Picking Captains

From Coachhuey's Whitemike:

I think it sends a message to people- being a captain of this team is a honor earned over time- like military ranking...they just don't hand out stars and make everybody a general do they?

Kids need to know-
ALL CAPTAINS ARE LEADERS OF THIS TEAM, BUT NOT ALL LEADERS ARE CAPTAINS.

Just because you don't get captain doesn't mean you are not a leader!
Leadership is relative to your status on the team- all upperclassmen should strive to be leaders. Hell, even freshmen should strive to lead. If every kid tries to pull the others along, through the muck, then you will have a strong TEAM.

Again, this is my philosophy only- this is something I truly believe in. IMO:

A Captain Must...

1) Be a contributing member of the team for 3+ years (no sophomores)
2) Walk the line on the field and in the classroom (no discipline problems)
3) Be a leader by example- they do not have to be vocal necessarily but speak up when needed
4) Take control of the team - they must have earned the team's respect!

Back in our day kids were more reluctant to speak up. Now a days these kids will yell and scream and put on a great show for the coaches if they think it will make them look good. We call these guys "trick or treaters"- they got the costume on but they sure aren't for real...