Published: December 22, 2007 04:02 am         

You Said It!

High school seniors deserve to play sports

Being a senior is a big part of a person's life. Getting that far in life is a big accomplishment. No one really understands how important it is for students to be playing a sport.

Your senior year makes it even more special to a person who plays sports. Once you reach the junior varsity and varsity level, there are cuts to be made, even if few people are trying out.

I feel it is very important for seniors to have the chance to be on a team since it's their last year. I think it's wrong for a senior to get cut and for younger players to make the team just because the coach plays favorites. Seniors should have that recognition during their last year, especially if they have been playing since they first entered high school or even before that.

I've experienced first-hand sitting on the bench and not being able to play in a game. Certainly if you made it on a team you should have some sort of right to play in a game situation. If the coaches know they aren't going to play you, there is no reason for you to be on that team.

Coaches can't just play favorites all the time and expect to win that way. Just because you get along with that athlete doesn't mean they are the greatest at a given sport. Coaches need to look at talent more often and not judge an athlete by mistakes that happen.

Also, most seniors look at getting a sports scholarship, or maybe a scout comes to watch them play to see if they can make it onto that college's team. Sitting seniors on a bench all the time doesn't help them out with that because it makes it look like they are bad players. It's just not right.

You can't rely on the same athletes all the time. It's OK if you don't win every game.

_ Monica Birdsall, Otego

E-mail items for You Said It!' to sports editor Dean Russin at drussin@thedailystar.com or mail The Daily Star, P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820. All letters are subject to editing and run on a space- and time-available basis.