What a mess.
An ill-timed mess, too. Fewer than six months removed from being hired by Corona del Sol, football coach Zane Zamenski is in hot water over allegations of comments said to both his players and other students on campus. And two people with knowledge of the situation said Zamenski had previously been warned by administration.
Whatever Zamenski allegedly said was repeatedly harsh or deemed offensive enough to warrant several players and their parents to go to the district with a letter.
(Worth noting: The letter was written anonymously, but the district has interviewed many kids in this investigation, and if names were attached to the letter and the district clears Zamenski, who knows what happens to those kids' places on the team).
Zamenski's current troubles are mired in allegations that go well beyond words used to motivate players. And while he, players, parents and the school wait for the district to decide - an answer which should be coming quickly - it has left Zamenski and the school in a lurch (arguably self-inflicted on both sides), a football team already adrift before practice officially begins, and reminded us of the blur between motivation, emotion and degradation.
As some of the "old school" coaches will attest, times have changed. They always will. And with every technological form of recorded sight and sound instantly available at our fingertips, every word or move can be documented.
Fair or not.
"There's three different things you come in contact with at any given moment," said Mesquite coach Mike Reardon, one of the few East Valley coaches left from a bygone era. "We're in line to try and make a young man do something he either thinks he can't do, doesn't want to do, or flat-out won't do."
Getting that extra repetition or toughness out of kids - especially in a high-charged, emotional, year-round pressure-cooker that football has become - is half the battle.
But you can win battles and still lose the proverbial war whether it's in the weight room, August practice or a crucial third down in a November playoff game.
"I don't think it's flat-out wrong because if (kids) slack or keep making mistakes they need to get jumped on," Reardon said. "It's not racial or demeaning. There's no flat answer for what's right or fair. I get after my kids and use poor language, but kids know that. Is it right or acceptable? Depends on what circle you're from, and I'm not saying the language is the best or right thing to do. But I know my kids well enough, and if I get after them it's because there's a reason for it."
Reardon played for a high school coach who was relentless - "It was always a swear word followed by my last name," he said.
Hamilton's Steve Belles played for Pat Farrell at St. Mary's, then the University of Notre Dame. Bernie Busken (Basha), Jim Ewan (Chandler) and Dan Hinds (Desert Vista) all played for the rough and tumble and maintain a certain disposition with kids because of it. Preston Jones (Perry) gets after his kids. So did Jesse Parker (big time).
None of those coaches questioned their own mentor's methods then, or, in hindsight, now. But Reardon believes this generation doesn't have the self-motivation to compete, and requires kid gloves with more eyes and ears watching every move, even if intentions are tried and true.
"The biggest thing is the kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care," said Chaparral coach Charlie Ragle, a coach known for breathing fire on the sidelines. "If they know you can go to the end of Earth for you or they can call you on a Saturday night if there's a problem, not about football, but care about them in the rest of life, they'll hold you in the same light."
The Zamenski situation isn't solely about motivational tactics toward his players, but his mouth has him in trouble, and it no longer matters if a coach is on or off the field. Quips featuring stereotypes, generalizations, profanity, slang, race or crudeness can quickly lead to no return.
"You still always have to be in control of yourself, or you're going to have a hard time lasting as a coach," Ragle said. "It's easier said than done, we all know that."
OneVoice posted at 10:07 am on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
Simply put, this was just a bad hire. Time for Corona to cut their losses, and move on to the next Coach.
Hopefully, a little more thought will go into the process this time, and not just pick somebody's friend.
RavenFan posted at 11:43 am on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
The only thing that troubles me with this situation is the anonymity of the letter submitted by the 13 parents to TUSD. Doesn't this coach have the right to face his accusers? I also believe the parents want this guy out because they did not like his hiring! Isn't that the problem with youth athletics, parents exerting too much control! If the administration at Corona would have done their job in the first place, this situation with an anonymous letter would not have to be dealt with at the district level
LSUMAN posted at 12:50 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
RavenFan. Did you read this article? It answers each of your concerns. The anonymity included. Can't figure out what you don't get about this. Do you condone this kind of conduct? Facing his accusers? More than 20 players have given statements verifying his conduct with players and other students. Just don't see how you don't get it.
phxnative posted at 2:33 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
If the original author (supposedly representing approx 13 program members) knew that these were substantiated allegations regarding the head coach, then he should have signed at least her/his name to the original letter of complaint. Because the bottom line is this: if the coach was cleared of wrong-doing and continued to coach then obviously that particular program and the way it is run is not one that those who complained should continue to have their kids participate in it. It's not going to work for those parents and kids at that point so worrying that signing their name would prejudice the coach against their child is groundless...because if they are found to be true, then he will be fired and the new coach will be a fresh start for everyone.
RavenFan posted at 5:20 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
LSUMAN: I very well understand what is going on here. The claim of fearing retribution is a lame excuse for these people to hide behind. While I'm not a legal scholar, I'm certain that one of the basic tenets of American jurisprudence is the right of the accused to face their accusers. I've been involved with high school athletics and youth sports for 40+ years and my experience tells me that this might very well be a setup. I find it hard to believe that this matter was not handled at the school rather than the district level. Personally, I think the parents wanted it to go to the district in order to achieve their ultimate goal, Zamenski's firing.
In concluding, in my long experience with youth sports, the biggest change with coaching and officiating are parental attitudes and interference.
Parents feel a sense of entitlement and can be quite demanding both in their language and demeanor. Sadly, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree and their kids are easily influenced in adopting these same attitudes. I only wonder what will happen if the District does not fire Mr. Zamenski? I have a suggestion, TRANSFER!
LSUMAN posted at 7:11 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
Nice pontification RavenFan, but noyou definately don't get it.
LSUMAN posted at 7:19 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
Yeah it's a set up. A bunch of parents got together, hypnotized the coach and made him act like a complete moron for the last 4 months. They gave him a script to follow in how to speak vulgarities to players and students. Also tricked him into using racial slurs toward some players. Told him to mentally and verbally intimidate and abuse the players. Told him it was okay to share lewd things with boys and girls alike at summer school. Wow those parents are really tricky. Yeah you really get RavenFan.
horsehider posted at 8:20 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
A football coach using foul language ... shocker.
Corona del Sol went 4-6 last season. Maybe if the previous coach would have sauced it up a little bit, they could have won a couple of more games to save his job.
LSUMAN posted at 9:54 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
horsehider you are really out of the loop. Love the comments by people who simply have no idea what the situation is. Yes swearing in football. We get it. Tiny part of the issue.
footballfan posted at 10:57 pm on Fri, Jul 23, 2010.
Ravenfan:
The biggest problem in youth sports is coaching by Neanderthals who cannot teach a sport or correct their players without the use of the F-word, demeaning and ridiculing players, and acting like 40-year-old-adolescents.
LSUMAN posted at 12:24 am on Sat, Jul 24, 2010.
Agreed RavenFan.
Really posted at 10:56 pm on Sat, Jul 24, 2010.
fire him, bad hire, bad person, how about we also fire some of the administration staff also that has brought a school down from being amazing to what it is now...
LSUMAN posted at 5:45 pm on Sun, Jul 25, 2010.
Susan Edwards the Principal should go too. She is ultimately responsible for this whole mess. She rammed this hire through for her husband who then showed up out there as an assistant coach with no experience. He's absolutely clueless. She also hired him to fill a position that many more in the district were more deserving of. This woman is the laughing stock of TUHSD. She really needs to be gone. I believe Nero is caught in the middle, but wish he would have stood up to her and prevented this ridiculous hire. Ken Olsen is the logical choice as he was the other finalist. He would have no problem stepping in and bringing the team right up to speed. They are nowhere near season ready now. They have looked out of sync and horrible in passing league. There has been NO PASSION at all. It would take Olsen about 2 days to move them beyond where they are now. Put this horrible mistake in the past, hire Olsen, and lets move forward.
alrightwegetit posted at 7:36 pm on Sun, Jul 25, 2010.
Ok, all you cds parents that got behind this have made your point. You submitted your complaints, the district is doing (or has done) an investigation, and now a decision will come. If it is that important to you all I think a couple extra days will not hurt. If it is only going to take Olson "2 days" to straighten things out then it should be worth the wait. Do you all think you are doing any good by continuing to post you nonsense on here? Ask people in the know, TUHSD is considered one of the top high school districts in the state. Look at test scores, colleges attended, national merit finalists, state titles, anything you want, this is a great district. CDS has more national merit semi-finalists than the entire Mesa district combined. Do you all know what a National Merit students is?