dilema - Freshmen Football or Vacation??

[golfgal]

This is the kind of stuff I'm worried about when my kids start HS, right now were in middle school and already pretty intense... I don't have any in football- but one in cheerleading, 2 in band, 2 in basketball, and 1 cross country- and they are intense! For now the rule is- you miss a practice (even if it's sickness, death in the family, whatever) you can't play or participate in that weeks game.... So, I can only image how HS will be.....

That is pretty common in high school too. You may find a little more leeway in high school for excused absences though mainly because they don't have as many kids playing. In middle school many coaches use that rule because many kids are on the team because their friends are, not because they want to be and they are trying to reinforce commitment.

 

[mhsjax]

Well, don't expect your child to play high school sports/activities of any kind then. I don't know of ANY activity that doesn't require some kind of off-season work. Even with the band, you can't expect to play during marching band season and not pick up your instrument again until the next season and be at a level at which your band plays. It just isn't realistic. Most kids here do at least 2 sports so the "off-season" for one sport is "in-season" for the other and since they are still conditioning and training for that other sport, that suffices. In the summer most kids play their favorite sport. If a child ONLY plays football, stops working out after play-offs, does nothing until mid-August, do you REALLY think they will make the team .

Lots of kid play football only and make the team. IN fact most football players here only play football. I am speaking to a mom right now who has a son on the varsity team, They start conditioning in June and she just told me that they realize you have vacation and a life so you can go on vacation without penalty.

 

[golfgal]

Lots of kid play football only and make the team. IN fact most football players here only play football. I am speaking to a mom right now who has a son on the varsity team, They start conditioning in June and she just told me that they realize you have vacation and a life so you can go on vacation without penalty.

But once the season starts will they allow vacations, I HIGHLY doubt it. Every football team I know has "captain's practices" over the summer for conditioning, that isn't' unusual. I don't know of any program that expects you to make ALL of those practices in the summer but they expect you to make MOST of them. Here all fall sports start mid-Aug. Once that date hits, you don't miss practice for a vacation. Pretty much the only accepted misses are for illness or a death in the family.

 

[bigsis1970]

Thanks everyone for your advise - my son also plays Ice Hockey (since he was 3.5 yrs old) so I get that your commited once you sign up - there have been no sign ups for football yet and because it was a horrible 8th grade season for him this fall he is unsure if he'll sign up, and maybe my Ex knew about this whole thing but I booked this vacation for us during one of my weeks (we do week at my house week at his house) so there was no reason for me to tell him about the trip so no reason for him to tell me about the missing practice thing I guess I never factored it in because I didn't think it was big deal - we've missed hockey to vacation sometimes and nothing comes of that. I might have been more aware also if my DD did a fall sport but she doesn't .. All in all we talked about over the weekend have a few options in place for once my son makes his own choice about playing or not. Again Thanks for letting me get it off my chest.. Michelle

 

[mhsjax]

But once the season starts will they allow vacations, I HIGHLY doubt it. Every football team I know has "captain's practices" over the summer for conditioning, that isn't' unusual. I don't know of any program that expects you to make ALL of those practices in the summer but they expect you to make MOST of them. Here all fall sports start mid-Aug. Once that date hits, you don't miss practice for a vacation. Pretty much the only accepted misses are for illness or a death in the family.

Oh I know that once the season starts you can't take vacation, I am used to that with other sports, I was just worried by the way everyone was talking that you couldn't even take time off during the summer while they were conditioning. We are going on a cruise just after school lets out and she told me that even though they would be practicing/conditioning, that they would not care if we missed a week.