Community Corner
Athlete's Parent: Cutting Middle School Sports
Dan Napolitano runs one of the youth divisions for Farmingdale Baseball League Inc.
“Cut school sports” is the phrase that school administrators use to get the attention of their community.
Most of us are busy conducting our lives and watch the budget with only one eye. When parents hear that their school sports are being cut, however, they respond, like Pavlov’s dog, to the alarm bell. I attended a recent meeting and watched as an array of cuts were presented to the district parents.
As a parent of five, I have sent three kids through the and have nothing but praise for the teachers, coaches and other professionals I have encountered along the way. I am also active in our community sports leagues and the thought of cutting or combining middle school sports is not one I embrace.
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However, drive down any block in North Massapequa or Farmingdale and you will see more “For Sale” signs than usual. These are unusual times and they call for unusual measures.
If I was king, and I am not thankfully, I would not combine seventh and eighth grade sports. The district explained that a combined team would require cuts to be made and not all would have a chance to play.
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My solution would be to eliminate all seventh grade sports and have only eighth graders compete against other schools. Have I gone mad?
No, well maybe. Our town has fantastic youth sports team. Our football, lacrosse, basketball and travel baseball leagues all provide our kids with great learning environments, with more training and competition than the middle school provides. These leagues can adapt their age grouping so that they can accommodate seventh graders.
For example, a boy who would have been cut as a seventh grader will now have an additional year of training and growth before playing at school. And on the contrary he will not have to make a team as a seventh grader and watch while the older boys get the playing time.
The result would be to allow all the eighth graders to compete on teams, without any cuts being made.
Find out how middle school sports were affected in the 2011-2012 Farmingdale School District budget . As part of its Patch will feature local opinions on the subject. Interested in having your voice heard? Contact Farmingdale Patch editor Amanda Fiscina at amandaf@patch.com.
