Missing Games for Religious Reasons

Rick Burlesons Yam Bag

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This is unusual in my experience. It certainly isn't the case in my hometown, nor does it seem to be the case in surrounding towns, or in the towns where my relatives with young kids live.

I do agree that there's too little regard for religious observance, and we should have more late afternoon games on Saturdays and fewer games on Sunday mornings, but if your community could accommodate all games (or even most of them) on Saturday mornings, you're in the minority.
I should have clarified. The turf fields are rarely available but any activity on the school's fields is focused on the turf fields, leaving most, if not all, of the grass fields available.
 

Heinie Wagner

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Nov 14, 2001
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Simsbury, CT
In short we just don't have enough fields and I don't think it is unique to our town in this area.
Same story here too and as bad as it is for outdoor fields it's much worse for indoor sports like basketball. There is a night each week during winter when we can't use our middle school gym because baton twirlers get it.
 

Heinie Wagner

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Nov 14, 2001
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Simsbury, CT
Ahhhh, same thing, can't play on Sunday for religious reasons, this time, two players on the same team AND we have a bunch of kids trying out for 10 spots so we are going to cut kids. It was at a tryout I didn't run, so the guy who ran the tryout had the solution of picking 12 kids, so they'll have 12 on Saturday, 10 on Sunday. It was a board vote a few years ago to go from 11-12 players a team to 10 and we've had several board votes since then to confirm that (when coaches have requested more or fewer players) so I don't know what this guy was thinking. This creates tons of potential problems.

To make it even more complicated, one of the 12 players and near the bottom, maybe #12, is the boys HS varsity coach's kid AND one of his assistants is on our board and was helping out at the tryout. The varsity coach would likely coach the team, which is good and bad, good because he'd help us out with gym time, which is very scarce, bad because coach boys HS varsity basketball does not necessarily make you good at coaching boys 4th grade basketball.
 

Heinie Wagner

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Nov 14, 2001
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Simsbury, CT
Daddy ball potential, too. Who's going to say anything to the HS coach if they anticipate their kid might be trying out for the team later on?

Perhaps there should be a rule that the HS coach can't coach the youth sports teams in his or her same sport.
Yup, big time, good point. I spoke with the varsity coach last night, trying to warn him about how difficult it's going to be with 12 players. "I know I can make 12 kids better at playing basketball". I said "what about 12 sets of parents". I almost feel sorry for the guy. Already two sets of parents who feel like their religion places them above the rules and who knows what else.

12 players 32 min game, club rule is 12 mins minimum in that grade. Probably the easiest way to do it is 8 players get 12 minutes, 4 players get 16.
Not good numbers for team happiness.
 

reggiecleveland

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Maybe my best player on my high school boys hoops team is a 7th day Adventist. Our league games are usually not on Friday, so he makes them all. At tournaments when we make it to the finals Saturday night he plays.
He will miss 1st round playoff games, and if we lose a semi a play in game for the provincial tournament.

But he misses every Friday practice. He is an enxeptional athlete, so it has challenged me to figure out how to use him when he misses 30-50% of practice. It all comes down to him being so talented and smart.

A this year my 13th guy to make the team, told me after he made it he was the same religion. Understandably he expected the same accommodations. To be honest had I known during tryouts I maybe cut6him. He is big athletic kid, but far behind in the game.

Anyway these are hard situations, with no easy answer.
 

Heinie Wagner

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Nov 14, 2001
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Simsbury, CT
Maybe my best player on my high school boys hoops team is a 7th day Adventist. Our league games are usually not on Friday, so he makes them all. At tournaments when we make it to the finals Saturday night he plays.
He will miss 1st round playoff games, and if we lose a semi a play in game for the provincial tournament.

But he misses every Friday practice. He is an enxeptional athlete, so it has challenged me to figure out how to use him when he misses 30-50% of practice. It all comes down to him being so talented and smart.

A this year my 13th guy to make the team, told me after he made it he was the same religion. Understandably he expected the same accommodations. To be honest had I known during tryouts I maybe cut6him. He is big athletic kid, but far behind in the game.

Anyway these are hard situations, with no easy answer.
Tough one. If you're going to do it for your #1 player not for another......

In CT, there are tons of HS games on Friday nights.
 

Heinie Wagner

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Simsbury, CT
"I have been accommodating both kids "

Good for you, especially for working with a big athletic kid based on potential rather than present outcomes, it shocks me how many youth coaches don't understand the importance of doing that. In some ways it might be easier to have 2 less for games if you have 13 on the team.

Do you talk to your HS coach? Might be tough for him if 2 of the better kids in that grade aren't playing on Fridays and they have a lot of Friday night games.
 

reggiecleveland

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Just an update. The older kid had a fantastic year. We had adavnced to our city Championship game, when we had a teacher job action cancel it, then Covid ended the season. Found out we have been declared Co-champions. Not the ending we wanted, but an exceptional season. First city final for the school since 1991. Interestingly I was at another school and upset them in 92 ending the string.

Another part of accomodating religion for this team was we dis extra shooting on Saturdays. I had two guards that attended religious services with family on Saturday and had used this as a reason to never come Saturdays. My 7 Dat adevnetist was a really positive leader telling these boys I had made a day for him to get extra time they needed to come. As it turned out I created a 4 hour gym time to start early for one boy and the other kid came later. Anyway in the Semi final these two guys dropped 13 threes between them. Bit agred without the extra practice they would not have shot that well.