As it gets more and more difficult to attract both players and coaches to serve on our athletic teams, the school board would like to emphasize the importance of student activities and athletics in a well-rounded academic experience for our children.
Any athletic experience is valuable to players whether it is varsity or junior varsity; A squad or B squad. Playing time on a B squad is more valuable than sitting on the bench with A squad. Either way, student athletes learn teamwork, perseverance, and leadership while positively representing Rich Hill. We as parents all believe our children are the best at what they do, so we aren’t the best judge of how their talents might be best utilized for the good of the team. I personally have watched my own children sit the bench and sub in on the back row because as four foot eleven girls they were not front row material. They were fearless diggers and we all accepted their place on the team. Junior Varsity playing time was still playing time, fun, and important to the other girls who played JV and my girls wanted to help those other girls improve and have fun. Whatever your child’s place, they are still a part of the “team” and should contribute to the best of their ability. Talking badly about playing on junior varsity or B squad conveys the message that these experiences and players are lesser or unimportant to the team, and that is simply not true. A real competitor gives their very best effort and attitude regardless of the circumstances in which they find themselves.
The school board would like to remind parents of the 24 hour rule to not approach coaches directly following a game unless it is to offer words of encouragement, but to wait 24 hours to address any concerns. Topics that are not to be addressed include playing time or which squad an athlete is playing for. Those are coach’s discretion and those conversations can only be held between a player and the coach and are part of the learning experience of being a part of a team and meeting the expectations of a supervisor.