How Important Are Grades for Athletes?

How important are academics for an athlete? Growing up as a young kid I always wanted to play college football or basketball – some day possibly in the NFL or NBA. Never once through grade school did I learn that in order to play high school or college sports you had to have passing grades. The only reason I passed my grades was because I was competing with my fellow students. “What are you going to major in when you get to college?” I asked one of my friends. “Oh, football – maybe basketball,” he responded. Some kids really have no clue that grades are so important. I went on to explain to my friend. “Football is not a major. I’m speaking of majoring in physical education or science?”

A very small percentage of athletes make it to the NFL or NBA. Pick a field that you enjoy so when you graduate you can land a decent job. Even if you’re a great athlete, injuries could end your career, and then what?

I’m not going to get into the GPA (Grade Point Average) aspect of it, because I’m sure it varies in some schools. But basically if you can maintain a C average (2.0 GPA) you most likely will be allowed to play sports at most schools. There are exceptions with schools that have stricter requirements than others. If an athlete receives an athletic scholarship from a college, it’s important that he or she reads the agreement. Grades come into the picture – you have to maintain a certain GPA. If the athlete does not comply with the agreement, he or she will be declared ineligible and cannot play until the grades are valid again. Pay attention … some colleges will require that the tuition money be paid back. Before signing to play college sports, read any kind of agreements you sign very carefully.

I started looking into the importance of grades and sports when Coach Durham, my eighth-grade coach, informed our basketball team about the matter. I realized I had to put in a great effort to keep my grades up.

If you know an athlete that has no clue about how important grades are, let them know. Coaches at most high schools have programs set up for students that struggle academically. My heart goes out to athletes that have amazing talent but can’t make the grades – someone could have helped them.

One last note, some students have parents that are not educated. They don’t know themselves what goes on at school – some don’t even know how to read. But if people help, they can make a difference in one kid’s life. To the people that have helped kids with grades and explained to them the importance, take a bow you’ve made a difference.

Good Sportsmanship - It's Basketball Season Again

I’m not going to be the first person to pick up that stone and throw it. I’ve been around the sport of basketball for many moons. I was a very competitive person in my days, but I never thought of what kind of example I was setting to the young kids. Over the years I’ve learned that many kids don’t listen to the lectures we give them. But what does happen is that they see with their eyes the example that the adults display during a game. I’ve heard most of them, “Go back to ref school you idiot!” Who’s really the idiot here? “Are you kidding, my grandma can ref better then you!” Really … my grandma could not see very well or walk without assistance. “Come on stripes what game are you watching!” Well, obviously the same game you are. In my opinion, competitive people that want to win so bad need to draw the line. Maybe what we need to do is start letting the referees do their job. It’s tough enough officiating a close game without the fans' distraction. I keep thinking what it would have been like when I was a software engineer. With someone at my throat constantly ... my job would not get done.

“You forgot to read the rule book you zebra!” Well, zebras don’t read books. “How much did they pay you ref – I’ll double it!” I’ll be the first to admit I wouldn’t want to pay a referee double what they make, even if it’s the opponent paying him. “Hey ref, did you come from the blind school!” The comments seem to start getting lower every time, I mean really, to include a blind school? In reality the complaints against calls made will not help at all. The only thing it could do is flare up the officials and help your team earn more bad calls. In addition, your child may be doing the same thing as you in the future.

Being a good sport isn’t just about controlling our tempers with officials, but it’s also about thinking of other players on the team and not just your own son or daughter. Cheer for every player on the team – basketball is a team sport not an individual sport. Every kid on that team has put in hours of practice all week long – they’ve helped the team get better. Try your best not to gossip to other parents about why your son or daughter isn’t playing. If you have an issue with that, ask your son or daughter if you can set up a meeting with the coach. The coach will inform you of what skills your child needs to work on to contribute more in a game. Then, follow through and encourage your child to practice every day – hard work pays off.

We’re not perfect, we’re only human. But it’s important that we try our best to set a good example for our younger generation – Lord knows this world really needs it. Basketball season is supposed to be fun and exciting. And although we all want to win, the reality is that one team will end up losing after the game is over.

Go out and support your local college or school. Buy refreshments to help the booster clubs – you can’t watch a game without food … or at least I can’t.

I feel that one of the most important things a parent can do is “listen” to their son or daughter. Ask them if they are having fun and if they aren’t having fun, ask them how you can help.

It's Only Fitting to Let You In

My passion is writing about success stories – mostly sports. There are so many amazing stories here in the great northwest. I will soon be releasing my third book. It’s being published as we speak – I’ll keep you posted on that so stay tuned.

Since I’m the author, it’s only fitting to let you in on how I was inspired to become a great athlete. It all began back in Texas in the seventh grade in 1973. We moved to Oregon in 1976 – love Oregon! At five years old I was in a severe accident that kept me in the hospital for months. I started school late but fought to learn as much as I could. My older brother, Gilberto, was the oldest of six kids in our family. He was a running back – a big strong guy. There was something about watching all of his practices. The teamwork during practices and during real games looked fun and challenging. During basketball season he practiced hard every day. Then track and field season came around and I would watch him practice the high jump.

I wanted to be good enough to be one of the players that made a difference. In football I became a very good kicker and punter – practicing everyday with my younger brother. We would kick the football back and forth on the dirt road next to our house. We did that every day until eventually the football was flying with a nice spiral – the way the NFL kickers displayed in games. In the seventh grade I became the starting punter/kicker. Every year I was the main guy as far as kicking the football. Eventually I went on to become an all-state kicker in high school. Offers from colleges would come my way. I eventually went on to play professional football for two years.

Basketball season was probably the best time of the year for me. We had a box that we tied to the porch rail. This would serve as our basket. We begged our dad to put up a hoop behind the house. A piece of plywood with a cheap rim bolted on it. My dad clamped a pipe to the house and bolted the backboard to a running-roof board. We practiced everyday on the dirt court – endless hours. Again we watched the varsity basketball players and learned from them – how they held the basketball and shot it. I enjoyed the tournaments, games, and meeting new people from other towns. The most points I ever scored in one game was 68, in middle school, 30.

During track and field season, I found myself in the last position as far as any event. I really loved the high jump and the hurdles. The only problem is that I was competing for one of the three spots on each event. As I lined up behind the high jumpers, Coach Joel Reese looked at me and said, “David, you’ll never be a high jumper – give it up.” It was like he took the inner soul out of me and lowered my self esteem. The other high jumpers laughed at me and made fun of me.

I was so angry at Coach Reese. In reality I should have thanked the coach. Every day after school I went to the track and practiced high jump. I borrowed a film strip of Dwight Stone, an Olympic high jumper. I studied his technique – his steps and arch as he went over the bar. I practiced for three solid weeks. I still remember back at the Boys Ranch Invitational Meet. Leon did not show up on the bus. He was one of the three high jumpers. I immediately asked the coach if I could high jump. The coach insisted that I was not a high jumper, but since Leon was gone he allowed me to high jump. I received my first gold medal that meet in the seventh grade clearing a height of 5’2” – in high school I set a record at 6’3”.

Never give up on something, not even if anyone says, “You can’t do this.”