Baseball at St. Mark Catholic School
Would there be any interest on the part of St. Mark students and families for St. Mark School to pursue establishing an IESA boys baseball team. The IESA schedule begins with practices around August 1st with regional play beginning around September. It is a rather short season but all in all alot of fun. It would draw some students away from soccer and cross country but could we maintain all three?
posted by croy @ 4:13 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
I LOVE baseball . . . as player, coach, parent . . .
But it belongs in the summer.
Further, baseball for boys means softball for girls . . . just not fair without that equity . . .
Maybe they could work out on the Bradley fields across the street; if not, Bradley park is quite a trek and means cars/transport...
But generally, I can't imagine that St. Marks would have "enough to go around" to include ball . . . takes 12 to make a team . . .
Doesn't sound like a starter to me. . .
I agree with Ed. As it is, we have to have kids "play up" for soccer because there are not enough kids to make a whole soccer team. JFL has already depleted some athletes from the soccer program, baseball might deplete an entire team.
I was thinking practices and games at Franciscan park within a short walk. There are teams at St. Pat's in Washington, St. Mary's in Metamora, the Heights, Creve Coeur, Pleasant Valley, Brimfield, Princeton, and IB.
If we offered a 7th and 8th grade team we would only be drawing from soccer - cross country from the older boys.
In terms of equity adding softball is a non requirement. The girls have cheerleading and volleyball that gives them a current two sport edge over the boys.
Hate to see soccer crumble....maybe I am just blinded by my love for the world's greatest game.
I wonder which sport the students would prefer? After all the programs are there for them. Maybe over time we could convince all the area parochial schools to sponsor spring baseball teams.
Trying to secure use of the field across the street (at Meinen Field, from BU) strikes me as way better than treking over to Franscican. Can't jog there in rubber spikes with an equipment bag. . . . It's a 20 minute walk at best . . .
You asking me if I'd prefer baseball or soccer? No contest. I lament all of the damage that youth soccer has done to other sports and I far prefer baseball.
Youth soccer promotes the myth that "everyone can play" that many parent have bought into. Just because a large number of children can get on the field and many of them run around, parents have the impression that their kids have a better chance to "play" soccer than sports that require finer motor skills for success. So the parents get all cranked up in support.
Fact is, the youth soccer programs in Peoria are run just like the old youth baseball programs that everyone worked so hard to diss and pull out of. Rabid, irate, yelling parents on the sidelines are more the rule than the exception (but of course, it's ok to yell at soccer but not ok at baseball and other games); the leagues are set up as huge financial feeders into large traveling/all-star set ups. Sure, most of the kids on the field run around (so get exercise). But a MUCH SMALLER percentage of them are going to be able to continue playing later in life than in baseball, basketball, volleyball, or even track. All the years parents spend standing around watching their kids run up and down the pitch is really investment in some other guy's elite kid. If you're not traveling around constantly with an elite travel team, you're not going to play much soccer later.
So I'm not a big supporter for the "soccer as great equalizer" myth. I think that baseball is culturally important to America; in America, soccer is a just a sport; Baseball is part of America's cultural history. It is technically, intellectually, and physically demanding. It's still the great American pasttime, though basketball and football have both made significant incursions for fan base and support. At the youth levels, baseball has been on decline since . . . well . . . since soccer.
Would I like to see St. Marks have a team? Sure. Would I be willing to help with it? Nah. Not going to go through that silly training program (that's a topic for another rant). Do I think that parents will support it instead of soccer. Nope.
Wow Ed, your ignorance of the sport of soccer shows.
" than sports that require finer motor skills for success."
Huh? Soccer is very demanding of fine motor skills. It is also very intellectually demanding. Baseball could hardly be considered physically demanding compared to soccer or many other sports. There is a reason it has the moniker of 'pasttime'.
I will concede that the whole travelling team thing is messed up and in need of reform. Part of the problem tho, is that there are not enough parents with the know how to adequately coach a larger number of kids. This is gradually changing. The first generation of kids to have really gotten into the game have grown up and now have kids. I am one of those. Baseball, football, basketball, have much greater numbers of knowledgable people of all ages. But as more n more former players and fans come of age, the quality of the game and the coaching will hopefully improve.
We have put our toes into the waters of the traveling team world. It is NOT the same as what I experienced. To say the least, it was disappointing. While there are some fantastic coaches out there, Peoria's clubs have a disfuntional air about them. Part of that too is in how the leagues have evolved over the years. The numbers of kids playing the game seem way down and the people 'in charge' strike me as being part of the problem.
My son would prefer soccer. It doesn't matter to me.
My guys would prefer baseball. I don't think we can sustain both, so we need to make a choice. THere is not widespread support for soccer as evidenced by the team sizes.
I think the real issue is which would the kids prefer. We now have a student goverment that could take some of the guess work out of what the kids want. Let them do a poll of the kids. Maybe the kids won't be interested and this conversation while interesting is mute.....
I think polling the kids is a good idea. We don't have enough boys to cover soccer and baseball. I'm pretty sure mine would choose baseball.
I would love to get together with some parents that have kids that play West Peoria Little League and brainstorm how that program can be improved and if it can be improved. Not really a St. Mark issue, but lots of our kids play. I think a lot of families are leaving the West Peoria league for better programs.
yah baseball would interfere with other sports and plus most people that want to play baseball already do at NotreDame Pony League or at the FransiscanPark i think playing at the school would take away a good oppertunity to interact w/ kids from other schools
StEvEn,
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