Mainely Middle
Journal of the Maine Association for Middle
Level Education
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2001/2002 |
Middle School: Intramurals or Interscholastic Sports?One basic premise in middle school philosophy is that all students should be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities in order to discover and explore their skills and talents. Since it is premature to judge a child's potential during early adolescence, quality middle school athletic programs should provide each child the opportunity to compete, develop skills, and experience success regardless of their ability and experience. Some of the benefits include having fun, obtaining overall fitness, developing a sense of personal competence, character development, strength, and coordination. There are two basic programs that have existed over the years at the middle level: intramurals and interscholastics. However, the current trend has been to place more emphasis on interscholastics and because of decreased time and space, intramural programs are disappearing. Approximately 80% of middle level schools offer competitive, interscholastic sports programs with the remaining offering only intramural sports programs (NMSA Research Summary, 2000).
Intramurals The idea behind intramurals is to supplement the regular physical education program with the purpose of providing an opportunity for students who desire participation in physical activities beyond that offered daily in the physical education classes. The benefits of an intramural program are: 1) Everyone plays: Participation should be open to all boys and girls, regardless of their skill level, where they all have an opportunity to play. 2) Accessibility: If played after school, administration should provide time and transportation to allow all students to participate. 3) Student-centered: Students are urged to help with the running of the program and are given a chance to decide what intramurals they want. 4) Quality staff: Because they don't demand much time, many of these programs will be run by educators at the school who have knowledge of the needs of the age group. 5) Low cost: There are no uniforms or paid officials and the equipment belongs to the physical education department. 6) Level of competition: Competing is a skill that should be acquired gradually. In this atmosphere, emphasis is more on participation than on championships, trophies, and being the best.
Interscholastics An interscholastic program is one where students represent a school in competition with other schools that involve seasonal schedules, organized practices, competition, and sometimes championships. Many schools have A and B teams which allow more students to participate. However, there are issues with these programs when students are asked to raise their level of competition. Some of these programs are modeled after the high school program and the adult world rather than being based on what is known about the developmental needs and interests of young adolescents. Some areas of concern are: 1) Accessibility: Not all students have the same opportunity to play for these teams because they don't have transportation to "late" practices, can't afford the latest basketball sneakers, or money to attend camps and clinics to improve their skills. 2) Sports injuries: The rate of injury to this age group has increased significantly in the last few years. This age group is vulnerable to physical injury and this is clear from the fact that one-third of all sports injuries occur each year in children ages 5-14 (Findley, 1987). 3) Psychological considerations: There is not a lot known about long-term psychological effects on participants of interscholastics. However, some of the effects that need to be considered are: levels of competition, readiness for competing in public, coping with success and failure, and cut policies. 4) Sports burnout: More and more athletes are leaving competitive sports at an early age, with the majority of youth quitting by age 15. Overall, boys and girls generally agree that the major reasons they drop out are a lack of playing time, over emphasis on competition, boredom, competitive stress, dislike of coach, and not having fun (Ewing and Seefeldt,1989). 5) Coaches: Coaches must have a knowledge of the needs and abilities of this age group. Too often outside coaches are hired who are not qualified to coach this age group. 6) Parents and other family members: Parents and adults need to keep adolescent sports' programs in perspective by not placing unrealistic expectations on their children. This situation routinely places young adolescents at risk and undermines many of the benefits gained from participation in developmentally appropriate sports programs. There seems to be a need to provide both these programs at the middle level. In order to have both programs co-exist in middle schools, some reforms need to be made in the existing programs. 1) Have a balance between the physical education program, intramurals, and interscholastics. Intramurals do not necessarily have to be offered at the same time as the interscholastics, but could be just as beneficial if run before the season or even after. Funding needs to be better distributed throughout these three programs to benefit all students in the school. 2) Leadership in running these programs needs to come from those with expertise in the developmental needs of young adolescents. They should not be driven by high school programs, parents, or winning championships. 3) Improve the quality of the coaches and evaluate their performance in working with young adolescents. Often those who simply played the sport themselves are not qualified to make decisions about the needs of young athletes. Do not settle for a "warm body" to be responsible for the safety and instruction. 4) Adapt rule changes to fit the skill level. All rules for intramurals, A teams, and B teams do not have to be the same. Also, league rules can be adapted like shorter lengths of quarters, using the smaller ball, implementing "no press" rules, etc. By making adaptations, the "adult" game of basketball is more age appropriate and will result in higher success rates. 5) Educate the parents and the community about the developmental needs of this age group. Having parents' nights, hand-outs at the games, speakers at half time, and a write-up in the student handbook are good places to start. 6) We need to listen to the athletes themselves. Take time to ask them why they are playing and what is important to them. A majority of the time you will find their number one reason for playing is to have fun and be with their friends. Since quality middle school athletic programs should provide each child the opportunity to compete, develop skills, and experience success regardless of their ability and experience, this can be achieved through a quality intramural program. To meet the needs of the highly skilled athlete, collaborative efforts are needed on the part of adults who control the nature and design of middle school interscholastic programs to make sure that sports policies and practices reflect what is known about the needs, characteristics, and interests of young adolescents. Young adolescents flourish when they feel safe. It is up to the adults to provide this sense of security, including when it comes to sports. Well-balanced intramurals and interscholastic sports programs are important steps toward making America's middle school safe and effective places for all young adolescents.
Resources Ewing, M. & Seefeldt, V. (1989). Participation and attrition patterns in American agency-sponsored and interscholastics sports: An executive summary. North Palm Beach, FL: Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association. Findley, S. (1987). Breaks of the Game. U.S. News and World Report. Oct. 5, 1987. National Middle School Association (2000). Research summary #10: Sports in middle grades. Columbus, OH: Author National Middle School Association (1995). This we believe: Developmentally responsive middle level schools. Columbus, OH: Author. |