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Will provide a big bump to the jv programs of NaFo and FM.
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I believe you had mixed thoughts when they added middle school soccer. What do you believe is the best way to run a program. With middle school, without. With a C team, playing JV or without.
Our coach had to cut 20 plus from the JV team this year... I am asking the admin to add a C team to keep the kids next year. We only lose 2 seniors, so I figure she will cut 30-35 next year. You have been around a while, just want your opinion. THANKS..
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Assume you were asking Hurst, but I'll put my 2 cents in.
The purpose of dropping MS sports is financial. Doesn't make a lot of sense to cut a MS team, then add a second jv team. So I think a C team makes no sense.
In flush times and with sports like basketball where you have a large pool of kids who grew up playing....I like MS and JV as it gets more kids playing. But with soccer....in most areas you have a fairly limited pool of players. I'd rather only offer JV soccer. MS kids can play up....9th and 10th graders can't play down.
Fewer teams means more player cuts. I don't see how you can get around that and in areas (most of SC) that have limited soccer pools.....why would you want to?
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Rather than editing my prior post...
I'm sure some people would argue that you need the extra teams and some of the marginally talented players in order to build the sport. I understand that argument, but disagree that school soccer is the place to do so.
I would suggest working locally at the Y or wherever to build and expand the rec program and get more older kids playing there. Clubs like CESA and CASL do a great job of offering rec for older kids, as well as adult leagues.
Thats the path for growth....not extra school teams.
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I hate to see this happen to those kids. Our girls played FM Middle tough for a 1-1 tie and our boys narrowly escaped vs Springfield for a 1-0 win. The schools and coaches are doing it right up there in exposing thier kids to other players and teams through tournaments and training of the coaches. I went through the Certification class with a coach that drove down from Ft Mill even with the heavy snow.
I understand the financial obligation of middle school sports but Ft Mill did it too themsleves breaking down all of their fall and winter teams into 7th and 8th grade. So which ones do you cut? To not show favoritism cut them all.
Again it is a shame for those kids that will be cut from high school bc that are too slow or small. or maybe not just developed enough. I have 8th graders on my team that were projects last season that are not only leaders but have physically matured and play great. If they had gotten cut, would they still be interested in the sport?
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Fort Mill went from the outhouse to the penthouse without the benefit of MS soccer. The year we went to the state championship we didn't have middle school soccer, the JV roster was stacked with 7th and 8th graders.
As Daddy says, in "good times" there is definitely a place for middle school sports, but in "these times", I would hate to see my daughter lose her teaching job because someone chose to keep the MS program.
It's been a terrible couple of weeks up here. Many school district employees are losing their jobs and teachers, coaches and administrators are taking a big financial hit.
For those 7th and 8th graders (or 9th, 10th & 11th) graders who don't make the HS JV team, there is still club and/or rec. We are not denying them the opportunity to play.
In conclusion, I wish we weren't in this mess and that we weren't even having this discussion.
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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1. I was asking Hurst, but do not mind the dialog. We do not need rec players, those we have had for years and have been killed because of it. It needs to be such, you have to practice year round or you do not make varsity... club level practice, not rec. The teams that are very successful, are that way. We could not generate enough numbers for the kids to feel that pressure. They could make the team without that. Now over the last couple of years, we have made an effort to get more kids in clubs, on the teams, More kids in the program etc. One year we funded a U14, and U12 team at Cesa, to get more girls in. It worked several jumped to full time club players. We still raise money, and probably could pay for the C team, to do JV or the CESA program. Our Region does not have middle school soccer, so it is kind of not going to happen. We could run a C team as a second JV team, let them play a normal JV schedule. Best players on Varsity, next best on JV and next best on C, others cut. We had enough to do that this year with no cuts. Next year with only losing 2 seniors. We will have enough to do that with a cut off the bottom. Just trying to make it very competitive to get to the top of the ladder. If that happens, only club players will make it, or the great athlete. Then we are cooking with gas. There is no reason for us not to have three layers in the High School system... The Football team has 6 layers, and next year it will be 6 layers and a redundant middle school set. As far as soccer goes, normally I do not think they will get better there, but that is who they are, where they live etc. Get the hook in them, so we get them year round, and build the program, build the pressure, build a traditon. Now I am trying to get a trainer who can make them better there as well. 
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sorry to hear about all the trouble, pain, etc. Just trying to figure a way to prime the pump faster, and better. Build it and they will come kind of thought process. Good luck, in these tough times.
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Daddy,
Fort Mill is cutting middle school sports, BUT they are adding high school lacrosse. Gotta believe the HS coaches will make decent money, plus they will have to buy a NEW program new equipment.
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I don't agree with that either. But the deal was that the sport be totally self sufficient and my understanding is that lacrosse has done so with fundraising, etc. Won't cost the taxpayers a dime.
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Then that option should be available to all sports (JV B team for soccer, middle school basketball or football). They opened a can of worms again.
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I was reading a recent Newsweek article in my thinking room the other day and there was a quote about Washington, that leaders from both parties are terrified to ask America to make short term sacrifices in exchange for long term benefits. Got me thinking.....
I feel the same way about how the paradigm of school sports has evolved. Schools should be focussing on teaching our kids. Teaching them facts, teaching them theories, teaching them problem solving, teaching them critical thinking, teaching them to write and speak coherently.
Not Northwestern vs. Irmo (oops.....IRMO).
I love HS sports (and MS sports!!!). Actually, I love sports period. However, I feel that culturally we've crossed a threshold here recently......and if we're going to be successful we need to pick and choose how we spend/invest. Our education dollars need to go to education, not sports. Teachers....not coaches. Libraries and IT facilities.....not stadiums and gyms. While I understand the value and joy of sport, I feel we risk diluting our focus and our resources with school sports in general.
Thoughts like this sound crazy....but I'm unaware of schools in other countries offering a vast array of sports and spending the kind of money we do on school sports. The Japanese, Chinese, and Indians are most certainly not.
Will we run from short term sacrifice? Probably.
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Then that option should be available to all sports (JV B team for soccer, middle school basketball or football). They opened a can of worms again.
Agreed.....on all counts.
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Maybe for NAFO but I seem to recall someone pointing out that the Gold Hill girls would, for the most part, not make the JV at FM. I'll have to find the thread and reread it.
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When it is a matter of teachers or sports I think there is no question teachers 1st!
As for growing the sport, well we all have different opinions on that. IMHO, if you think club soccer will "grow" the sport beyond where it is now I think you are on the wrong track. How many friends and neighbors come out for your kids club games on weekends? (pretty much none!) The only people I see at the complexes every weekend are the same parents with the players brothers and sisters (sure a friens once in a reare while but come on).
School sports bring out the school and community. No, I know soccer does not turn out like FB but, if we promoted the sport/teams better (like Friday night games!!!) we could build a better fan base.
The teams at the middle schools are doing as much or more to grow the sport in the local area than the clubs are in the area of raising awareness amoung the kids.
As for "marginally talented players" both FMMS and GHMS took it to 3A and 4A JV teams in IRMO. There are highly skilled girls on both those teams who are improving the skills of the other girls by playing with them. Many of the 7th/8th graders would never make JV, and then by time they get to 9th they would likely not try out again or not have improved enough to make it then. The benefit to the HS program is that over time they get more players who have more playing time. Also consider that as more kids see middle school as a sport they can play the more likely they are to play rec/club soccer to help their chances of making the school team.
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Well said, and I echo most of the thoughts you express! The problem, at least as I see it, is how did we get here? The funding problem has a root cause! What was behind the changes in the taxes? My understanding (please correct me if I am wrong) was that the Pol's were trying to level the field (money wise) across the state by taking local tax money out of the system and going to a more centerally funded schools. This would hurt school district who had higher value (see as income) and boost funding to those districts that had lower value. Wonder how those school districts are doing in this fiscal crunch?
I guess a lowering tide must be lowering all boats?
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This is a great discussion. In thinking about what exactly is the role of the school, there are lots of viewpoints. Most of us would agree that the primary job of the school is to educate students for their future roles in the community (or somewhere on the grid, now that the world is flat). Their education should equip them to think creatively, logically, coherently, and from various perspectives to be able to handle what life throws at them. I am not trying to open the debate about whether we need to educate them for the work force or for higher learning, but let's just say they need to be prepared for future challenges. As technology and jobs are changing so rapidly today, it is not prudent to think we can teach them to use the technology they will use in the future. We have to teach them to think and equip them with some of the skills they will need to problem solve these future challenges.
So besides the cognitive side of the role of the school, there are also the social side and the citizen side. In order to become a well rounded person, students need to develop all three of these at a minimum. The students need some exposure to PE and athletics in order not to become too rounded:) The students have to be able to function socially and be able to communicate their ideas with others. Most classrooms have structured social interactions, but think about how the real world operates. I believe athletics not only helps fill this role by providing the concept of team and being a teammate, but it also helps foster leadership. This is especially true for those students who do not necessarily thrive in a classroom environment, but who have other gifts/strengths. Where do athletics come in to play? How important is it to this mission of the schools? Historically, sports were not included in the early schools but they sure have taken a featured role in our culture over the last 50 years.
Different districts handle the financial pressures in different ways. While Fort Mill is looking at cutting Middle School athletics, Kershaw last year decided to cut its Gifted and Talented program and fine arts coordinator and some others in order to preserve middle school athletics. Don't tell me those programs won't suffer without competent leadership of a knowledgeable educator. Is this the right call?
If we are not careful, not only will school districts be looking at cutting athletics but so will our legislature. Do we think athletics are critical to the mission of schools? Or is it just a glorified baby sitting service with structured activities? Or does the local recreation department, YMCA, or soccer club offer sufficient activities to build the game of soccer? Are these opportunities available to all financially? Don't think the economy has not impacted these organizations and what they are able to offer.
In "these times" every penny counts. It is important for all of us not only to have these discussions here, but also with our local school boards, local elected officials, state legislators, and national legislators. We need to let them know where we stand on this issue. These are tough times and in tough times, especially, we need to take a stand. So where do you stand?
We really need to revise the whole taxation structure in SC to help prevent these drastic measures from repeating themselves in the future. I asked many questions hypothetically here to get you thinking. What I am really saying is we need to advocate for education, tax structure (a total re-write), and for the role of athletics as a part of our culture in South Carolina. It is sure better than having a bunch of kids with a ton of free time on their hands!
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Dawg,
So far we've paid a $75 participation fee, a $22 sock fee, a $20 practice tshirt fee, are expected to provide a team meal for 20 (which will likely cost in excess of $100), and need to pony up another $5 for an unallocated meal.
I figure HS soccer for my daughter to cost me about $220 this Spring in direct costs.
Plus we're expected to do the obligatory concessions at a football game and a basketball game...join the Booster club, etc.
You ask if everyone could afford to play a decent rec level soccer if school soccer didn't exist. My take is......it would be a whole lot LESS expensive to do so. I wonder how families who are stuggling deal with the expense of HS soccer?
There are a million benefits to my daughter and her mates who play HS soccer. Thats not the point. The two relevant points are: first, in a time of extremely limited funding does it make sense to divert finite resources to athletics? And two, do schools hurt themselves in the long run by allowing the focus of their mission (educating our children) to be expanded into areas only peripherally relevant to the mission?
Teaching fitness and offering PE and nutrition is directly relevant, IMO. Having a football team or a basketball team or a soccer team....I don't see it.
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"We really need to revise the whole taxation structure in SC to help prevent these drastic measures from repeating themselves in the future. I asked many questions hypothetically here to get you thinking. What I am really saying is we need to advocate for education, tax structure (a total re-write), "
I totally agree. It has never ceased to amaze me that in a state that prides itself on conservatism and an anti-Washington distrust of government.....things like what they have done with school funding could happen.
If you really believe in less government...and if you really believe in the idea that the best government is local government and that the further away you get from "the people", the less government will reflect the will of the people...then you should be appalled at whats happened with school funding.
But in SC.....we are not really conservative and we don't really believe in less government or a government that stays out of the lives of citizens. We don't want WASHINGTON interfering with South Carolina....but its perfectly ok for Columbia to interfere with York COunty or Spartanburg COunty or Horry County. This state isn't about less government.....its about MY government, not yours. Its a control factor......period.
The state should mandate a basic level of expectation for education. If an area chooses to prioritize and invest further in eduction.....that is our right if we live here and are willing and able to pay for it. By taking away local funding of schools the state has centralized control.
I believe that local schools are best funded locally. If the locale cannot fund sufficiently to meet min state standards, the state should assist. And if my tax dollars in York County (income or sales) go to help out a poor school district elsewhere in SC....I'm ok with that. As a South Carolinian I believe that to be part of my responsibility.
But if we want great schools here then I'm ok with paying property taxes on my home that stay here in my district.
Fact.....I lived for a couple of years in Connecticut and my wife and I bought our first home there in 1989, a condo that was about 1200 sq feet. I now live in a 3000 sq foot modern, brick home. In 2010 my property taxes are about 40% lower than what we paid CT back in 1989. And before someone makes a comment about CT property taxes...we had no state income tax at the time.
Property taxes should fund local services (like schools). To co-mingle local money with state money is like putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop.
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Well stated. Do you want to head up our version of the TRAC committee? We can call it SCAT- Soccer Community's Alignment of Taxation. No offense to you intended, I just liked the acronym and its other meaning. Since you will be in charge, you can rename it!
Unfortunately, in SC (like many other places) there are the haves and the have nots with respect to school funding. Historically, most of our districts (and the really the counties in which they reside) were based on the agrarian model and then the mills. As our way of life "evolved", the economics changed. While some counties have shifted to tourism or other fields, many of our counties are still considered agrarian or they are bedroom communities of larger cities. These latter two lack the tax base as it is currently structured to adequately fund schools on a local level. So the Yorks will have to be responsible citizens of SC and help others. The question then begs at what level? I know Beaufort and Greenville constantly bemoan the fact because they too have a great tax base.
I am not sure of how much local control we need to give everyone. I think of the mess with the politics in Fairfield right now or the previous embezzlement and colluding in other counties as barriers to providing total local control. There are some services/programs which local districts would immediately cut. Of course we know our Lt. Governor's favorite program would be one of the first to go if he were in charge locally. There just needs to be some checks to balance the local powers at times.
So, the SCAT committee is in charge of offering some solutions or at least ideas!
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Big Daddy,
I too have kids in HS Soccer, but I also have some playing club. I would agree HS is not free by any means. Recreational soccer is fairly inexpensive, but club soccer is a whole different level. So, if the local Y offered soccer at $70 or so and they usually have "Scholarships" for those in need, this would be a viable option for MS at the starter level of soccer. However, if those same kids moved up to Classic, those fees start to multiply. Throw in some challenge and premier paired with ODP, camps, etc and it really can be burdensome.
But on this level, an individual family can choose to participate or not.
The question is what about at the MS level? The next question will be what about the JV level? We know the big sports with lots of fans drive the athletics choices. As soccer supporters we are often on the short end of that stick. I see the culture slowly (sloth-like) changing as more and more families play soccer, but it is still a game dominated by the revenue sports.
I go to a soccer complex on the weekend and there are easily hundreds of people watching, cheering, and supporting soccer. I go to a high school game and there are less than 100- really 50 for girls soccer or JV soccer. We have to find a way to increase support for soccer.
Your point about cutting the peripherally relevant programs is interesting. For too long we have depended on schools to be the main vehicle to enact cultural change. It has become too much of a Walmart because that is what was mandated and expected. I think about the free lunch/breakfast programs, the nurses care, the social services attached to schools, the parenting programs, the language support programs, and on and on it goes. If we remove all of this to include sports from our schools, who will step in to provide these services in the local community?
In these dire financial times, we may have to really answer that question....
Last edited by dawgknows; 03/16/10 03:47 PM.
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Quote:
Well stated. Do you want to head up our version of the TRAC committee? We can call it SCAT- Soccer Community's Alignment of Taxation. No offense to you intended, I just liked the acronym and its other meaning. Since you will be in charge, you can rename it!
Unfortunately, in SC (like many other places) there are the haves and the have nots with respect to school funding. Historically, most of our districts (and the really the counties in which they reside) were based on the agrarian model and then the mills. As our way of life "evolved", the economics changed. While some counties have shifted to tourism or other fields, many of our counties are still considered agrarian or they are bedroom communities of larger cities. These latter two lack the tax base as it is currently structured to adequately fund schools on a local level. So the Yorks will have to be responsible citizens of SC and help others. The question then begs at what level? I know Beaufort and Greenville constantly bemoan the fact because they too have a great tax base.
I am not sure of how much local control we need to give everyone. I think of the mess with the politics in Fairfield right now or the previous embezzlement and colluding in other counties as barriers to providing total local control. There are some services/programs which local districts would immediately cut. Of course we know our Lt. Governor's favorite program would be one of the first to go if he were in charge locally. There just needs to be some checks to balance the local powers at times.
So, the SCAT committee is in charge of offering some solutions or at least ideas!
Well named!!! I wouldn't changed a thing!!!
There will always be corruption but you can't use that as an argument for structurally denying power where it belongs...locally!!! Guaranteed Columbia is more corrupt (speaking of state government) than local government. Would we like it......if Uncle Sam came around sniffing at us and said, hmmm....we'd love to give SC more autonomy but we don't trust you to make good decisions? Heck no, how ridiculous is that?
And my point wasn't about we in York County not helping poorer school districts elsewhere in the state. We should!! My point was......we here in York County should have the right to tax and fund local services like education AS WE SEE FIT, so long as it meets the state mandated minimum. I live in Fort Mill.......and we have had a BOOM influx of people crossing the border from Charlotte to live here BECAUSE of our schools. The quality of our schools is an economic drawing card that is an indisputable fact.
Reversing course on education will absolutely put a chokehold on our ability to continue to grow and prosper. If someone elsewhere thinks we're foolish......fine. But let us be foolish in our own way, so that the YC can continue to be a desirable alternative to Charlotte to live and work. We see quality schools and a quality education as a prerequisite.
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Quote:
Big Daddy,
I too have kids in HS Soccer, but I also have some playing club. I would agree HS is not free by any means. Recreational soccer is fairly inexpensive, but club soccer is a whole different level. So, if the local Y offered soccer at $70 or so and they usually have "Scholarships" for those in need, this would be a viable option for MS at the starter level of soccer. However, if those same kids moved up to Classic, those fees start to multiply. Throw in some challenge and premier paired with ODP, camps, etc and it really can be burdensome.
But on this level, an individual family can choose to participate or not.
The question is what about at the MS level? The next question will be what about the JV level? We know the big sports with lots of fans drive the athletics choices. As soccer supporters we are often on the short end of that stick. I see the culture slowly (sloth-like) changing as more and more families play soccer, but it is still a game dominated by the revenue sports.
I go to a soccer complex on the weekend and there are easily hundreds of people watching, cheering, and supporting soccer. I go to a high school game and there are less than 100- really 50 for girls soccer or JV soccer. We have to find a way to increase support for soccer.
Your point about cutting the peripherally relevant programs is interesting. For too long we have depended on schools to be the main vehicle to enact cultural change. It has become too much of a Walmart because that is what was mandated and expected. I think about the free lunch/breakfast programs, the nurses care, the social services attached to schools, the parenting programs, the language support programs, and on and on it goes. If we remove all of this to include sports from our schools, who will step in to provide these services in the local community?
In these dire financial times, we may have to really answer that question....
Good discourse.....tho perhaps not totally related to JV soccer.
Perhaps its merely my value system or sense of priorities...but I wouldn't equate school sports with ESL or subsidized breakfasts/lunches or special academic programs for those who fall outside of the mainsteam (either above or below).
A kid who hasn't eaten won't learn nearly as well as a kid who has. A kid with a poor command of English won't learn as well as a kid that understands the teacher. A kid with dyslexia.....
These are directly related to learning and education.....as opposed to football. Friday night lights are a big part of who we are culturally, as are experiences like the prom. But neither have much to do with education.
In terms of soccer attendance...not sure I get your point.
Yes, if you go to Ramblewood or BB&T or MESA on a Saturday afternoon there are a buttload of people there. But there are also 88 games going on. My experience is that MORE people go to HS games than do club games, where it really is only family for the most part.
The trick to me is to make what is known as Classic 2 in SC much closer to rec in cost, maybe $100 a kid. Basic uniform, use of public fields, volunteer coaches. That way kids who want to play....can. Make it year round....
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Hurst,
Good luck to the Fort Mill community as they try to retain MS sports! IM me... I will be more than glad to donate to the cause.
Scott
Last edited by ScottW; 03/24/10 02:31 AM.
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Wonder how many middle school soccer teams there are in the state?
I guess we could include any JV that is almost all 7th/8th graders.
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They have my vote and full support! Surprised school board didn't off that up before just cutting away!
Rick Fielden
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Last year I spoke in front of the board at a meeting maybe this year we will have to do more than talk.
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Quote:
Wonder how many middle school soccer teams there are in the state?
I guess we could include any JV that is almost all 7th/8th graders.
I think there is a significant difference between a JV team comprised mostly of 7th & 8th graders (there are many of them in SC), and a middle school team.
The JV is a critical component of the high school soccer program.
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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I know I was just wondering how many middle schools could lay claim to having teams. Since some actual schools do not have the program the kids play JV and I imagine at a lot of smaller schools the JV is mostly 7/8th graders.
I am still of the mind that over the long run middle school team will benefit the HS programs. I know it has only been 3 years in FM but both FMMS and GHMS have done well against HS JV's (boys and girls). I can't help but think these kids are getting an extra 2yrs to play as a team before HS and that will pay off eventually.
At the least it give the coaches a chance to see the players who may not be known from local club but have potential.
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I agree with you 100%, it's nice to have middle school soccer so that all of these girls can keep playing competitively.
But, as Big Daddy has stated before, is it a necessity, or a luxury......especially in these difficult economic times?
If we have to drop middle school soccer, who gets left out? The competitive 7th & 8th graders are playing for their club teams in the spring. The non-competitive 7th & 8th graders can play in the recreational league during the spring.
And.....the really, really good players can play on the high school JV team. What child gets "left behind"?
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the MS programs if we can make it work. I officiated a couple of games tonight, the boys game was one of the most exciting and well-played games that I have had the pleasure of doing this year. Atmosphere was great, fans were in a frenzy.
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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Totally with you on the choices that have to be made. Teaching at school come first. In fact last year one of my comment to the board was to question why we were getting rid of reading specialists and keeping the math specialists. How do you do math problems you can't read!
Just like the idea of finding a way to keep a low cost sport like soccer available to the kids while also provideing the school pride and behavior incentive, teachers will tell you big that is!
Which MS game did ref GHMS vs Clover?
Last edited by The Chief; 03/24/10 03:23 AM.
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MS Girls
Fort Mill 3
Oak Ridge 0
MS Boys
Fort Mill 3
Oak Ridge 2
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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That's the seconsd time I have heard the Oak Ridge put a good battle! They gave GHMS all they could handle too.
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Corner Kick
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Quote:
Wonder how many middle school soccer teams there are in the state?
I guess we could include any JV that is almost all 7th/8th graders.
Last year there were 33 middle schools with soccer. Most of those were in Greenville.
Beck Greenville
Berea Greenville
Blue Ridge Greenville
Blythewood Richland 2
Brewer Greenwood 50
Bryson Greenville
Guinyard-Butler Barnwell 45
Clover York 2
Dent Richland 2
E. L. Wright Richland 2
Edgewood Greenwood 52
Fort Mill York 4
Gold Hills York 4
Greenville Greenville
Greer Greenville
Hillcrest (G) Greenville
Hughes Greenville
Kelly Mill Richland 2
Lake View Dillon
League Greenville
Longleaf Middle Richland 2
Mauldin Greenville
Northside Greenwood 50
Northwest Greenville
Northwood Greenville
Ralph Chandler Greenville
Riverside (G) Greenville
Sevier Greenville
Springfield York 4
Summit Parkway Richland 2
Tanglewood Greenville
Westview Greenwood 50
Woodmont Greenville
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Wow would make for great season if some of the York teams could play more of the other area team! Did not realize their were so many other teams.
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Lexington 1 mulls job cuts, more Ending instruction in foreign language in second grade, band in fifth grade and middle school sports teamsLexington One: Gilbert HS (2A), Lexington HS (4A), Pelion HS (2A) White Knoll HS (4A)
Victory Starts Here!
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None of the Lexington 1 schools have strictly middle school soccer teams. White Knoll has a boys B squad, but not middle school teams. I don't see how this annoucement would make much difference for soccer.
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It might not for soccer, but think about the other sports at each middle school. Besides, I understand that by cutting middle school sports, all they are cutting is coaching supplements. Why not just cut the supplements in half or more than that? What they need to understand is that coaches on the middle school level coach not for the money, but for the pure enjoyment of coaching. Many times, kids learn the basic fundamentals of the game from the middle school program.
As a high school soccer coach and middle school football coach, I think that cutting the middle school athletic programs will set back the high school programs. Many times, middle school age kids have other avenues to play the same sports and still are able to compete on the same level. Club soccer and Pony League baseball come to mind. But, let's face the facts, in Lexington County, middle school football is light-years ahead of Rec. League football. The same can be said for basketball, but they also have AAU to fall back on.
I hope that they can find a way to keep it around. I would hate to see student discipline if you can't hold athletics over their heads.
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I agree with you all the way, coach. I was just pointing out on this soccer-related forum that the cuts wouldn't have much impact on soccer in Lexington 1.
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Fort Mill middle school sports options weighed The (Rock Hill) Herald April 13, 2010 by Toya Graham http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/04/13/2085167/middle-school-sports-options-weighed.htmlStill no real solution.  If the local town rec departments provide opportunities for these kids, but they are not on the same team as their classmates, and their school name is not on their jersey.....is it still middle school sports?
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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"It was never our intention to cut middle school sports but move it to another entity," board Chairman Patrick White said Monday night.
Really? Who should be running school sports, a non school entity? If they never meant to cut them why would they say "We have to cut them."? Why not come out from the get go and say they were looking to find another way to fund them.
"If middle sports are not offered, we would be willing to assume them (the students) into our program," Hudspeth said. "Students would sign up, and they would be put on teams without any regard to where they go to school."
This sounds like a rec program, which we already have in Fort Mill areas. This would not be "middle school sports". Are you going to keep a kid off the rec team for bad grades or poor behavior in school? Many teachers will tell you that behavior issues will be a very large problem for some students who normally "tow the line" during the sports seasons. Coaches in the school can be relied on to talk to "their" players/students to help keep them "focused".
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That is the complaint that a lot of us have about the chance of middle school sports being dropped. As a middle school football coach, I would hate to see it go. If the rec league is going to absorb the middle school football players, then they need to look at what the City of Charleston does. They have two rec football teams for each Middle School, a 12-13 yr. old and 13-14 yr. old team. The teams are comprised of kids from that middle school, the uniforms are the school colors, and they use the school name, mascot, and logos. So, without the school having to pay for travel and refs, they are playing. Some of the teachers from the school are the coaches too. They also have to be "academically" eligible to play.
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Fort Mill leaders OK pay-to-play for schools The (Rock Hill) Herald April 28, 2010 by Toya Graham http://www.heraldonline.com/2010/04/28/2124664/fort-mill-leaders-ok-pay-to-play.htmlMiddle school sports saved (that's good!)  $100 a pop to play (that's bad.)
Kids play sports because they find it fun. Eliminate the fun and soon you eliminate the kid.
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At least it is an option.
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No diff than Fort Mill HS currently charging a $100 a pop to play. Why FM $100 and Rock Hill $25?
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Booster clubs will still need to raise about $35,000 to make it work too, but at least it is an option. I wonder if they are going to cut back to single team in fall and winter sports like spring, ie one football team vice 7th and 8th grade teams.
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I know that the people of Fort Mill are happy about this. I sure hope that Lexington 1 will be able to find a solution too. As for your other question, I have never understood the deal with a 7th grade team and a 8th grade team. Maybe it is because we have never had enough kids to field two teams. But, my thoughts are get the best athletes on one team and prepare them to play high school ball.
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