Maddy's Letter

A few months ago, we were wondering if we would have any middle school sports in our school system.  Due to significant budget cuts, all middle school sports were on the chopping block.  Schools around here have been cutting all kinds of good stuff for a while now so we have been nervous for the last couple of years about middle school sports.  BUT during Maddy's end-of-season spring sports party, the coach told them all that sports had been saved by private donations.

That was then.  This is now.  Apparently they dicided to save only SOME middle school sports.  We just got the news that soccer, softball and baseball have been cut.  Middle schools will continue to have volleyball, football (of course. nuf said..) cheerleading, track and field, and basketball.  WTH???

Maddy has been stewing and brewing over this one.  She told me she really wanted to write a letter.  I told her to go for it.  She asked me who should get it?  I told her I wasn't sure.  She said, "So let's send it to them all.  The whole board." 

So here it is.  The words of a pissed-off AND really frustrated 13 year old: 










Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools

Board of Elections

P.O. Box 30035, Charlotte, NC 28230





Dear Board Member:

I am very concerned about the recent decision to cut soccer, baseball, and softball out of the middle school athletics. How can you choose fairly among the sports when deciding which ones to cut?

I am a soccer player at Carmel Middle School. Soccer has been an amazing experience! Not only was it great for me, but also for everyone else involved. I’m fortunate enough to play for a club team as well, but I didn’t grow as a player or as a person like I did when I played for my middle school team. On my middle school team everyone became very close. On my club team my coach wasn’t as good and supportive. It was on my middle school team that I had a fantastic coach who volunteered her time to help us grow as individuals and also as a team. She made us feel better about ourselves. This kind of support and encouragement inspired us as a team to have better behavior and to work harder in school because she expected that of us. We looked forward to playing soccer so much that we made sure we tried our best at everything on and off the field to make sure we would be able to play. We also spent our whole day looking forward to soccer practice. As you can see, soccer is just as important as every other sport in the middle school athletic department.

It is a fact that soccer is the most popular sport in the world. This sport alone brings all nationalities together. For many nations this sport is what they are most proud of. This sport is very important to the Latin population as well. Due to the increasing number of Latin students in CMS, I strongly think that we should keep this sport. Many people who play soccer do not participate in any other sports due to their passion for the game. So even though other sports will be available, soccer players will still be left out.

You may think it’s only a small number of students who will not be able to participate in their favorite sport, but for those students the effects could be devastating. Please don’t take away soccer and please reconsider baseball and softball as well.

Is there anything I can do to help bring soccer back? I am willing to collect private donations, start a petition or anything that might be helpful. How can I help save my favorite sport?



Sincerely sad,

Maddy

Carmel Middle rising 8th grader.

 

(i can't read it without tearing up.  and i am sooo dang proud of her.)