A win-win solution in an era of losses

In this age of cutbacks and retrenchment, programs are constantly being lost or modified in ways that consequently leave participants only two options - hope for help elsewhere or simply do without. For middle-school athletes in Elgin Area School District U-46, the community has stepped in, fortunately, to ensure that students who might otherwise be excluded will instead have the chance to represent their schools in organized volleyball and basketball.

As part of its effort to address a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, U-46 eliminated "B" teams at the middle-school level in girls volleyball and basketball and in boys basketball. However necessary the move from a financial point of view, it was fraught with negative consequences.

It initiated the prospect of telling vulnerable, self-conscious preteens that they weren't "good enough" to participate in their school's sports activities. It took away one more option for creating a lifetime habit of exercise from a generation becoming known for problems with diet and idleness. It took away an opportunity for kids to participate in something productive - instead, perhaps, of something destructive. And, it may permanently turn away students who, after more practice and physical maturing, may become contributing players in high school and beyond,

Enter recreation officials at Elgin, South Elgin, Bartlett and Streamwood. As Daily Herald staff writer Harry Hitzeman reported Monday, agencies in these communities got together with U46 and developed a program that will enable seventh- and eighth-graders to practice and play games at U-46's eight middle schools. There is a fee, but the schools have helped minimize it by agreeing to provide court time without charge.

"We want kids to be able to participate," Randy Reopelle, Elgin's director of parks and recreation, told Hitzeman. So should we all. Athletics and other extracurricular activities have a measurable benefit for young adolescents. It's unfortunate that today's economic realities force such decisions on local schools, but if they can't be avoided, it's gratifying to see others step in with creative ideas that keep the primary goal alive.

To that end, a scholarship program, which doesn't exist yet, could further help students participate who may not be able to afford the fee. All participants also will benefit if coaches from the various schools find a way to build and maintain relationships with the programs, staying in touch with and providing invaluable guidance for kids who could become valuable contributors at a higher level as they mature.

But even as it stands, the "Cooperative Middle School Sports Program," as the recreation agencies have dubbed their effort, is a model of cooperation, creativity and concern for youth. It demonstrates the kind of win-win thinking we need at all levels of leadership in an era defined by what we're losing in order to pay the bills.