Lessons from the Field

Lessons from the Field

A coach's influence continues long after the last whistle is blown

By Paris Porter

Genesis McCoy, a junior at Roseville Area High School, has learned a lot from her track and basketball coaches. “A good coach sets the tone and expectations from the start,” she says. “They point out things and say you’re not going to be doing those things or you will not play on this team.”

Other lessons are not so positive. Listen to ESPN for long and you’ll hear the commentators blaming coaches – including elite high school coaches – for teaching top young athletes the wrong lessons. Those millionaire athletes who are flashy and arrogant show bad examples of sportsmanship and take the attention away from the team effort, they complain. Read more >>

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Eden Prairie football coach stresses teamwork and preparation

Frank Bi

Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant has a desk job as the high school’s athletic director during the day, but on Friday nights, he leads his top-ranked high school football team onto the field as their head coach. Read More

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Portrait of a Soccer Coach: "It's a family matter"

Belle Lin

Blonde and youthful, Swallen is in touch with the fickle psyche of teenagers. Read More

High school band win the battle

By Alexandra Sifferlin


For Sarah Walk and the rest of her band, Friday night was a performance most garage bands only dream about. Flow and the Mingos, a band of Wayzata juniors, and Arts and Crafts another teen band from Chetek, Wisc., opened a concert to a crowd of 250 people at the new MacPhail Center for White Light Riot, a well-known local band.

The two high school bands won the opening spot by winning a battle of the bands sponsored Jan. 6 by MacPhail as part of the celebration for its new building in downtown Minneapolis and to show that MacPhail offers more than the classics.... Read more >>

Dressing for school -- one school's limits

By Amanda Heiple, Celina Martinez and Kihabeth Martinez

There’s a dress code at Humboldt Senior High School, on St. Paul’s west side, but many students don’t follow the rules. Reporters Amanda Heiple, Celina Martina and Kihabeth Martinez, who are freshmen at Humboldt, survey students, staff and teachers about what the dress code is for and how it works.... Read more >>

MacPhail Center's battle of the bands attracts teen musicians

High school bands from Wisconsin, Minneapolis and Wayzata battled Jan. 6 for a chance to open a Jan. 11 concert by White Light Riot at the new MacPhail Center for Music building in downtown ... Read more >>

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Countdown to college: Show me the money

By Matthew Smith

How you pay for college is a giant factor in deciding which college is for you. The high cost of an education can seem overwhelming, and the best way to rid this feeling is through scholarships. Read more >>

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