LOGINToday, CanadaFootballChat.com continues an exclusive series on CIS Recruitment. Over the past few months, CFC Editor Ameeta Vohra interviewed several CIS Head Coaches to get their thoughts and perspectives on the current state of CIS recruitment.
PART 1: QUEST FOR REGULATION CHANGES & THIRD PARTY POLICING EXPLORED
In this next installment, the issue of CIS Blackout periods is explored and the question of whether more of them are needed. As well, coaches give their insight whether the lack of enough time allotted for blackouts has hurt player and coaching development.
CIS BLACKOUTS – IS IT TOO LITTLE AND THE EFFECT ON PLAYER/COACHING DEVELOPMENT:
Currently, CIS football programs are accelerating their push to secure recruits at the fall recruiting season almost draws to an end.
When the clock strikes midnight on December 23rd, the CIS Blackout takes place. That means from that date until January 2nd, teams cannot contact recruits by any means including in-person, phone and text.
This period is one of two blackouts football programs get with the other being during the CIS East-West All-Star Bowl week that takes place normally in May.
With only three real weeks of CIS blackouts, it is enough time away from recruiting?
Windsor Lancers Head Coach Joe D’Amore doesn’t think it is and compares the CIS model to south of the border.
“I think we should have more to be honest with you,” commented D’Amore. “I think if we are looking to grow our football program and build within our limitations and finances.”
“The NCAA has many rules when it comes to recruiting and they probably have less time in the year they can recruit as opposed to not being able to recruit. We’re kind of the opposite. They’re in a 365 day a year job and me being a young coach in this league and extend it to guys like Greg Marshall who have been here and Pat Sheahan for such a long time, I feel like the amount of wear and tear it takes.”
However one of the challenges many coaches such as D’Amore faces is the issue of how competitive coaches want to make their football programs and should they sacrifice personal time in order to achieve that goal.
“Coaches have young families; they want to be able to spend their offseason with them but if you want to win and you want to be successful, you have to recruit,” elaborates the Lancers Head Coach. “Everyone else is recruiting and not taking breaks, so in your mind, you have to look at it kind of like “I guess I have to do it too.””
“I think it would be nice to have some more even if it’s just observation times where you can just observe and not recruit or not bring people on campus. We’ve had those discussions in our meeting, in our summits but those are major discussions.”
Not only do coaches advocate for more personal time, but more of a handle of their own recruiting schedule and player development time.
“I think collectively as a group we feel that there has to be more control over that and we have to have more downtime for coaches for family time and breaks but it’s also spending time with your own players,” added D’Amore. “We feel like we don’t get to spend more time with our own players.”
“We’re just out there recruiting there again. Our young players on our roster aren’t being developed.”
Although Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks Head Coach Michael Faulds advocates for more blackouts, there are some obstacles that have to be addressed and the onus would be on the teams to find a solution or happy medium.
“I think we could probably go a little bit longer with blackouts,” said Faulds. “I think one of our challenges is that we are one of the very few provinces (Ontario) that has summer football.”
“In the States they don’t even have summer football and it’s just 7 on 7 leagues so that really adds to the length of our recruiting season. If you took out summer football now you could have a huge chunk of time to develop our staff that could develop their own players. But I will say too that it is up to each team, and that’s why head football coaches are also manager of operations, to delegate what’s important to you. Still there’s hundreds and hundreds of games, it’s your choice whether you go to them all.”
Since Faulds has been at the helm of the Golden Hawks, he has found ways to find that balance so recruiting and player development goals are met each season.
“Here at Laurier, we spread our wings as best as we can to see as many games as we can but I always make sure we are developing our team,” offered the Golden Hawks Head Coach. “That’s huge importance to me so we’re never going to miss or skip one of the 20 out of season practices.”
“We’re going to make sure we get all 20 rain, snow or shine. We’re going to make sure that every single workout is attended with 100 percent accuracy. I’m at every single one taking attendance. Our players are developing at a really accelerated rate. We’re not skipping anything there and we’re not cheating our players. It’s also a balancing act to getting out and make sure we’re being seen in recruiting.”
StFX X-Men Head Coach Gary Waterman has seen a negative effect that the current CIS Blackouts have on CIS programs but is optimistic that change is near.
“The fact that there are only three weeks of the year where there are recruiting blackout periods does hurt our own teams,” stated Waterman. “With more time allotted to blackouts, coaches could and would spend more time coaching their respective teams and possibly seeking more professional development opportunities.”
Echoing Waterman’s sentiments is McMaster Marauders’ Head Coach Stefan Ptazsek.
“I think the intent of a blackout period is to help ensure that the recruiting process is a positive experience for student athletes, families, coaches, and universities,” commented Ptazsek. “Quiet times to reflect and prioritize are healthy for all parties involved and I hope we continue to grow these periods in number and duration.”
The CIS Task Force which is looking at updating and revamping recruiting regulations are looking into the blackout situation and that football programs are taking the lead in being more proactive for the charge for change.
“Moving forward, I think the coaches association has recognized that more recruiting blackouts are required and needed so in the future this will occur much more frequently,” offered Carleton Ravens Head Coach Steve Sumarah.
Leading the charge is Western Mustangs Head Coach Greg Marshall. Throughout his years of coaching at the CIS level, Marshall has seen the effects of limited CIS Blackouts and has been instrumental in drafting up a new CIS recruiting policy that he hopes will come to fruition in 2016.
“Basically, five or six years ago, there were not blackouts,” reflected Marshall. “You take your time when you need to take it and you have your own blackouts when you need them by saying “we’re not going to recruit this month but we need to bring in 30 kids every year, we don’t need to be on the phone with them every single day.”.”
“My feeling is that we spend too much time recruiting. The kids have to make up their own mind where they want to go to school. We’ve done our things but pestering, hounding and doing all those things don’t help you get a kid to go to your school. There are going to be more recruiting blackouts but I am hoping by the New Year, it will get passed.”
In a preview of what to expect for revamped CIS Blackout periods, Marshall said there will be many more time frames.
“In my new plan, there are more blackouts, so there’s going to be like more like six or seven weeks of recruiting or maybe even eight weeks of recruiting blackouts,” expressed the Mustangs Head Coach. “That will come into play, but it’s just going to take a little bit of time.”
Next week, CanadaFootballChat.com will have the second installment of this series.
(twitter: http://twitter.com/vohra_ameeta)
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