Have to cancel son's reservation b/o sports!

[Warm Breezes]

Thts interesting is it all over or just in your specific area?, I never knew schools did this, wonder if our school does this in our area hmmm

 

It's done in Michigan....Football/Soccer/Band has practices/games in August during the Summer Break; Basketball has practices/games during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Mid-Winter Breaks and Baseball has practices/games during Spring Break. Sports parents need to know their kids schedules and plan around them. It is one of the sacrifices parents make if they have kids who want to play High School sports. If you don't want to make the sacrifices then don't let your child join a team that requires them.

[conrad75070]

To all who question why HS sports teams practice and play games during spring break, not all schools in a particular sports league have the same week for spring break.

Since a spring sport may only last a month or two, if you took into account all of the schools spring breaks in that league, there may be a 2-4 week gap where games cannot be played.

[LRav19]

In a sport like baseball you really have to practice to stay sharp. Many schools have district play going on during spring break time also. Those games are not an option, you have to play them. If you were to take a week off during spring break it would be just like missing two weeks because you would have to use the next week getting back into playing shape.

[scottsgal]

Some of you are so willing to crucify the coach for sticking to the rules. There are reasons for the rules and even if we don't agree with them, if we have kids involved in HS sports we need to abide by them or not let our kids play. It's still the parent's choice, but let's look at some facts:

 

1. High School sports are played during breaks. Football and Soccer start in August during the Summer Break, Basketball goes through Thanksgiving, Christmas and Mid-Winter Breaks, and Baseball goes through Spring Break.

 

2. High School sports are competitive both individually and as a team. Teens compete with each other to make the team and once they make it they need to compete for their starting positions. The rules have changed...its no longer everyone gets to play.

 

Coaches need to build teams with kids that are commited to going to all practices and games. If they can't commit there are other kids out there who are willing to take that kids place. If you or your child can't commit to the team's schedule then the coach needs to make the decision to let someone who can commit play so he can build a cohesive team.

 

As a parent you still make the decision of when to plan your family vacation. But if you are a parent of a child who is participating in sports, then you need to take that team's schedule into account if your child wants to play. If you can't commit to that schedule then your child needs to face the consequences of that decision whether it means getting cut or being benched for a few games. It's not fair to the child who got cut so your child could play, if your child can't commit to the schedule and they could have. It's not fair to the rest of the team who come to the practices and games, if your child can't commit to the schedule and they have to play without a key player (or multiple key players if more than one person is gone) and lose because the core of their team is gone. These are the reasons why those rules are in place. It is about commitment to the team and if you can't commit then face the consequences or don't play and let someone else who can commit play.

 

No one is telling people that they can't plan their vacations when they want to....but everyone has to make sacrifices. That's life. If you want to plan your vacation during a sports season then your child maybe sacrificing playing that sport. If your child wants to play a sport then you may be sacrificing family vacations during that sport's season. It's still your choice. Do you want them to participate in that sport or go on a family vacation? The coach doesn't get to decide that for you. But he does get to decide who plays on his team and he's going to choose the kids that are at the practices and the games and are committed to his team. That's his job.

 

Perfect explanation and the way things are with HS sport. We just had our 8th baseball game this week this morning and 2 more tomorrow. I think a lot of people that are saying the coach is wrong and schools don't play during breaks must not have kids that play HS sports.

[alligirl78]

If vacation is more important then you don't commit. Easy. Otherwise get informed so you can plan around the season.

 

And your solution for families who need to plan before schedules are released? Just don't travel or take a vacation for 4 years? Yeah...sounds reasonable to me.:confused:

[jenwales]

And your solution for families who need to plan before schedules are released? Just don't travel or take a vacation for 4 years? Yeah...sounds reasonable to me.:confused:

 

Once your kids is involved in an activity, you pretty much know which time frames are off limits. If tryouts are in February, you don't plan anything from then until the season ends (to include potential playoffs). With my son, I know that if I want to go anywhere with him during the school year, mid December through the beginning of January is the only safe time.

[Shelbyjane56]

Our daughter started playing soccer when she was 5, we had no problem taking vacations back then! She realized that she loved soccer so she was always practicing which was fun...she played on teams for her age group. Then when she hit middle school she was doing travel soccer, which is a lot of driving or flying to go to games..(she is a goal keeper) . One day when she was about 12 she said she wanted to play soccer in college and she told us that she would have to work even harder, which was fine with her (as long as the grades stay up) As it were she was the starting keeper from freshman year till she graduated as a senior and made the State Keeper last year it was also the same day as graduation, she had to make a choice, play in the state game or go to graduation...yep she made the choice to play in the state game...she is now a keeper Division one and is loving every min of it, if SHE (not us) made the decision and had goals that she wanted to accomplish, we were willing to get her where she had to be, it takes a lot to be on a division one team. In the end it was her choice and she is glad she was given the chance to live out her dream...We plan to take her on a cruise when she graduates from college. Some kids know what they want by the time they are in middle school...therefore we were always there and still go to all her games even though some are out of the country.

[T. Advisor King]

With respect, I must completely disagree with you. A 14 year old child is NOT old enough to be responsible for making a commitment that affects his entire family's vacation, nor is he old enough to evaluate the potential monetary loss to the family. In fact, the 14 year old may not yet understand enough about money to know what impact that loss has on the family.

 

In addition, I know from my friends experiences that many coaches "forget" to inform parents about the time commitment expected. ...

 

When you work for a school district, you are obligated to follow the schedule of the school district. If it is Spring Break, then it is assumed that everyone will be on Spring Break. Period. ...

 

Many people scrape by just to afford one family vacation per year and the coach is expecting this family to throw away the money they paid ...

 

I am not suggesting that kids skip out of organized sports because they want to go to a movie or sleep in, but when it is vacation time as scheduled by the school system and the family has planned a vacation, the coach should have NO SAY and NO RECOURSE to punish the kid for taking a vacation with his family. PERIOD.

 

I don’t necessarily disagree with your point, but I do disagree with how you’re applying the logic to the situation. This isn’t about a 14 year old evaluating the monetary impact and making a commitment affecting the entire family. It is about the parents and the child thinking about the commitment they are making before they make it. If your child wants to try out for a competitive team, as a parent, you should be making sure your child understands what that means. You should also be assessing what it means to you before deciding whether you will permit him/her to play on that team. I believe it has been determined above that the parent had the opportunity to learn what the team rules were and what the commitment entailed and she chose not to take that opportunity. If the parents felt that taking a family vacation was more important, then they should not have permitted their son to sign up for a team where one of the team rules was that you had to attend all games and practices during the spring break.

I agree that there are some cases of coaches with big egos, who want to dominate, intimidate and manipulate. There should be no room in the systems for them. I agree with you. Whether or not that is the case here is unknown. What is known, is that the team had rules. The player and parents chose to ignore those rules and now are complaining about it.

As for training and competition schedules taking place during school breaks, you can debate whether or not you think it is a good idea. But that debate should take place before the season starts. If you want to complain that your child won’t be able to try out because you already know that you’re planning a spring break vacation and you don’t think that’s fair (or right), then make the case at the beginning, not after it is too late. Just bear in mind that there are plenty of student-athletes who want to compete at as high a level as possible. They will be looking forward to the practices and games during the school break and will be happy to take the place on the team of the kid who doesn’t want to make the same commitment.

As you said (and I agree) it is ASSUMED that the sports schedule will shut down for spring break. That's great. However, you are no longer entitled to make that assumption once the coach spells that out to each player and parent leading up to the try-outs, which is what seemed to have happened in this case.

[MissDiva1]

And your solution for families who need to plan before schedules are released? Just don't travel or take a vacation for 4 years? Yeah...sounds reasonable to me.:confused:

 

Wow! Like I said if traveling is more important then your child wanting to play organized sports..........then travel. Otherwise get informed and stay and support your child. You can't have it both ways........I and alot of people on here have already posted what a sacrafice it is. Believe it or not some of us postpone vacation to support our children.

[T. Advisor King]

Absolutely agree with SuiteTraveler. In addition, many people book their cruises or vacations months it years ahead. What kind of message does it send to a 14 yr old to agree to blow an entire family vacation for a few practices and a one baseball game? ...

 

... I'm not relying on my kids' coach (or Sensei in our case) to teach my kids responsibility, dedication and work ethic. Thats the parents' job. ...

 

...

The message it sends is that team rules apply to everyone who is on the team. If you want special treatment, try to work it out before the try-outs start. But don't expect that you can pick and choose what team rules you want to have apply to you.

 

And no one ever suggested this is about leaving it to the coach to teach commitment and responsibility. As a parent, you are teaching your kid commitment and responsibility by ensuring that he/she is being responsibly by honoring his commitments. If you don't want to honor the commitment, don't make it. It is as simple as that. If you think the commitment is unreasonable for the age and level of competition, then have that discussion with the coach or an administrator in advance.

[GaNavy]

So what you are saying is if the kid makes a commitment to the team, and the coach says to be on the team you must be in bed by 9pm, no mater what. and the kid is not done with homework, after practice, when 9pm comes he stops doing the homework, and goes to bed, after all he made the commitment to the team.

 

What about the commitment the parents made to the kid when they booked the cruise and promised to take them on a great vacation?

 

What about the commitment the parents made to Carnival to bring their son on the cruise?

 

That's not what I'm saying, and I'm sure you know that. There are limits. Every coach (and parent) would expect kids to do homework. Your other two "commitments" aren't commitments at all - what would happen to the parents' "commitment" if one of them got sick or both were hurt in an accident?

 

As for any "commitment" to Carnival, you've gotta be kidding. :rolleyes:

[Warm Breezes]

And your solution for families who need to plan before schedules are released? Just don't travel or take a vacation for 4 years? Yeah...sounds reasonable to me.:confused:

 

I go out at look at the current/past year schedule and have a pretty close idea of what the season schedule will be. It's not that difficult to do your research when trying to plan for future vacations. You just need to know which sport your child is going to want to try out for and look at the historical/current year schedules for that sport. I know in our school they are easily found on the internet.

[Friend100]

Our daughter started playing soccer when she was 5, we had no problem taking vacations back then! She realized that she loved soccer so she was always practicing which was fun...she played on teams for her age group. Then when she hit middle school she was doing travel soccer, which is a lot of driving or flying to go to games..(she is a goal keeper) . One day when she was about 12 she said she wanted to play soccer in college and she told us that she would have to work even harder, which was fine with her (as long as the grades stay up) As it were she was the starting keeper from freshman year till she graduated as a senior and made the State Keeper last year it was also the same day as graduation, she had to make a choice, play in the state game or go to graduation...yep she made the choice to play in the state game...she is now a keeper Division one and is loving every min of it, if SHE (not us) made the decision and had goals that she wanted to accomplish, we were willing to get her where she had to be, it takes a lot to be on a division one team. In the end it was her choice and she is glad she was given the chance to live out her dream...We plan to take her on a cruise when she graduates from college. Some kids know what they want by the time they are in middle school...therefore we were always there and still go to all her games even though some are out of the country.

 

You should also give credit to yourself who foster such an environment that your daughter had the tools and guts to choose, and knowing that she will always have your support.

[SuiteTraveler]

I don’t necessarily disagree with your point, but I do disagree with how you’re applying the logic to the situation. This isn’t about a 14 year old evaluating the monetary impact and making a commitment affecting the entire family. It is about the parents and the child thinking about the commitment they are making before they make it. If your child wants to try out for a competitive team, as a parent, you should be making sure your child understands what that means. You should also be assessing what it means to you before deciding whether you will permit him/her to play on that team. I believe it has been determined above that the parent had the opportunity to learn what the team rules were and what the commitment entailed and she chose not to take that opportunity. If the parents felt that taking a family vacation was more important, then they should not have permitted their son to sign up for a team where one of the team rules was that you had to attend all games and practices during the spring break.

 

I agree that there are some cases of coaches with big egos, who want to dominate, intimidate and manipulate. There should be no room in the systems for them. I agree with you. Whether or not that is the case here is unknown. What is known, is that the team had rules. The player and parents chose to ignore those rules and now are complaining about it.

 

As for training and competition schedules taking place during school breaks, you can debate whether or not you think it is a good idea. But that debate should take place before the season starts. If you want to complain that your child won’t be able to try out because you already know that you’re planning a spring break vacation and you don’t think that’s fair (or right), then make the case at the beginning, not after it is too late. Just bear in mind that there are plenty of student-athletes who want to compete at as high a level as possible. They will be looking forward to the practices and games during the school break and will be happy to take the place on the team of the kid who doesn’t want to make the same commitment.

 

As you said (and I agree) it is ASSUMED that the sports schedule will shut down for spring break. That's great. However, you are no longer entitled to make that assumption once the coach spells that out to each player and parent leading up to the try-outs, which is what seemed to have happened in this case.

 

The OP was clear that the son DID NOT know about the sports schedule prior to making the baseball team and neither did she. Clearly, the coach is NOT communicating the nature of the time requirements prior to try-outs - not to the kids nor to the parents. That is highly unprofessional and it is the coach's responsibility to do make sure that this information is communicated to the students AND their parents. Once the kid has already made the team is NOT the time to notify him and his parents that he will have to play 3 games and practice daily during Spring Break or he will be cut when families have already planned and paid for their vacations possible a year or more in advance. It is very clear that the OP has this cruise scheduled prior to her son even trying out for baseball.

 

And claiming it's not fair for this kid to get to go on vacation over Spring Break while someone who tried out for the team and didn't make it would have been there is absurd. The kids who didn't make the team, didn't make the team because they were not good enough. Period. It has NOTHING to do with willingness to make a time commitment on your vacation schedule.

 

It is ridiculous claiming that they have to play during Spring Break because other schools they are playing against are not on Spring Break. Would this be a good reason for the parents of sports teams to use their brains and band together and go to their school boards and demand that all school districts in the state have Spring Break at the same time? You know, it's the school board that sets the schedule and they are supposed to serve their constituents - the parents of the kids in their district. So why are the parents allowing this stuff to go on endlessly when it doesn't have to? These issues CAN and SHOULD be solved by the parents doing a little political activism and using their heads, not by continuing to allow out-of-control coaches and athletics programs run their lives.

[crazy4themouse]

My son is in HS marching band, and I have learned allll about sacrifices over the past year. However, I am a firm believer that holidays and breaks are just that -- and family time comes before all else. Period. Band eats up *such* a huge chunk of our time week in and week out, but he loves it and I love watching and supporting the band. But when a time comes like this past fall where the football team went to State and the Powers That Be were short-sighted enough to schedule a playoff game in the middle of Thanksgiving weekend, well, that's where family trumps band.

 

I explained politely to the band director that as it was a holiday weekend, we had family plans made long long ago that could not be broken, and I was sorry my son couldn't be there. He wasn't thrilled, but he luckily didn't hold it against my son. Yeah, I'm "that parent" who would be at school board meetnigs over something like that, had he held a grudge.

 

Life is SHORT... And family is precious, so much more precious than band, or baseball, or pretty much anything that happens in high school. I know better than to pull my child out of school when they're having state testing or a big band competition, and I expect the school to know better than to schedule something during a major holiday or break.

 

 

[MissDiva1]

The OP was clear that the son DID NOT know about the sports schedule prior to making the baseball team and neither did she. Clearly, the coach is NOT communicating the nature of the time requirements prior to try-outs - not to the kids nor to the parents. That is highly unprofessional and it is the coach's responsibility to do make sure that this information is communicated to the students AND their parents. Once the kid has already made the team is NOT the time to notify him and his parents that he will have to play 3 games and practice daily during Spring Break or he will be cut when families have already planned and paid for their vacations possible a year or more in advance. It is very clear that the OP has this cruise scheduled prior to her son even trying out for baseball.

 

And claiming it's not fair for this kid to get to go on vacation over Spring Break while someone who tried out for the team and didn't make it would have been there is absurd. The kids who didn't make the team, didn't make the team because they were not good enough. Period. It has NOTHING to do with willingness to make a time commitment on your vacation schedule.

 

It is ridiculous claiming that they have to play during Spring Break because other schools they are playing against are not on Spring Break. Would this be a good reason for the parents of sports teams to use their brains and band together and go to their school boards and demand that all school districts in the state have Spring Break at the same time? You know, it's the school board that sets the schedule and they are supposed to serve their constituents - the parents of the kids in their district. So why are the parents allowing this stuff to go on endlessly when it doesn't have to? These issues CAN and SHOULD be solved by the parents doing a little political activism and using their heads, not by continuing to allow out-of-control coaches and athletics programs run their lives.

 

The OP clearly stated that she should have checked the rules prior to booking her vacation for spring break......It's called responsibility.........

[Martini Mom]

I think life is about balance. Sports are great for kids, but so is time for homework, and time for family. I'm not just talking about vacations, but on a daily basis.

 

My son doesn't play water polo anymore because there were so many long practices, games, scrimmages, etc. that there wasn't enough time each day for homework (he is also in honors classes). School and family come first for us. Period.

[T. Advisor King]

The OP was clear that the son DID NOT know about the sports schedule prior to making the baseball team and neither did she. Clearly, the coach is NOT communicating the nature of the time requirements prior to try-outs - not to the kids nor to the parents. ….

And claiming it's not fair for this kid to get to go on vacation over Spring Break while someone who tried out for the team and didn't make it would have been there is absurd. The kids who didn't make the team, didn't make the team because they were not good enough. Period. It has NOTHING to do with willingness to make a time commitment on your vacation schedule.

It is ridiculous claiming that they have to play during Spring Break because other schools they are playing against are not on Spring Break. Would this be a good reason for the parents of sports teams to use their brains and band together and go to their school boards and demand that all school districts in the state have Spring Break at the same time? You know, it's the school board that sets the schedule and they are supposed to serve their constituents - the parents of the kids in their district. So why are the parents allowing this stuff to go on endlessly when it doesn't have to? These issues CAN and SHOULD be solved by the parents doing a little political activism and using their heads, not by continuing to allow out-of-control coaches and athletics programs run their lives.

I agree neither the OP nor the son appeared to know what the commitment to the team was. It is less clear who was more to blame for that. Maybe the coach sent home an information packet with each player who tried out and the OP chose not to read it. We don’t know. We weren’t there. I concede that the coach may have been able to have done a better communication job. But we don’t know for sure.

As a coach who has picked players for both rec and competitive teams, I can tell you that skill or talent alone is not the only thing that gets you on the team. We look for potential, ability to learn, willingness to work hard and make a commitment. If I’m picking 17 players for a team and I think the 18th best player has a far better work ethic, attitude and desire to excel, I will definitely pick him over the 17th best player Maybe ahead of the 10th best Maybe the 8th as well.

The last comment about parents banding together to force school boards in different school districts to set common spring breaks solely so that that all school teams can coordinate time off for their players is simply absurd. And you seem to continue to miss the point that most of the players are happy to be there and most of the parents are happy to work around the school and sports schedules because they understand the benefits of sport (and similar activities like band, dance, etc.). I think you're under the impression that all the students are fuming about it but reluctant to do anything, when in reality, they're happy about it. The kids joined the team because they love to play, compete and improve.

[newcatintown]

 

 

As a coach who has picked players for both rec and competitive teams, I can tell you that skill or talent alone is not the only thing that gets you on the team. We look for potential, ability to learn, willingness to work hard and make a commitment. If I’m picking 17 players for a team and I think the 18th best player has a far better work ethic, attitude and desire to excel, I will definitely pick him over the 17th best player Maybe ahead of the 10th best Maybe the 8th as well.

 

As it is in life. Fire & desire go a very long way. Better a 'lesser' (for lack of a better word) person with the fire in their belly than one who has the talent but chooses to sit on their laurels. I'll lean towards the one with the true passion every time.

[Warm Breezes]

 

I agree neither the OP nor the son appeared to know what the commitment to the team was. It is less clear who was more to blame for that. Maybe the coach sent home an information packet with each player who tried out and the OP chose not to read it. We don’t know. We weren’t there. I concede that the coach may have been able to have done a better communication job. But we don’t know for sure.

 

As a coach who has picked players for both rec and competitive teams, I can tell you that skill or talent alone is not the only thing that gets you on the team. We look for potential, ability to learn, willingness to work hard and make a commitment. If I’m picking 17 players for a team and I think the 18th best player has a far better work ethic, attitude and desire to excel, I will definitely pick him over the 17th best player Maybe ahead of the 10th best Maybe the 8th as well.

 

The last comment about parents banding together to force school boards in different school districts to set common spring breaks solely so that that all school teams can coordinate time off for their players is simply absurd. , And you seem to continue to miss the point that most of the players are happy to be there and most of the parents are happy to work around the school and sports schedules because they understand the benefits of sport (and similar activities like band, dance, etc.). I think you're under the impression that all the students are fuming about it but reluctant to do anythingwhen in reality, they're happy about it. The kids joined the team because they love to play, compete and improve.

 

This is it exactly. I am one of those parents who has no problem working around sports and work schedules to plan a vacation. My kids enjoy their sports and they excel in them.

 

It was DS who asked me not to schedule vacations during his soccer and basketball seasons so he wouldn't miss practices or games. During his seasons he dedicates himself to his sports and doing his best to secure and maintain starting positions.

 

My DD is a competitive dancer. I would never schedule anything from Feb - June when they are finalizing dances and competing. She has been competing for 7 years and missed her first competition last year due to a broken foot. This 13 yo girl had tears in her eyes watching her teams compete without her for the first time. She went to all her dance practices making sure she kept up with dances even if she was just sitting there watching them. She was determined not to miss her nationals and amazed the doctor with her strength and flexibilty 5 weeks after having a screw put in her foot. He cleared her to dance in nationals a week away. She practiced with her teams that week like she had never missed any practices and she did dance at her Nationals.

 

With a commitment like that, how can I not do what I can to support both of my kids in the sports that they worked so hard to succeed in? I truly believe that their sports give them an edge in their education (they are both A average students), in their health, and in their self-esteem. IMHO it's better than having them sitting home watching TV all day or hanging with other teens with nothing better to do. I will gladly sacrifice to provide this for them.

[Nemspy]

Perfectly said :D

 

Aussies have a reputation for being sports mad but what I'm reading here takes it to a whole new level. My kids devote most of their time to, you know, studying at highschool. Sport comes second. School breaks are for decompressing and rejuvenating body and mind - a cruise would be perfect. With the insane amount of pressure being put on kids from coaches (and a lot of parents by the look of it) is it any wonder these kids just burn out eventually? It's only a game [runs and hangs out with the nerds in the library].

 

I'm Australian too and currently live in the US. I find it quite appalling the emphasis placed on high school sport here. Here in Vegas our state budget is in such a black hole that every year there's more and more cuts to education, this year they are trying to reduce teacher salaries by 7%, there's no money allocated for new books, class sizes are due to increase by an average of seven students and 10-20% of the teacher force is going to be reduced. This is just a fraction of the decimation of our state's education infrastructure that we're supposedly going to see this year alone.

 

Does anyone want to guess which particular element of the education system is a seeming holy cow, unable to take any cuts whatsoever? That's right - SPORT. What's more important? Teachers and materials, or a game?

 

Back in Australia sport was something you paid for and played through neighbourhood teams and junior leagues. There's a lot that's neat about the USA, but the way sport and education are so married together is just bewildering to me (like how people get into universities here on "sports scholarships". Back home you need to be intelligent to get into university and we have no "college sports".

[SuiteTraveler]

 

I agree neither the OP nor the son appeared to know what the commitment to the team was. It is less clear who was more to blame for that. Maybe the coach sent home an information packet with each player who tried out and the OP chose not to read it. We don’t know. We weren’t there. I concede that the coach may have been able to have done a better communication job. But we don’t know for sure.

 

As a coach who has picked players for both rec and competitive teams, I can tell you that skill or talent alone is not the only thing that gets you on the team. We look for potential, ability to learn, willingness to work hard and make a commitment. If I’m picking 17 players for a team and I think the 18th best player has a far better work ethic, attitude and desire to excel, I will definitely pick him over the 17th best player Maybe ahead of the 10th best Maybe the 8th as well.

 

The last comment about parents banding together to force school boards in different school districts to set common spring breaks solely so that that all school teams can coordinate time off for their players is simply absurd. And you seem to continue to miss the point that most of the players are happy to be there and most of the parents are happy to work around the school and sports schedules because they understand the benefits of sport (and similar activities like band, dance, etc.). I think you're under the impression that all the students are fuming about it but reluctant to do anything, when in reality, they're happy about it. The kids joined the team because they love to play, compete and improve.

 

If you are a coach who chooses players based on work ethic over ability, so much the worse for you and your teams. Work ethic can be taught, innate ability/talent, cannot.

[SuiteTraveler]

I'm Australian too and currently live in the US. I find it quite appalling the emphasis placed on high school sport here. Here in Vegas our state budget is in such a black hole that every year there's more and more cuts to education, this year they are trying to reduce teacher salaries by 7%, there's no money allocated for new books, class sizes are due to increase by an average of seven students and 10-20% of the teacher force is going to be reduced. This is just a fraction of the decimation of our state's education infrastructure that we're supposedly going to see this year alone.

 

Does anyone want to guess which particular element of the education system is a seeming holy cow, unable to take any cuts whatsoever? That's right - SPORT. What's more important? Teachers and materials, or a game?

 

Back in Australia sport was something you paid for and played through neighbourhood teams and junior leagues. There's a lot that's neat about the USA, but the way sport and education are so married together is just bewildering to me (like how people get into universities here on "sports scholarships". Back home you need to be intelligent to get into university and we have no "college sports".

 

I couldn't agree with you more.

[Warm Breezes]

If you are a coach who chooses players based on work ethic over ability, so much the worse for you and your teams. Work ethic can be taught, innate ability/talent, cannot.

 

If you have a player with ability/talent who refuses to use it for the better of the team, then what good is it. I've seen a couple of teams that focus on a few "superstars" and not on the making of team and I've seen teams with a bunch of "good" players who were willing to work together as a team. In my experience the teams with the "good" players who were willing to work together often won more games that the teams who focused on their "superstar" players. What happens to those teams when their "superstar" player decides to go on vacation during Spring Break and leave them hanging for the games scheduled during that time period??

[SuiteTraveler]

If you have a player with ability/talent who refuses to use it for the better of the team, then what good is it. I've seen a couple of teams that focus on a few "superstars" and not on the making of team and I've seen teams with a bunch of "good" players who were willing to work together as a team. In my experience the teams with the "good" players who were willing to work together often won more games that the teams who focused on their "superstar" players. What happens to those teams when their "superstar" player decides to go on vacation during Spring Break and leave them hanging for the games scheduled during that time period??

 

I think your question is a bit off track since I am advocating that ALL players get Spring Break off, not that ONLY star players get Spring Break off.