The CPS has two types of coaches.
On one side you have these coaches trying to make an impact and making their teams as competitive as possible. In cross country and track there is Dale Devinney at Mather, Tony Jones and Chris Roof at Lane Tech, Andrew Adelman at Jones College Prep. In football one name that keeps getting brought up is Tom Mulder, the coach of Pritzker College Prep and of course old timers like Coach Glen Johnson of Dunbar. In soccer there is Mather's Branko Cvijovi - who led Mather to it's school's only state championship in any sport.
These coaches are trying to achieve what I call a New Norm. More on that later.
The Old Norm
On the other side you have the old school CPS coaches. We all know them. They accept and run teams that are frankly sub par. They accept not having sound off season conditioning, not doing hard enough recruiting athletes for their sport, not having good or proper uniforms, not putting enough effort in fund raising, not getting parents involved,....__________(you fill in the blanks). I'm pointing out the coaches, but the blame also has to be on parents, AD's, teachers, and heck even the students themselves - everyone for accepting such a low level of sports competitiveness. I call that the old norm.
The New Norm
On the other hand, you have some people in the CPS who see nothing but potential and are actually trying to realize it. They see a building full of kids who given the proper coaching can churn out competitive teams year in and year out. They see every freshman class as an opportunity to shape minds and shape character, and win and have fun while doing so. They envision a new CPS- one with the potential to take kids with raw talent and desire, work with them for 4 years, and at the end of the 4 years, they know that they did everything they could to take this kid to the highest competitive level as possible. And they do this not for the money or glory, but because they see greatness in each individual and do their part in bringing the greatness out. I call this the New Norm of thinking.
New Norm vs the Old Norm
Unfortunately, there are still plenty examples of the old norm in action in the CPS today. There are still lots of people (coaches, parents, and yes student) - who don't care enough to put their 100 % effort in making their team more competitive.
I've definitely critisized the Old Norm type of thinking. But at the same time, I know I won't change their minds.
We are at a cross roads in the CPS. There are two schools of thoughts that are being battled everyday in the CPS. There are some who keep making the same old excuses and accepting that their team cannot ever be as great as it can be. Then, there are some that want to make the CPS as great as it possibly can.
Some of these Old Norm coaches also don't have double sessions in the summer before their first game and have 3-4 practices before their opener. Some coaches that fit this description are at these schools:
Lake View
Kelvyn Park
Kelly
Clemente
Schurz
Prosser
Steinmetz
Gage Park
Posted by: Old Norm Schools | July 10, 2012 at 11:43 AM
2 types of coaches
Teachers ( some good some bad)
ESP ( most that suck )
Posted by: SS | July 10, 2012 at 01:09 PM
How does Westinghouse football look this year? Isn't it their 1st year with Seniors??
Posted by: ? | July 10, 2012 at 01:34 PM
For the most part, I think SS is right. Problem is, theres not enough teachers that want to coach. If there were, those ESP folk would be BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Chris Berman | July 10, 2012 at 01:35 PM
2 types of people
1 who takes responsibility and make things happen
2 type relies on others for his success and watches things happen
Posted by: cps fan | July 10, 2012 at 01:59 PM
If they payed teachers who were coaches more would coach 2200 for a soph. head football coach is not worth it. I understand you coach for the love of the game but everyone needs to eat. The suburban coaches would make 10k coaching sophs. and we deal with more problems such as buses, equip. players, parent support, and school backing
Posted by: SS | July 10, 2012 at 08:03 PM
^I wouldn't be complaining about the head coach stipends for football coaches when you look at how low a head coach for something like XC makes, when the good one put in just as much time every season as good football coaches do.
Posted by: ^ | July 10, 2012 at 08:21 PM
"....not doing hard enough RECRUITING athletes for their sport,...." Isn't RECRUITING against IHSA by-laws? No matter how hard Chicago teams cheat, they will never, ever win a state championship. Poor Losers!
Posted by: Brook' Raiders | July 10, 2012 at 08:37 PM
City Coaches: You do not know who I am, but I will be walking around bugged. I want to catch you all talking about your RECRUITING plans and then pass what I gathered to the IHSA so violations can be passed out accordingly. If the Catholic and Suburban Schools have to comply with the IHSA by-laws, so do you bitch ass city teams.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 10, 2012 at 08:43 PM
^Recruiting inside the school, genius. Which is completely legal and smart coaching. He didn't mention anything about recruiting outside the school you unintelligent a$$.
Posted by: ^ | July 10, 2012 at 08:47 PM
You two are clear idiots. Anonymous , no one is worried about you.The coaches who do extremely well are not foolish enough to get caught. BrooksRaider, do your homework, Mather won the state championship in 2011 in soccer so eat the cities dick.
Posted by: @Anonymous&BrookRaiders | July 10, 2012 at 08:53 PM
@Anonymous
Why don't you report CPS coaches without ASEP or NFHS certifications if they aren't a certified teacher?
http://www.asep.com/asep_content/org/CPS.cfm
www.nfhs.org
do a coaches search on each website above to find out who to squeal on..
Posted by: rat | July 10, 2012 at 08:53 PM
Also don't forget Simeon...basketball power house
Posted by: @Anonymous&BrookRaiders | July 10, 2012 at 08:54 PM
@ $$
Yes. You're right. Not only do you get more money, more stipends are available for assistant coaches. Some coaches in the city split their stipends with the rest of the coaches on staff.
Yes. Lots of good and great coaches want to coach but factors such as stipends, time (doubles), CPS bs, lack of community/parent support and facilities deter coaches from coaching. It doesn't make sense on paper and in the check book to coach.
@Neil
You believe that is the "old norm." Well if you going to call out the coaches, you better call out Rahm as well. You think Rahm and Brizard care about sports? If they do, they need to be part of your "new norm" Neil.
Posted by: coach $$ | July 10, 2012 at 08:54 PM
@Anonymous
Catholic schools don't recruit? Who you crapping?
Posted by: Catholic recruiter | July 10, 2012 at 09:02 PM
Simeon steAls kids from different parts of the STATE! The Football and Basketball team does it. Thats how they win every year. They take kids from different schools and different suburbs or the State! Its a fact!
Posted by: Justice! | July 11, 2012 at 11:05 AM
For something to be a fact you must first prove it. None of that he say/she say crap or I know people on the inside. Prove it first. Second if they "cheat" and you don't want to count them as legit state champs, well Mather soccer won so what excuse do you have there? And this statement refers to the chump that said the city teams will never win state
Posted by: @Justice | July 11, 2012 at 11:50 AM
I have seen at lane that most of the coaches of every sport should be considered of the” new norm”. you are probably not aware of how hard and how much effort the coaches and players put in to what they do. The lane football program has been hard at work in the offseason begging since last season ended! I'm pretty sure that lane has been the only football program in cps that has been killing themselves in the heat preparing for next season since school ended!!
Posted by: we are LT football | July 12, 2012 at 12:48 AM
@ LT football
"I'm pretty sure that lane has been the only football program in cps that has been killing themselves in the heat preparing for next season since school ended!!"
Please get over yourself and your school! The only team...please. I hope you finish last in your conference just for making that comment!
Posted by: dk | July 12, 2012 at 06:23 AM
Lane could practice 24/7 and with the cocaches Proesel has brought in and with that goofy triple option, Lane wil finish 4th at best in their conference. I've been to quite a few Lane games since Proesel tookover and I've never seen such a bunch of lackluster bunch of coaches in my life. They don't meet with the kids when they come off the field, the 2nd half adjustments aren't there, and their football IQ is extremely low.
And, last but least, Proesel's staff all seem to want to be somewhere else, like coaching in the suburbs or in the catholic league.
Lane is 4-5 team AT BEST!!!
Posted by: Proesel's staff is horrible | July 12, 2012 at 08:13 AM
How sad is this that Coach Walsh is not moving to the Illini? Football supposedly is a game of life, which teaches our Students how to win how to lose. He is more worried about his winning percentage, he is more concerned with winning against horrible schools than teaching his athletes the meanining of adversity and fighting for a State Championship. Why did the CPS Sports Administration allow this? Why is Taft allowed to dictate what they are and are not going to do?
Posted by: The Norm of Coach Walsh and the Taft Ways | July 17, 2012 at 01:53 PM
There opportunity to move up might have passed them by now, playing Foreman in week 9. Whose he going to cry to when Foreman rolls past them in week 9?
Posted by: @The Norm of Coach Walsh and the Taft Ways | July 17, 2012 at 01:56 PM
You talk about the New Norm, and Taft not moving up to the next level. How about Tom Mulder, the coach of Pritzker College Prep, his team has won their conference in football the last 2 year and he has refused to move up. Or that does not count because that is a Intercity Team.
You talk about New Norm and Old Norm get real Neil!
Posted by: Old Man | July 17, 2012 at 02:15 PM
Pritzker is part of the Noble Street Network. They are refusing to move up. Why play the game if you have no chance of playing for a playoff birth?
Tom, is a decent coach, but he is part of the old norm. He gets paid for 9 games, end of story.
Posted by: Getting paid for 9 games only | July 17, 2012 at 02:22 PM
In my eyes Mulder is a new norm coach. In the last 3 years he has a win percentage over 90%. Even though he has won a lot of games, a new norm coach to me goes beyond just winning. While winning is important what is more important is elevating your program. Mulder has done that. By teaching the fundamentals to players who most of them never played competitive football.
Posted by: cps fan | July 17, 2012 at 03:02 PM
But he refuses to move up, to play tougher teams. Istead he is playing yearly the same teams. Win or lose, he is playing nine games.
In the norm of CPS, teams move up and down, except Mr. Walsh at Taft, for whom dictates.
Posted by: No! | July 17, 2012 at 03:09 PM
@The Norm of Coach Walsh and the Taft Ways
We know this is you Sinatra as you capitalie your 'S' in students all the time. Are still steaming that Coach Walsh didn't bring you aboard at Taft?
Posted by: @The Norm of Coach Walsh and the Taft Ways | July 17, 2012 at 03:16 PM
pritzker's coach is good against noble street schools afraid to move up couldn't survive in the upper conferences
Posted by: I said it | July 17, 2012 at 07:14 PM
Chicago bulls is a Noble Street School and they moved up this year.
Mulder maybe a good coach but he believes that Noble Street Schools should have their own Football Conference. They don't want anything to do with the CPS except get my taxpayers dollars to run a private school.
A school system that charges a kid $5 if he blows his nose at the wrong time.
Posted by: Old Man | July 18, 2012 at 01:32 PM