How should we judge coaches?

To the editor: This letter is in response to "Hill's term over," published on Oct. 19. What do the Dallas Cowboys, New York Yankees and Cleveland Cavaliers all have in common? The desire to buy a championship.

Does the school board at JCHS and the athletic department have the desire to buy a championship?

I don't think the answer yes, but the concerns of the Hill era coaching at JCHS has raised some concerns. I am not making a case for retaining or replacing coach Hill, but make acknowledgment in areas outside of winning.

How do we measure success? Do we need to have a trophy in the case or a banner to hang in the gymnasium?

We need to examine the impact the coaching staff has made on the students on and off the field. Coach is defined as one who instructs or trains a performer or a team of performers; one who instructs players in fundamentals of a competitive sport and directs team strategy.

Nowhere in the definite of coach in the Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary states to be a coach one must possess a winning record.

Can we evaluate coach Hill and the remaining staff on their ability to teach fundamentals and strategy of football and life?

Have the current and past players been taught leadership skills, goal setting and the sacrifices to obtain those goals?

We have not heard the other concerns from JCHS administration with the decision beyond a winning record. Coaches need to be evaluated on their ability to educate, teach and lead. I hope coach Hill is evaluated for what he has accomplished as a teacher, leader and mentor and not what is missing in a trophy case.

It is the desire of the team that will win a championship, not the desire of the coach.

Brian Ison

Portland

Editor's note: The story referred to stated that administrative officials with the Jay School Corporation said the decision not to retain Jay County High School football coach Shane Hill was specifically not related to his won-loss record.

No carts

To the editor:

My companion and I were recently in the Menards store in Muncie and were surprised to find that they do not have electric carts for their customers to use.

I asked a manager about the electric carts and he told me that they only had two push wheelchairs, which we were unable to find.

We both have health issues, making it difficult for us to walk around the store to shop, so we had to leave.

We went to a competitor and they do have electric carts, as do other larger stores in town, and even the grocery stores.

I would like to urge people to shop at the stores that are thoughtful of their customers and that provide electric carts for their customers that are unable to shop without them.

Sincerely,

Russell Sloan

Portland[[In-content Ad]]