations that govern school sports in this city have told me that there is no plan in place regarding sports and what to do if games have to be cancelled because of a lack of healthy bodies. For now, they're just tagging along with directions from their respective school boards.

One representative told me he was informed that it's “not a pandemic problem here.” Let's hope it won't be either.

While it may be difficult to come up with revamped schedules now, especially when everything is status quo, one would assume that some discussion would have occurred when teachers and coaches returned from those vacation months.

Even some form of correspondence that might have gone out with reminder messages about encouraging things such as telling students to avoid sharing water bottles (it still happens), take precautions about the sportsmanship thing of shaking hands before or after games and having plenty of hand cleanser, maybe a bottle for each athlete. I know, it costs money and no one has any.

Rather than being out of sight, out of mind, there is nothing wrong with being pro-active, vigilant, stressing education and making this a priority rather than having to deal with the panic button later on.

Personal Items Stolen At School Sports Events

I've heard it so many times. It's your fault. No, it's yours.

It's from students pointing fingers at others or coaches upset at their colleagues.

Sadly, we have thieves in our world - and close to home.

I've heard the arguments and seen the anger after a student athlete, competing at a high school sports event, learns that personal property has been taken. More like stolen. Toss in loss of items for many athletes. In the past, items ranged from expensive cleats to designer clothes. Now, add things like watches to cell phones, iPods to wallets and, of course, money.

I am told that students should know better and leave valuables, the day of a game, at home or with a reliable person. Maybe so. But some can't. Let's face it, most coaches and teachers don't have time nor do they like taking responsibilities, and I don't blame them.

Thieves are in action a great deal at track and field meets, when people leave personal property exposed. Also at soccer games when folks are focusing on the field and someone else is busy pilfering. Hockey arenas are also traps when someone forgets to lock an arena dressing room door. Same with basketball in school gyms.

Now football. A situation in the past few days saw a handful of players lose personal property. We're not talking about thousands of dollars, but it is still theft of personal property. The players were originally going to put everything in a bag and leave it under the watchful supervision of a member of the team. Instead, they left it in a dressing room - one that was supposed to be locked.

I really don't have the right answer. People need to think more — and also about a better way to protect valuables.

Pickering High To Host Hoops Coaching Clinic

I know it is high school football season. Lots of games and individual performances worth noting and the race for league titles.

But they are also playing basketball. The fall season for girls is underway and I've heard that some boys are practising, maybe not as a team, but still practising for their season, which starts in a month or so.

Got word of what appears to be a very interesting basketball coaches clinic at Pickering. That's the high school with a Pickering name, but located in Ajax.

Dave Smart from Carleton and Ken Murray from Brock are among the Canadian university coaches offering tips and advice. Speakers from the United States include Jean Bain from New Hampshire and Saul Smith from Minnesota.

As the flyer said, it's a chance for coaches to improve their techniques and knowledge of the game. Likely, communication too.

The event is set for Oct. 3 and 4. Call Mike Gordensky at Pickering for more information. Telephone number is 905-683-4760. Better still, email him at ppickeringhoops@yahoo.ca

Let's Communicate - It's Easy

It happens so often. In fact, numerous times a year. And here we go again - emails and telephone calls.

Readers of the Toronto Star and our website want to know why a certain high school score is not posted online or in the paper? Some are curious, some are very upset - likely because their team won a game or an athlete did something unusual.

This might sound like I'm bragging. Yup, then again, I am. The Toronto Star has done an excellent job over the years highlighting school sports. And there are far more people than just me, who someway are involved in making sure that high school sports information gets to you.

Here's the problem. We can't be everywhere all the time.

And so, we rely on schools, coaches, teachers, athletes, managers and more to provide us with daily and accurate information. It has been like that for years and hope the message has been understood. I know many schools do a great job, many don't.

We can't give you what we don't have and so the onus is on the various athletic associations to get the message out. Believe me, they have tried. It's that group I mentioned earlier that need to do their share of communicating - win, lose or tie.

And I have heard it far too many times, ready..."my team lost so I don't want anyone to know" or "I'm just to busy" and there are more. I guess that's why there are team captains, managers and assistants. It takes seconds to call or e-mail - especially with technology being what it is and everyone I know has a cell phone.

We want to know what's happening in sports in Greater Toronto Area schools. Yes, boys and girls - junior and senior. E-mail me at dgrossm@thestar.ca or telephone toll free at 1-866-249-1387 or locally at 416-869-4394.

I really am a nice guy.

The numbers appear daily in the paper, on our website and now here - where I know coaches read this. Help us promote student athletes.

Scholarships Can Be A Dangerous Word

Scholarships.

Mention that word in a conversation with high school athletes and many will pounce on the topic, their faces light up as if they had just hit the jackpot.

I am noticing it again. Seems like many young athletes are obsessed with scholarships thinking that dozens of schools are just handing them out like candy - and even to students with so-so grades. Well, even the best of the best athletes are noticing that the vault of awards given out are dwindling.

Economics is an issue, particularly, in the United States. Lots of younger students in Toronto are in some kind of daze thinking the NCAA is the answer to their future. They don't even know the names of the major universities and colleges, but the NCAA is where they are all going.

Fine, good luck. It is for some. Yet, schools are slicing scholarships, picking U.S. citizens more and many Canadian athletes just can't cope with the pressures and demands by a school that dishes out thousands of dollars and expects a great deal more in return. It's a different lifestyle down there and sports is so much bigger - you can see by just watching some of those NCAA games.

We will still lose some excellent athletes to the major universities - UCLA, Michigan, Florida just to name a few. However, I am not so sure that heading to some of the "other" places is such a good idea. Seems to me, from the players returning and now at Canadian schools, that it's wise to pick the right choice after high school.

Students should be cautious of individuals who are fueling this rage to go to a place that they couldn't find without a map. Young people are vulnerable and tend to fall for some slick-talking adults who make all kinds of promises that they have just the talent that a school is looking for and their problems are solved. 

Really?  If that was the case I would wager that the U.S. schools have a very good scouting network and link up with high school physical education and career counselling staff.

There are people who get various forms of kickbacks for finding athletes and then getting them to certain post-secondary schools - and even they're finding out the well is drying up.

Canadian universities are also in the hunt for good athletes and good students. While their financial awards or scholarships are not as lucrative, I am told by many people that there is nothing wrong with a Canadian university education -- and especially for the thousands of students whose future is not in sports.

Toronto School Board Is Playing Politics

So, let me get this straight. The Toronto District School Board is about to have one of those photo ops where everyone stands around and gleams and people talk about how great they are - this time trying to dish out credit for helping to keep football alive.

Well, hold on. First, the news is out. The press conference set for this week is what they call "old news" - other than some pictures here and there. There might be a few new things added. But attempts to keep the news hush, hush by the TDSB's Communication staff, well, failed - and even with a gag rule sent out to say nothing if guys like me happen to call.

Here's something else that smacks of, ah, stinky politics. A key guy responsible for doing a huge job in helping football from sinking into a smelly pit is Toronto Councillor Rob Ford.

Ready? He still hasn't even been invited to this event.

All Ford, along with many corporate folks and football fans have done, is forked over close to $100,000 in small amounts of $10,000 to kick-start programs the past few years at Newtonbrook, Forest Hill and Westview. Lately, it's been Eastern Commerce (twinned with Monarch Park), Lester B. Pearson, Danforth, C.W. Jefferys and others set to start playing this week. North Albion was approached, but the school never got back to Ford.

No recognition for Ford. Whoops. Political interference - 15 yards.

Ford doesn't need the publicity. I have watched and spoken to students, teachers, coaches, parents, principals who have been very outspoken showing their appreciation. That means a great deal more to him.

There are also some who don't like Ford. Maybe they can't get over the fact that he wears a suit when he volunteers coaching a school team at the Toronto Catholic Board. He's taken Don Bosco High from non-existence to a citywide final. I think some jealousy is also showing.

And, the Toronto Argonauts - a team that has trouble winning on the field - are also involved in this upcoming announcement. Yes, hoping to show their support for amateur football when the Buffalo Bills In Toronto Series have been all over the Boatmen in Toronto schools and kids tell me they prefer the NFL over the CFL.

The Argos did run a clinic last week and are pitching in to help improve select school football fields and have offered funds for therapists at games. Even have Argo stickers on some school helmets. Wonder if they're also handing out free tickets to football players to help fill those empty seats?

Ford, as the story in the Star today says, has been a penny-pinching politician and very controversial. Yes, he's no angel. But, he does have another side of him that shows he cares about students - and he's been coaching football for the past eight years. Show me another politician who has done that or even some of those highly-paid TDSB administrators. Like I have said before, I know they're all very busy.

The TDSB still has time to show gratitude to everyone pitching in to help football in high schools. They should do the right thing and avoid the embarrassment.

Time For A Refresher Course

Barely a week since the school year started and already we hear of hazing incidents in Guelph and Burlington. And there have been more reported at schools across Canada.

Hazing is what a member of our judicial system told me is any situation or action, with or without the consent of participants, whether it’s intentional or not, that endangers the physical or mental or safety of a student.

And it happens on the sports field, the gym, pool, rink and even on the slopes.

There is no humour reading stories about a teenage athlete forced to run naked with a cracker in his buttocks, or one getting hands dipped in paint or heads stuck in toilets or shoplifting while wearing a school football uniform or even running around with a bed sheet as underwear. Yes, all are true.

 

Yet many young people still don’t get it. They see these kind of incidents, and there are many more examples worse than those you just read, as a joke. Hazing is no joke. It's brutal, abusive and repugnant. Police can proceed with criminal charges and the Safe School Act spells out punishment from suspension to expulsion.

I  remember writing several stories of hazing incidents involving high school sports teams in Toronto many years ago and I was told by a coach that there are two cases of hazing: harmless and harmful. Sorry, I don’t buy that at all. Taping an unclothed player to a goalpost and smashing eggs at him is not harmless. 

It's difficult to pinpoint an exact number of injuries related to hazing rituals associated with sports  in Canadian schools The kind of nonsense that happens is usually secretive. Reports in the U.S. have shown that many students each year are injured, and some even killed, as a result of hazing.

There are many websites, StopHazing.org is one, that has some interesting information. The National Federation of State High School Associations nfhs.org  has information about hazing as does the Manitoba High School Athletic Association mhsaa.mb.ca. Sadly, I am told, there is no policy outlined by the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations.

Hazing is a form of bullying and we have read a great deal about that over the years. While some students need to think about the consequences of getting involved in a hazing incident, adults are also a problem by turning their heads instead of doing the right thing and putting an end to this nonsense.

 

When  sports schedules are posted or handed out to student  athletes, it might be a wise idea to also provide information about how young people get attention for the right reasons.