THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 9, 1996 TAG: 9602070124
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Why didn't any 1995 graduates from the Chesapeake Public Schools play Division I football? Jerry Windley says none did and blames the low Chesapeake and Virginia High School League requirements and counselor-coaches.
I have trouble with what he says. Is any of it true? What were his sources? Did all our good athletes that year have less than a 2.0 grade-point average? How many coaches are guidance counselors? What makes a Division I player? And what happened to all those football players anyway?
I would not presume to guess why an individual does not meet the NCAA requirement to play in college, but I would assume the reasons are multiple and complex. NCAA requirements encourage success in college and discourage schools from taking advantage of students who are not capable of being successful in college. Raising VHSL standards would have denied teams and spectators some exciting times on the football field and would have denied some good players their opportunity to shine. (It's too bad that college ball is the steppingstone to the pros!)
Being a Division I football player is more than a question of grades and test scores. It is frequently a case of luck and genetics. A player usually needs to be on a winning team and uninjured. Then his fame may rest on the whim of a sportswriter. Genetics also plays a major role in determining a Division I player. Recently a college coach told me that he thought kids who went from college to the pros were ``freaks of nature'' because they were bigger, faster and stronger. The same may be said of high school players moving on to college ball. Each time a player moves up the hierarchy of football, physical requirements get tougher.
So what happened to all those football players? Of course, many good players end their educations or quit playing football. Some are playing Division II ball, which has, incidentally, the same NCAA requirements for scores and grades as does Division I.
Schools, parents and peers need to encourage all students to achieve more than the minimum. In the wider scheme of life, that's far more important than playing Division I football.
Barbara M. Russel
Blacksmith Trail Successful project
I am writing to say thank you to the thousands of people who visited the Chesapeake Transportation Safety Commission's booths at Chesapeake Square Mall and Greenbrier Mall during weekends in December 1995. We, members of the commission, were very pleased with your reception of our attempt to raise awareness on issues affecting safe transportation within our community.
Special thanks go out to Chesapeake Square Mall and Greenbrier Mall for allowing us to use their wonderful venues to reach out to the residents of our community. We would be remiss if we neglected to thank The Century Council, the Wine and Spirit Wholesalers of America, the Sutter Home Winery, the American Automotive Association and the Department of Motor Vehicles for the tools they provided us to address the issues of responsible alcohol consumption, the proper use and installation of child safety seats and the need and benefit of using bicycle helmets while cycling.
The commission will continue to address issues relating to transportation safety in our city. If you belong to or know of any civic, social, religious or parent-teacher association that might be interested in having someone from our commission address any transportation safety issue with them, please contact the Chesapeake Transportation Safety Commission at 547-6176.
To those who took time out of the busy holiday season to listen, thank you. To those we did not chat with, see you next year!
James T. Wilson
Chesapeake Transportation Safety Commission Honor Bateman
I would like to see the new school being built on Cedar Road named after our past superintendent, C. Fred Bateman.
This man worked hard for many years for the citizens of Chesapeake and their children to have bigger and better schools, great teachers and fine administrators.
I urge the citizens of Chesapeake to write the School Board for the name to be C. Fred Bateman Elementary School.
Let's not let this man who gave so much of himself for better education and schools be forgotten.
Dorothy J. Crain
Kay Avenue by CNB