Give 5th-graders a shot at school basketball
Last week, a group of parents went to the school board asking for fifth-grade basketball at McMinnville’s three elementary schools.
It sounds like a fine idea.
Currently fifth-graders at McMinnville’s three elementary schools – Hickory Creek, West and Bobby Ray – do not play school-sponsored basketball. It could be pointed out that fifth-graders at all of Warren County’s other schools are given the chance to play basketball.
That’s certainly one valid argument, but hardly the one that’s the most convincing. Just because other schools are doing it, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right thing for city schools too.
But in this day when so many children have forgotten the wonders of physical activity, offering the opportunity to play basketball can be viewed as nothing but positive. Children throughout this country are struggling with obesity and anything that could possibly encourage driving to the hoop, instead of dashing to the refrigerator, is a step in the right direction. If children discover the joys of athletics early in life, it stands to reason they will be more likely to lead an active lifestyle into adulthood.
There’s also a great deal of pride and bragging rights that accompany school-sponsored sports. There are pep rallies and cheers from the crowd. There’s the thrill of winning and the desire to try harder in defeat. Friendly rivalries, whether it be between neighborhood kids or cross-town schools, are what sports is all about.
And fifth-grade basketball could be achieved at city schools fairly easily. A limited schedule where the three city schools play each other twice – once at home and once on the road – would be a logical starting point. That would create a four-game schedule, hardly a grueling season but it’s an appropriate place to begin.
Uniforms wouldn’t have to be expensive. The point is to give children a chance to play sports, not look like the L.A. Lakers. Each school could have the same color T-shirt and the players could even furnish their own shorts if money is so tight. Referees could likely be paid from concession sales.
The drawback – and this is where the resistance comes into play – is teachers would have to work a couple extra nights out of the school year. And persuading people to do more, whether they work at a school or a newspaper, is never an easy task. There’s going to be natural opposition, if for no other reason than it means extra work.
But when weighing the pluses and minuses of fifth-grade basketball, the group of concerned parents makes a key point. Starting basketball in the fifth grade would give children an extra year of experience, and since the Pioneers are hardly piling up high school titles, that added practice wouldn’t hurt.
As county athletic director Andy Jacobs said about fifth-grade basketball, “It can’t be anything but positive.” Jacobs is right and it would be foolish to quash a quality idea just because it requires a little bit more effort.