Letter to Parents From Coach Dews
By Allen Dews
January 14, 2010
Parents and Guardians,
I would like to take this opportunity to clear up some communication errors and get the proper information out concerning the development of our “B” Team schedules. Granger Athletics has a “No Cut” policy, which means if a child comes out for a sport and abides by the rules of the Athletic Code, they will have a spot on the team. As a coaching staff our philosophy is one of encouragement as well. We encourage all athletes to get involved at a high level. We would like to see every athlete play as many sports as possible, to enhance their high school experience and to ensure that they do not limit their abilities. With this attitude, we have created a great opportunity for our students. We have high numbers of involvement in basketball and projected high numbers for participation in the spring sports as well. This is a nice problem to have, but it takes some planning and patience to make this opportunity work to our advantage.
We have and will be developing “B” teams when the numbers allow. Right now we are running “B’ teams in the junior high basketball program for both boys and girls and on the junior varsity level for the high school boys. Trying to develop these extra schedules comes with some work and last minute preparations. Many schools do not know if they will have extra teams until the day before in many cases. We realize this causes difficulties in planning for all involved, but we see these as minor setbacks if we get playing opportunities for all of our athletes. The coaching staff does not see a child gaining any benefit from sitting on the bench during a contest. On the varsity level, it needs to be understood that we will play the ones who best give us the chance to be successful. The junior varsity and junior high levels are handled quite differently in that we want everyone to get playing time and a chance to improve in a game situation.
We are asking that all parents be patient with us as we work through these situations. We will notify the involved athletes and parents as early as we can so as to allow some form of planning. We will communicate with each athlete as to which team they are on, and the times they will be playing. Please keep in mind that this is a fluid situation; the teams change for many reasons. Some of our athletes may bounce back and forth between one team and the other depending upon the need at the time. Some pre-scheduled games may fall through due to issues with the other schools. This is something we must adjust to as well. UIL rules dictate that a child may only participate, dress up for, or travel to, one game per week. Fridays do not count as they are after the school week has officially ended. This may limit some travel of “B” team members to Tuesday night games, but they will all be able to participate at Friday night competitions.
We appreciate your understanding in this matter; we hope that you understand our philosophy on participation.
Coach Allen Dews
Athletic Director Granger ISD
