The Pat on Sports: Elementary sports should not be cut!
BY PATRICK PEBLEY

This was supposed to be a fun happy column this week about why I was back and how happy I am to be covering the local sports scene again. However I got word Monday night and Tuesday morning that changed every thing. Very reliable sources kept telling me, that Dr. Judy Blevins recommended that all elementary sports be cut.
I wanted to believe that this wasn’t true. Sadly a couple of anonymous calls to the central office confirmed my fears. I’m sure the good doctor has some brilliant reason why this is a good idea. Well I say what ever her reason is it is wrong!
Elementary sports are a big thing here. All of the schools have fine coaches. The county elementary basketball tournament is a great event and is a lot of fun for all parties involved. Why would somebody want to take this away? The reason I got when I made one of my calls, which was also what a member of our message board got when he called, was that elementary sports are not state mandated and don’t bring in enough money.
I guess our wonderful school administration is more concerned with the bottom line than they are making sure the kids have a full rich experience during their formative years. If the kids do not enjoy going to school they have less motivation to learn. This can eventually lead to general apathy towards school and makes the apathetic kids prime candidates to drop out.
I do realize that academics should be first priority for the schools. I do not dispute that. Sports are a good way to bolster academics. The school system has a GPA requirement for the student athletes to be on the team. Some coaches hold an even higher standard. Many parents have an even higher standard than the coaches. Tell me how this is a bad thing?
School sports foster a competitive spirit in the student athletes. Anybody who doesn’t see how this helps later in life has probably never been out of the county. I know if, God forbid, I ever have children that I want them to be competing to be the best of the best. Student athletes should never be ok with being mediocre. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be the best.
Though I realize they are in the minority, some student athletes play sports on the college level. Some even get scholarships to do so. Take away sports early and you may knock these student athletes out. Though most of them don’t start their athletic careers until middle school, many start playing elementary basketball before learning in middle school that track, volleyball, or football is their cup of tea. Some of these students may never play basketball and therefore never learn to love competing if they don’t have elementary sports.
I know some people may be saying, “What’s the big deal? Why can’t they just play Junior Pro ball?” Well for one thing anybody can play Junior Pro. More importantly anybody can coach Junior Pro. I know there are some good coaches on that level but I also know there are some bad ones. This does not help foster skills or a competitive spirit. I used to dread getting Little League players when I coached football, because, depending on who the coach was, I would have to teach the basic skills to them. Junior Pro is fine for the athletes that don’t make the cut on the school team, but the cream should be allowed to rise to the top.
I think Dr. Blevins needs to rethink her position on elementary sports. I think our school board officials that we elected should step in. I think the county commission, also elected officials, should exercise the budgetary power they have over the school system and provide for these sports. I’m sure all of them could make arguments about how these things cost money. They can’t cost that much and I am sure all of these elected officials can find the money if need be. Moneybags Marlow, and I use that name with the utmost respect for Boomer, can find it if they need it.
Of course if they don’t do this we need to remember this come election time, which sadly is four years away for many of these people. Then again wiping out half the school board in two years is an option.
We can’t really do much with Dr. Blevins. She is an appointed official. We also need to approach our state representative to change this back to an elected position that the voters can hold accountable. I guarantee that if she were an elected official and proposed this tripe that Dr. Blevins would be told to take a long walk off of a short pier and be sent packing back to upper East Tennessee. Which if this goes through I think she should be run out of town anyway.
The school system claims Destination Excellence as their motto. This plan has them more on the road to Destination Mediocre.

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