“Kids caught between club, high school soccer teams” plus 1 more |
| Kids caught between club, high school soccer teams Posted: 13 Jan 2011 07:18 PM PST Cadie Naquin understands why she can't play club soccer and high school soccer at the same time. What she can't figure out is why she's not allowed to play in college showcase tournaments while her high school team is off for the holidays. "It's a big problem, not just for me but for a lot of athletes in Arizona," said Naquin, a junior at Scottsdale Notre Dame Preparatory. Naquin recently wrote an article for the website topdrawersoccer.com. In it - and in a subsequent interview - she made an eloquent case that the Arizona Interscholastic Association should tweak its rule and allow athletes to play for their club teams over the holidays. Her argument: Holiday showcase tournaments are vital because that's where college recruiters congregate. "Soccer is a different animal than football," said Notre Dame girls' soccer coach Scot Bemis, who also is the school's varsity football coach. "Football recruiters come out to the school to see kids. But college soccer teams don't have that kind of money. They do their recruiting at the college showcase tournaments. My feeling is the kids are penalized by not being able to play. It's hurting their chance to play soccer in college." Some background: The decision to forbid athletes from playing for both their club and high school teams at the same time was a sound one. Before the policy was enacted, some players competed for their club teams and then jumped to their high school teams just before the playoffs began. Naturally, that caused a competitive imbalance. Also, high school coaches complained that kids were missing too many practices and games because they were busy with their club teams. "It's also known as the loyalty rule," AIA Chief Operations Officer Chuck Schmidt said. "It was created so kids' focus and energy and loyalties will be to their high school team and there aren't any conflicts." The problem is, the rule doesn't allow exceptions for tournaments such as the Disney College Showcase in Orlando, Fla. As a result, kids like Naquin who are loyal to their high school team don't have the opportunity to compete in front of college recruiters. "I'm looking at a lot of schools on the East Coast, and they can't come out and see me play," Naquin said. "But they would be in Orlando. If we just had a limited number of games we could play, that would be so important." Schmidt said such a proposal was brought up two years ago. Athletes who played, say, three games for their club team over the holidays would be sidelined for three games during the high school season. But a committee made up in part of club and high school coaches argued against the change. "They wanted to keep the rule the way it is, clear and precise," Schmidt said. "Any other way and they felt there would be problems." Might there be abuses if such a policy is adopted? No question. Who has the time or the manpower to play watchdog if some high school coach breaks the rules and allows a player back a game too early? Also, high school coaches were unhappy with the compromise because they didn't want to lose their players for any amount of games. Unfortunately, the issue won't resolve itself. As long as club and high school seasons are played at the same time, players like Naquin will suffer. Here's part of her column: "If players remain loyal to their high schools and choose to play, they do so at their own expense, sacrificing the numerous college showcases that are played during the winter season, and possibly opportunities and our own futures in the college soccer arena." Have a solution? Let's hear it.
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| Pinellas mom says kids need recess Posted: 13 Jan 2011 03:19 PM PST Clearwater, Florida - Florida law requires elementary school kids to receive 150 minutes of physical education each week. But one Bay area mom says that's not enough. Meg Rosker is a stay-at-home Reddington Beach mom and former school teacher. She says kids need 30 minutes of creative play each day, better known as recess. "It's an opportunity for them to explore whatever comes to mind. Childhood is the only time we have to do that," says Rosker. Belcher Elementary's principal agrees. She notices a change in her students after recess. "They're extremely motivated and focused to get to work," says principal Lisa Roth. This year, Roth added recess to the curriculum. Students receive 10 to 20 minutes of "free play" before or after lunch. It's a time for kids can be creative and make up games, exercise and socialize. A group of 4th graders play a game of tag. "The more you exercise, the brighter your brain gets," says Nikola, 4th grader. "I talk to my friends and play," adds Avalon, 4th grader. Recess can take place outdoors with an old fashioned game of Hopscotch or 4 Square. Students can take recess stay indoors. One 5th grade class calls it a "brain break." "It calms me down, so I'm ready to get back to work," says Laura Stanley, 5th grader. "We get active before lunch and do better in class," adds Camilo Suarez, 5th grader. The recess time is taken from academics such as reading and math, but it's time teachers say they'd spend getting antsy kids settled anyway. "I have teachers report kids get to work more rapidly," says Roth. Like most Bay area school districts, Pinellas does not have a formal recess policy. Recess is part of its wellness guidelines; that means it's up to a school principal to determine if recess will be part of the students' school day. Rosker has joined a national movement to make recess or Free Play part of every child's school day. She's launched a website letchildrenplay.com, named by her oldest son Eli. There's a petition attached asking the Pinellas school district to offer kids 30 minutes of recess a day. Rosker adds, "They must have the 150 minutes of PE that cannot be taken away, but in addition they need to have time to choose what games to play, who to hand out with, what friends they want to play with." Rosker took her 6-year-old son out of a Pinellas school after learning the school does not offer recess. "Kids can only observe so much information when they're sitting down and learning. And second, kids this age, elementary, there's a lot of socialization, a lot of learning happens when they are playing," says Rosker. She says there's a connection between bullying and kids who don't play this way. "They're not being properly socialized," Rosker explains. Rosker suggests parents set aside a play area for kids. It could be the child's bedroom or as in her case, the sun porch. "Don't freak out over the mess," says Rosker. "When you've got kids, the house is not pristine when they're little." She also advises parents to let kids play the game the way they want to play it. "That child can come up with an incredibly new way to play with that toy. My kids take pieces from board games and make soup all the time," says Rosker. "The trade-off for me is they're exploring. I can go on eBay and buy new pieces." Belcher Elementary's principal says she's banking on the research that shows recess works. "It's a trade-off we're trying. We hope to see results academically, physically and socially," says Roth. "I haven't found a down side to it yet." More Info: Recess policies for Citrus, Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota schools. (PDF) Continue the discussion on momslikeme.com Isabel Mascarenas This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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