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Sports Oakville Beaver 25 · Friday, February 1, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Playing time: right or privilege? W e recently took a phone call from an upset parent who alleged his daughter received hardly any significant playing time for her elementary school volleyball team the past two seasons. (For public school students across Ontario, it's impossible to get any playing time at all these days. But that unfortunate story has already been well documented in recent months.) Whether or not this particular parent's complaint is a legitimate one is a question we can't resolve. We weren't privy to the situation for the entire season, and each side of the issue has its own story. It did, however, conjure up a different item for debate: Should the goal of elementary school sports be primarily about winning, or should all students participating be entitled to equal playing time? Public board also features developmental league The notion of certain students playing heavy minutes while others spend the bulk of their time sitting on the bench is nothing new to elementary school sports. A couple of months ago, at the Halton District School Board Tier 1 volleyball championships, boys' finalists Stewarttown and C.R. Beaudoin combined to use just 13 players in the title match. That's one more than the bare minimum, since each team has six players on the court at all times. And it's one less than the total number of players who sat on the bench throughout the final, eight for Stewarttown and six for Beaudoin. Was that right or wrong? In this case, by the letter of the law, it was right. Stewarttown and Beaudoin were in the top tier of the HDSB's competitive league, where equal playing time is far from guaranteed. "At this level, it's entirely up to the coach," said HDSB convener Mike Harrison. "They don't all play the same (amount of time)." The HDSB also features developmental leagues in volleyball and basketball, and approximately a quarter of the board's schools participate in them. The developmental leagues mandate equal playing time and have limits like the maximum of three serves by any volleyball player before rotating. That avoids the dominance of one player, like the Florence Meares student who served up 21 consecutive points in last season's Burlington final. Having such rules in a competitive league would completely contradict the adjective that describes the program. As former NFL coach Herm Edwards once famously said, both so flatly and so eloquently at the same time, "You play to win the game." The best way to win the game is to get the most out of your best players, and the best way to get the most out of your best players is to use them as much as pos- SUPPORT SYSTEM: Players (we've blurred their faces to keep them anonymous) cheer their team on from the bench during a Halton District School Board girls' basketball game several years ago. Some feel that regularly sitting on the bench can be detrimental to a child's self esteem, while others suggest playing time in elementary school sports should be weighted according to players' abilities and attitudes. OAKVILLE BEAVER FILE PHOTO sible. "The Lakers would play with only five guys if they could," Halton high school convener Darrin Curtis said. Coaches in the HDSB's competitive league are instructed to make this clear to their players before the season begins. "We're very frank at the beginning of the season, that we're in a competitive league," said Beaudoin boys' volleyball coach Jeff Coolich. "We send (this notice) out in a letter that the parents sign. The amount of play is then dictated not just by how good an athlete is, but by attitude, academics, everything." And while it's true that certain players in the HDSB competitive leagues will see more playing time, particularly in the bigger games, there are still measures in place to ensure all students get to play. For example, Harrison requires that a friendly game be played following every volleyball match, whenever possible. "It's as good a solution as we can do," Harrison said. "Some boys will be frustrated, but I find most kids are happy," said Stewarttown volleyball coach Eric Rus. "My boys will get more playing time than they would at any other school, and my kids on the bench have played more than any other Grade 7 you will find." No developmental stream for Catholic volleyball The Halton Catholic District School Board follows a similar format as the HDSB, at least when it comes to basketball. Competitive and developmental leagues are offered, with the latter designed for schools that prefer to focus on active physical involvement within a controlled environ- ment. The HCDSB doesn't offer a developmental stream in volleyball, however. Barb O'Connor, the HCDSB's curriculum consultant on health and physical education, said the absence of a developmental volleyball league is because the board's member schools collectively didn't feel it was necessary to have one. "There are things like the third game (a friendly game, like the public features, when the competitive outcome is already determined), and our coaches have started to host more exhibition-type tournaments," O'Connor said. "There are more opportunities for all kids to play." Like their peers in the HDSB, Catholic coaches of competitive league teams are instructed to inform their players about potential disparities in playing time before the seasons begin. That stipulation is detailed in the the HCDSB's elementary interschool sports handbook, which was last revised in 2006. That handbook, however, also contains some wording that the upset parent pointed to in supporting his case. One section describes part of coaches' roles to be enhancing morale of team by "emphasizing enjoyment, participation, sportspersonship, fair play and skill improvement all above the concept of winning." The next item suggests coaches are "to provide each team member with the opportunity to participate OFTEN during the season." The handbook, O'Connor said, is just one of many resources the HCDSB provides its coaches -- many of whom are inexperienced volunteers -- on a regular basis. See Handbook, page 26