Golf, tennis coaches take on spectator’s role
Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/hl/Sports/25433/
BENTON COUNTY — Baseball, basketball, football, softball and volleyball coaches can talk with their players in the heat of competition, but in Arkansas, high school golf and tennis coaches are relegated to the role of spectators.
During high school golf matches, a tree might have more to say than Rogers Heritage coach Jay Gilstrap. The golf assistance rule of the Arkansas Activities Association forbids coaches and spectators from giving advice to players except at the turn during an 18-hole match.
Gilstrap, who coached back-to-back state championship teams in Georgia in 2006 and 2007, has plenty to say in opposition of this assistance rule in his first year coaching in the Natural State.
“ It is ridiculous. There might be one other coach that can’t do their job in competition, ” Glistrap said. “ It is ridiculous. It is crazy. ”
Gilstrap wants to be able to speak to his players in the time from when they sink their putt to when they tee off for the next hole.
Gilstrap wants to modify the assistance rule so he and others could coach from “ green to tee. ”
“ My goal, if I want to have a legacy here (in Arkansas ), is to get the high school athletic association to get that changed, ” Gilstrap said.
Gilstrap operated under the green to tee rule in 2007 when he coached at Lakeside High School in Augusta, Ga.
“ It does not slow the pace down, ” Gilstrap said. “ I had a blast coaching. I could actually do my job. ”
Gilstrap said that he would offer words of encouragement and club advice between the short walk from green to tee.
During regular-season competition, coaches must enforce this rule but can make mutual agreements to have some interaction with their players.
High school tennis has a similar rule, allowing coaches to only give advice to their players after split sets.
But mutual agreements between conference coaches may give them more leeway.
Tennis coaches in the 7 A-West Conference are in discussions about having coaches in the conference be able to talk to their players during changeovers between games.
“ If we can improve individuals then let’s improve them, ” said Bentonville coach Paul Pautsch, who is a volunteer coach and the pro at the Kingsdale Tennis Center in Bella Vista.
Although his coaching ability might be limited, Pautsch is active outside the fence.
“ I’m a pretty active coach, ” said Pautsch, who has led the Lady Tigers to four straight state championships. “ I cheer for them and yell for them. I do all kinds of crazy things to let them know our team is behind them. I don’t take my lawn chair and sit down. I know a lot of other coaches that do. ”
Tennis coaches in other areas of the state are also experimenting with their own agreements.
Tennis coaches at Alma, Harrison, Siloam Springs and Greenwood have a mutual agreement that they can talk to their players during matches.
“ If we feel that we need to say something to our kids, we just ask the other coach if they think it is all right, ” said Alma coach Toney McMurry.
“ There is not a lot of strategy going on. There is not a lot that you can tell a kid. Most of the time we are trying to get a kid to calm down. ”
McMurry, who sits on the AAA tennis rules committee, said that he tries to boost his players ’ mental game rather than discuss strategy during breaks.
“ You may tell the kid that the opponent’s backhand is weak but if they haven’t figured that out, then they probably aren’t going to beat them anyway, ” he said.
“ If they keep hitting to the forehand then they are in trouble. ”
Arkansas Activities Association associate executive director Joey Walters oversees the sports of basketball, golf, soccer and tennis.
In the past, there have been discussions about changing assistance rules in tennis and golf.
Walters said that golf coaches are needed to help run tournaments and to act as spotters on the links. Another concern of the rules committee is that more coaching involvement would make matches longer.
The golf assistance rule has been in place for more than two decades, according to Cabot athletic director Johnny White.
White, who sits on the golf rules committee, has been around Arkansas high school golf for more than 30 years.
White said coaches use to be allowed to talk to their kids but the chatter made the matches too long.
“ It caused play to slow down because there was too much disruption on the course, ” White said.
McMurry said that the length of tennis matches and who was giving on-court advice — the school’s designated coach and not a local pro or parent — were concerns of the rule committee but he foresaw a day when the assistance rule would be modified.
One of the factors that could lead to changing the assistance rules in golf and tennis is that more coaches understand their sport better than someone who plays the sports on a recreational basis.
In this age of growing sports specialization, more primary golf and tennis coaches are joining the high school ranks. The AAA is noticing the trend.
“ As we get more and more coaches in tennis and golf that are truly golf and tennis coaches as their emphasis, I can see the rules being changed, ” Walters said.