Band vs Football: I need your thoughts. (long post)

[Kitty 34]

Some of you know I'm on our band's WDW trip committee. Five of us and the band director have been planning this Thanksgiving trip to Disney for 160 students and parents for over a year now. We're at the point now of finalizing the little details of the trip.

Well......our Superintendent this AM informed our band director that we need to cancel the Thanksgiving week trip and plan it for the week after Thanksgiving. We have 10 football players in our 100 member band. Our team is good this year and our Super thinks there's a good chance they could go to the State finals (Thanksgiving week).

Our committee has an "emergency" meeting tonight at 6:00 to discuss this change of plans.

As much as I'm quite into sports (my nephew is one of the band/football players) I just feel this is almost asking the impossible. We have busses reserved, hotel book, tickets from Disney etc, etc. Plus our Super wants us to fly which would drastically rise the price of an already expensive trip.

I would love to hear your thoughts before I head off to what's probably going to be a very interesting meeting tonight!

Go Football! Go Band

 

[foolishmortal]

GO FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!



Sorry sports nut here!

 

[Tinijocaro]

Go Band!! (sorry, dh is a hs band director wno goes to disney every four years) The super is asking way too much, hopefully the band director has some backbone and can get him to recognize that this is not do-able. Are these football players key band members? Will they really be missed or are they mediocre. These are the things the band director will need to consider, maybe the band can go without the football players.

Jackie

 

[Bob Slydell]

I'm surprised the football players were able to manage football along with band in the first place!! How'd they find the time to do both during the same season? I would figure the boys would have to make a decision between one or the either and not force the band to reschedule the trip.

 

[lyeag]

Why not leave it up to the ones directly involved? Let the football players decide with their parents if they want to play in a game that may or may not happen, or go on the trip? I wouldn't make the whole band suffer a change and more cost on something that may never happen.

Life is full of tough choices. I say leave your trip as is. The super is a little late in the game to make you change. He should have anticipated a conflict between schedules. That is why they make the big bucks, right?

 

[mickeyboat]

I think the Super should be told that it is darn well near impossible to reschedule the trip, and that the football players will just have to miss the band trip if they want to play in the game which may or may not happen.

Not only is he asking that you change the logistics, but he is also asking the other 90 members of the band to miss 2 extra days of school because they won't have the benefit of using the holidays as part of their trip. That's A LOT of work for high schoolers to make up.

Good luck at the meeting.

Denae

 

[The LK 4]

Go band! You've had these plans in place for a long time. Why should you have to inconvenience 160 students and parents for the sake of a football game that may or may not happen? I'm tired of sports taking precedence over everything else in schools.

In addition, where does he think you will come up with the money to fly now?

Good luck with your meeting. I hope you don't have to change your plans.

 

[Brianne]

IMHO, I don't think it's fair to ask 90 students to switch dates simply because of the other 10. It should be left up to each of those 10 students which activity they wish to participate in, but all plans should be kept in place.

Admittedly, I'm more of the sort to support the band over sports, so my opinion will be biased; however, the football team is no more important than the band. The band shouldn't be asked to take a back seat to the football team; they've worked just as hard to be able to take this trip, and should be supported & respected for it.

 

[Tiggeroo]

sorry but if the team is going to the playoffs they need to be there. Either the football players can't go to disney or you need to change the date. It's a big deal to make it to playoffs. If they qualify they need to be able to play. And they won't be able to play if ten of their players are missing. I would imagine if the band made it to a national championship you would have a major problem if a quarter of your members went to disney instead.

 

[foolishmortal]

Go band! You've had these plans in place for a long time. Why should you have to inconvenience 160 students and parents for the sake of a football game that may or may not happen? I'm tired of sports taking precedence over everything else in schools.

In addition, where does he think you will come up with the money to fly now?

Good luck with your meeting. I hope you don't have to change your plans.

I don't know about where you are from, but around here the sports teams bring in alot of money for the schools that the band does not.

 

[MinnieM3]

Why not leave it up to the ones directly involved? Let the football players decide with their parents if they want to play in a game that may or may not happen, or go on the trip? I wouldn't make the whole band suffer a change and more cost on something that may never happen.

Life is full of tough choices. I say leave your trip as is. The super is a little late in the game to make you change. He should have anticipated a conflict between schedules. That is why they make the big bucks, right?

Yep. Makes sense. GO BAND!

 

[lyeag]

I don't know about where you are from, but around here the sports teams bring in alot of money for the schools that the band does not.

So money is what is important? More important than all the hard work of the kids in the band? Like I said those football players should be given a choice. It is unrealistic to expect to change a trip of that size that has been in the works for over a year, to be changed.


I understand that the ball players have a tough choice and will most likely have to miss the trip, but sometimes that is life.

 

[mickeyboat]

I posted above, but I have another thought. Is the band expected to perform at this possible football game? Maybe that is the Super's reasoning more than the 10 players missing the game.

Addressing the sports/band argument: Yes, football tends to bring in more revenue than all other high school sports combined. In my high school football revenues made most of the other sports possible. But that doesn't mean that the football program / players / or games should take precedence over any other sport, including band.

Denae

 

[foolishmortal]

So money is what is important? More important than all the hard work of the kids in the band? Like I said those football players should be given a choice. It is unrealistic to expect to change a trip of that size that has been in the works for over a year, to be changed.


I understand that the ball players have a tough choice and will most likely have to miss the trip, but sometimes that is life.

I agree give them a choice!!!

But some of the responses are saying the super needs to figure it out... I think the Super did....he/she is saying the revenue from football playoffs outwieghs the cost of a trip for now.

 

[JimB.]

Your Super wants you to completely change your trip less than 8 weeks prior?

Methinks the chances of you successfully pulling this off without major headaches (if at all) is going to be pretty much impossible.

Teenagers want to be treated like "little adults". Fine. Give THEM the choice. The trip or the playoffs. To completely re-do a trip for 10% is selfish & innappropriate.

I don't know about where you are from, but around here the sports teams bring in alot of money for the schools that the band does not.

Apples = Oranges.

Does your football team finance SCHOOL activities or merely sports programs?? Down here, the SCHOOL does not benefit from sports income, only the sports programs.


"Friday Night Lights" is not life, only football.......................

And BTW, my DS is a football player. HE'S probably going to miss a playoff game because of a previously scheduled other obligation..........

 

[foolishmortal]

Your Super wants you to completely change your trip less than 8 weeks prior?

Methinks the chances of you successfully pulling this off without major headaches (if at all) is going to be pretty much impossible.

Teenagers want to be treated like "little adults". Fine. Give THEM the choice. The trip or the playoffs. To completely re-do a trip for 10% is selfish & innappropriate.



Apples = Oranges.

Does your football team finance SCHOOL activities or merely sports programs?? Down here, the SCHOOL does not benefit from sports income, only the sports programs.


"Friday Night Lights" is not life, only football.......................

And BTW, my DS is a football player. HE'S probably going to miss a playoff game because of a previously scheduled other obligation..........

While a majority does stay in the sports program, yes some of it does offset other school exspenses!

 

[Horseshoes]

How valuable are these 10 football players? By that I mean, are they in key positions, do they get a lot of playing time? Our football team has about 60+ kids, and I am sure there are quite a few that never get a play during the game.

Especially for a playoff game, you can be sure the best players are going to be out there.

And being in the band, they are guaranteed to participate.

At our HS, you can only be in one (Band or football)

 

[CookieGVB]

The band generally plays AT the football game, so it sounds like they'll all be forced to cancel.

BUMMER!

 

[septbride2002]

Why not leave it up to the ones directly involved? Let the football players decide with their parents if they want to play in a game that may or may not happen, or go on the trip? I wouldn't make the whole band suffer a change and more cost on something that may never happen.

Life is full of tough choices. I say leave your trip as is. The super is a little late in the game to make you change. He should have anticipated a conflict between schedules. That is why they make the big bucks, right?

I understand but the band depends on these members as well. If the trumpet player has a solo and is the better player but then choose football over the band, the band now suffers that their soloist isn't thre. Just the same as if the kid choose band over being the quaterback in the game. Ever player in a band is important - it is a team just like the football players ( I know you weren't saying they weren't I am just expanding on the topic).

I agree though and say leave the trip as it is. The students made the commitment to the band first before they were "good" this year. Life isn't always fair.

~Amanda

 

[cec311]

Miss football playoffs for a band trip, you've got to be kidding?