High schools’ athletes deserve a better system

I read with interest the column by sports editor Jeff Tully, “Change

of league needed,” in the May 29-30 edition of the Leader, regarding

Burbank and Burroughs high schools’ slip into sports mediocrity

competing against Santa Clarita schools in the tough Foothill League.

(Since they have won) only one league title in the past three

years, Tully says it’s time for the local high schools to join the

Pacific League, which includes Pasadena, Muir, Crescenta Valley,

Arcadia and Glendale.

I clearly remember 1992, when many athletes like myself from

across the city listened to the athletic directors praise the local

schools’ entry into the tough Foothill League. Looking forward to the

creation of new, intense rivalries with Santa Clarita schools like

Hart, Valencia, and Canyon, we were thrilled when the athletic

directors declared that a “greater effort would be required.” It was

the perfect time and place for our schools to declare a new

commitment to athletic success for the kids in our city.

Now, a decade later, we find the local schools uncompetitive and

looking for a soft place to land in a new league. What happened?

Filled with excellent young athletes from an abundance of young

families, the Santa Clarita schools long ago declared an equal

emphasis on academic and athletic excellence. Bringing in the finest

coaches in Southern California, each school pursues league and CIF

championships in each sport. To compete, Burbank had to bring in even

better coaches than Santa Clarita. Every head coach hired needed CIF

or City playoff and championship credentials. With Santa Clarita

schools having superior firepower, superior coaching would ensure the

needed equalization.

Coaches with those credentials -- Rick Herrington, Armando

Gonzales, Jim Clausen, Tom Hernandez, and Richard Fong, to name only

a few -- applied but were turned away. Instead, we hired coaches with

varsity, JV, and “B” experience, Viking experience, Park and Rec

league experience, church leagues, friends of friends, and even

Burbank Leader sports experience. It is obvious why the schools’

athletic teams are uncompetitive.

How can we change this situation? The hiring and firing of head

coaches at our two high schools must taken out of the realm of the

schools’ athletic departments. We want our student athletes to be

successful, and to be so, they must train and perform under the best

coaches in Southern California. The athletic departments at the two

high schools have never understood this concept.

We must appoint committees of eight business leaders and alumni

who will serve at each school and hire and dismiss coaches based on

accountable results. Contracts must be written with solid performance

clauses. The mentoring and counseling of these coaches will be done

by this committee. The booster clubs will also answer to this

committee.

For Burroughs, the committee would be headed by Mike Cusumano and

Bob Bowne, and at Burbank, the committee would be headed by Tom

Tunnicliffe Jr. and Jeff Jonas.

One needs only to look at super high schools like Hart, Notre

Dame, Birmingham and Westlake to understand that these schools have

it going on. Academics and athletics are equal, expectations are

high, and kids who attend these schools have a lot to talk about. All

of it is good.

The student athletes in Burbank deserve the same opportunity. We

want our student athletes in Burbank to be the best.

Call me, (818) 841-5723, with your comments.

JOE HOOVEN

Burbank