High School Uniform

[ramjet]

Involved Parent Trap-
It sounds like your team has one dedicated kid and I got news for you, it ain't your son!  
While I agree with prior posters that there is certainly a time to wear your school colors proudly, I'd leave bench decorum up to the coach.  

Obviously you posted this on a public forum to passive-aggressively force the coach into a corner.....  and to tell on your coach to your school's athletic director........   you have just one goal and it ain't to have that boy wear his uniform......

Keep in mind that your new coach may not be any better than your current coach.  And just maybe your school won't hire a new coach.......

Wrestling is not a big deal to your son.   But it is to the rest of us.

100% spot on!

[ElectricGuy]

Experience tells us which is tangible enough for me.  J Robinson pointed this out at a clinic many years ago and it made sense . 

Outside club stuff is divisive and separates individuals from the team.

Says you, but there is no tangible evidence that is true. If a team is a close knit team, one guy wearing club shorts is not going to affect anything. Likewise, if a team is not close knit, then the wearing of specific shorts is probably not the cause. 
However, I would support any coach who had policies regarding the team wearing the school issued warm ups, shorts, etc.

Ummm......   The same J Rob who encourages the kids to wear their J Rob shirt if they are fortunate enough to end up on the podium? 

Great, here starts another marathon thread, My gosh......  we talk about 4x as much about meaningless garbage on the this forum vs.  actual wrestling

[woody53]

Of course J Rob wanted to promote his gear. If you attended one of his camps, it was expressed both ways. He wanted you to be a big part of your team, yet he also wanted you to let everyone know you attended his camp. Out side of High School, wear what you want. When you wrestled for me. You wore the school gear.

[bigG]

I coached. I just said you could warm up in whatever you wanted, save for profane and the obvious. When we line up to shake hands, you are aaaalllll wearing our warm ups. It's a little town with big pride. We're proud of you. Show your pride. Leave it on the mat... wearing the eagle. Put us on the map.

[MNbadger]

Same here.  Your stuff had to have the school name or nothing at all.  They were not allowed to wee J's shirts either.  Practice had uniforms too. 

Of course J Rob wanted to promote his gear. If you attended one of his camps, it was expressed both ways. He wanted you to be a big part of your team, yet he also wanted you to let everyone know you attended his camp. Out side of High School, wear what you want. When you wrestled for me. You wore the school gear.

[Quack]

Practice had uniforms? Wow, now that is something. Must have been a well off school.

[littleguy301]

I coached. I just said you could warm up in whatever you wanted, save for profane and the obvious. When we line up to shake hands, you are aaaalllll wearing our warm ups. It's a little town with big pride. We're proud of you. Show your pride. Leave it on the mat... wearing the eagle. Put us on the map.

during a school function and school event wear school stuff. While training whether in the school or out of the school wear what you want.

I believe that from the knees up you were school colors and school logo. Knees down wear what you would like,,,shoes and socks I should say.

[bronco]

 "What type of school pride does that show your teammates when you show up week after week wearing your private club shorts?  I have brought this to the attention of the athletic director of the school with no results.  Do any other teams have wrestlers that choose to not wear the school issued uniform?"

One heck of a lot more pride then someone who skips a big two day holiday tournament that your son's teammates and his coaches were probably depending on your son for!! In your own words "this kid shows up week after week" unlike your son apparently. Wow your coach and A.D. must really love seeing who is calling them when they see your phone call!! LOL. I can just see their I eye rolls.

It's "involved parents" like you who are causing a much bigger team disruption then a kid who puts in extra training time and chooses to and is allowed to wear, because of pride for wrestling, club shorts for WARMUPS. "but changes when asked".... Believe me he, his parents, his teammates, and all their friends all know who you are. There is more involved here then what is being stated and it has nothing to do with a dedicated kids school pride.

Wow, can't believe I just wasted five minutes on somebody's petty jealousy issues. 

[MNbadger]

Actually not really.  We did the requisite fund raising.  Two t shirts and two shorts are not that expensive. They had to be clean every day.  And for certain, they were cheaper than the club gear kids have.

Practice had uniforms? Wow, now that is something. Must have been a well off school.

[bkraus]

My opinion is that they should wear the school issued gear for things like line up announcements, podium/awards, and if the team does some sort of run out at the start of duals.  If they want to wear club gear while warming up behind the bench, between rounds at a tourney, etc...  big deal.

[GradeTough]

I like BKraus's response. Kids can represent both. For example, a kid could wear a club t-shirt under their warm-up jacket. Then run around with the warm-up jacket open up. No problem. It is important to be respectful to the team your are representing and wrestling for. You are not just representing yourself but your community as well. So if you are in a high school sponsored event, the majority of your gear should be the high school. People that come to high school sponsored events are coming to see that high school team...not a club. It is really tacky to see a kid wearing nothing but club gear. I would agree that doesn't show unity when the majority of the team is wearing their school gear but a few are not.

If you are not in a high school sponsored event, rep your club gear all day long.

[bigG]

My opinion is that they should wear the school issued gear for things like line up announcements, podium/awards, and if the team does some sort of run out at the start of duals.  If they want to wear club gear while warming up behind the bench, between rounds at a tourney, etc...  big deal.

+1

[littleguy301]

My opinion is that they should wear the school issued gear for things like line up announcements, podium/awards, and if the team does some sort of run out at the start of duals.  If they want to wear club gear while warming up behind the bench, between rounds at a tourney, etc...  big deal.

I have to say plus 2

[Mack]

Some of these responses gave me a chuckle.  Like, the one about how the Coach probably really appreciates the extra help policing the kids.  Thanks for that.  I hope the poster can see a little humor in this.

Coaches are overwhelmed with a variety of issues on any given day: kids with failing grades, teachers asking the coach to make the wrestlers behave in class, no parent at home to get the kid to practice.  Oh yeah, and there's also the pressure to win.  I'm guessing the "club shorts" thing isn't the only thing on the coach's radar.

I'm not saying kids shouldn't wear their team uniform.  I know they should.  I'm just sayin' maybe don't make a mountain out of a molehill, and get mad about what a teenage kid is doing.  Some of the things people get mad about really surprise me.  Enjoy life.

[bigG]

"Some of the things people get mad about really surprise me.  Enjoy life."

It's short enough without the nothing stressors. I'm convinced there are people with no reason to fret; but prefer to be in crisis, so they make one up.