Photo: Junior Bulldog Basketball Association 2017 6th grade team
By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Change often occurs over such a period of time that it is impossible to distinguish exactly when it actually took place.
One day we simply realize things aren’t the way they used to be. Occasionally, there are exceptions and changes can be pinpointed.
As far as participation in athletics at Mahomet-Seymour Junior High, one current policy can be traced back to 1996.
Through the 1995-96 school year, basketball tryouts were open to all students in the building, whether sixth-, seventh- or eighth-graders.
That particular year, seven sixth-graders made the roster for the seventh-grade boys’ basketball team and four were either part-time or full-time starters for first-year coach Steve Roth.
“We figured it was a common occurrence that sixth-graders were allowed to try out for the seventh-grade team,” said Matt Robinson, then a sixth-grade basketball player. “We went out and made the team.
“Some of the seventh-graders weren’t happy, but we didn’t hear a lot of complaining.”
For the sixth-graders, it was a big deal that they could contribute.
“We were excited we could compete,” said Matt Kuhns, another sixth-grader at the time. “Three or four of us were starting most of the time.
“That was the root of the issue, more so than being on the team. I remember an issue with some of the parents.”
Current superintendent Lindsey Hall was then the assistant principal and athletic director at the junior high school.
“It’s safe to say some seventh-graders didn’t make the team and there was some concern, enough concern that we met and had conversations about why we allow that and should that be continued,” Hall said. “I have zero memory who started the conversation, but I’m pretty sure it was parents.”
Basketball was unlike some sports offered at the junior high — such as cross-country, wrestling and track — where cuts are not made.
“There was concern that where kids try out, those (teams) should be reserved for the grade level they were called,” Hall said.
“I could see both sides, but moving forward, the decision was made that only seventh-graders could try out (for the seventh-grade team),” Hall said. “I was comfortable with the decision being made. It has worked out well and was the right decision to make at the time.”
For the past 21 years, only seventh-graders have been permitted on the boys’ and girls’ seventh-grade junior high basketball teams at Mahomet-Seymour.
While the district policy remains in effect, there is no mandate from the state association, and the schools that the young Bulldogs play don’t all follow the same guidelines.
Orlando Thomas, the director of Achievement and Student Services for Champaign Unit 4, said, “sixth-graders are allowed to participate in all (seventh-grade) activities,” dating back to 2011.
Chris Graham, the principal at St. Joseph Middle School, said that district found a way around the potential dilemma.
“We run a fifth- and sixth-grade program that is school-sponsored,” Graham said. “We schedule other school-run programs, which are becoming fewer in number, so we have been scheduling against some parent-run programs.”
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley made changes in 2013.
“We do allow sixth-graders on seventh-grade sports for all teams,” principal Kyle Bielfeldt said. “We used to have a travel team for sixth-grade boys’ and girls’ basketball, but due to cost-cutting, we were forced to get rid of it.”
At Paxton-Buckley-Loda, junior high athletic director Kelli Vaughn said the opportunity for the sixth-graders to be able to participate is essential.
PBL offers a program for sixth-graders in basketball. Vaughn wishes that was the case in other sports.
“As the eighth-grade volleyball coach for 22 years, I wish we had sixth-grade volleyball,” Vaughn said. “We find ourselves having to catch up to many other programs who begin with their athletes in fifth- and sixth-grade.”
At Monticello Middle School, the district is still attempting to keep the grade levels separate.
“This year, the numbers in seventh-grade basketball were low (seven), but we managed with the players we had,” middle school athletic director Dan Sheehan said.
Fisher would like to be in that position, but found it not practical.
“We have a no-cut policy. Everyone who goes out makes the team,” junior high principal Jim Moxley said. “In recent years, we haven’t had enough players, so then we had to offer a ‘tryout’ for any sixth-graders who would like to play on the seventh-grade team.”
Finding potential players has not been a problem at M-S Junior High.
“The IESA allows us 15 on the (postseason) roster and a lot of times we try to keep 15 kids,” assistant principal and athletic director Justin Franzen said. “We usually have 30-plus boys who try out in seventh grade and 25 to 30 eighth-graders.”
There are also more candidates than open positions in the girls’ basketball program.
“With girls, we average about 20 to 25 in seventh grade (tryouts) and around 20 with the eighth-grade,” Franzen said.
He sees no reason to advocate for a different policy.
“If our numbers dipped and we saw a drastic change, we might think about something different,” Franzen said.
Robinson and Kuhns believe that the head start they got as sixth-graders led to the success of their teams the following two years.
In their seventh-grade year, the team lost one game before the sectional.
As eighth-graders, the team was undefeated until the sectional championship game.
“We had a very solid group, very skilled kids,” Robinson said. “Our sixth-grade year jelled us.”
The nucleus of those junior high teams stayed together and, Kuhns said, “me, Matt Robinson, Matt Harrison and Danny McClughen all started (varsity) our senior year.”
Kuhns said it’s sad to think if he were a sixth-grader now, he wouldn’t have the same opportunity he had in 1996.
“I feel if you’re in the same school, you should be able to compete,” Kuhns said. “It’s no different than a freshman making the junior varsity or varsity team in high school. You play up because you have the skillset.
“To me, it’s unfair to those who came after us.”
Other sixth-graders who were chosen for the seventh-grade team in 1996 were Matt Hagrelius, Jordan Johnson and Dan Kaiser.
Robinson said perhaps age is a better determining factor than grade level.
“Mahomet used to have kindergarten, pre-first and first grade,” he said. “I went to pre-first, and in sixth grade, was the age of seventh-graders.”
Hall understands the extension of the argument that banning sixth-graders should be done universally for all junior high sports.
“On a track and field team, if you have a relay of two sixth-graders and two seventh-graders, it could be argued that the sixth-graders are taking the place of seventh-graders,” she said. “One argument is it should be applied everywhere or not at all.
“I don’t see the need to open up the conversation. There are a lot more opportunities for sixth-grade, or younger. I see high school coaches becoming more involved with little kids stuff and growing their programs.”
Some of those opportunities, however, come with their own sets of issues.
Travel teams are unregulated in terms of number of games, travel and eligibility.
“There’s value to it, keeping kids active, physically fit and learning teamwork,” Hall said, “but I worry when they travel and play 30, 40 games. In my opinion, kids are overscheduled.”
Locally, sixth-grade travel teams are able to use the junior high gymnasium for practices without charge, depending on availability.
“They would practice at 7 or 8 (p.m.), after other events are finished,” junior high principal Heather Landrus said.
Sixth-grade home games are typically played elsewhere.
“Our gyms are so busy, the majority (of the games) are at Lincoln Trail,” Landrus said.
The bottom line is that there is no right or wrong solution, which is why area districts run the gamut in their philosophies.
“We play our kids at their designated (grade) levels and what other schools do, we don’t have control over,” Landrus said.
