January/February 2023 - 4

EDITORIAL between the lines
THANKFUL
FOR YOUR INPUT
By Wesley Sykes, managing editor
K
ids' athleticism has decreased as well as socialization
skills and participation numbers. Most stay at home
watching YouTube and making TikTok videos.
Impressing peers in videos is their high priority.
One thing I observed during COVID was the amount of
games/competitions was lessened by about 4-6 games in
some sports. What I noticed, was that we still averaged
2 games a week and it was enough and almost perfect.
Families gained some weekend time without activities and I
believe it was a healthier ratio. I would now be an advocate
of no more than 2 games per week during a season, with
some flexibility for some added games on some weeks.
Participation, in general, is down, especially with
female sports such as basketball. Students and athletes
seem to be less caring and more about themselves rather
than team concepts. They don't seem to think attending
practices, games, etc., are important. 'Why can't I miss a
game? Why can't I go on vacation in the middle of
the season?'
These are just three responses we received from
subscribers in response to our 12th annual athletic
directors survey for the 2022-23 year. And I think these
responses are beneficial in a number of ways. First,
the honesty athletic directors provide with the help of
anonymity and no fear of retribution. And secondly,
venting these sorts of frustration can help someone on the
other side of the country who has similar feelings. 'Hey,
I'm not the only one who feels this way!'
Not only do we aim to provide a platform of trust
at Coach & Athletic Director, but we also strive for a
publication that is inspiration and insightful - and
knowing the two aren't always mutually exclusive. Without
your honesty and feedback through readership surveys,
we wouldn't be able to stay on top of the industry's most
pressing issues.
In this month's edition, The Football Issue, we have all
the results from our 12th annual A.D. survey, as well as
two plays to improve your football team this offseason. We
highlight three ways to cultivate leadership within your
program. And we clean the dust off the vault to share an
old story from the Powerline series on organizing offseason
football conditioning sessions.
And, of course, we have submissions from Dr. David
Hoch on end-of-season award banquets and the Proactive
Coaching tandem of Bruce E. Brown and Rob Miller on
the difference between high and low-trust teams.
Enjoy this month's issue!
4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023
MANAGING EDITOR
EDITORIAL
Wesley Sykes, 616-520-2149
CADedit@coachad.com
ADVERTISING SALES
GROUP PUBLISHER
PUBLISHER
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DIRECTOR
CFO & DIRECTOR OF HUMAN
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CEO
Becky Stovall, 616-520-2138
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
TOM BASS, Former NFL Assistant, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
& San Diego Chargers * DR. DAVID HOCH, Retired Athletic Director, Baltimore
County, MD * ABE WEHMILLER, Director of Athletics, Charlotte Country Day
School, Charlotte, NC * ALAN STEIN, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach,
Nike Elite DeMatha Catholic High School, MD * PETE KITTEL, Principal, Brillion
High School, WI * DARREN FENSTER, Minor League Manager, Boston Red Sox
& Founder/CEO, Coaching Your Kids, LLC, Neptune, NJ * JOSH HILS, Soccer
Coach, Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, NH * DR. BRANDEN LIPPY, Athletic
Director, Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Lancaster, PA
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January/February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2023
