Bret Geller, Skyview Junior High physical-education teacher, took the words right out of my mouth with his statement, “All kids in junior high need something to be good at to give them the confidence to be successful.”
I recall when I was in the seventh grade, I always looked forward to gym class. It was there that I performed handstands and cartwheels and climbed ropes. It was a time that made me happy and helped get me through the day of academics. There weren’t any after-school sports for K through eight in those years, so gym had to suffice.
During high school, I became a cheerleader where rigorous practices occurred daily after school. The rewards included the excitement of game day, proudly performing the precisely choreographed routines, and most of all, forming friendships on the squad. One friend remains close, almost 50 years later.
Junior-high years are a critical time to keep children productively busy. Whether they’re engaged in sports, music, art programs or earning cash mowing neighborhood lawns, extra-curricular activities provide a motivation for performing well in studies and organizing time.
I asked Bothell writing instructor Frances Dayee her opinion about kids’ sports, just to hear an unbiased view.
“It (sports) teaches coordination to get the brain working,” Frances said.
She added, “We need it.”
Frances doesn’t like the emphasis on winning, though, and loves sports where every child gets to play.
There are numerous advantages to playing sports. Belonging to a group provides socialization plus teaches teamwork skills. A player increases physical coordination, develops discipline skills and uses strategic thinking when performing each play.
Bothell resident Marv Harshman, a well-respected former University of Washington and Washington State University basketball coach, offered this thought on after-school activities, “Any activity that the schools can put on takes pressure off of the discipline problems …whether it’s physical or mental activities.”
He added, “The more activities, academically and physically, you can get kids to be interested in, kids will become well rounded and become good citizens.”
He also likes the challenges sports provide, saying, “It’s positive to challenge people to do the best they can. This rubs off into academics.”
Marv feels that sports at this young age are not to make children into professional athletes, but to give them opportunities to do something besides going to class, keeping them active and busy.
Russ Monsef, physical-education teacher at Skyview, is concerned about the proposed elimination of after-school junior-high sports. His list of non-cut sports that all kids can play include cross country, football, wrestling, tennis, drill team and track. The cut sports are volleyball, softball, basketball, baseball and soccer. At Skyview alone, there are more than 500 students who participate in the after-school sports program. That’s about 60 percent of the student body.
Russ sees many benefits resulting from after-school sports and says, “Definitely, kids who do sports are better students,” adding, “Sports help build self-esteem, especially in girls.”
He also says, “Sports provide leadership skills, regular exercise, discipline, and teamwork, and keep kids off the street and out of trouble.”
Russ acknowledges that some sports are available in the community like football, basketball, soccer and baseball. But you don’t see sports like cross country, tennis and wrestling in the community. As far as volleyball? I vividly recall shelling out $1,000-plus for a season of club, which is hardly something affordable by everyone.
Longtime Northshore School District wrestling and volleyball coach Russ Kerwin is in his 37th year teaching physical-education classes at Bothell High. He sees a downside to eliminating junior-high sports.
“Junior-high students get experience in the athletic world they may never get again,” says Kerwin, and adds, “High-school gets more competitive.”
Kerwin also recognizes, “People want a well-rounded education system,” and concludes, “We’ve always had junior-high sports. It’s a small part of the budget.”
Right now, the idea is for ninth-graders to be allowed to try out for high-school teams, but it appears that seventh- and eighth-graders will have to look elsewhere for their after-school sports.
To voice your concerns, you can contact the Board of Directors of the Northshore School District.
Editor’s note: Here’s a message from Chris Bigelow, Northshore School District director of student services/activities/athletics:
“The School Board has appointed a task force, which is directed to reduce the cost of junior-high sports by 50 percent next year and to make it cost neutral the following year. The task force is to consider: maximizing the number of student participants, giving priority to non-cut sports options, reducing number of seasons, eliminating programs that are readily available in the community and maintaining title IX balance. The Board plans to authorize the budget plan for next year at its May 12 meeting.”
