Sidwell football article in post....what are the parents saying?

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/24/AR2010092404815.html

[Anonymous]

I think it is a very sensible decision.

[Anonymous]

i think its a bad lesson for the kids. When the going gets tough you get to take a week off?

[Anonymous]

When 14 year olds are playing both ways against 18 year olds? Yes every day of the week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i think its a bad lesson for the kids. When the going gets tough you get to take a week off?

That makes no sense - it's more like when the going gets dangerous it's okay to say no. Putting a bunch of 14 years olds up against 18 year olds in a football game makes no sense. Most schools with real football programs wouldn't have many/any 9th graders on varsity. I think Sidwell made the right call. What's odd is that they only have 30 boys in the whole upper school playing football. Even Maret can field a football team and they have probably 100 fewer boys to draw from.

[Anonymous]

Concussions can give one brain damage. And injuries like that are far more frequent to players who are exhausted (i.e., playing offense and defense) and overmatched (14 yo vs. 18 yo). 10 freshman starting? Sounds like that team will be stacked in another three years.

[Anonymous]

How do they only have 30 boys playing football? Does soccer keep huge teams and no one is left for the other sports?

[Anonymous]

I happen to think football is a bad lesson for the kids. They aren't going to make pro. But they may get concussions and lose brain function. Hmmmm. Yeah, let's teach them a lesson and have them get their heads kicked in or other bones broken, yippeee!!! So entertaining for the parents and others. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

The coach and school should be applauded for putting health before a stupid game.

[Anonymous]

and people wonder why Sidwell left the IAC for sports. What an embarrassment for the alums and the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i think its a bad lesson for the kids. When the going gets tough you get to take a week off?

That makes no sense - it's more like when the going gets dangerous it's okay to say no. Putting a bunch of 14 years olds up against 18 year olds in a football game makes no sense. Most schools with real football programs wouldn't have many/any 9th graders on varsity. I think Sidwell made the right call. What's odd is that they only have 30 boys in the whole upper school playing football. Even Maret can field a football team and they have probably 100 fewer boys to draw from.

Potomac [MAC] and Bullis [IAC] plus SSSA [IAC] all have active healthy football programs and are coed. Even less students than Sidwell. Maret has recently produced players for college. All these schools plus STA, Landon, Prep have student athletes who have high GPA's and SAT's in the football programs.

My guess? Sidwell students are busy with social stuff and can't take the time for football. Soccer rosters are small so it's not like lacrosse and baseball.

[Anonymous]

Nothing wrong with forfeiting the game if the roster is depleted and they'd have a lot of freshman having to start. That said, this is why Sidwell is an absolute joke when it comes to sports. The school doesn't take sports seriously, so they will never attract the type of student/athlete that other privates can and do.

As for the comment that Sidwell will be stacked in 3 years because they have 10 freshman starting now, LOL. Have you seen Sidwell football? Where Sidwell does very well in some sports like soccer, Sidwell will always be a doormat in football.

And for the poster who dismissed football, I assume you never played the game or had a son who played the game. Football is one of the most character building sports around. Very few are playing because of professional aspirations. Most are playing because of the connections they have with their fellow teammates.

[Anonymous]

I am proud of the athletic director for putting the safety of the kids first and making an unpopular decision. Sidwell just got unlucky this year with injuries and sports choices.

[Anonymous]

http://www.gazette.net/gazettecms/story.php?id=852


Concussions are are big problem in soccer as well. 20% of soccer injuries are concussions.

[Anonymous]

I kind of fault the athletic director in the first place for causing the situation at all. The AD should have developed a schedule that appropriately matched her teams's ability. They should be playing other school's JV teams. She probably didn't feel like taking the time to find them an appropriate schedule because it would have been challenging but not impossible. I feel sorry for the boys in all of this. If they really love the sport they now won't be playing because I doubt everyone will be healthy in a week.