50 signatures reached
To: Lancaster City Schools and Athletic Department
Petition to have Lancaster Combine Jr High Football Teams - One 7th Grade & One 8th Grade Team
This campaign has ended.
The two Jr High Football teams in this town have struggled in recent years. As football continues to make advances, on and off the field, to protect its players by championing new developments that mitigate forces, better prevent against injuries; our Jr High Football teams still struggle with participation which impacts all kids on the field. This community has a strong desire to combine the Jr High Football teams, so we have one 7th grade team and one 8th grade team.
Why is this important?
a. The NFL enforces rule changes aimed at eliminating potentially risky behavior that could lead to injuries. The common behavior or climate of our Jr High Football teams has been two teams split by geographical boundaries. These two teams do not have a development model that take the foundation established at the youth level and build upon it. There are many instances where kids are playing out of position, defined by their current peer group of competition. The physical, psychological and mental growth of children is primarily based on their age. Quick strategy formulation, analyzing of the situation, coordination among senses and intelligent action are prerequisites of a good football players. Due to low participation over the last couple years, we have pitted smaller players against heavily built young men. Strength isn’t subject to size and these kids are just beginning to develop their muscle mass, but the competing ratio has not been in our favor for years. We have faced teams with over 40 kids or more on their teams. The ratio of total kids to players that are more physically mature greatly outnumber a team that consists of 17. This change needs to happen to ensure our kids are continuing to be developed in the safest environment and we can mitigate any potential risk of losing participants. Many schools in the OCC have multiple Jr High Schools but only 1 team per grade. Our current Jr High Football model does not reflect this town's current climate. We can do better for our kids.