Is it not possible to accommodate every interested high school kid on a school sports team?

[Anonymous]

The competition is even worse for sports, or even academics, in public schools like McLean, Langley, Oakton, especially those sports that have small roster sizes. It is because just about everyone in these schools pyramids have resources to have private lessons, camps, etc...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough coaches and fields to accommodate extra freshman teams for most sports at the large public schools. Our private has three teams for many sports—essentially expand to accommodate interest, but they also have total control over how the fields are used and can bring in new (and pay) coaches. Our private also has intramural options in each season. Every kid does something physical 2 of 3 seasons/year per school requirements.

They could field freshman teams of they really wanted too. The coaches get paid very little and they could squeeze in the practice time somewhere. Total nonsense.

NP here. Interested in hearing your proposal on how to squeeze in more practice time. Let's try baseball, for example. At our school, varsity practices about 3-6 and JV from 6-9. Would you suggest cutting practice to 2 hours? 3-5, 5-7, 7-9? On game days, varsity is at one school and JV plays the same opponent either home or away depending on whether varsity is home or away. If you mixed in a freshman game, that would preclude varsity or jv games, no?

They don't play weekend games so it all has to be fit into the school week.

Three hour practices don’t have to be done on the field. An hour in the cage or taking bullpens, running poles etc. give everyone 2 hours (or Jv plus freshman get 2 and varsity gets 3). Entirely possible.

PP here. I realized that my post to you could be misconstrued as being aggressive- I wasn't. I was genuinely curious how you saw it working (and I say this as a parent to a kid who would make our freshman team but probably not JV).

Given the number of kids who try out at our school, there would definitely be the numbers to support a freshman baseball team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not enough coaches and fields to accommodate extra freshman teams for most sports at the large public schools. Our private has three teams for many sports—essentially expand to accommodate interest, but they also have total control over how the fields are used and can bring in new (and pay) coaches. Our private also has intramural options in each season. Every kid does something physical 2 of 3 seasons/year per school requirements.

They have the fields if they stop giving private clubs field space.

[Anonymous]

There are varsity lacrosse & varsity soccer for both boys and girls in the spring, and they use the football field for practice and game. Just don't see how it is possible to fit JV teams on the same field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are varsity lacrosse & varsity soccer for both boys and girls in the spring, and they use the football field for practice and game. Just don't see how it is possible to fit JV teams on the same field.

After varisty practice when the private travel soccer and lacrosse teams rent the fields. Don't rent them out and let high school teams take that time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are varsity lacrosse & varsity soccer for both boys and girls in the spring, and they use the football field for practice and game. Just don't see how it is possible to fit JV teams on the same field.

After varisty practice when the private travel soccer and lacrosse teams rent the fields. Don't rent them out and let high school teams take that time

I don't see them doing at that either McLean or Langley high school during the school year, or at any FCPS for that matter. They do that from time to time during the summer but not during the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even with new sports like pickleball or flag football, plenty of kids still get cut. Is it just not possible to accommodate everyone interested?

I see McLean and Langley high school Pickleball club at Lewinsville park competing with other schools in FCPS. Most of the players are pretty good so I assume there are limitations on the roster size (i.e. it is a "cut" club sport).

[Anonymous]

Imagine if math class was cut, and if you weren't good at math you got to pay taxes but wouldn't get math education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough coaches and fields to accommodate extra freshman teams for most sports at the large public schools. Our private has three teams for many sports—essentially expand to accommodate interest, but they also have total control over how the fields are used and can bring in new (and pay) coaches. Our private also has intramural options in each season. Every kid does something physical 2 of 3 seasons/year per school requirements.

They could field freshman teams of they really wanted too. The coaches get paid very little and they could squeeze in the practice time somewhere. Total nonsense.

NP here. Interested in hearing your proposal on how to squeeze in more practice time. Let's try baseball, for example. At our school, varsity practices about 3-6 and JV from 6-9. Would you suggest cutting practice to 2 hours? 3-5, 5-7, 7-9? On game days, varsity is at one school and JV plays the same opponent either home or away depending on whether varsity is home or away. If you mixed in a freshman game, that would preclude varsity or jv games, no?

They don't play weekend games so it all has to be fit into the school week.

+1. Don't forget these fields are shared with rec and club sports organizations as well.

If you want to provide a serious proposal for making northern Virginia counties add more field space, I'm voting for it all day, every day. Especially lighted fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are varsity lacrosse & varsity soccer for both boys and girls in the spring, and they use the football field for practice and game. Just don't see how it is possible to fit JV teams on the same field.

After varisty practice when the private travel soccer and lacrosse teams rent the fields. Don't rent them out and let high school teams take that time

If you don't rent out the fields where do the kids learn the sports in the first place? It's not like every organization using a field is some evil for profit club. What about rec leagues where 5 and 6 year olds can fall in love with the game?

As an example, girls rec/travel softball is chronically under-allocated fields in Fairfax (there was a county report on this in January 2023). Should we tell them they can no longer use the lighted high school fields and now only get the very few lighted park fields in the county? How does that work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Especially lighted fields.

You hit the nail on the head. But, good luck getting neighbors to agree to lights even if light technology has come a long way since the old days when field lights splay light all over the place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are varsity lacrosse & varsity soccer for both boys and girls in the spring, and they use the football field for practice and game. Just don't see how it is possible to fit JV teams on the same field.

After varisty practice when the private travel soccer and lacrosse teams rent the fields. Don't rent them out and let high school teams take that time

If you don't rent out the fields where do the kids learn the sports in the first place? It's not like every organization using a field is some evil for profit club. What about rec leagues where 5 and 6 year olds can fall in love with the game?

As an example, girls rec/travel softball is chronically under-allocated fields in Fairfax (there was a county report on this in January 2023). Should we tell them they can no longer use the lighted high school fields and now only get the very few lighted park fields in the county? How does that work?

Are you willing to pay more taxes to build more?

As someone who lives next to Langley high school, the school can rent out a softball/baseball field during the fall season because softball/baseball is a spring sport. It is not possible to rent the football field during the fall season for soccer/lacrosse due to the football season. I saw Lewinsville park in McLean being packed with organized soccer for the last four weeks with kids from parents that could afford it.

[Anonymous]

Lights plus turf. Sorry, it’s the only answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough coaches and fields to accommodate extra freshman teams for most sports at the large public schools. Our private has three teams for many sports—essentially expand to accommodate interest, but they also have total control over how the fields are used and can bring in new (and pay) coaches. Our private also has intramural options in each season. Every kid does something physical 2 of 3 seasons/year per school requirements.

They could field freshman teams of they really wanted too. The coaches get paid very little and they could squeeze in the practice time somewhere. Total nonsense.

NP here. Interested in hearing your proposal on how to squeeze in more practice time. Let's try baseball, for example. At our school, varsity practices about 3-6 and JV from 6-9. Would you suggest cutting practice to 2 hours? 3-5, 5-7, 7-9? On game days, varsity is at one school and JV plays the same opponent either home or away depending on whether varsity is home or away. If you mixed in a freshman game, that would preclude varsity or jv games, no?

They don't play weekend games so it all has to be fit into the school week.

Three hour practices don’t have to be done on the field. An hour in the cage or taking bullpens, running poles etc. give everyone 2 hours (or Jv plus freshman get 2 and varsity gets 3). Entirely possible.

PP here. I realized that my post to you could be misconstrued as being aggressive- I wasn't. I was genuinely curious how you saw it working (and I say this as a parent to a kid who would make our freshman team but probably not JV).

Given the number of kids who try out at our school, there would definitely be the numbers to support a freshman baseball team.

No worries PP. I get the frustration. It’s ridiculous that they don’t support more athletes, when so many are talented and have so much to offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are varsity lacrosse & varsity soccer for both boys and girls in the spring, and they use the football field for practice and game. Just don't see how it is possible to fit JV teams on the same field.

After varisty practice when the private travel soccer and lacrosse teams rent the fields. Don't rent them out and let high school teams take that time

If you don't rent out the fields where do the kids learn the sports in the first place? It's not like every organization using a field is some evil for profit club. What about rec leagues where 5 and 6 year olds can fall in love with the game?

As an example, girls rec/travel softball is chronically under-allocated fields in Fairfax (there was a county report on this in January 2023). Should we tell them they can no longer use the lighted high school fields and now only get the very few lighted park fields in the county? How does that work?

Are you willing to pay more taxes to build more?

As someone who lives next to Langley high school, the school can rent out a softball/baseball field during the fall season because softball/baseball is a spring sport. It is not possible to rent the football field during the fall season for soccer/lacrosse due to the football season. I saw Lewinsville park in McLean being packed with organized soccer for the last four weeks with kids from parents that could afford it.

Yes, for more sports fields (and lights + turf) I would actually pay more taxes.