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Date: 1/25/2023
EAST LONGMEADOW - A potential shortage in student athletes might mean East Longmeadow High School’s junior varsity softball team will field a team with some younger than ever players for the upcoming season.
Addressing the School Committee at its Jan. 23 meeting, Athletic Director Kevin Magee requested and received committee approval for a waiver to allow seventh grade students to play on the junior varsity team.
Last year and again for the forthcoming schedule, the committee had approved the waiver allowing eighth graders to play JV softball but, as Magee noted, this would be the first time seventh grade players would be allowed to play on the JV squad.
In the previous season, the JV softball team played with four eighth grade students on their roster.
Following a recent introductory meeting offered for prospective players, of the 21 total number of students expressing interest in playing this season, there were 19 students from grades 9-12 and two from grade 8.
Magee said the decision to request the waiver for seventh graders came after discussions with the coaching staff brought department members to realize the risk of not being able to field a JV team at all was a real one.
Two years ago, there was in fact, no JV team for the same reason.
“Our goal is to field a JV softball team,” Magee said.
The waivers meet with the approval of the Western Massachusetts Athletic Directors, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and the principals of both East Longmeadow High School and Birchland Park Middle School, according to Magee.
Magee also informed the board that the MIAA has guidelines in place to protect players in grades 9-12 so there is no potential loss of play time.
In addition, if more upper class student athletes ultimately were to express interest and sign up to play on the team this year, the seventh grade and potentially the eighth grade waivers could be canceled if they become unnecessary.
“We really need those seventh graders to field a JV team this year if those numbers stay the way they are”, Magee said.
Questions came from the board in regards to potential conflicts with town athletic team association, and the potential for shortage of players in those programs as a result of the waivers being approved.
Team members would not be barred from playing on other teams as long as those members were to make the school team the priority, an MIAA requirement.
The question was also raised as to how the school team shortages are being addressed in terms of recruitment and future interest.
The request itself, Magee says, “is based upon need” and while other area schools have introduced similar waivers for other sports, this request is specific only to softball.
Magee said, “The goal ultimately is to fill the team rosters with ninth through 12th grade players”.
But, he notes there is currently interest from around a half dozen seventh graders who want to play.
With the MIAA and other necessary parties on board, the School Committee go ahead is the last endorsement required for the program to be implemented.
The waiver approval passed with a 5-0 committee vote.