Our School Board Decides to Cut All Jr. High School Sports

[The Original Bamfer]

Now, I find the irony in this hilarious: Our county is said to be one of the fattest counties in the United States, and our school district has entirely changed our menus to solve this issue (as well as done many other things.) Our school board, however has decided upon cutting all Jr. High sports.

In terms of health and obesity, I do believe this is a wrong turn. Jr. high (In our district, starting at 5th grade) is often when Puberty hits or develops. And kids need to stay healthy to keep up with their hormones and changing bodies. A lot of stress can be found at this age as well. Physical activity is one of the few healthy ways kids really have to relieve stress. Sports give them something to do, as opposed to having more time to turn to drugs and/or alcohol.

And, like anything else, athletes are successful because of their practice. Experience usually makes for a better performance. These few years are vital for athletes when they move on up to High School and the pre-existing team is bound to accept a younger athlete more if they have learned their sport, something, which will be taken away from them if they are cut. Sports, potentially, can invest positive qualities into a teenager, such as responsibility and teamwork.


There have always been sports in Jr. High - the usuals; football, basketball, wrestling, etc. Every sport there acts as a primer for High School Sports. I do not think Budgetary reasons are an acceptable enough reason to rid future-athletes of something so important. Sure, I am a senior that will be done - for good - in five days. So, it doesn't really affect me. But it will a lot of my family as well as people I know. Especially after all fo the drastic changes made recently (No auditorium/theatre in the new school, a more demanding grading scale, cameras & more intense security, etc,) it is slightly offensive.

What do you think?

 

[amazingdm]

so what?
what's the big deal about sports? why do people act like the friday high school football game is a life and death situation? sports are stupid

if kids want to go and PLAY they can anytime right?

 

[The Original Bamfer]

Oh, believe me, sports do not = life. When I went into Jr. high, I actually stopped playing sports. But I do agree that we should provide the kids who do want to participate with those oppurtunities.


They are also considering dropping High School Band completely. Which would be absolutely ridiculous.

 

[primemover]

Why did they cut it?

 

[Kyalesyin]

I'd have had a week-long party if my school had cut sports. I spent every damn sports session hiding in a bathroom or an empty classroom until it was over I hated them that damn much.

Oddly enough, I did two hours of martial arts three times a week after school, so I got the benefit of the excersise without the public humiliation. Sports wasn't about excersise in school. It was about being popular and laughing at everyone else.

 

[Babs Gordon]

That's not the case everywhere, Kaz. I'd say fully half of the student body in my middle school and high school participated in sports. There was a wide enough array of offerings to please everyone. Each team had a mix of the popular kids and the not popular kids. In fact I think a lot of the "coolest" kids were too busy partying and mixed up with other **** to really excel at sports. I was a total wallflower in middle and high school and I still did soccer every year.

 

[Kyalesyin]

It was mandatory here to be involved in sports. If you weren't in a team, they put you in a team. I would actually have prefered to hang myself than join in on all the petty politics and **** that went on.

 

[jaguarr]

It's sad to see our school systems cutting the things that really offer kids a chance to develop their creative talents and self-discipline. It's not just sports that suffer, either. Many school districts have cut music programs, drama and acting programs, and even foreign language programs because they are deemed "irrelevant" or "frivolous" and don't contribute to the task of making sure kids can regurgitate information for the mega-******ed "No Child Left Behind" program (I prefer to call it the "No Child Allowed To Excel" program). The focus, dedication and discipline I got from sports and especially music as a kid has been invaluable to me as an adult and is probably the only thing that kept me from stabbing several teachers in the eye with a large pair of scissors.

jag

 

[Babs Gordon]

Ooo that does suck. At least we had tons of other stuff to do for those who weren't into sports. I also did a lot of drama, chorus and band and french club, international club and student government (you could just join, you didn't necessarily need to be elected because often the popular ****s that won the races didn't do jack once in office).

 

[Kyalesyin]

School sports didn't do anything for my self-discipline. It was a pair of psychopathic *******s trying to make my life a misery for four hours a week. All that ever did for me was make things worse. I did so well in school because I skipped sports and ended up doing my homework while I was hiding in empty rooms.

I will actually exempt my kids from doing sports no questions asked if they ask me to. I wouldn't put my worst enemy through that.

 

[Telekinetic]

My school is in the same boat.

We only have 5 sports left.

Not that im in any of them but still there goes all of our school spirit.

 

[Kyalesyin]

School spirit is a myth and a joke.

 

[Darthphere]

 

[Kyalesyin]

Excuse me while I puke.

 

[Movies205]

Now while I was never into sports... I'd say it's rather important for kids who do not excell academically, having something to be proud of is something important in any kid's life or else they feel useless, etc. Whether it be getting an A on a silly quiz, or being the star of your junior highschool basketball team. So sport provides an outlet for kids, as well as giving them a chance to learn how to work as a team, and all that jazz. So that's kind of sad actually [BLACKOUT][/BLACKOUT]

 

[jaguarr]

"You're missing all the fun, Dick." - Wonder Woman



jag

 

[Kyalesyin]

Still puking

 

[The Question]

You don't need school to be athletic. If you want to play baseball or football or whatever, all you need is some equipment, enough players, and an empty feild. My school has no sports programs at all, and we still play sports for fun.

 

[lazur]

so what?
what's the big deal about sports? why do people act like the friday high school football game is a life and death situation? sports are stupid

if kids want to go and PLAY they can anytime right?

Heh, no offense but that's probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard on this issue.

When I was in school, all the way up through high school, physical education was *required*. Nowadays it's not only not required, but they're cutting extra curricular sports as well? Wtf kind of non-sense is that?

Point being, everyone lives by the seat of their pants today, with the internet taking over as the central means for socialization. Kids don't just "go out and play" anymore. They go ONLINE and play, because a) many parents are very realistic about what's 'out there' to play with, the internet also having an effect because it allows sickos to get their hands much more easily upon material that 10 years ago would have been impossible, thus enabling them to realize their sick fantasies, which many times sets them in motion for preying on kids, and b) the sedentary lifestyle is by far the more rewarding in terms of 'immediate gratification' and pure 'entertainment value'. Ask a kid if he would prefer to go out and toss a baseball or football around, or play World of Warcraft all day, and which, on average, is going to be chosen?

Granted, parents are often the enablers. I have teenagers at home, and I know how easy it would be just to let them sit in front of the computer all day, and some days I've done that. But I also kick them out of the house to play sports and with their friends OUTSIDE, in fresh air. I also make them use an elliptical machine and treadmill to keep them in shape. For the most part, they're well adjusted, normal, healthy kids. But when I take a walk through their school, seeing many kids who are twice their width and about 3/4 of their intelligence, I just shake my head, as most of them line up next to the vending machines for their next coke and twinky.

Much of what's going on the parents have a great deal of control over, but when you work your tail off all week providing for your kids, it sure would be nice if other parents and teachers and school administrators in the lives of our kids would actually pitch in and help.

 

[Kyalesyin]

If school sports was the only type of sport I was ever offered, I would be fat and dumb by now because that **** put me off any kind of sports for life.

If anything, it should be up to the parents, not the schools, to get kids playing sports.

 

[The Original Bamfer]

If school sports was the only type of sport I was ever offered, I would be fat and dumb by now because that **** put me off any kind of sports for life.

If anything, it should be up to the parents, not the schools, to get kids playing sports.

No, it should be the kids who decide. And that is the way it was here. But now they have no choice. It is unfortunate.

 

[Darthphere]

I don't know, the kids that usually went up for sports in my Jr. high were the ones that were already athletic anyway.

 

[jaguarr]

No, it should be the kids who decide. And that is the way it was here. But now they have no choice. It is unfortunate.

I agree with you. Kids should have the choices available to them. It's another good exercise for them to get some experience in decision making and follow-through, not to mention self-expression.

jag

 

[lazur]

I agree with you. Kids should have the choices available to them. It's another good exercise for them to get some experience in decision making and follow-through, not to mention self-expression.

jag

I like the idea of giving kids the choice and all, but sometime's that just unrealistic, as most kids will choose to do whatever presents the most opportunity with the least amount of challenge.

I think it's up to the parents to raise kids who understand the value in hard work, and then the rest will play out from there. If parents raise kids to sit on their duffs all day and talk on AIM, that's just as much of an enabler as schools without extracurricular sports activities, or even PE classes. But if parents FORCE their kids to get off the computer and do something physically challenging (ride a bike, get on the treadmill, go play football with friends), that builds the type of winning attitude toward challenge that kids need to succeed. It's like anything else in life - kids form habits, whether forced to or not, just like the rest of us. Get them into the habit of being physically active, which at times requires a stern hand, and they will benefit.

So yeah, I wouldn't force my kids to play a school sport, but I have and will continue to instill values in them that give them what they need to WANT to do it on their own.

 

[jaguarr]

I like the idea of giving kids the choice and all, but sometime's that just unrealistic, as most kids will choose to do whatever presents the most opportunity with the least amount of challenge.

I think it's up to the parents to raise kids who understand the value in hard work, and then the rest will play out from there. If parents raise kids to sit on their duffs all day and talk on AIM, that's just as much of an enabler as schools without extracurricular sports activities, or even PE classes. But if parents FORCE their kids to get off the computer and do something physically challenging (ride a bike, get on the treadmill, go play football with friends), that builds the type of winning attitude toward challenge that kids need to succeed. It's like anything else in life - kids form habits, whether forced to or not, just like the rest of us. Get them into the habit of being physically active, which at times requires a stern hand, and they will benefit.

So yeah, I wouldn't force my kids to play a school sport, but I have and will continue to instill values in them that give them what they need to WANT to do it on their own.

Not necessarily. I knew a lot of kids when I was in school (and still see this today with my nieces and nephews) who get involved in sports and music because the other kids are doing it. There's a peer pressure factor involved. Yes, parents should encourage their kids to get out and do things and to try new activities, but having those options available at school can help with that in a very big way.

jag