Wednesday, February 24, 5 p.m., OHS Cafeteria
— from Kim Ihlenfeldt, Program Coordinator, OPR —
Many Islanders with youth in our Park and Rec and School programs have recently received a survey to complete regarding your thoughts on football on Orcas Island. We have received an overwhelming number of responses to this survey and believe it is time to address the future of football on Orcas.
Many of you may know that there is a real possibility that there could be no high school program in the upcoming years due to safety and numbers of athletes.
If you are interested in learning more about this and providing input, there will be a community/parent/youth football meeting on February 24 at 5:00 p.m. in the high school cafeteria to discuss our options and our vision going forward. Please contact Kim Ihlenfeldt at (kimi@oiprd.org) or Vicki Vandermay (vvandermay@orcas.k12.wa.us) for additional information.
What a great time to consider swapping football for LaCrosse!
It’s a much more exciting game, needs more skill, etc.
If there’s no teams to compete with, at least one could do intramural games…it might catch on with high schools on the West Coast (or maybe it already has).
Historically speaking, this issue has come before the community at least twice in the past. I do not recall the reasons behind the recommendations for curtailing the program those many years ago though most likely the interest of the students, and the concerns for safety drove those conversations.
Too, the costs of participation continued to rise as the old “B league” of six local teams began to shrink with the elevation of Friday Harbor to A-league status. Transportation became more costly as away games were further “away”.
More recently, questions about concussive injuries have become a major consideration at all levels of football, up to, and including, the NFL. Adding that serious issue to the question of interest by the students raises the question of practicality to the discussion. A high school football program needs about 20 players. Last season the Orcas program needed to form a joint team with Lopez in order to be competitive. The Orcas/Lopez squad was notably successful.
That success stills begs the question as to student interest going forward, AND, most importantly, the health implications of concussive injuries. Tapping the “pool” of yet younger players, most of whom are smaller and lighter, to play against 250-280 # seniors on an opposing team is irresponsible. An interesting question in this consideration would be information about past concussive injuries in the Northwest B-League and in the Orcas program.
In the final analysis, IF the students want to support a team, and IF the school and the league can reasonably assure the safety of the participants, then the PARENTS should be required to subscribe to specific concussive injury insurance and sign-off on any liabilities against the Orcas School District in the event of such injuries.
Though this issue has been addressed in the past, the increasing information about long-term consequences of concussive injuries AND the question of student interest in the program, demands that the District and the whole community have an extensive conversation on the future of football on Orcas Island.
Well said, Ed.
The better and more problematic question is “What is the future of football at any level” Recent studies, mostly by the professional leagues of football and soccer, of injuries sustained and recognition of the injury when it happened, say that football and soccer at any level is a very dangerous activity and we really don’t know how to make changes that would make any difference. The governing bodies at all levels of football and soccer have made rule changes in an attempt to reduce injuries plus the NFL now requires an independent neuro-consultant on the field at every bench to examine players who “get their bell rung” (or worse) and neither the coach nor the player can make the decision to continue participation until cleared by the medical staff. Although rule changes will help and do trickle down to all levels of the game, there is no way a small school the size of Orcas High can have enough players to field either a soccer or football team and be in compliance with the rules that are coming.
Those of us who did play football and now, in our older ages, walk with a noticeable limp and spend more time with an ice bag than with our grand kids are football’s biggest and most ardent fan base and are torn between the thrill of participation once experienced and the reality of the obvious consequences. So.. at least until now, we pass the baton of “it can’t happen to me” on and roll the dice. Is it worth it? We could solve the “not enough bodies to field a team” by introducing Six Man Football like Colorado has for small schools but can we provide the required safety? (a very exciting game, by the way).
Maybe this isn’t an issue that is solved by community interest or student participation. Maybe it is bigger than either. The responsibility of the educational process is to provide the information and tools with which to confront and improve the future. Where does football and soccer fit into that objective? Some will argue that they don’t. Others will point out that Football is the only activity that takes place in a school that requires the whole team act in concert to be successful. The song writer said, “No Man is an Island”. Good to learn, but at the expense of what is well into proving to be a risk too great? Can we just shove it aside and tell the parents that if your kid gets hurt, your insurance policy will take care of your bills? Doesn’t work that way, Ed. The parents may have insurance coverage that should be a prerequisite to participation but in the end the school is responsible for whatever happens in a sponsored activity.
Has there been an issue that has more attention and less solution for the School Board? Probably not!
The issue of Youth (age 6 – 18) football in a topic of major discussion in communities across America. The discussion is notable because of all of the comments raised above. The question as raised in our community is actually a sign of something very good at work. For the first time in a VERY LONG time, our High School and our Rec Program are working together to establish the level of interest/need for programing within our community in an effort to properly focus resources and to target programming that best benefits users.
Last year, in response to some concerns from parents relating to full-contact football the P&R program introduced a wildly popular flag football program, aimed at introducing younger kids to the concepts of football and the dynamic of team cooperation and play. At the same time, they also offered a program for youth that wanted to play at the “next level” in full contact football. The programming proved that the interest was there for multiple levels of participation.
Because of our constantly shifting demographic make up, this research and analysis on the part of our Island program leaders is critical to making sure our programs are relevant to the community. The danger or lack-there-of and the liability or lack-there-of will be an issue that will likely continue to be debated as long as the sport continues to exist. The analysis of that situation will likely be handled around many dinner tables between parents, their children and perhaps a few grandparents who have an opinion (yes MOM… I hear you!). I for one am just glad that our program leadership is taking a proactive approach to making sure our programs are meeting the needs of our community in the most effective way possible.
Charlie; I don’t mean to imply that the School Board and the District do not have responsibility for the programs they approve and endorse. Rather, my point is that the parents of the players need to have their own “skin in the game” as well. I served on the Orcas Board for eight years, and you are correct, the most difficult decisions to make are those on which your judgement is in opposition to the crowd in the room. Decision making requires a combination of knowledge, wisdom and judgement. I don’t envy my son now being in the position of having to make that decision.