EudoraNews.com

We acknowledge we don't know all the details behind the Eudora Board of Education's decision to relieve Gretchen Schreiner of her coaching duties, but we hope it wasn't simply impatience.

Schreiner's record as head coach of the Cardinal girls basketball team the last two years was 13 wins and 29 loses. That's not good, but it's not as though Schreiner stepped into a winning situation. The team was 2-19 the year before she returned from Emporia State to take over the program.

Successful high school athletic programs tend to reflect community priorities. Good coaches build community interest and encourage programs that build skills in the elementary and middle schools. It takes time much longer than two years for those skills to make a difference at the high school varsity level.

Schreiner was hired straight from college where she was part of a very successful team. That may have brought unrealized expectations, but we would assume a maturation process is expected with any young coach or teacher. Again, we question if two years was long enough to witness that process.

Although we're not suggesting Schreiner should get special treatment because she is a Eudora High School graduate, we note the high school is replacing another coach. We don't begrudge Aaron Barnett for seeking other opportunities, but we wonder if a successful coach with deep ties to the community would be as tempted to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, the nature of competitive sports makes it impossible for all teams to be winners. In those cases, coaches and administrators have to make young teams understand sacrifices and teamwork still have meaning if a team believes in itself and improves. We're afraid the message sent to the young women at Eudora High School is that it's about winning now.

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