From the Stands
The game had begun as I pulled into the school and by the time I entered the Cape Elizabeth’s high school gym the score was 11- 0 Cape Elizabeth (CE). The opposing teams’ benches were on the other side of the court from where I sat with the other spectators, mostly CE parents.
CE is class B rated school. Rating is given by the number of students attending the school and CE has close to the maximum number for its class. South Hiram (SH) qualifies as a B rated school with the minimum student count for its class. More students in a school mean a larger talent pool to draw from. Most schools in the B class are three times the size of SH and that alone places them at a great disadvantage. That being said, playing schools that have a good game is an opportunity to learn better skills but that isn’t happening with the SH team.
SH’s game is deplorable on either end of the court. Their offensive game stops at the three-point line and the lack of defense allows CE to easily make layups. It is an odd feeling to be entertained by the opposing team and embarrassed by yours. Last night I focused on my son’s ability as separate from the cluster fuck around him. He has exceptional situational awareness.
Why doesn’t our smaller team mirror the play structure of all the other teams it plays? I think it boils down to the coaching. Our coach volunteers his time while other schools, schools associated with affluent communities hire coaches and regards to coaching, you get what you pay for. I can not impress upon you the lack of coherence the junior varsity team exhibits. The SHJV team has won one game this season and my son said it wasn’t a morale booster.
What is the point of a team sport when a team loses most of the time? One might argue that winning isn’t everything, and that is true but winning some of the time is important. The winning team celebrates its victory while the losing team with heads hung low do not celebrate losing. I have instructed my son to learn what he can do to be an effective player and with his team, that is a tall challenge.
Parents have complained about the rating system and the rating system hasn’t changed. What can be done with the deck is stacked against you? I work on my son realizing that his potential is always expanding even when teammates feel restrictions which is a good lesson but in reality, it has nothing to do with sports.
Our choice to move into the country was sound when the children were younger and homeschooled. The situation has changed dramatically since then and our son needs a more challenging environment. It looks like we are heading back to a more populated area with a great school system.
