Parents think coach is wrong (03/30/06)

To the editor:

Jay School Corporation Mission — “In partnership with our families and the community, the mission of the Jay School Corporation is to provide a quality education program, which causes each student to think, reason and communicate and make positive contributions to our community.” This mission is clearly misunderstood by the coaches, athletic department and superior educators in our schools system. What about a student who maintains a 3.95 GPA, while playing sports, participating in Swing Choir, is actively involved at church and doesn’t spend her weekends wondering where the next underage drinking party will be? So tell me why that student isn’t allowed to play an off-season travel sport on Sunday? Is it an IHSAA rule? A school rule? Absolutely not, it’s coach Jack Wood’s rule.

The IHSAA states: “Students should have the opportunity to voluntarliy engage in non-school sponsored sports activities provided such activities do not interfere with the student’s educational development and the activities do not conflict with the principles of wholesome amateur athletics.” My daughter has played softball since she was old enough to sign up and volleyball for the last six years and now is forced to make a decision between the two because of Coach Wood’s personal opinion, not due to any rule. When you take away a child’s right to choose to play two sports that she really enjoys and is a starting player for both you open up doors for problems. Let’s consider all those athletes out there whose biggest decision on the weekends is which bar, house, barn, or cabin party to attend. Those athletes are breaking school and IHSAA rules. Consider for a moment our school rule for violating the no-drinking policy. A kid can drink and get caught and either miss 25 percent of the season’s game OR choose to go to counseling. Wake up educators, that is a slap on the wrist. Kids you might as well choose to take counseling; you’ll be out there next game swinging the bat.

Tell us, school board, you sit in your room and say we need to do this for the kids. Why don’t you think for a moment about what you are letting one coach do to our kid? What is he doing to my kid? Coach Wood is taking away her dream of possibly playing two sports in college, taking away her athletic blanket her senior year, and taking away her ability to set goals and work hard to achieve them. We would like to thank Mr. Wellman for bringing up our concerns at the school board meeting.

If you drink and get caught you get to go to a counseling session and get to practice the next day, but if you get caught playing an off-season sport during softball season you get kicked off the team? Many of you like myself are probably having trouble really realizing what the big deal is here? Well, why don’t you ask Mr. Wood? He’ll give you great answers. Answers such as you might get hurt playing another sport. Mr. Wood, you can get hurt playing this sport, in a car accident, or on vacation. Another answer might be that other schools don’t allow their student to lay both. What about Winchester, Blackford, Fort Recovery and Selma? Aren’t they competitive? YES, because their kids play both!

We have followed all the rules and gone through all the appropriate chains of command — first the coach, then the athletic director. We went to the principal, then to Mrs. Downing, and finally to the school board. Mrs. Downing, you even felt that since no IHSAA rules were being violated and my child had good grades there was not any reason that Erica couldn’t do both. When it comes down to it, isn’t she playing for Jay County? You know if you are actively involved in your child’s life and encourage them to succeed 365 days a year they won’t be drinking and getting into trouble. We raised two other children who graduated college. We think we know what my daughter should and should not be allowed to participate in.

Thanks Coach Wood, Phil Ford, and Barbara Downing for carrying out the mission of the Jay School Corporation. There is no partnership with the families and you are not encouraging our children to make positive contributions; instead you are discouraging our children from being successful.

Kathy and Russell Clark

Portland[[In-content Ad]]